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welcome to the March 5th meeting of the regular meeting of the an arbor Planning Commission for detailed information on meeting procedures please review the full printed meeting agenda provided uh M Kelly will you please call the RO can you make yourself louder yes I'll try to speak closer thank you chiee I'm here Vice chair AB brand here secretary W here commissioner Mills here commissioner hamers Schmid noted as absent this evening council member dish here commissioner Clark here commissioner Weatherby here and commissioner Adams you have a quum great uh may I have a motion to approve the agenda uh motion by commissioner um weatherbe and seconded by commissioner Mills all those in favor please say I I all those any opposed seeing none the motion carries may I have a motion to approve the minutes of the February 22nd 2024 moved by commissioner or council member dish and seconded by commissioner Mills uh is there any discussion of the minutes may all those in favor of the motion please stay I any opposed seeing none the motion carries uh next up are reports of the Planning Commission and written Communications um I will first go to staff um any report from Council council member dish I again failed to prepare but um it was not a big meeting last night and I don't remember anything and I am getting a second from yay Mr Leonard gotcha thank you um staff and uh manager Leonard yes good evening commission uh two items that I want to draw your attention to one for the work session next T Tuesday um we have a concept discussion for a site plan at 2854 South State this is uh a little over 10 acres it's a proposed mixed use develop vment uh it's the site of the 777 building and proquest building this would be a a proposed a pretty large scale proposed development in our tc1 district so they're going to um um be coming to the Planning Commission I am also um going to be uh recommending that we that's the only item on that agenda that we alter the uh starting time of that work session to 8:00 the reason for that is to give all of you a little bit more cushion for the first uh and members of the public of three dates of public workshops that will be held next uh week uh we are doing a series of joint public workshops at the downtown library uh the workshops will be held on Tuesday March 12th at 4:00 to 7:30 with a presentation at 6:00 p.m.

at all these workshops members of the public and will be allow will be provided an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback on multiple uh City Planning initiatives one is of course the comprehensive plan uh the second is the downtown area circulation study and also the Downtown Development Authority development and Tiff plan so we're really excited um to provide this kind of three-in-one opportunity for the public thank you do other commissioner officers or committee Liaisons commissioner abon I just wanted to report um as the chair of the ordinance revisions committee that we did not meet last week uh the meeting was postponed to allow us to have more time to have a substantive discussion about uh zoning so we will meet again in May and just a reminder that our monthly meetings are now every other month to make room for um comprehensive plan subcommittee thanks thank you do other committee leasons have anything to report seeing none um um written Communications are included in today's packet we're going to move on to agenda number six which is public comment this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about an issue that is not listed on this agenda so if you you will have an opportunity to speak on every single agenda as they come up uh we'll first call on individuals present to address the commission then remote participants to speak during this public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or use the rais hand feature if you're viewing through the web link for phone access please call 85352 47 and enter meeting ID number 977 663 41226 City staff will select callers who've raised their hand using the last three Gs of the phone number or by name if available you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please turn off any uh move to a quiet area and turn off any television or background noises so that we can hear you clearly for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments is there anyone present that would like to address the commission yes please uh thank you um I I want to first thank the all of you for your work and Leadership of the city and for uh letting us come and speak today my name is Brian Donovan actually don't live in in Arbor I live in high Park Michigan at 206 Moss Street uh but I work in in an arbor I manag the I'm the general manager for the inter Cooperative Council which is a student housing Cooperative got started in 1932 and we incorporated in 1944 to buy our first building today we own 19 properties in and around the University of Michigan with with houses and all but one of the different Council Wards um monthly charges for our 550 members uh who live in our properties range from 493 for a shared room in north campus to 1370 for a two bedroom apartment on Kingsley and all contracts include utilities as well as highspeed Internet um affordability is a top priority for the ICC and we know it's important to the people of an arbor too uh we have researched how several cities enable group living cooperatives like us uh to prosper and grow that we will share with you um their zoning and use codes uh from those cities we're also interested in innovations that provide permanent or very long-term affordability for residents whether they're living together in a large house or not and I want to particularly highlight work done in Washington DC Austin Texas and Cincinnati Ohio um in Washington DC the tenant opportunity for Purchase Act has been in place for 40 years and it allows it requires notice when a landlord is going to sell a property to the tenant with the tenant have a chance to put together a bid there's more than 16,000 properties that have been affordable properties that have been created or preserved through the topa in the last 40 years the second one is the University neighborhood overlay this is in Austin it started in 2004 it's their most successful affordable housing program providing more units than all of their other programs combined all for students uh it's a optional up zoning that requires longterm affordability as well as a fe andl if you don't go to more deeply affordable units the last thing I want to mention is from Cincinnati that's called renter Equity it's developed by um uh renting Partnerships uh they put it together when they were managing a low-income housing tax credit project and it's a property management system that allows tenants through tenure through and participation in maintaining the building and attending me meetings for the organization to build equity and they can earn up to $10,000 over 10 years uh if they pay on time and do all of their work all of this is actual savings so they're they're budgeting for regular Property Management costs but because they're not turning over and helping out they get a share of that money um so uh we're interested in the comprehensive planning process excited to be able to share with you tonight thank you thank you um hello members of the Planning Commission uh my name is Brian Pagan um I'm a resident of 1507 wasal Avenue which is also known as um soier n truth Cooperative house it's in W to a student run Cooperative House part of the inter Cooperative Council and as my colleague mentioned the ICC is a cooperatively run nonprofit housing Corporation where the members own and collectively managed operations of the organ organizations we collectively set utility charges and provide services to our members um it's a place where people can become Cooperative leaders and stewards of their community and where you not just buy a place to live but you buy a place into a community and into a larger Cooperative Vision years ago um I joined the ICC in order to complete my undergraduate at U ofm and I stay in the ICC now because I want to continue to contribute to the Cooperative movement and I want to help steuart its growth however in the pursuit of our mission we Face many real challenges the current zoning code makes it difficult for the ICC to Steward our properties and continue to expand student cooperatives are not permitted in any residential zones except by special exemption use in either the r2b or R4 zones to get a seu Within These zones there must be 8,500 ft of lot area 5,000 ft of floor area and 350 ft of lot area per occupant um many of our properties have been grandfathered into their neighborhoods nine of the 18 ICC owned properties are non- compliant with the zoning code disallowing us from prolonging the lives of our houses and each year as our houses get older it becomes more and more important that we're either able to make the necessary changes to prolong their lives or to purchase new properties and in order to do so we ask you consider um the following recommendations to bring the existing ICC properties and Zoning compliance we recommend eliminating the minimums for lot size and square footage for student cooperative and housing uses for the R forc zone and to enable ICC expansion densification we recommend permitting student cooperative housing and residential zones by right this will put the ICC on a Level Playing Field with investors and absentee landlords as the ICC has to Endo extra cost and delays to be allowed to provide affordable units in residential zones and the ICC also requests to be permitted to operate group housing in R1 r2a and R3 Zones near the university and Transit hubs and we also strongly encourage the city to eliminate the maximum number of unrelated people that share a unit in house um thank you all for listening to our considerations today and we look forward to working with you all as an organization in the comprehensive planning process thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak welcome um hello I am Alex zlan I live in Ward 2 on Washington Avenue also at truth house um in the ICC um and though the ICC is primarily made up of U ofm undergraduate students we also serve many graduate students students from WCC and Eastern and non-students the ICC has also begun identifying and prioritizing applicants who demonstrate Financial need during contract signing the ICC and house charges typically amount to about $800 $820 a month for socialized housing utilities groceries and educational and Leadership opportunities we also provide need-based charge reductions to those who qualify and I'm speaking with you all tonight to share our struggle to expand affordable housing options in an arber so historically the ICC is expanded by purchasing single family homes and student rental properties and internally densifying them as group housing however about half of our properties are grandfathered as they are not compliant with the current zoning use standards set for student cooperatives primarily floor area and lot size minimums set in place so that way we may only operate homes that resemble large Greek life houses um we can't operate a new non-p client property with more than six unrelated residents making many expansion opportunities infeasible if we wish to remain below the market rate and we're also unable to find new properties to expand into that meet our zoning use standards as group living and are routinely forced to reject opportunities to expand into non-compliant properties on the market even if we were to find a compliant property conditional use requirements Force us to jump through additional hoops and expend resources before even knowing if we'll be allowed to operate a new property um and if these zoning restrictions had existed in 1930 then we would have never been established or exist today so we do have a list of asks to make our properties compliant and to make our expansion feasible namely eliminating the minimum size requirements for our zoning use eliminating the maximum number of unrelated residents who can live together in a home and also investigating the university neighborhood overlay ordinance from Austin Texas to collect fees and L to support um affordable student housing and to investigate the tenants opportunity to purchase act from Washington DC to give tenants the right of first refusal to purchase their home from their landlord um I've passed out info packets to everyone um with with more information for you all would love to meet and talk more about this and answer questions thank you for your time thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak to the commission all right do we have any remote callers there is one hand raised phone number ending in 534 you have permission to address the Planning Commission good evening this is Tom stalberg calling from lower toown in N oror the Pud or not to tud that is the question tud is a useful tool in our zoning code the UDC it can be used or abused later this evening we will discuss the resoning from C1 AR to PUD but for now let's review some of the uses and abuses here's a quote PUD should not be used when there's an appropriate zoning category and in this case there is one C1 a r end quote no I'm not talking about the five corners application on Patrick Street on tonight's agenda council member Lisa dish said that on September 5th 23 it was about the application for Southtown on South State Street she was correct on the first half of that statement and incorrect in the second half but that was only one of many errors that led to that project inappropriately being approved as C1 AR with variances and conditions had the exact same project been approved as a PUD we would be getting 33 units of affordable housing or about $3 million in affordable housing funds perhaps later tonight Lisa dis will reconcile that statement with tonight's application consistency is vitally important in zoning law I won't go into all the details right now I don't have time about how the city helped to develop a cheaply affordable housing fund out of $9 million or 93 units by mimicking a PUD at lowertown in 2017 I will remind people that voices were very loud bent claiming puds were not viable so just a month or two later the city approved the Pud nearby and that contributed about a half million dollars to the affordable housing fund consistency is vitally important in zoning law there were two other projects that were approved later as teds in that area both providing affordable housing units or dollars then there was the inap appropriate use of a PD at 415 West Washington let me read you a citation from the UDC that I raised when that was up about a year ago with regard to 415 the UDC says that a PUD shall not be allowed where it is thought primarily to avoid the imposition standards and requirements of other zoning classifications for other city regulations and give you site the article on that we have been very Inc consistent with using and abusing or inappropriately avoiding puds we need to reconcile our MTH thank you thank you do we have any other remote callers there are no other hands raised to this time thank you uh with that I will close out public comment on Section six uh we're going to move on to agenda number seven this is the public hearing SCH sched for the next business meeting staff there's uh no public hearing scheduled at this time the Tuesday March 19th 2024 regular session has been cancelled uh the reason for that is because we're working through details with petitioners of which we do have many active petitions but we want to bring clean proposals to the table without the need for adding conditions to your motions um so to give us time to do that we um we made some decisions to uh cancel tentative items so there are no public hearings at this time thank you uh moving on to section 8A which is unfinished business there are none so we'll move right on to regular business um I'm going to introduce a petition this is 503 Miller Avenue special exception use uh you for Planning Commission approval this is a request to allow a child care center limited to 47 children and 15 staff the existing um 3200 ft structure is to be renovated and no new development is proposed the site size um is 8,447 the zoning designation is r2a to family dwelling and the staff recommendation is approval we will move on to petitioner presentation with um hello hi welcome thank you good evening my name is ETA Heisler I use she her Pro ouns and I'm the executive director of Apple play schools I'm here with Bob overhiser of Architects Design Group Ted hirh of Midwestern Consulting Mr Tom myy representing New Hope Baptist Church building owner and from Apple play schools I'm joined by Jeff Wilkerson the chair of our board of directors as well as Britney Muro our development and Communications coordinator who's sharing some images online our nonprofit organization Apple play schools currently operates three licensed Early Childhood centers in Arbor including Manzanita Spanish Immersion play school and green apple Garden outdoor immersion play school as well as Apple Scouts Community immersion summer camp program we're requesting approval of special exception used to open and operate a child daycare at 503 Miller AB shown here at the corner of Miller and chapen Street 503 Miller as wanm stated is currently zoned r2a and special exception use was granted previously to operate an adult daycare and Community Health Clinic at this site we have been operating Child Care Center under a similar special exception use just on the street at 511 Miller Avenue since 2014 if seu is approved our plan is to renovate the existing building at 503 Miller to bring it up to code particularly state code regarding fire safety and egg grass for child care centers and provide 47 new child care spots with approximately 10 to 15 adult staff present daily we've worked with the landlord New Hope Baptist Church for nearly a decade when we started exploring ways to better meet the dire need for child care in our community the church leaders recommended we renovate the building and put it back to use for the community after sitting mostly unused for several years several key businesses are located right on this corner which anchors the neighborhood Knight's market and big city small world Bakery as well as the church which has Decades of leadership in the community and we believe a child care would add to that for Apple play schools 503 Miller's proximity to these businesses as well as to West Park Argus Farm stop on Liberty the farmers market Miller nature area the downtown library means we have bus and walking access for children to be out in the community being immersed in community is an is an essential part of our curriculum as a Regio Amelia inspired Center but it's also just good for kids there's ample off street parking both in the auxiliary lot we currently use just to the south of the property and across the street at New Hope which is accessible by the crosswalk across Chap and at Miller and there's proximity to several different public transportation lines as well as the future Tree Line urban trail um which support both the cities and apple play schools sustainability goals this location is accessible readily to the families and staff we serve currently 20% of our families and staff um at the 511 location bus W bike or walk walk to school we plan to add at least six Class B bike parking spots at our sister site 511 as part of this project and um at our citizen participation meeting we heard concerns from Neighbors about the noise during our weekday business operations and to address this we will include some plantings and have other ideas to create Visual and sound buffer between the outdoor play areas and the neighboring properties and we're happy to consider other input as we figure figure out how best to be good neighbors we're required to install a new hydrant for these operations as well as indicated in our plans and we plan to run the lines for the hydrant off um or across chapen street thanks Britney before I end I want to provide some important context for the project and our special exception use request in addition to my work at Apple play schools I also serve on the Livingston washna Child Care planning Coalition which formed last year to study the child care crisis in our area and develop solutions for our community and I don't use the words Child Care crisis lightly here in Wason County there are only enough licensed child care spots for one out of every seven children under the age of five only 40% of families in our area have access to child care that meets their needs and child care costs here are the highest in the state families are paying more than $10,000 a year per child to have the care that they they do have even if it doesn't meet their needs this lack of child care is keeping people out of work and impacting their earning capacity over time at best this is a seismic loss to our local economy in fact the Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimated last fall that Michigan loses nearly $3 billion dollar in economic activity every year due to lack of child care at worst this crisis widens the already massive Gap in racial and gender Equity by pricing caregivers of color and women out of child care services and thus out of opportunities to work to advance their careers or to build assets for their families meanwhile child care workers in Wasau County earn a median wage of $12.23 an hour startling $34 below living wage that's just not good enough for professionals who are providing skilled labor that the rest of the community depends on to work the child care we propose to open at 503 Miller will not only provide more child care spots and allow us to increase scholarships to the community but it will also allow our organization to continue improving compensation to our teachers creating highquality jobs and attracting new child care education talent to our area with over 40% of an Ann Arbor households falling below the Alice threshold expanding Child Care access and priori child prioritizing childcare Workforce Development are essential steps that we must take towards meeting the city's goals for equity and economic development thank you so much for your time and for considering our requests for special exception use we look forward to answering any questions you may have about the project thank you uh moving on to staff presentation Miss Thatcher thank you what you do public com oh we will do public comment right after staff presentation thank you Miss sasher I'm going to put back on your screens the uh aerial photo of the site this is the one that's in the packet but um I wanted to briefly touch on a couple of things um there's no off street parking required by code on this site nevertheless it has a lot of parking and since it's got it and they use it I wanted to make sure that um you were aware of it um so this is 503 Miller on the corner um this is a privately owned residential home next door and next door is at 511 is um an an apple play schools existing preschool they use the empty lot at 5:15 which is over here as their playground um it's a little bit hard to see here but 515 wraps all the way around the back of 511 and the neighbor 507 and a buts here uh the 503 Miller that's at the corner that we're talking about tonight um there's a small parking lot right behind 503 Miller that is not proposed to be used for parking um I assume that that will be used for for kids for a playground area right now parents are and caregivers are going into the parking lot down here that's owned by um new Baptist Church that uh abuts West Park a little bit F farther to the South you can park here where you see these cars parked and walk right up this path through the back to get to uh Apple play school is the existing location so this is really convenient um to keep kids um off the street as much as possible there are also however good sidewalks um in front of along Miller and along chapen there are marked crossw walks uh at the the intersections um so really in terms of both parking drop off and pedestrian friendliness um this is a pretty good site for that um uh we should Let's see we should note that at the citizen participation meeting there were three neighbors um I'm sorry three members of the public who attended I'm not sure if they were all neighbors or just some of them um there were noise concerns raised um um and the the the owner or the occupant of the the house that would be sandwiched in between the two preschools had some concerns about adding more kids to the mix um this is a pretty uh busy Street there's quite a bit of traffic it's close to very close to Spring Street where we have Knights and a bakery and the church is right down here so there's a lot going on on this corner and um I've talked to representatives of uh Apple play schools to Eta who presented to you tonight um she has assured me that they want to keep working with the neighbor that would be in between the two preschools and do what they can they've already taken some steps to mitigate some noise that they had going on um and they're looking at what else they can do um that's not codified on this of course but um we have had those conversations um meeting the seu standards for approval um like I said this is a pretty intense neighborhood and I don't think that this is out of character with that neighborhood um turning movements will remain unchanged um the last thing that I want to talk about is bike parking there there's there's no development proposed with this so there's no site plan there are sort of civil engineering plans attached only as for information um because we we ask for some sort of existing conditions plan with an seu that doesn't have development proposed um so as such there isn't bicycle parking required on the site but um I strongly uh suggested that they provide it because they do have people that bike now to their site and uh they were very amenable to that took an inventory of both sites and thought that the best place to put it would be behind the existing preschool but to be shared by both preschools if the new one is approved um it is on the existing conditions plan that they would provide this by September of 2025 um after they get the 503 Miller um in better shape and uh there would be six Class B spaces there shared between the two it's a little bit strange to put your bike parking on a different site that you don't own but since this is a special exception use it's I don't think that that it's detrimental since they'll be using both properties and going between the two quite freely um should somebody else want to occupy this building that we're talking about tonight in the future and there special exception you says you have to go to 511 Miller for bike parking obviously that's not going to work at that point we would have to update the special exception use or just have them provide it on the 503 Miller site the class B um spaces that are required and who knows what will be required by that time we might want to update the whole thing so staff does recommend that the special exception use be approved with conditions the conditions are that the child care is provided for no more than 47 children and no more than 15 caregivers and that the sixth Class B bicycle parking spaces will be provided by September 30 2025 at 511 Miller for shared use with 503 Miller thank you thank you with that we will move to public hearing um this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to 3 minutes um about this particular item we'll first call on people that are present and then on to the remote participants to speak during this uh public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or user raised hand feature of viewing through the web link and for phone access please call 877 853 5247 and enter meeting ID 977 6634 1226 uh City staff will select callers that have raised their hand using the last three digits of the phone number or by name if available um you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please move to a quiet area so that we can hear you clearly for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments and with that is there anyone present that would like to address the commission please I thought the three minute limit was only for things that were not on the agenda but my name is Lori lsbury I live at 507 Miller Avenue I have nothing against children I have two of my own and three grandchildren but this location will add they already have 30 children on one side of me and I don't know how many teachers this will put almost a 100 people all the way around me if you looked at the map they had they're going to have the children playing behind my house that means 100 people completely surrounding me all the time as it is right now I can no longer use my backyard they like to have the kids outside all year long which I'm good with having kids outside but I can't use my backyard it's so loud they're and they're little kids they're little tiny kids screaming and yelling all the time the teachers are allow to my biggest problem is that this I bought this house 20 years ago this is all I have this is my life savings this was my retirement plan to stay there and let the equity appreciate this will immediately destroy all the value in my house no one would buy a house wedged in between a 100 people a 100 people 70 of whom will be loud children so I will be ruined devastated I will lose everything I have with this everything I did my due diligence when I bought my house that house next door did have a special exception permit for an adult daycare I don't think that ever went to fruition if it did I never saw a person coming and going when I bought my house the daycare next door was for six or eight little children it wasn't a big deal then Apple came in and it immediately became 30 kids outside all year long H chapen Street is extremely narrow I've seen so many cars get sideswiped on that street I've seen a city bus sideswipe cars on that street I've seen the neighborhood with Miller Manor that corner is kind of unsavory and I think we all remember a woman got murdered 100t from this place these little children I'm all for playing outside like I said but in the summertime they play out there in full View of West Park or any of the people walking around there and they are wearing nothing but their little Underpants boys and girls out there in the summer that seems like a formula for trouble big trouble they're outside all the time all the time they are always making noise their website says it's an outdoor immersion exploring natural landscapes Eda said something about the community and being in the neighborhood I've never seen them leave there this will ruin me this will destroy me ruin me my house won't be worth anything I'm sorry up I'll be done thank you thank you is there anyone else present that would like to address a commission about this particular topic welcome hi I'm Francis todoro Hargreaves I am the impact investing manager for the an arbor Area Community Foundation the impact investing program has been in the foundation for about 3 years the committee has three priorities that it's set for itself it's affordable housing small business and child care and as part of that child care Focus I have also participated in the living wash County childcare Coalition that Miss Heisler spoke of um we communicate and keep up to dat with uh decisions in Lancing on how to handle this crisis and we have been working with uh the team at Apple for the last four months on this project the committee is supportive of this project and so we're hopeful that you will be also and we look forward to working on this in the future thank you thank you is there anyone else that would like to address the commission at this [Applause] time is there anyone remotely that is looking to address a commission there are no hands raised okay give it a few more moments okay seeing no other I'm going to read the proposed motion which is the an arbor City Planning Commission after hearing all interested person in reviewing all relevant information including an accompanying site plan and finds a petition substantially meets the standards in chapter 55 unified development code section 5.29.18 point2 pointb child care center and therefore approves the 503 Miller special exception use for child care at 503 Miller Avenue this approval is based on the following findings the proposed use will be consistent with the r2a multiple family dwelling District which allows single and two family residential uses and Child Care Centers by special exception proposed use will not adversely impact traffic pedestrians bicyclists circulation or Road intersections based on the location Miller Avenue and shapen Street provide access to the site and the proposed use is consistent with the existing and other surrounding uses traffic impact the subject site meets the use specific standard of at least 7500 ft of lot area and finally the site plan documenting the existing and proposed conditions of the site plan has been submitted as a part of the application the special exception use is approval is based on the following conditions Child Care is provided for no more than 47 children by no more than 15 caregivers six class be bicycle parking spaces will be provided by September 30th 2025 at the 511 Miller for shared use with 503 Miller and that the an arbor Planning Commission approves the attach site plan which demonstrates compliance with the applicable special exception use standards as no development which would otherwise require site plan approval have been proposed moved by commissioner Mills and seconded by council member dish we are in discussion would anyone like to kick us off commissioner Adams yeah um so the legal standard for something like this relates a lot back to impact on the neighborhood it's compatibility with the neighborhood so this is my neighborhood um I think the expansion of this project isn't just compatible with it I think it's it's going to be the the the the center as expanded is going to meet a dire need for Neighborhood Child Care in this neighborhood um beyond that I I I think that the adverse impact on neighbors here has to be viewed in the context of you know two streets that support a significant amount of daily traffic a very vibrant park that's right behind the property a corner grocery store a bakery a dispensary a church I mean this is a very active as staff pointed out a very active and busy neighborhood in that context I think the noise the incremental noise increase that we're talking about really falls into the same category as the stuff that's already there so when we're talking about consistency and impact I really feel like this use is very consistent with what's already present there and I fully support this and I'm excited to vote Yes on it thank you council member dish thank you um I wanted to say thank you to staff because the staff report does a great job with its table checking off the UDC requirements that are met by this uh project and I'd like to elaborate on the first of these which is consistency with objectives of the comprehensive plan and as staff notes the proposed Child Care Center provides an essential service for those living and working in the city um it it it is not an exaggeration it is a actually empirical fact that was county is considered a child care desert there is only one license spot available for Kids 1 to five and this is what should really give us all pause that close to 20% of the licensed spots are sitting empty because people cannot hire staff because Child Care wages are so low Apple play uh pays its staff over the median wage of Wasa County they pay them close to $16 an hour they also provide 50% infant and toddler and 50% preschool care their expansion that they are bringing before us is necessary for them to be able to continue paying at at what is almost a living wage and yet we are happy about it and that they are able to continue to provide that kind of ratio many places just cannot afford to provide infanto care because it is so expensive to do so and so without this expansion they are not able to continue this important service of offering infant and toddler care um this is not merely I mean these issues of child care are also issues of equity because they hit women and women of color hardest so in terms of the crucial services that this child care center will provide I think that the project checks those boxes I have uh immense Sympathy for the frustration that uh Miss Lounsbury expressed I cannot imagine that Apple play school wouldn't be willing to talk to you about noise mitigation we already have in the staff report evidence that they have responded to concerns about a piano on the front porch by moving that so I bet there are ways to talk about that um I also can't imagine any house in an arbor having no value so I understand that there may be a loss but um there may also be uh there are many gains thank you um commissioner Mills I think you were next unless um commissioner Weatherby uh this is not my neighborhood but my niece and nephew went to we wisdom which was in 511 Miller back in the day one's now in college one's a senior in high school um and this was a fabulous spot it was just so amazing their parents could walk them to and from school if something happened we could rush in because we worked downtown at the University it was just a really great spot and um I it's it's very exciting to see more opportunities there for child care because it is a huge problem and what we you know the thing that is most dangerous for our kids is driving them everywhere and to be able to be in a neighborhood where not everybody would have to drive their kids and drop them off and leave them you know have big lines of cars I love the bike parking I think that's a really important piece um I am sympathetic to loud children um I live in a neighborhood where the children are older but they are still loud and they are loud later at night um but it's our community and that's our society and we have that and and um our our houses are have gone up in value no matter what sometimes you might think how could a How could a house next to a you you know terrible student house go up in value and yet they've doubled in value um and so I I am sympathetic I know that's not going to help that that we're sympathetic um but I think that uh this is a great location for a child care and an expansion that is you know it's on a park it's it's just in a really great space and it's been used as a child care center for you know the area has been child care centers for a long time so um I think I think it's great I did have one question for staff do we need to add the fire hydrant to the motion or is that just part of it we do not the the fire hydrant is um required by building code okay and so the Fire Marshall is taking care of that okay yeah thank you thank you thank you you any other Commissioners commissioner Mills this is my neighborhood um I looked at Apple play school and I actually have a question about how the two centers will operate um this is not my children are blessedly now in elementary school so I not paying for daycare um but I remember that I would need to take them to two different centers because of the age Gap so is the intention um age How would how will this operate I so wish the intention was to consolidate infant toddler and preschool Care on one site so people didn't have to drive up and down Miller Road but sadly that is not the intention um no the intention is that the new center at 503 Miller will be only for children 30 months and older that's for two reasons one is because of the State child care licensing rules and fire safety and egress um it's not appropriate to have infant toddler care in most of the spaces at 503 Miller um because of what's required to make sure that kids who can't walk can be moved safely by their caregivers out in the case of a fire so to sort of alleviate any issues around State Licensing we decided to stick to 30 months and older there um the second reason is because as council member dish mentioned we currently provide infant toddler care um at the building up the street as well as at manzanas um that constitutes 50% of our enrollment and the margins on infant toddler care are negative they we run those spots at a loss um in order to accommodate the community's need and the older the the tuition we can charge for the older spots will allow us to offset that cost spread our overhead among more families in order to better compensate our staff great well the uh I can speak from experience the need for child care is great um it would have saved me from I mean one of the reasons is we try to not drive and couldn't handle both drop offs on bike that's a hill to go up on but anyway um but um even so I mean I I think one of the things that's great about this site is the compliment AR complimentarity of the parking with the church use um in terms of using the infrastructure the time that it would be used is are always off peak right and so even if there is a a church event kind of in the middle of the day that's not during drop off time so again I'm literally just across the park in Lor Terrace's backyard and so like I can see what's going on like how often that that parking lot is full and I mean it's it's it's super complimentary in terms of those uses and in terms of a neighbor right it is it's it's silent at night kids go home um and on the weekends and also you know that's complimentary with this with the church use so I I think this is a great use of the infrastructure that we have this is like the Hub of kind of the lower water Hill Neighborhood um there's a there's a hub of activity here and so um and bus stops just across the um just across the intersection at chapen so um I think that this is um is appropriate as the staff report points out I think it meets all the criteria the question that I have and this I think is for staff is um in the UDC there's a a th foot spacing from a dispensary to a private school and I'm curious if this counts or not this does not count because the dispensary is already there okay so a child care can open within that th000 ft but a new dispensary say on the other side would have to then be 1,000 ft away from the new CH it you know right is this going to put the is this going to put the dispensary I'm sorry I have to I okay child carees are not counted the same way schools are you don't have to be a th000 feet from a child care okay that I couldn't couldn't remember if daycare counted as it's it's Elementary end up well and I would just say again my kids are in the park all the time like this is a happening place to be and actually the more activity that we H like I I like the activity that's on the street um so I just wanted to make sure that we weren't putting another special exception use in a weird spot um in case there was a conflict and it sounds like there's not so um great I this is I'm excited to see this thank you commissioner Clark um yeah I just want to I express that I'm looking forward to supporting this um and thank you for bringing more child care to an arbor I know from experience that we very badly need it and um it's very difficult for child carees to get to a scale where um it's profitable expand so thank you for doing that um also I just think it's a great location it's right by a public park and um children I strongly believe children have a right to exist in the city use our public amenities and I think it's wonderful that you have the children outside um that's an absolutely fantastic amenity and I think it's really matter of um perspective whether it's a benefit or not you know on a personal level for the homeowners but I would say that again um we're fortunate enough to live in a city where property values are pretty stable and there will you know be a market for that so well I I guess I can be sympathetic to neighbor concerns on that um children do have a right to exist in the city so thank you thank you any other Commissioners commissioner white just a question for staff about um I was looking up the property ownership it looks like the church owns yes 5503 511 and 515 that's correct okay so then the property that they're sharing across 503 and 511 actually run from 515 across and back according to your staff report lines let me look at the map sorry make sure I got the numbers straight and I guess I'm I I just have a general question about the the need for the because the church is not operating it and they're leasing the space that's why it's coming in cuz the church would have flexibility to do what they want it to in that space within certain restrictions the church would also need a special exception use to operate a church-based child care okay yeah okay all right those are my questions thank you any other Commissioners all right um with that I'll just add my two cents I was at a spark Economic Development uh meeting a few days ago which we did talk about the lack of child care and the the impacts that it has on Talent attraction as well as retention I certainly hear you um as far as frustrations with respect to uh noise um bordering on what could be considered nuisance looking at the overall context of the the concept of Economic Development as well as as as the other Commissioners eloquently put children do have a right to place in our city as well um I'm in support of this overall in consideration um that being said I would also say that your particular property is also perspectively also possible for a special exception use as far as conversion goes but that that's um neither here nor there um all of that said I'm in support and I think any other Commissioners with final Thoughts with that we'll go to a roll call vote thanks staff commissioner Adams support commissioner WEA be yes commissioner Mills yes commissioner Clark yes council member dish yes commissioner W yes commissioner aons yes and commissioner Lee yes that passes motion carries thank you moving on to regular business this is 416 Longshore Drive site plan for City Planning Commission approval I will give a quick um this is a proposal to construct a new four-story 15 unit Condo building next to an existing office building the site size is 1.66 Acres zoning destination is office um due to a noticing error this petition is requested to be moved to the April 2nd 2024 meeting agenda we will still hold a public hearing since it was posted but we'll be Ren noticing and holding a new hearing on April 2nd uh I need a motion to postpone and Voice vote after the public hearing and so oh well we'll do that right after uh yes after the public hearing so we're going to go on to we're going to go to public hearing with respect to 416 Longshore Drive um this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about this item we'll first call on individuals present and then those remotely um to speak during this public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or use a raised hand feature of viewing through the web link for phone access please please call 877 85352 47 and enter meeting ID 9776 1226 City staff will select callers that have raised her hand using the last three digits of the phone number or by name if available you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please move to a quiet area mute background noises so that we can hear you clearly and for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments do we have anyone present that would like to speak on 416 Longshore Drive yes please before I start could I ask why it was postponed again just it was a noticing error perspectively staff you want to no the yeah noticing error okay yeah the we uh take several steps to notice uh a public Hearing in a variety of ways and one of those steps wasn't completed apparently for this one so to make sure that everybody receives that notice that's our rescheduling it for the April meeting okay makes sense yeah no no sweat um my name is Kyle Troutman I live on 5:30 Detroit Street in North Central um and I want to bring up two points that I had about this development the first of which is that I took a glance at the mitigation plans or the site plans and I think that the overall plan for mitigation for this is more or less like design-wise and otherwise unacceptable um I understand that there are Landmark tree requirements and that this is taking out a swath of a nice chunk of woods in the area but to kind of disillusion yourself into thinking you can place what I think they said is 95 trees in this now extremely cramped lot is just not doable by any stretch of the imagination if you take a glance at it there's essentially just these circles overlapping one another it'll look nothing short of an orchard and is just a little bit silly so I would implore there to be a different way that to think about how do we mitigate for all of the landmark trees and the Woodland trees that are being removed in this development project um one thing that I know is that oddly enough the little chunk of woods to the west of this is actually a very high quality birding hot spot in the ant Arbor especially within the downtown realm and I think this is due to it being you know it's a proximity to a the downtown but it's also a Flyway it has proximity to Quality Riverfront and there's just a host of birds that migrate and and reside in this little swath of woods here so perhaps there's a way to make the mitigation instead of just plopping 95 useless trees in an orchard Style on this cramped office and now residential property maybe there's a way to have some sort of habitat and E ecological Restoration in the chunk of Woodland there perhaps there's a way to maybe not just restore but also better that area and the habitat um I think this is difficult and would require some thinking on the end of the developer or you guys but um there needs to be a metric you can't just say you're restoring something and have that be it there needs to be a way to actually document and ecologically monitor what's happening there and show an increase in species and habitat um so that would be my first point um would be to reinvestigate what mitigation means for this because if you take any close look at the site plan I would consider it unacceptable and it shows that there was no design thought put into this at all and it was just required 95 trees plop plop plop plop plop which is just not okay in my opinion um the second point I'd like to bring up which is less of a um ask of anything of you but would just to say an argument that I'm sure you've heard a million times which is why is there another luxury condominium extreme wealth oriented development going on in an arbor um I myself am a young professional a recent college graduate it and I just look at the plans for this and know that I would have zero chance at affording something like this and I consider myself well off and quite privileged in a lot of ways and I know no one like myself or within like a similar situation to my own could really think about affording to live at a place like this um and I'm sure this is something you've heard a million times and the developer is allowed to have Luxury Condominiums here but I would ask why is it so easy to continue having projects like this and why is there nothing to maybe de incentiv as the developer to having these you know it's it's 15 luxury condos on a 40 something, square ft um building so to me it seems like there's maybe something missing there um I walk through this area every day to work and it's a unique part of Ann Arbor it's a unique neighborhood it's proximity to the medical center it has proximity to bike trails and a lot of awesome outdoor recreation and I just think the people that would want to live here are not going to be the people that are going to live in this place it's going to be people that are very wealthy and are driving their car into the big parking ramp and are leaving every day and are not using the space the way it could be used um yep that's it thank you yeah appreciate your comments is there anyone else present that would like to speak on long short drive yes hi my name is Judy Nikolai I live at 517 Longshore Drive uh we are a condominium Community right across the street I really have more I guess a comment and a question having lived there for 10 years I'm quite aware of what the neighborhood is like on weekends and sometimes during the week between Memorial Day and Labor Day day when the Argo Cascades are a huge attraction in the neighborhood I personally don't drive but I know that my neighbors have plenty of trouble already with access to their own parking lot because of all the activity you have people walking down the street in bathing suits carrying tubes and kayaks it's kind of a fun neighborhood in that regard but it's really difficult for me to imagine this neighborhood with 15 multi-million dollar Condominiums it doesn't suit the neighborhood energy at all I I it's hard to square that Circle for me um I also wonder a lot of the area that's going to be developed here is used for parking for the Argo Cascades and I wonder what the plan are to replace that parking assuming that people will still want to be coming to the Cascades to canoe and kayak and do their tubing down the river so those are my questions and concerns I will confess that I have not had time to do much research on this project but from the point of view of someone who lives in this neighborhood those are the kinds of things that my neighbors are talking about in addition to the fact that we're all rather puzzled that people who can afford that kind of a property want to live right next door to a freight train track where trains come by at all times of the day or night um so I have more comments than than anything else thank you thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak on Long Shore Drive is there anyone remotely that wish to address the commission there is one hand raised one moment phone number ending in 534 you have permission to address the commission hello again this is Tom stalberg this is my neighborhood I live a couple blocks away from here um I want to address the what the last speaker just said about parking so I know it's not an obligation of the developer here the landowner to provide parking for the Argo liery um but it would be very nice if the city would realize that uh this parking which has been very helpful to have because the popularity of the Argo Cascades and in the livery uh if the city can come up with a plan uh more than what exists as the current plan uh to help alleviate the concerns of the neighborhood um from losing this parking again it's not any obligation of developers to do this but it would be nice if the city who runs Aro liery uh would think about uh a plan for that so that's an ask I also have an ask for the developer and again this is just an ask so I assume the developers going to follow the mandatory sto water uh I'm sure they are require of our city and county uh right now the impact of global climate change on our region have a very large impact on the severity of storm events and the frequency of severe storm events so this building like all other buildings not unique to this one but essentially what we're designing for right now and what we can mandate right now is going to be pretty obsolete pretty quickly this particular site is uh the topography situation puts it uphill of a woodland and then into AR liery this is just a simple ask to the developer if you're able to oversize your storm water retention so that you can add 10 20% uh that would be really wonderful and I'm hoping that that's something that we can look at in terms of all developments uh I know right now there's no storm water mitigation from this site at all so whatever happen Happ there's an improvement but looking forward to what is going to be the reality uh for our region uh it' be very nice in particular for this uh developer who's next to this Woodland which could uh be greatly impacted if there's more runoff than in in five years than is currently planned for thank you very much for considering that good night thank you Mr stalberg do we have any other callers there are no more hands raised at this time all right with that we'll close public comment I am looking for a motion to postpone uh this hearing to um April 2nd uh move by commissioner Mills and seconded by council member dish uh this just requires a Voice vote um all those in favor say I I I all those opposed motion passes all right this is postponed for the April second hearing we're moving on to section item number 9 C the 732 Packard Street PUD zoning District uh and supplemental regulations and site plan for city council approval this is a request to rezone 1.27 Acre Site from C1 campus business residential to a PUD plan unit development and adopt supplemental regulations to allow development up to 450,000 Square ft 14 stories and a site plan to construct a 14 story apartment building with optional ground floor commercial proposed beneficial effects of the Pud District include affordable housing by payment in Li enhanced sustainability and open space as proposed the building has 376 Apartments 82 vehicular parking spaces 392 bicycle parking spaces and includes Street skate improvements the site includes 12 Parcels 722 726 732 736 and 740 Packard Street and 917 921 923 925 927 931 and 933 South State Street the zoning designation uh that's recommended is PUD we'll move on to Petition of presentation welcome thank you uh good evening everybody uh my name is Andy seavoy um coming to you from Chicago 1647 North Milwaukee Chicago Illinois uh I'm here to ask for your support for um a proposed mixed use Housing Development that will help to alleviate the housing crisis here in ant Arbor and have has some serious um public benefits and environmental benefits to boot um I'm with a company called core spaces we are a national um university anchored housing developer based in Chicago uh We've um developed close to 30,000 beds across the country and this will be our third project in an arbor uh we are uh we do have a partner for this deal Jared shank of shank realy who's sitting right behind me uh as well as my entire team uh the architect and engineering team is back there to help me answer any questions you might have just some photos of our projects around the Midwest this will be our third in town we have one built one that's kind of in the permitting process and this would be our third so the site we're here to talk about um this is uh 12 Parcels about 1.3 acres in the Triangular block between State and Packard we have Frontage uh on two bike Lanes uh Northbound on State Street Southbound on Packard and we also have direct Frontage uh to a city park foresight Park you see some images there of the street view uh and what you're going to see tonight is a 15 story uh mixed use Tower um mostly apartments with some retail on the ground floor 376 units we have 82 parking spaces most of which are underground um and then we have a collection of um town home units along Packard that kind of mimic the use in that direction and we have retail and kind of an open auto Court along state so the the idea is to provide very active Street Scapes on both sides of the project and we would be um shooting for groundbreaking in December of this year to deliver in 27 Q2 so this is uh so the the project will involve uh several off-site improvements I'll start with those and then work my way in so right now there are 11 curb Cuts along the frontage of the property we would be proposing to change that to only two curb Cuts one for our vehicular access from State another which is kind of a pulloff area from Packard so that Uber drivers and such can pull out of the street uh to make their drop offs we're also going to be adding a crosswalk at Hoover inate the second uh substantial offsite Improvement is we're proposing to um invest up to $250,000 in uh improvements to foresight Park to the South and that scope would include refinishing the basketball court new lighting new benches all to be coordinated and approved uh with City staff and thirdly we're proposing uh investing approximately $1.6 million in the DTE infrastructure in town actually several blocks away uh as we were exploring ways uh that might result in uh better kind of all El electric prospects for this project they came up with a plan where if we were to update a circuit by church and Willard from 4.8 KV to 13.2 KVA then they can move buildings off of the circuit that currently serves our site freeing up capacity to serve Us in an all electric way we can talk about that more later but we are proposing to make that investment as part of this project starting with the plan and moving up um we have uh our parking level in the basement we have 17 uh EV installed spaces proposed here that's 20% double the um requirement this is the uh ground floor you'll see retail uses our main amenity um level is here we have Town Homes proposed along Packard um and we also have back of house spaces and bike rooms so this Auto court that you're looking at is our main entry to the lower level garage but we've also designed it to be able to accommodate the movements of a trash truck so trash could be collected interior to the site nobody has to stop in the public way or back up onto the public way and it could also be programmed for from time to time resident and public events with food trucks Etc because it does kind of line up exactly with Hoover and it's a nice Court there uh kind of an urban space there are two bike rooms labeled here A and B Bike Room a fronts right onto that Plaza and we're thinking of that as kind of a bike bar type scenario where you have front of house type uh finishes and um kind of a very presentable space there's also Bike Room B also accessible from the plaza both of these bike rooms have automatic door openers they have uh Frontage directly onto the plaza with windows that allow natural light so all together we're proposing 332 class a bike parking spaces that's 4.4 times what's required this is the me res level you'll notice there are some uh trees noted on our plan those are Landmark trees that we're proposing to save uh as we go up through the plans it becomes kind of a typical Corridor building but note that we are proposing some Kinks and undulations to really break up that facade to avoid any overly long stretches of building there are several step backs that occur as you go up the building and then on top there is a amenity Deck with a pool as far as the elevation as far as the materiality goes we are proposing high quality materials on all four sides uh in the upper tower that is a a mixture of cementitious cladding and a metal Panel System you can kind of see how that's used in the rendering to the right and then for the podium element the ground floor element we have uh a warm brick uh with wood inlays for the um entry areas uh this is uh just kind of shows you how the building gets broken up by those undulations we have several different heights for different parts of the building because of the step backs so on the right you can see the height that's proposed is 116 ft on the left it is 162 ft and then behind it's even it's one floor taller uh we are in the PD language uh the proposed height limit is 200 ft inclusive of all rooftop equipment these are the renderings this is uh basically looking South on Packard um this is looking at that auto Court from Hoover uh the left image here is looking North on backer so fory park would be directly across the street from you to the left and then the Right image shows uh a shot looking down state um of the building this starts to talk about what that pedestrian experience is like up on state we have this brick element with these kind of warm wood inlays for the entry of the building similar language along Packard where you have these Town Homes but you still have these wood inlay sections that kind of communicate an entrance to the building so our sustainability plan includes providing a lead silver building we are proposing a mostly electric um building with auxiliary gas backup for hot water generation however we will invest the $1.6 million in the DTE upgrades and uh the plan would be to basically ve out that duplicative hot water generation if they can Del the power in time uh so that would be by January of 25 if not we have to have an escape hatch because it would be a disaster to deliver a building that you cannot serve um uh along with that there are other um noteworthy uh parts of the sustainability plan we are providing rooftop solar that would generate 125,000 kilowatt hourss of capacity um we are providing the standard lowf flow appliances specking low E materials we're providing five times the required Class A or 4.4 times the required class a bike parking uh double the required EV installed parking spaces um and uh a compost room for residents uh so there's a lot here that we're doing notably um the investment in the grid and so as a conclusion I can't believe I got through all that so fast um we are providing a whole slew of public benefits with this project so uh not only we increasing the housing stock and implicitly uh helping to alleviate the housing crisis um in town uh we're providing sustainable lead silver con construction uh we're increasing that real estate tax base we're creating jobs um we're adding active uses at the ground floor so um that's retail that's town homes that is uh this open kind of uh Auto Court um we're removing nine curb Cuts uh making the investment to the DTE grid $1.6 million 250,000 in the adjacent Park we're pro uh proposing to invest 1% more into the affordable fund than would be required so that's $413,000 for each percentage Point um and then we will coordinate with the fire department to allow them to conduct a training within our uh property line to the extent uh we can before we demolish those buildings on the way up so with that that closes me out thank you for the time appreciate it um and then we'll move on to staff presentation uh thank you I'll cover a few mundane details and then I'll move into our staff analysis um I think as mentioned but I'll um make sure it's clear that this is a site that consists of 12 Lots it has 11 buildings on it currently and all are zoned C1 a/r um that is a district that is intended to quote or mostly quote intended to encourage the orderly clustering and placement of highdensity residential and complimentary commercial development near the campus business district it allows up to 300% floary ratio um and has no minimum lot size um staff report um goes um relists The purported Beneficial effects of a plan unit of this particular plan unit development these are also listed identically in section three of the draft supplemental regulations um I think highlights were well the actual purported beneficial effects were well covered by uhu Mr seo's presentation real high level The Beneficial effects include lead standards integrated solar power additional electric vehicle charging infrastructure electric ready building uh increased density reduced sprawl and vehicle miles traveled um affordable housing uh housing diversity Street ESC Cape activation and neighborhood park improvements staff report talks a little bit about a comparison of the current and proposed zoning districts in summary the intent and permitted uses are similar the dimensional aspects of the current and proposed zoning are regulated in opposite manners but it's my opinion at the end of the day they kind of they kind of they are similar but the current zoning district is regulated by floor area ratio without a high limit and the proposed district is regulated by a height limit without a floor area ratio um and also includes building coverage and open space standards um so both are trying to get at massing in different ways and then finally the development standards like parking sustainability and affordable housing are generally more stringent in the proposed um PUD District uh keep my pages organized uh um uh we have gone through also an analysis of the Pud zoning District review standards there are seven right nope sorry there eight there are eight of them I won't go through them all but in we staff we have found that this proposal meets the Z meets the standards of approval I'll point out the first standard is that the uses physical characteristics design features or amenities proposed have a beneficial effect for the city um staff field that the zoning District requires lead certification integrated solar panels additional electric vehicle charging stations limits on natural gas connections increases and requires a certain house a certain density requires affordable housing and improvements to public parks and streetscape activation and these are design features and amenities on site that will have a beneficial effect for the city we've also found for standard number two that this beneficial effect could not be achieved under any other zoning classific ification is not required to be provided by the existing standards we have found that other zoning classifications either do not require the beneficial effects listed or they don't require it to the degree proposed um and um I've gone through um several points in our staff analysis I won't repeat them tonight but I will point out that as a package The Beneficial effects of this 32 Packer PUD better achieve the overarching goals of the comprehensive plan which have been accepted as encouraging more dense development with a particular emphasis on more housing overall and a wider range of housing types and encouraging more sustainable developments and living arrangements with less or no Reliance on personal vehicles and reduced vehicle miles traveled than the underlying district and given that the underlying c1r District um designation of the site and surrounding area the development standards of this proposed PUD are in keeping with the generalized goals and strategies of the land use element that emphasize the orderly transition between higher density commercial and uh residential neighborhoods the design and massing of this project um sufficiently aligns with the potential character of the surrounding remaining c1r District um we also have a site plan the site plan analysis in the staff report um site plan has been reviewed by our staff team and we find that it meets all of the applicable standards um there are a couple minor um clarifications and little tidbits that need to be taken care of on the site plan that will be taken care of prior to city council approval should should this move on um the staff report also goes through some of those specific development details like the reporting of what is the floor are ratio the number of dwelling units and the range between apartments and town houses height and setbacks and so forth um and provides information about um the access plan landscape plan storm water management and sustainability features there are two proposed motions at the beginning of the staff report and staff recommends approval and supports both happy to answer any follow-up questions as well thank you um now we're going to move on to public hearing uh this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about the item we'll first call on the individuals present and then uh remote participants to speak during this public hearing uh remotely please press star 9 if listening by phone um or if a raised hand feature of viewing through the web link for phone access please call 877 85352 47 and enter meeting ID 977 66 341 1226 City staff will select callers that have raised their hand using the last three jits of number or by name if available you'll hear an automated statement uh saying that the host is allowing you to speak in when speaking please move to a quiet area uh mute background noises so we can hear you clearly for either method of participation um please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments is there anyone present that would like to address the commission good evening I'm Dan tra I'm an attorney representing the neighbor is 716 Packard U my address is 350 South Main at Cony filbrick here in an arbor um you've seen some renderings of this property and uh you will note that my client structure is not actually shown in those renderings um my client is the owner of the building where the Domino's Pizza is currently located so I think you all I'm sure know this intersection it's a very important and vital intersection in the city of Ann Arbor um this development is coming in under PUD because under the current zoning it can't go beyond 300% in floor area ratio The Proposal will take it to 795 per.

when you're ready and we'll get started um we'll go ahead and get our meeting started calling to order the Tuesday March 5th 2024 bobber K UniFi schoolers regular governing board meeting um as I call the meeting to order I just want to bring to everyone's attention and I know this has been hasn't been something we've done in the past however um out of respect of the district our superintendent and all of our schools and all of our student and you as the parents who are here um just to share our vision statement with you if you have not heard the barue Unified School District uh shares overall Vision that our students will be loved encouraged and prepared to Take On The World by embracing our Huck our mission statement is we create healthy inspiring motivating developing achieving graduates um for those of you who may be unaware uh himd is theum word for meaning of life meaning our way of life our purpose statement we create a nurturing nurturing learning environment for every child every day with an additional commitment to support our hdu um our culture and our heritage as people of the daal the nation is ingrained and has been ingrained in each of us as a board member and as representatives of the community we are sure to make sure to uplift and uphold and hold in the highest priority uh as Bo board members who represent the state so to speak still have and understand that this is our land and we genuinely make decisions based on the fact that what is good for the community is always at our highest priority above anything else so with that I'll turn it over to Mr sabala forok y make sure you turn your mics on please for thank youwood St back thank you we do have a quorum we'll continue with this evening's meeting letter C is our Pledge of Allegiance please stand if you are able and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you letter D this evening is our routine business number one is the approval of the March 5th 2024 board meeting agenda without objection a motion to approve is there a second second second by Miss Sylvia Hendricks all those in favor motion M number two this evening is the approval of the February 13 2024 regular board meeting minutes board with your uh without objection I would also ask that we approve the February 21st 2024 special board meeting minutes as one without objection a motion to to approve second by Miss syia Hendricks number four this evening is our call to the audience call the Audi for the record we have no call to the audience moving on letter e is our information items number one is the barue Unified School District students of the month Mr Diaz um president Mia members of the board members of the community it's a pleasure having you guys here thank you for being especially for this segment we want to celebrate as students of the month um and at this point I'm also going to ask uh Miss pabl representation of Miss Enriquez to come and join us she's going to be reading the students that were nominated for the student of the month and issue their um right say as well okay good evening president bnda governing board members and Mr Diaz for our first student of the month we have prek student from Miss Vegas class Gabriella melow if you want to come up and join uh Miss Vega says it has been a pleasure having Gabriella in the classroom Gabriella has a very kind heart she plays with all of her classmates if there is a student that is having trouble making a puzzle she will help them if a student comes in sad she will go and ask them why they are sad and will'll ask them if they want to draw or play with her Gabby I'm so proud of you and I am so happy to have been your teacher when she was asked what she wants to be when she grows up when Gabriella grows up she wants to be a chef so she can make [Applause] cakes [Applause] um we are going to do our first grade student Terren Anon from Miss spotted Wolf's Class I haven't seen him okay Terren is an absolute joy to have in my class he is always so kind to me and the other students if a student needs help he is one of the first ones offering to lend a helping hand during partner time if stence if Terren notices a student doesn't have a partner he will ask that student to be part of his group I can always count on Terren to give a big smile and a warm hug through throughout the day or offer a student a few words of encouragement I have enjoyed and have been impressed watching Terence Blossom throughout the year in his reading and math skills I look forward to watching Terren grow as an Indian oas's primary student great job Terren when he was asked what he wants to be oh there he is come up here Terren the family can show when Terren was a um asked what do you want to be when you grow up Terren wants to be a firefighter he says he wants to be a firefighter because he wants to save people from danger and fight the fires so things don't burn [Applause] down for the picture we all going to do congratulations thank you for your support [Applause] [Music] congratulations our second grade student is Colton Lopez from Miss Granado's class Colton is truly a remarkable student student who brings a sense of joy and positivity to the classroom environment his hardworking nature and diligence are evident in his dedication to his studies and his ability to grasp Concepts quickly Colton's positive attitude and willingness to participate make him a valuable asset to the class as he not only excels academically but also contributes to a collaborative and engaging learn learning atmosphere his passion for learning shines through in everything he does and his enthusiasm is infectious to those around him Colton's presence undoubtedly enriches the educational experience for everyone involved and his posit positive impact is truly commendable when Colton grows up he wants to work in the hospital because he wants to be able to help sick people and those who are in need of medical [Applause] help our third grade student is Bo Wen from Miss to Ball's class Bo is a focused student and a great friend Bo started wearing his glasses this year Bo has moved more than five levels in SFA this year because of all his hard work and practice Bo is also a respectful honest and kind friend also Bo is helpful in the classroom when anything needs to be done thank you Bo Bo wants to be a police officer when he grows up so he can help [Applause] people Mr Carlos from our specials classes nominated Tyrus Lopez Tyrus is an excellent student in PE he displays great effort and willingness to challenge himself and others it never takes him long to accomplish new tasks but more importantly he is always helping his classmates accomplish new things as well he always makes sure his peers understand the rules of new games and he always is always checking in on classmates who may be struggling our Kinder student is on their way we have a kindergarten student and she's on her way so we will wait and then do hers later so up next we have Miss beay Lewis from the intermediate [Applause] campus good evening um president wendia board members and superintendent Diaz I have the teachers here who will be presenting the awards skik anik Mr Flores fourth grade teacher from bab Intermediate School it is my part and honor to present to you our fourth grader student of the month ladies and gentlemen Bailey Ramirez Bailey has been nominated as the fourth grader student of the month for February due to his consistent dedication to academic excellence exemplary behavior and we waving posi positivity positivity in the classroom Billy consistently demonstrate a strong work ethic actively participate in class casion and eagerly assess his peers his enthusiasm for learning is contagious inspiring those around him to strive for their best be academics Bailey exhibits kindness respect and empathy towards his classmates creating a supportive inclusive classroom environment his exceptional qualities make him a shining example of a modal student deserving of this recognition when he was asked how can he make the world a better place he says I could make the world a better place by taking ev even simple steps to ensure that our water sources are not polluted I will be mindful of how I threw my waist whenever I go to places with bodies of water even the washes and I participate in community cleanup efforts by protecting our Waters we will have clean seas and oceans where future kids and people can enjoy drinking and swimming ladies and gentlemen it's our pride Billy Ramirez [Applause] scash everybody anik um Miss bulata from fifth grade it is my pride to present to you all our fifth grade student of the month Selena Francisco Selena is a diligent student she keeps herself organized she participates in class both answering questions and providing great comments and feedback she is also someone that I can depend on in assisting her classmates she is a responsible student who does the right thing and provides a shining example to her peers in both behavior and academics she puts her best effort into her work and encourages her classmates to be their best selves and when asked on how she can make the world a better place she said and I quote how I would make the world a better place if I could is I would try and solve world hunger because that is one of the biggest problems in the world right now ladies and gentlemen one once again miss Selena [Applause] Francisco um grandparents if you may come in front friend as well thank you to the hello M Tess to the governing board president vas superintendent Diaz principls friends Kapa starlock Philippines for the month of February our class centered attention on the character trait of kindness in observing of my student of the month interaction with both classmate and teachers it is evident that he consistently embodies this virtue he not only demonstrates a genuine and considerate attitude towards his spirits but but also exhibits a commendable sense of responsibility and eagerness to engage in learning process I asked him how can you make the world a better place and I quote we must cease littering in uh littering bodies of water Aid endangered animals contribute to environmental preservations work towards preventing Wars address world hunger in Africa and promote a smokefree environment ladies and gentlemen let us all welcome the six grade student of the month Michael Migel from the house of isind yeah an Miss Hannah tuala I am going to present in behalf of Miss April woy our librarian in the intermediate campus um the student of the month is meina Johnson meina is an Exemplar student and a natural leader on campus she is very inquisitive in every subject and strives to excel when whenever she is finished with her work she asks what she can do next in library class Melina is always an active participant in the lessons and is very eager to check books out to read she displays perseverance patience and kindness towards her teachers and her peers meina is a joy to have in class and lights up the room with with her smile with her sweet smile and when asked how can can you make the world a better place she said a way I would make the world a better place is to help all the people that are in need of help in any way thank you and miss miss Lea from high school good evening good evening governing board president wendia governing board members Mr Diaz and Community I am here to to present the February 2024 students of the month starting with seventh grade I did not see her here is this on can you guys hear me the seventh grade team named deelia Carlos is a February student of the month deelia is the daughter of Darlene Jackson and Damian Carlos senr her home Village is crang in shukto and she is a proud member of the House of dreamers her favorite class is Ela with Miss tan because the work is easy to understand her favorite teacher is Miss clovia Martin because she is a fun teacher deelia is a m is a musician playing the piano after graduating from the secondary campus she plans on attending college at the University of Arizona bear down her current career goal is to become a world renowned Baker two people that deelia greatly admires are her mom and her Auntie Linda deelia would like to thank them for supporting her and pushing her to be her best keep up the good work deelia next the eighth grade team would like to recognize Robert [Applause] Garcia Robert Garcia is the student of the month for February and he is the son of Pauline Nas I don't want to mess up nasai Nasi naswa her home Village is um Garcia strip in the shik district he is a proud member of isind his favorite class is science with Miss Ain Martin because labs are interesting and fun his favorite teacher is Mr Jones because he is nice and kind Robert is a basketball fan after graduating from babok K secondary he plans on going to college hopefully at UCLA his current career goal is to become a mechanical engineer the people that Robert would most like to thank are his brothers his sisters and his parents he would like to thank them for all their constant support and love over the years good luck Ro good work Robert keep pushing to learn and grow as a student we can't wait to see what you accomplish yay Robert one more ninth grade would like to um recognize angelite Garcia Angelique is the ninth grade student of the month for February she is also the daughter of Pauline Nesta her home Village is also um Garcia strip and shook do and she is a member of the House of dreamers angelique's favorite class is photography with Miss Lopez because it's interesting and Angeli likes taking pictures her favorite teacher is Mr Akuna because he is cool funny and a great teacher after graduating from babok kver secondary Angelique plans on going to college at the U OFA her current career goal is to become a culinary Star Baker she would like to especially thank two people tonight her grandma and her uncle she would like to thank them for all the support and encouragement they have provided her throughout her life congratulations Angelique we are so proud of [Applause] you next 10th grade would like to recognize eaglebear Toro Eagle bear is the 10th grade student of the month he is the son of Leah Anton his home Village is topawa in babok KY district and he is a proud member of the House of isab Indi eaglebear is an athlete playing basketball this weekend in the Special Olympics his favorite class is world history with Miss kaburan because it is very interesting to know about history his favorite teacher is Mr me because he is cool and funny eaglebear is a big basketball fan and his favorite college team is the U OFA wild cats after graduating from the babok key secondary he plans on entering the workforce his current career goals are open and he is exploring what is out there in the world if he had a super secret power it would be super strength so he could be super helpful you're doing a great job Eagle bear [Applause] congratulations 11th grade would like to recognize jayen Donahue Jaden is the son of Rell Bernard and Alan Donahue his home Village is Sil Nakia in shukto District he is also a member of Amistad he is a hardworking student with excellent attendance who is always eager to learn he is a junior class representative in student council and a member of BSC Future Farmers of America Jaden's favorite class is Otto and his favorite teacher is Mr nullam Jaden likes Auto with Mr nullum because he because he's learning to fix things after graduating from Babble K secondary Jaden plans on going to trade school to become an auto mechanic if he could Jaden would make the world a better place by making sure that everyone has something to eat and drink every night if Jaden could have a superpower it would be to have all the people to have a house it would be to help all people have a house to live in congratulations Jaden you're doing a great [Applause] job one more and finally for 12th grade we would like to recognize Christina [Applause] Ramon Christina is a 12th grade student of the month for February she is the daughter of leatrice Escalante her home Village is Santa Rosa in the guachi district Christina is a member of the House of river her favorite class is agricultural with Mr Davila because we are always learning something new her favorite teacher is Mr Coulson because he helps her in her classes Christina is an artist and enjoys painting and listening to music after graduating from Babble kver secondary she plans on either going to community college or joining the workforce Christina is considering many different careers a few she is thinking about our photography video editing or Visual Arts one person that Christina greatly admires is her mom mom she would like to thank her for always showing support and love and for being a great example we are so proud of you Christina congratulations and last but not least Mr [Music] Fox good evening everyone my my guy's not here today um I'd like to take a second just to talk about a young man 11th grader named uh Darius Dickens uh it's I'm a little surprised he's not here tonight uh he did let me know um he's had 100% attendance since beginning of this semester um so he did have 100% attendance uh up until today uh he did text me and say apologize for not being here and told him I didn't have to give him the poola I said don't worry about it uh we have a little thing that we do at alternative um and I told him if you're not here you don't get that special prize and I didn't realize he had something pretty important to do today so Darius Dickens completed 255 activities last month he finished off four classes which is two credits um that's up to three and a half since mid November so he's really moving he's doing what he's supposed to be doing and again what I'm very proud of is 100% attendance um Darius is a very very um levelheaded young man when you ask him like Darius what are you going to do after school um he pretty much says future will take care of itself if I handle the present and I'm not even going to worry about the past so he day I appreciate him greatly for doing so and dar I will see you tomorrow thank you [Applause] guys so it is um of course with Honor on behalf of the governing board to say thank you so much you are a complete inspiration to all of us our students and to our parents our community members and to our staff members who nominate and recognize the successes and the achievements of our students is always always such a blessing so thank you so much we'll continue our meeting you're welcome to stay but that'll conclude our students of the month for this uh for this month thank you we have cookies what's wrong with Bri Brian Daniel or Brian can we can we can we mute only isn't going to come yeah that cuz I forgot all about it done no I'm take it [Music] home good what's her name from the primary I learned something new about her her dad her D is cliffer Pao Clifford Pao the one that works for the college for the ACT program oh oh really yeah I've heard the name but I don't know I've never maybe I have but oh yeah mom is ang D yeah so they gave him an award at this one thing last week him they recognized him Amy and celo and then somebody else from Apache I think but she was there with him and I never knew that was her we know his he has a sister um in um Priscilla her name Priscilla Vernon knows her really well because he used to spent a lot of time with her in San Diego when he was up there because she lived up in San Diego Then when she retired she out car she's a funny lady though okay uh are we ready Mr okay good all right we'll go ahead and continue with our meeting this evening number two um I don't see anything on it so if there was nothing we could have removed it but nonetheless um for the record we do not have any um award for the Huck award this month so we're going to double up next month all right uh so for the record there is no information item board for um number two this evening number three is our Civil Air Patrol pres Civil Air Patrol presentation please sir and it's second Lieutenant Gabriel Cutler right yes sir thank you sir all right just to make sure to announce you so welcome and you may begin thank you sir I want to first start Miss won Larson and and Miss Larson and Miss uh we first want to uh thank you president buendia and superintendent Diaz and Ford for allowing us the opportunity to speak this evening so the very first thing I want to do is explain a little bit what Civil Air Patrol is civil air patrol was founded one week prior to Pearl Harbor it was founded to as a civilian air force for the United States uh of America as well as became the United States Air Force auxiliary uh is the PowerPoint presentation available or just the principle oh okay if you will give me just a moment of Grace I have my laptop with me with the presentation on does anybody have access to that we can so he doesn't have right now okay you should have access Daniel refresh yay there we go they got it so members of the audience that asking us to turn off the microphone during the presentation to prevent uh next it is a congressionally chartered nonprofit all of the time so all of the time that Civil Air Patrol operates it is congressionally chartered as a 501c3 there are three main missions within Civil Air Patrol Those are Cadet programs emergency services and Aerospace education during the time of serving under the air force uh we are a member of first Air Force which falls under the total Force Partners which includes the Air Force National Guard Air Force Reserves the Air Force active duty and Air Force auxiliary during our auxiliary missions we fall under the United States Air Force auxiliary we were found December 1st of 1941 uh after the United States was thrust into World War II we became a part of the civilian defense we patrolled the Atlantic coast from Maine to Mexico and monitored and harassed German new boats in shipping lanes searching for survivors of ships that succumb to the torpedo attacks or weather and training military Pilots next slide please Congress passed a public law 79 Tac 476 stipulating that Civil Air Patrol post World War II will never again serve in a combat role our missions now are purely that of service we are designed and are accustomed to serving individuals through search and rescue through emergency services and through Cadet programs next slide please we are a volunteer driven force of 56,000 members as of 2022 the numbers have increased uh to about 58,000 we currently have 23,000 youth we operate the world's largest Fleet of single engined aircraft including 555 aircraft 47 gliders and two balloons operating more than 2200 drones we offer high-tech aerial Imaging that includes liar flare forward looking infrared high definition video 3D scanning for damage assessment search and rescue as well as many other Emergency Services operations next slide please our core competencies in youth programs include leadership training character development Aviation initiatives physical fitness career exploration special activities Aerospace education includes a k through 12 fully funded fully designed Curriculum by the United States Air Force and Civil Air Patrol stem kits are provided to all squadrons at no cost classroom support career explo exploration and then for emergency services we are able to certify and license for search and rescue Flight Training we participate in joint military training aerial Imaging drone support and transport it is aligned to National academic standards Aerospace education offers more than 40 educational products consisting of hundreds of lessons plans that span from prek all the way through grade 12 subjects include mathematics weather robotics model rocketry flight space science unmanned aerial systems and more next slide please the youth programs youth programs has a robust physical fitness program designed to ensure that our youth of today are up to the presidential physical fitness standards as well as providing them the knowledge and the background to maintain that we also offer a robust leadership program this leadership program is some of the best in the world provided by the United States Air Force educationally backed and is funded Civil Air Patrol performs 90% of all search and rescue missions in the United States we have advanced search capabilities Cadets are allowed to participate once trained in search and rescue and that is a program that we are excited to offer to the nation the emergency service teams uh also respond to local state and federal agencies for natural disasters uh Hurricane Katrina Civil Air Patrol was there performing missions as a total Force partner of the Air Force the auxiliary plays an integral role in joint Readiness training for the military this includes operation Noble eagal operation bird dog green flag srpa RPP J stars and many others now there is one thing with the uh if you don't mind going back just one slide there is one thing with uh the military missions military missions are set to adult members for most of the missions and that is because they are operating directly with the United States Air Force uh this program is not just open to Cadets uh for the school class setting it would be set for 9 through 12 but anyone in the community once they pass the background C uh check and the FBI clearance card can be a part of this there is a 3:1 uh return on investment for every dollar spent in service of others every year Civil Air Patrol is credited with over a hundred lives saved we have in our capacity over 555 aircraft 1,000 Vehicles 1,400 locations we have flown over 100,000 miles within the past year or hours flown 500,000 students have been impacted Across the Nation and over $200 million in excess of volunteer time Civil Air Patrol never requires and this is the most important thing on this slide is civil air patrol never requires a military obligation this training though military in design and structure is not designed to build the military it is not not designed to push anyone into the military that does not want to be there the design of this program is to offer leadership capabilities and career exploration besides just the military Civil Air Patrol offers the experiences of exploring law enforcement of exploring search and rescue of EMS of first responder of in many different fields including stem GIS uh and excuse me sorry GIS as well as communication aerospace engineering robotics technology there are many different avenues that cadets could take how this would benefit the community Cadets can provide color Garden presentation teams and Community for community events and ceremonies they can Aid in set up and take down during community and District days service projects and Community Serv service cap will provide a positive environment to create leaders for the community career opportunities and exploration and increased visibility of community youth learning leadership and benefiting the community Civil Air Patrol offers orientation flights for all uh Cadets in the program it also offers Flight Training scholarships I've had many a Cadet who have graduated this program with a pilot's license with no money paid out of their pocket before they've had their driver's license sometime provides activities and competitions for cadets at the local state Regional and National levels cadets at the national level will actually attend at Maxwell Air Force Base National events to compete makes opportunities for commun Community involvement available through Color Guard drill teams and Emergency Services missions so besides just providing the formal uh involvement it will also involve the Emergency Services aspect besides one of the plans that I have is working with Mesa Falcon Field composite Squadron to actually have them fly down with the Air Force aircraft down to Ryan Airfield to provide search and rescue training for all of the cadets it challenges youth to be ambassadors for a drug-free lifestyle it exposes thousands of cadets to cyber defense careers through cyber Patriot the Air Force and space force Association National Youth cyber security competition Civil Air Patrol accounts for 10% of the cadets who make up each of the US Air Force Academy's classes in addition to that once a Cadet reaches second Lieutenant which is the award of General Billy Mitchell they are allowed to list in the Air Force the US Army and the Coast Guard at a higher pay grade usually E2 or E3 which equates to quite a bit of an increase in Pay they they can participate in International Air Cadet exchange programs with countries like Australia and the UK award uh they can be awarded different College scholarships in several disciplines including stem each Cadet will be required to perform 20 hours of service to the community and or School a year to enable the Cadet Squadron to flourish on campus cap will provide the following which includes a comprehensive curriculum of thematic areas including leadership Fitness Aerospace and character program rules governing Cadet progression program content award criteria and similar matters via cap regulations so Civil Air Patrol will provide a proven structure for the entire program adult professional training and development so besides just providing the cadets training it'll provide anyone that wants to participate in the program the training to properly interact with Cadets and relay this information per the standards it will also provide the wing has agreed to provide a mentor coaching for the squadron's first two years at a minimum to ensure the in the uh stability and longevity of the Squadron in addition to that the curry Blues voucher which is a program that offers uh a financial need based assistance to uniform now the way that this Squadron I would like to be designed is that all uniforms will be provided to the cadets at no cost to them as long as those uniforms once they leave the program get returned in a serviceable condition to ensure that any financial problems do not keep a Cadet from joining it'll also provide a new Cadet kit stem kits at least two to start with web-based system for track tracking Cadet progress uh as well as access to summer camp weekend programming career exploration acmy which include there's the National Emergency Services Academy that uh will provide the most robust Emergency Services training that I have ever been a part of also access to need-based tuition for summer programs including the encampments which are required to uh make the rank of second Lo in it'll screen and train cap adults to who come in contact with students so it'll ensure that the safety of the students are the top priority to enable the cadets and the Squadron to flourish on campus the school will provide the following so these are what the rules and regulations of Civil Air Patrol have dictated to actually have the program a classroom and activity space at no cost at least one faculty staff member or Squadron leadersh ship team which both I and Miss Larsson have agreed and would love to participate in this program stiens if any I'm not requesting any stipend and I can't speak on behalf of Miss Larson but for me this is actually just solely to provide something for the students that I think would truly be beneficial to them opportunity for squadron to recruit new students and Cadets and opportunity for the Squadron to contribute to the Student Life on campus including color guards and honor guards to enable the cadetes in their Squadron to flourish on campus the school or cadet's family will provide the a following an annual membership fee of $38 which gets paid to the wing and unfortunately that is set by the wing and higher command and I cannot wave that but there are opportunities for financial assistance for that as well and $35 for squatter me membership fees one of the things that I want to ensure that we provide for these Cadets and these students is sustainability and that we can operate uh without additional Financial funds from the school district to make it as easy as a transition is possible we plan on providing the uniforms the rank and signia the achievement ribbons and awards tuition for summer programs special weekend activities and plan to uh actively fund raise throughout the school year to provide these it is also requested that school provide paid time for faculty of Staff members only for professional development of staff to include conference attendance for required promotion of leadership team training for leadership team provided by Civil Air Patrol in United States Air Force which primarily includes the uh initial fee and then the transportation an opportunity for staff to progress through the training set forth by by Civil Air Patrol and the required Commander's call so there are certain instances where the wing Commander may call all uh officers in the program to attend a Commander's call before a request for school staff to attend the training is brought to the school district for approval of paid time the following will be required of the squad Squadron commun or Commander approval Squadron Financial Officer approval and squading resources review and approval so with that the wing has agreed to provide a Certified Financial Officer for the Squadron as well failure to receive the following approvals will result in the denial of the request or will be required to request leave with or without pay and be the member's financial responsibility the Squadron as a whole would like to take on the responsibility of the costs associated the only thing that we would request is that that staff member be uh provided theay paid time off for professional development a lot of this information I I respect your guys's time I understand that I have a very limited amount of it and that's why I did provide the uh information for you and I want to make sure that I have time to answer all of your questions so the main information on this page is capap regulation 60 Tac 3 that's the cadet at school program and that is the main governing document for cadetes at school and school-based squadrons the elective class during the school day uh with after school opportunities after speaking with the wing command and higher command we have decided that based on the student Avail availability as well as geographical distances and other extenuating circumstances that a school in school based class would be the most advantageous for the cadet program as well as offer it the best chance to succeed and provide the program once a week the cadets would be required to wear a service uniform or uniform of the day which may include a field uniform so the service uniform looks like this one uh the field uniform would be a camouflage uniform with Civil Air Patrol Insignia on it and Cadets would be uh as directed by staff every Monday uh it's proposed that that will be the physical fitness day and they will pre prescribed and provided a physical fitness uniform to wear including shoes socks everything required the school may require Cadets to maintain certain standards of academic performance to remain active in cap the big major takeaway from this is at no time can we ever force a student to be in Civil Air Patrol should they not want to so if nothing else fits in their schedule and they do not want to be in the Civil Air Patrol program we cannot just place them in the Civil Air Patrol program where they do not want to be we want to make sure that the cadets are not only excited about the program but want to be there and want to learn these skills next slide please as I stated the Squadron would like to provide all uniforms including uh undergarments as well as footware socks everything as applicable um and then the main uniform items so the jacket the service Insignia the shoes or the uh shirt and trousers would still remain property of the Squadron so that we could reissue it to Cadets once they graduate and new Cadets come in to ensure this sustainability as well as providing as low a cost as possible for this program Saturday activities are going to be required and that's required by Civil Air Patrol and that can include um field trips such as I've taken Cadets to The Maritime Museum in San Diego to stay overnight on the Midway the USS Midway I've also Tak taking Cadets to the Puma air and space museum and I've also taken Cadets to search and rescue missions or search and rescue exercises throughout the state with other squadrons to meet other Cadets like themselves permission slips for activities will be required Civil Air Patrol has the specific forms that are required to be filled out and presented to them Squadron summer activities include Squadron leadership team um training as well as input from the cadet staff and Cadets on what they would like to do during the summer Cadets or and or the Squadron may decide to participate in group Wing or national activities though there will be a cost that we will hope hopefully be able to fundraise for to pay for next slide please next slide please Civil Air Patrol can and will provide a vehicle for certain usage that will be paid for by Civil Air Patrol we would have to requisition that from the Davis Monon Squadron but assuming that they don't have something pre-planned that transportation is provided for us next slide please the Squadron funding the program the Squadron will operate independently from the school district in terms of finances in operation that is set by Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol Wing uh so the higher command actually holds the account and grants we plan on fundraising as well as seeking opportunities for Grants which include things like uh just recently uh Lockheed Martin had a grant for uh I think $40,000 the school would also be able to apply for the 21st century Grant this program does qualify for that next slide please expected startup finances are $40,000 for 12 Cadets that includes all uniforms including classroom sets of textbooks Insignia programs Awards Furniture appropriate storage honor guard and color guard equipment and the expected overhead cost yearly will be about 8,000 the curry voucher I will allow you guys to look at that yourself I know I am running out of time time and I do not want to waste it next please next please Insurance Civil Air Patrol maintains liability insurance policies for all general liability insurance vehicle liability insurance and Aviation liability insurance including for Cadets and senior members so the insurance is solely on the responsibility of Civil Air Patrol and the United States government in United next slide please next slide please the syllabi uh which I have included in there for your uh ease so next slide please next slide next slide if you want you can go ahead to the uh quick video and then I will take [Music] questions [Music] questions before I go first of all thank you so much for the presentation um Miss Larson second liutenant Cutler um the only questions I have are more so on our on our end just to the school to the superintendent um I know that right now as far as fitting the the the programmer to be introduced into the elective programming that we have the current block schedule that we have is that something that's going to be necessary for us to need to adjust in any way or are you guys pretty much ready to just slide in wherever you guys going to be able to put wherever we need to be okay that was one question the other one I just saw was kind of answered you know where else and how else um and I didn't see the video I guess I should have looked through through the um presentation um about the success stories or any kind of things that we could actually look at and I think seeing that definitely gave me me answered all those questions [Music] um the other the last question I have in particular was for the funding um I know you said that you actively seek funding so we shouldn't have to but is there any necessity for us to just probably prepare just in case that doesn't happen or is there ever a moment where you don't get the funding and we do have to get those costs covered it is possible that we don't receive the grants uh I know right now unfortunately most of the grant season for next year is over there are a couple of Grants specifically the Lockheed Martin one right so it may be difficult to start the initial funding and if that's the case the option that we have is to actually become a flight out of Falcon Field uh Mesa area Arizona uh which is the current current Squadron I'm a part of until we are able to get that funding to stand up on our own okay uh I know that 305 the Squadron 305 at Mesa has already guaranteed a a stockpile of Abu uniforms for all of the cadets as well miss Sylvia that was going to be my question is what other schol within Arizona do you are are you uh sponsoring right now so currently I am not sponsoring any of them Civil Air Patrol as a whole usually operates as a after school activity on a volunteer basis this is a newer program that they are implementing for areas that it's difficult to get uh programs like jrtc in uh so this opportunity is something that the director of Cadet programs up at the wing has implemented at two or three schools and it has been relatively successful uh for short periods of time because they lack the longevity of the teachers and I think where this will differ is that I have been a part of this program for 14 years and I love teaching here at bobq Bri high school and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon are you a teacher here yes ma'am okay um so what schools are those excuse me um so one of the other things that um we have there high schools across the country that are um that have capap in their curriculum um our high school that we went to in New Mexico um we we had a cap and my sister was actually a part of that program at that time I didn't even know what it was I just thought it was cool their uniform but um yeah they did a lot of community service and they were out with and it was just it was unbelievable and then to see that transformation from you know just a young young girl young man or young boy and then having them grow into that so I just wanted to share that part and then the um what was the other thing that you had asked about what schools in Arizona is school that are participating oh I know um so the he had mentioned JROTC um one of the reasons why our school district doesn't have one or has never had one that I know of is that we don't have any retired military either in the Marine Corps or in the Army um and if we do they're not um so much interested in teaching uh because they know that the way that we're trained is specific and you know they don't want to have that and and that's different because then they don't have any support they're like the school district has to fund them I just wanted to make that um go ahead what other schools as far as the rest of the schools I don't personally have those names the cadet programs uh director does and I can get those for you ma'am all right I just thought maybe just looking at their program if they have a website you know just to learn a little bit more about them if you would like to learn more about the uh Cadet life I know that I served as the uh Deputy commander of cadets at the Falcon Field Squadron and I I would be more than happy to have some of the cadets one of them who is actually currently I he he started with me as a eighth grader and now he has graduated and going into the army as a Green Beret so and and he would be more than happy to come down and speak with you as well I was just a little bit curious about what is a SC Squadron so a squadron and I'm sorry I I should have explained the uh design a little bit more so at the base level you have an element an element is usually made up of a junior Airman or a junior Cadet and three to four other Cadets and then after that you have a flight that flight will be made up of four elements and we'll have a flight commander and then from there you'll have two or more flights that create a squadron and then from there that Squadron will become a group and then from a group to a wing and from Wing to region and region to National oh okay so and there are a total of 51 way or 52 now actually including Puerto Rico uh and Civil Air Patrol Athletics you have JB and then you have hookie hook Miss V hit your mic I know at one time the police department did have the um program for the Youth and they did something similar to this um I think it's a great opportunity for our youth to discover other parts of you know like you have mentioned the forensics and or the Robotics and all of that stuff because I think that's really important for our kids to know that there's so many options out there for them and and just um given that opportunity um to move forward in those directions and and you know it's just helping them grow helping nurture them in in a positive way you know and I I think that um it is kind of frightening at first um to see that um but I know it's good I know it would be good um so I I you know I just it it it surprised me to see that but I I um I think that it would help our youth you know um I think that um there's a lot of benefits toward it so you know I just I just think that stuff has to be I guess worked out between the school and and you know the program and you know all all those sorts of things but I'm pretty sure that we're going to have enough kids that are going to want to try and want to move in that direction so um thank you for your presentation thank you I think unfortunately I I was supposed to have some students here that were were going to speak with you as well that would like to join the cadet program but they are actually at the baseball game right now they are playing I think I just finish with I I I am I think I have and been really impressed and excited about the things that we're finally introducing as far as what the efforts that all you are making in and bringing it forward and feeling confident and comfortable too so I will say uh at least on my piece on my end as well that I get a I get an A a deep sense of Pride because I know that part of a part of part of what I know of our heritage and who we come from is a long strong line of military personnel even my grandparents and of course I know that there's instances where there there wasn't really a choice at some point I mean you know it was either that or or anything but it didn't mean it didn't it didn't diminish it in any way it made it even stronger so I I'm 100% want to say if we can move forward let's let's do so um I know I think in the instance that I feel the same way um as um Miss Vance but I I truly want all of our kids students anyone that comes to bosd to feel like they have uh and are supported in things they want want to be able to do and and and be shown options and that we're able to bring something to them that maybe they I know we haven't I haven't never seen anything like this I went to the same school hook you not that long ago but a little while ago um so if we can start the convers or whatever you need from us once it comes forward I don't have anything Mr Diaz go just the same sentiments um and just that I agree that it gives them a positive more um yeah more positive way to a direction in life and also keeping them out of trouble you know I know that that and I know that my late husband we did Rodeo so that kept my kids my boys out of anything else that they wanted to do so it's just giving them that type of yes ma' Senor di well one of the question was um in the event that we have more than 12 students or more than 16 students interested how would that then um the funding um what would the funding look like and would it what would it come from um and to answer your question president M we do have a memor of understanding um included in the packet that we will send to our legal department for review and bring it back to the governing board for review as well and all right great so with that with that the what is the timeline if any on rolling out if possible just just a guesstimate next schol year sir I do believe that it uh take place next you talked about some boys coming to speak on the on their interest so there are some interested students now okay uh so out of the students that have been in my classes I have spoken to quite a few and there was a probably 10 to 15 interested okay now the follow through will be another story but I I do expect that with the incoming eighth grade into um freshman year as well as the interest that is already at the school to the students that I have access to I think we'll have a good turnout of it um is that everything B thank you oh go ahead Miss Ella sorry I forgot you were there go ahead Ella um you mentioned um the students must want to be there and excited to be there but what if they like maybe halfway through the training and they drop out what what do you do with those students so those students would have an option and and this is up to the school administrators as well as the school counselor uh th those students would have an option if they no longer want to be in the program and they no longer see a benefit of it obviously we will reach out to them as well as their parents and try to uh bring them back into the fold but if at at some point the student does not want to be there we don't want to force anyone into this we understand that the idea of wearing uniform and we understand that the idea of engaging in paramilitary activities can be frightening for some people and we don't want to turn anyone off of it and we sure do not want to feel like anyone is being forced into the program that it is a remedial program for like a military school that is that is not our goal our goal is to solely create a positive environment for leadership skills as well as Li and opportunities for these Cadets and students and if that's not what they want then we will be sure to work with the school to make sure that they're put in a class room that they feel comfortable in and is more appropriate to them okay thank you I think it's a a good program because we we do see the ROC other schools and they perform very well especially when some of them perform at um a conference conference so uh I agree with that Miss Vance mentioned okay thank you thank you ma'am thank you for presentation and we'll bring it back next month um or after our legal canc review the for the final approval board thank thank you so much for your time M lson Mr thank you so much continuing continuing with our agenda this evening number four is the barue reen of High School District governing board financial report Miss Rago let's give it out for Miss Christina Rago our [Applause] CFO yeah good evening president buendia um governing board members and super superintendent Diaz I'm going to go over the um February Student Activities and auxiliaries balances so going in order the Student Activities account received deposits totaling $598 and dispersements of $6,6 n534 in the month of February the high school student council account had dispersements totaling $2,882 198 for credit card purchases for meals and hotel stay for the aasc leadership conference and Amazon orders for po 24482 the class of 24 received a deposit of $1,194 from concession sales at the warrior basketball game on February 7th and had a dispersement of $745 199 from Amazon orders for p 24593 the high school FFA received a $200 donation from arid state land and AG Associated LLC the High School boys basketball team received a deposit of $2,379 from concession sales at the warrior basketball game on February 10th and a dispersement of $1,135 for a payment on invoice for p2400 625 the high school girls basketball um account had dispersements totaling $1,931 37 for credit card purchases of meals for players at away games and invoice for po 24592 the 8ighth grade promo account um had a receipt totaling $1,642 from concession sales at Middle School basketball games on January 30th January 31st and February 22nd finally the high school spirit line received a deposit of $565 from the high school Valen time gram sales the ending balance for Student Activity account on 229 924 was $3,883 the student auxiliary fund received deposits totaling down that's a little bit further down sorry Daniel thank you um the auxiliary fund received deposits totaling $477 in February to um Middle School auxiliary for All-Star basketball admissions on February 22nd the high had dispersements of $990 68 to pay for fuel for athletic travel and hotel stay for the BD bus driver and the intermediate auxiliary had a dispersement of $3,313 cents to Scholastic Book Fairs the ending balance on February 29th 2024 for auxiliary was $1,592 cents do I have any questions on the Student Activities and auxiliary accounts is that typical to pay for driver Transportation yes mhm because why they're re they're requesting the driver so it comes out of of the or they they approve it in the minutes to come out of the to pay for that yeah and then did you mention what the IIs intermediate is it Intermediate School what that 3,000 the intermediate um payment for Scholastic Book Fair oh okay M okay okay sorry that's okay anything else okay Mr di president Mia um I just would like to um ask Miss Lea um and the SP sponsor uh for class of 2024 to give us an update uh regarding on their field trip and assurances that they had the funding to be able to complete um their trip and complete their responsibilities to be successful in the trip and also how many students were eligible m not not right now not like for April if um in based on the the amount of money that I see for class of 2024 um they can give us that update um it can be an informational item that we can put it so for everyone's review I just want to make sure that they have reached their financial goal and they they will be able to um come through with all of their um financial responsibilities uh with everything that they re um sitting for their trip I'll have them update their last okay thank you miss Lea was that presentation share with us for okay I think it was two board meetings ago I think December Bo meeting okay I think um the deposits have already hit um that they put down so it's just the remainder of whatever's left and and we haven't received a a true student count yet thank you thank you sure okay next you can um it'll be if you go back Daniel to the it'll be the last there you go okay so and you can just stay on that one that's the main one um so now I'm going to go over the um budget expenditures for February um attached we have here the um fiscal year 24 expenditures through the end of February um emino reflect a budget balance of 4,435 19794 um we are 8 months into the fiscal year and everything is looking steady um we will reallocate teacher housing funds to um impact Aid um for the encumbrance is making it go negative so that is when we're going to review the requisitions that are are submitted for Teacher housing costs and we reallocate to impact Aid when we don't have enough to cover in teacher housing um and that is is normal for each year um and the Grants Department is currently requesting reimbursements and allocating funds between the grants um negative balances so we have um we're looking at Jed and U first things first um so we have those already taken care of since we were time crunched at the end of the month we didn't give us much time with the weekend falling in between um to cover that before getting um to the um board reports but we are working on that currently um overall we currently have a 5744 per or 17,219 677 budget balance excluding incumbrances we received 23 m690 18042 2 cents so far in fiscal year 24 in revenues from all funds excluding funds for Student Activities and Insurance Fund do I have any questions for the um expenditures for February yeah I was just okay Miss Hendrick so I was just um oh I was just wondering why um the impact date was still in the negative then in joint with j and first things first is SCH do so we just H for first things first in Jade heads we just have to um request reimbursements and also for impact Aid We're going to have to either move monies around or it's just it's a budget balance so it's not the true balance of impact Aid it's just that expenditures and what we have incumbered has gone over what we budgeted for the year so when will we see a balance uh well during the for the budget we don't it's not an exact balance it's what we budget out to the sites and the school district and so part of keeping a reserve we don't allocate the whole balance of impact Aid out to the sites we give them a budget balance so um we will be reviewing requisitions um because we're going to be closing soon the incumbrance period we're going to start that off early the end of April April 30th we're going to close it off so we're starting to review and look to see if there are POS in place that have not been used yet or will not be used we be closing that which will free up incumbrances in Impact Aid and which will cause that number to go down and it won't be negative so right now we just have what we are expecting to spend but it doesn't necessarily mean we're spending all of that money so once we unencumber a lot of that it's going to free that up which will take us back under the budget balance if that makes sense it's just a little scary that because I've never seen an impact dat and the negative in my years yeah and then um I know that that the floor I guess came out of that gym floor and then we have extra Transportation expenses that we didn't expect to incur um that we've we've put money in towards so it's money that's going to to needs that we needed for the school district um that we weren't expecting to spend when we did start off with the budget so that has gone a little bit over two but um I think once we go and we start releasing money from um requisitions when we start closing them down um it should be more of what we expected to have spent is that meaning that we're behind on that or no no no no no we're actually starting off a little bit earlier than we usually do um because we want to be um in a good spot to be able to wrap things up give accounts payable enough time to pay that any last minute things um as you remember last year um we extended the deadline for purchases and that caused a lot of delay in the work with um in finance so we're trying to be ahead of that curve this time and start off closing the POS a little bit earlier which will give people more time so we do notify at the cabinet meetings we let the principles know it's coming up soon at the deadline we'll be sending out emails um um quite frequently with the deadlines and reminders so that the sites can get in any purchases that they need for the remainder of the year um so I know we have had a lot of sites turning in um a lot of requisitions to to get what they need to be okay for the rest of the year so um yeah we're trying to do that and be a little bit ahead of that that part of it and then with the uh floor and what we're looking at trying to get back for wedding then that would go back in yes is there where are we at with that um our legal council still fighting with that um right now it's on their Court um they they will let us know and we'll continue to get out from Mr ER in where we are um he has been on that on his to-do list um and we'll we'll be more than happy to bring any updates from our legal council um we're not going to give up this fight it's a lot of money that we have to put in on our end that is not our fault so our goal is to recuperate every single penny and that um that payment just went out last week so that was quite a hefty payment okay thank you you're welcome one of the this is why I'm going to say what I'm gonna say little louder one of the only core and most biggest things that we're responsible for is our finances it's really nothing other than that and policy and then this gentleman um so I I'm just going to reiterate again for everyone and I want to make sure that we I I know for myself I'm expressing I really really don't like seeing because if donations and things in here gifts and donations that are that are provided and we need to follow processes or submit documentation or even have it approved by the board getting it months later um is really really it I don't like it um and I think in the short term I'm gonna say again over and repeatedly that needs to not happen anymore acknowledge because I feel like that responsibility again lies here and if we can't have that consistent or that return in what we need in order to be able to have that that confidence then then we're not doing what we're supposed to and making sure that that's happening so um I know can we get Mr man's latest update on whatever that may be as far as for the gym floor and what we're going to get back if we're going to get back anything um you can send that to us as the board whenever you have something from him and then I I don't know how else to impress on everyone um especially I mean I I know we try to give as much support to to the superintendent so that you can support the CFO but again to everyone in in their processes or what they need to do if you're not sure please make sure you're asking um because it's it those are the my questions right away when I saw what was in consent as far as donations and contributions or donations that are being presented that were received in December and it's March now is that typical or is it or can we shorten that up or make sure that we're at least catching up or keeping all of those things um in a timely manner so that we have some kind of a true it's part of our gu our guidelines um in finance that we have to deposit within 5 days of receipt yeah um and that's part of the what the Auditors look at us for so um I think we did talk about a plan that we might have to help um Rectify that issue or at least you know um hold some accountability um so that maybe we can be on track and not happen so um we have a few things that we discussed actually today that we would like to put in place so that we can make sure that this doesn't happen Okay well we're going to lean on and press on you as much as we need to because again you're our only um employee to make sure that those things are being carried through and taken care of so that's all um was there anything else Miss ra no that's it all right thank you thank you [Applause] number five this evening is the bar re of High School District's principal report president Mia members of the board and members of the community as well as colleagues at this point let's give it up to our uh designate Miss Pablo from the far far away land coming to present on behalf of Miss Enriquez welcome good evening president buendia governor board members and Mr Diaz we have submitted our board report in writing I hope you had the opportunity to read it here is our [Music] video [Music] representing the creation story of the Butterflies the butterfli beautiful color movements are a symbol of the a them children's Beauty and energy the song that inspired the float was composed by the late Sandra Orga in the song it says the butterflies dance beautifully around me and Inner Circle then fly into the sunlight all right IND oases Primary School continue to butterflies and FES Pap good morning good morning [Music] little bit rodo K K thank you Don domination for your welcome we are excited to share in the festivities have an enjoyable [Applause] weekend [Music] one [Music] the next patient oh yeah you Che the next what yeah the next patient oh the next patient we're checking all the [Music] patient [Music] know [Music] am um Mar sometimes we we think of [Music] big oh my God we need to practice [Music] [Applause] that are there any questions I just wanted to thank you again so much um I know and and uh and say thank you for putting a little extra on the video I noticed it was a little longer than usually not that not that I count but I was like it was really good to see you guys celebrating a little bit more um is there any any feedback you feel like you want to give something you want to highlight that really really want don't want us to miss in your report um I think this month we really focused on reading and having guests come and read and we had a lot of people come and read to the kids and they they really liked it they enjoyed having all of the readers come and it was a highlight for the month awesome uh any other questions from the board comments I did notice again that the as far as the the pre to Mid testings are are looking a little bit better which I'm really grateful for and thankful for so just to acknowledge that so yeah good job to you guys our second grade team is working really hard definitely third grade too well if if there's nothing else thank you so much M Pa thank you good evening president wendia board members and superintendent Diaz so I turned in my board report I hope you had a chance to read it um the biggest highlight uh that I do want to mention is um to say thank you to J hopefully they're listening um to let them know um we do really appreciate that they were able to sponsor our two assemblies the mash unit and the BMX show to help us um prevent drug use on our campus um because we do care about our students and so we want to um make sure that we tell our students that um drugs do hurt your body and so we want to um try and prevent it [Music] your hearty go go [Music] breathing [Music] all right time [Music] morning okay [Music] so anybody we were yesterday ell the way we do that [Music] is [Music] never ring day no matter what it [Music] h window n we ain't got the same this story kind of czy from you and [Music] I you now I'm tring figure out [Music] my name is my Miss Hannah nice to meet you nice to meet you [Applause] too awesome Miss spay thank you so much uh questions from the board any comments Miss Vance you didn't highlight your um attendance that's speak because all my classes are perfect yes no I again I know I mentioned before about the and please if there's any other way that we can we can show appreciation to jom for those were what I was able to attend and participate in as far as the the assemblies I'm I'm Greatful and so whereever you know whatever we can do to show them appreciation however we can help support whatever you need let me know or let us know um but thank you so much for looking for those types of things for our kids it's really it's really great so I appreciate that thank you thank you miss Lea let's give her a big hand welcome aboard you're [Applause] next good evening president wendia governing board members Mr Jas and community members I have submitted my report hopefully you've had a chance to look it over and after the video I will be glad to answer [Music] questions [Music] hey [Music] hey all right let's head over to [Music] the n n [Music] n hey [Music] hey he hey [Applause] hey [Music] was a short month and it went by really fast thank you so much Miss Lea and and to the staff at uh secondary anything you feel like you want to highlight I know there's a lot but I don't want to um a couple of things I want to highlight the last month I talked about teachers doing some PLC training and then bringing it back to the teacher leaders did it then they brought it back to their teams and we had um our second meeting last Wednesday and AD happened to be here and she I let her go in because I didn't want to intimidate them anymore and she was very impressed on how well our teachers have taken the PLC training that they did and they're implementing it with their teams we are really looking at data a lot more effectively now instead of bringing it to the table and then staring at each other um now we're we're creating the agenda ahead of time we're having those conversations and we're making the changes immediately the following week so I'm hoping that next month I can share what some of the that data looks like for you okay thank you thank you so much for that anything else on the board keep up the amazing work thank you thank you Mr Fox welcome Mr [Applause] good evening again president buendia board members superintendent Diaz and the remainder of the crowd I've turned in my report I've hope you have had the time to review it and Play that video [Music] please [Music] [Applause] what I'd like to just add on the video is all of those pictures they are of taken here in cells whether it be sunset or Sunrise so you notice M barbecue repak you notice um kit Peak uh our friendly horses we left out the dogs we don't want to promote too many of them but all that nature is within ey shot of our parking lot with the exception of the bird that was found uh on a nature hike to see if there was water in the pond any questions regarding the r just the same question I've been asking is there anything you feel like you want to make sure just highlight it that we're that we you don't want us to miss you know it's not highlighting it might be low-lighting it's actually how hard we're work well we're working very hard on our attendance um we're finding that that we moved to seven periods we are running into the numbers looking lower than they have in the past and I've been talking with a few folks in the district about why that is um how many hours are required to get a half day full day because at this point I just see full day absence if they've missed two out of seven periods um so we're working on that so those numbers should go up but I don't want to minimize the fact that they do the the 12th grade looks pretty scary I think it was again it's a low light but it's something that we have to look at we have to consider yeah they're at um like what it says is a 44% and I know that's not exactly 100% accurate I don't think it's 90 but I most certainly don't think that we've gone down well I always curious how you calculated your your the attendance uh we take it first period second period third period fourth period fifth period sixth period seventh period and then we let Synergy do its thing so at this point I'm not sure how many minutes constitutes because we're new to this section how many minutes constitutes half day full day and do I see what a half day looks like oh on the attendance okay president yes sir and members of the board um I want to bring out or point out uh the changes that took place over the winter break and how we reimage um Accelerated School um after December all of the students they have now uh six period seven period and um now um the attendance is taking every single hour so um the students they need to be present every single period and this is how moving forward the attendance will be calculated for the campus as well um we continue to work in how we're going to be adding the online system um that will also help uh not only a great deal with attendance but also a great deal with uh students continue to have access uh off campus and I just like to add the email came in just tonight as we were sitting here from the state so I'll share that I've shared it with t yall bring an update on that okay I was just curious I saw the on your video your growing back there they're doing well that's our that's our front garden um it's kind of cool you see kids out there picking around and they're eating the green beans oh is that what you're growing yeah that had that real pretty purple flower that's a green bean vine that's just there but there's um Mr Alvarez has lettuce he's got he has broccoli um leave it to Mr Alvarez to to bring nature to us um so it's a small little garden but it's very well taken care of and and uh the students is 10 or 11 that care for it every single day water it make sure the the the troughs are right they take a lot of pride in it and uh we we love it thank you awesome thank you thank you sir thank you principles thank you Mr Das oh moving on with our agenda number six is the barbecue reunified School dist govering board member reports I have a short one I even I even thought about it in the moment while I was doing work the other day and so I wrote it down because I didn't want to forget it um be very brief but I want to make sure to impress or at least Express from my my my uh um participation in in much more of the um I guess walkthroughs of of some of the campuses and and and I really want to I guess Express from my end the honor that I feel to be able to participate but mostly to be able to see learn feel and engage in what it is to to to um see how hard you work how hard each of our teachers each of our administrators each of our and and our and our superintendent truly give um and administrative staff um I forget the titles of of everybody here however everybody who puts in so much is is such a blessing I think to each of each and every one of of of our students um there was some discussion I know that we had at one of the walkthroughs and it won't be specific but what I will say is that if at any moment there are any teachers in any to any who are graded based on whatever it is that we're utilizing to to to grade per se their their effectiveness in the classroom um I don't want them to to walk away with the sense of they're not doing enough or they're not getting what they should be getting whether uh whether they are effective or ineffective or or basic whatever the word verbiage is on the um on the sheet thing see this is why I'm this is why it's good to be involved um but what I really want to say is that hopefully the more that you see us or the more that you have the engagement of not only the board but and I and I know you see administrators and everyone else much more so than than the board but what I just want to really really try and get across to each and every individual who is committing themselves to to teaching our students and really given it their all is that I for one as a Bo member of the board am am so proud to see the progress and the hard work the effort and the commitment that it is noticed and that I do give my two cents at these at these uh walkthroughs I know all of us do if ever we're in the same room together it is never in in a way that we would ever question what it is you do in your profession but it is always to support and encourage and to commit as as much as we have in seeing your successes and in your goals and everything that you are trying to achieve um I know that engaging and understanding much more gives us a better way to to support not only what not only our students but our teachers as well so I just want to say again you know to be able to see the passion the love the effort and overall your professionalism as teachers as administrators or as individuals who come here every day sometimes from Far Far Away it is truly um appreciated and and no matter what um comes of it I just know the capabilities and the possibilities are that much more simply because of your effort to be here every day and to to be a part of this District so I I wanted to express that and I and I Tru truly want to be as present and I'm hoping that the presence is being genuinely felt that that it is not to act as though I know better or I can critique you I think that I do want to understand and feel much more confident about not only this role but specifically our support for the profession and and the schools and everything that y all do so um that is from me to to anyone else that needs to or feels like they're not they're not doing what they should be or not doing what not meeting where they feel like they are because trust me I've seen amazing things in in a in one walk through to the next walk through a few months later progression excellence and just commitment is just amazing so that is what my report will consist of because I have been Tred to be much more um open to the the opportunities that we have as board to to be to be involved um and I don't mean that in any way other than I'm grateful that I can be involved because I know not much of not many of us can be um but I'm also hopeful that it helps the Board to feel confident that you know these these are the things that that I'm observing and it is being done and we have very good um individuals working for us and for our students and for our parents and our communities and all of those things that we're here to to ensure that we're speaking for and and and you know doing this job for so um the last the other thing that I just wanted to mention um in in I guess closing um is the well I mentioned earlier any anytime that we can create any form of opportunity for our students I'm so glad that y'all are are are really trying to grab it feel comfortable in bringing it and and that we genuinely can have a conversation or see if we can make it work it is what I imagine um if I were back in school I would really truly engage with and want to have as well um but I also understand that right now it is a completely different environment time and world that our students are growing up in um but y'all are doing amazing things so that's that's genuinely what I want to say um from from my end on what I've been able to observe in the last month and what I look forward to continuing to observe throughout the school year so please you know I know it's big scary when you see us walking around that we're scary but nonetheless um hopefully it gets easier um I know it's easy for me to say that because y'all are the ones doing it but um we see you and it and it's very much um observed so anything else Bor yeah I just wanted to share that I did I was able to attemp the um the new uh the orientation for uh potential employees uh uh potential teachers wanting to come to the district and um I thought I see a whole bunch of cars parked out there but uh we actually had one one and I think we just really made him feel special um we had the district office here introducing themselves telling about about what they do and you know and how they can assist um the employee the potential employee and and Ella and I were there and also welcomed him here and um I'm hoping that you know he's looking at a upon especially if we do have those openings um but I that was the first time I think that's ever been done I think you will I hope that you continue to do that just to make sure that second year yeah oh second year okay and you only do it once um last year we do we did it three different times this is our first one uh depending on how many more recruitment opportunities we have okay uh we encourage them to come and and have a visit um what were of the district yeah I and that was the first one I attended so it was it was a great um opportunity and like I said I think we made him real special okay one counts whatever we can get I love it thank you miss siia anything Miss V not this month no problem Miss Ella are you still there I keep forgetting I'm so sorry you have any report uh no I don't have anything but I did attend uh the same um uh teacher um trying to get new teachers that day we only had one and I was just going to ask did he did he apply for the job probably not working prog um he did mention there were two different opportunities and it was the fact the because of the attention and and the tour that we made him feel welcomed so we work one yeah like he enjoyed everything uh what what we was presented to him so I was hoping that um you know he come you know attend our school um that that's all I have Mr B so do we thank you Mella I said so do we we hope that we he chooses us I believe he turn he turned it an application um but he has a few follow-up questions okay that we still need to address do your thing all righty thank you Miss Ella uh we'll move on number seven is our barbert CU UNIF High School District superintendent report Mr Diaz president with members of the board members of the community co-leaders and respected teachers are still present thank you for being here tonight a few highlights that I want to point out not only my report but also some of my director's report um February was an a very busy month I want to thank um every single one for the ongoing support and commitment um I want to celebrate um the ongoing collaboration with uh Toc and also miss Hendrick representing both entities um in in the ab uh hopefully have an academy um is starting next year um also um for all of our principles that took the time and energy um to collaborate um in in the recruitment at the U OFA but also participating the entire team and introducing themselves as part of the recruitment um I want to thank the governing board for helping us in in connecting not only with the community but U not only supporting doing the walkthroughs um during our visit with some of the community uh meetings that we attended during the month of February um also including Pino that was one of the ones that we attended I want to thank Miss Brewster and our student council uh this month that we're not able to present but to be able to continue to be present president Mia thank you for also being present doing that meeting um and a few directors of Transportation as well as operations for being available to answer some questions for student council and address their concerns as young leaders and uh during the month of febru February I want to thank um our principles and the the um assistant principles and sis for participating on what are going to be the next steps not only to complete the year based on the data that we collected during the first semester but also working on what are we going to be focusing on uh for next school year as part of our reports I want to thank um Miss AGI Hart for the 19,826 pounds that were distributed toing the shortest month of the year so congratulations of all of the um 158 Pantry um families that were sered um for8 uh households and for adults um coming in and and and taking advantage they they had a total of 257 for the month and a total 384 children that were serve during that month a big thank and appreciation for the sunrise house um I want to also thank um um the special department for highlighting and extending during the month of uh February in the report highlighting we have three um special ed members um that had been working in in a special ed department for over 20 years so thank you for their commitment and their support uh for transport uh for transportation thank you for also celebrating that two members of the team that had been for over 20 years as part of your report and also to also welcome welcome um or some student apprentices into your department um as part of the um U Accelerated School that kids are interested and to be able to provide that opportunity to see what it would be like to be in transportation thank you for welcoming that um um and having said oh I have one more um but that's a an item on its own so I'll wait for the summer school so at this point if you mind Daniel playing our video uh representing all of the different activities for the month of February uh through the lens [Music] [Applause] [Music] of I did it how long oh how long yes what was this right here these moving yes what reason be energy about R we have king and the queen or I want to start my own government and we can have our own rules onion good job give him a hand that [Music] are [Music] good [Music] [Applause] any questions might CL uh good job thank you for keeping us informed we'll try it okay number eight is our coaches and Club sponsors and approved positions Andre Antone for uh be Bob High School assistant basketball coach again board this is information huh baseball sorry baseball coach information items only um just for your information number uh sorry letter F is our action items this evening number one is the second reading of the barbecue un SCH uh policy advisories are there any question comments questions if not is there a motion to approve I have a motion by Miss syia Hendrick d Miss Kathleen V mapo hi okay motion carries number two is discussion and possible approval of the 2024 2025 barbecue reunified School District employee evaluation tool Mr Diaz uh president Mia and govering board members we are on a second year of using U this specific uh uh program to be able to um um manage the evaluation process for all of our employees um we just want to continue um our contract with this company so the office of the superintendent is recommending the approval of renewing the contract with the advanc evaluation software to support the evaluation process uh the contract with the advance will uh cover the evaluations from July 1st all the way to June 30th of 2025 okay without any objection the item is there second second by Miss Sy hricko Miss gwood hi I'm sorry uh number three de evening discussion and possible approval of the bud summer school program 2024 Mr Diaz president members of the board and members of the community this is once again an exciting exciting time to be able to come before you to approve our summer school program which is similar to the previous year um we're going to have or we're planning to have a a three week for primary and a four week for secondary uh students um starting from May 27th um and June 13 for um elementary students K through um 8 um and also starting on the same date and all the way to June 20th for uh 9 through 12 students uh we have included a list of all of the positions uh this is still going to be covered through um um through erer funding um but I now I saw that our presenter is here sorry I did not notice it earlier she's knocked she's saked in so with your support I would like to call on our department of curriculum instruction the math department to present our um project for summer school Miss kiny let's give it up for Miss kiny everybody come on down Miss K for The Price is Right thank you good evening president vendia governing board member superintendent Diaz um I hope you had a a chance to review the summer school flyers and the memo um and so like Mr Diaz was saying we do have the attached calendar there um and so nine uh Kinder through 8th grade will have three weeks of summer school and then our 9 through 12 students will have four weeks for summer school we have our flyer and if you don't mind opening the second documentation please with a calendar just a little bit lower there you go yeah and so um included in that calendar but we don't have the dates specifically designated there are some planning hours for our K8 instructors um within that time between May 16th and May 24th so they'll have some chance to plan for um the summer school activities we do have the 27th off for the holiday and um do you have any questions just one for me um how much are we committing and are we committing and is there is there an estimate or guesstimate on our seniors if they're if they're in need and need to be in here we don't want to use space or make sure that are is space for them yeah so we at this moment don't have the numbers available um that's not something that I have currently in front of me um but we do have allocated for um 9 through 12 we do have eight teachers allocated so if do have the need for it budget wise allocated so if we do have the need for it um we can definitely support any of our students that are in need of credit recovery 9th through 12th grade perfect Miss syvia so is a summer school um um students are they recommended for summer school or is it open to all students so we are going to have some targeted interventions so there will be recommendations made based on some assessment data um teacher recommend ation site admin recommendations um but we are planning on having room for students to opt in as well um but considering the goals that we have as a district um for mastering proficiency we really want to make sure that we're supporting those students that really need that targeted support um but we are not in a place right now that we're planning on excluding students who are interested but we do want to keep those ratios of students to teachers fairly low um just to make sure that those students get that individualized attention that they need so what what is your and your and how many students that you're going to I don't think we have a a current estimate um but we're trying to keep those numbers low right now we have um two teachers per grade level K8 and the the on the on the U calendar for May you have uh what's the Highlight in pink is that the preparation that is our last day of the school year of the current school year before that is the the current school year I just had to have that blocked out in my brain as as taken up um so May 1st through the 14th are school days and the 15th is the last oh it's a regular school yeah it's just the regular school year MH and and the preparations or the um for the teachers to be get ready for what where where were they in the calendar so we don't have those days specifically allocated on the calendar because we are planning on hiring a coordinator um and so we want to work with that person to find days that work well for them so instead of just choosing two days that seem right for us we want to wait until that moment is ready to go um and then we can solidify those dates what is your timeline to get the um so once we have um if this moves forward today at today's board meeting we are planning on sending out um a survey to staff tomorrow morning um letting them Express their interest we will then conduct interviews and bring their names to the board um in the April board meeting okay Miss Ella any questions okay if no to talk oh Ella you're muted if you're trying to talk unmute okay Mr Diaz president Mia and members of the board just a reminder that goad go ahead Ella I'm sorry um can you hear me yes okay um I think um the teachers and counselor should know which students uh need to take this um uh tutoring and not recommend them but I mean they they should make them go to to school and if they want to be passing their grades you know and be at the level that they're supposed to be at and it's uh the seniors and they should take care of their um credits if they haven't earned it so and I think um the opportunities are always open for them but some of them don't take advantage of it and and also like to ask if um having all this um tutoring year after year after year and is there any Improvement in any of these students are taking them so that that's my question so for our tutoring students we do see some growth so that is a comparison data point that we look at um when it comes to all of our benchmark assessments for second grade um all the way through 12th grade so we do look at those students that have been um in the targeted tutoring and we are seeing um more growth than their peers in most cases um and so when it comes to your your comment miss gwood about um recommending students and forcing them to be in tutoring um we would love to have that as an opportunity but the best that we can do is um have our coordinator communicate to the families of the students who are being recommended the importance of them being there um that's ultimately the most that we can do is really stress the importance um academic of the students being in summer school if they're recommended for it do do was that Ella was that it Miss [Music] Ella um there's also um on this new um U policies that we just approved and uh there's a there's um there's some new uh issues in there that uh that's part of the requirement which is um the um testing that has to do the same testing as they do with the immigration and um they have to there's 100 questions they're supposed to at least answer 60 of them to pass or fail and that should be in their record and so that's not are coming up very soon so they need to really emphasize on these um new new um uh policies that um is written up in this last this new one that we just passed thank you thank you Miss Ella yeah and that is absolutely something that we can keep in consideration for our 9th through 12th students and even our seventh and eighth graders um is finding ways that we can support that academic growth with regards to the Civics test as per board policy and it may be we probably have this information but be good to see some data points release something that may maybe you have just to share nothing specific but like for Miss Ellis based on Miss ell's question about for the tutoring grow yeah okay I know it's B ask but just very deep in my Google Drive but other than that Mr Diaz No I just wanted to remind our G bore um on our weekly uh superintendent highlights report on page four we do have a timeline uh I know you asked for the timeline it is on page four um is been there since the beginning of the chel that we following regarding our summer school program we are on track um we are uh scheduled to have the um memo approved today and our goal is to have um the staff approved by April board meeting so we are on schedule but if you would like to learn more about the timeline that we following uh for our summer school program it is on our weekly um superintendent report page four did you have another question Ella no I don't thank you go ahead Mr Hendrick I have no questions if there are no other questions i' like to real quick transportation is good or what are we doing on Transportation site for this and so that's a conversation that we've started with Mr B um but once we have an idea of um number of Staff interested things approved that is a conversation um that we're going to have with him we have it built in within our own personal checks and balances timeline um we didn't want to start that conversation fully but we did have a preliminary conversation about the dates and the times um and so once the memo if it's approved this evening um we will finalize that conversation and and have um numbers for bus routes and buses and all that good stuff was there a total th up was there a total number of students that were anticipating P one yes on page one page one I was looking for it sorry okay that's it I will go ahead and if no other questions uh make a motion to approve I have a motion by Miss syvia Hendricks second by Miss Kathleen Vance m hi I know what's wrong with my microphone thank you thank you Ella we heard you yes um sir I made a mistake um I was reminded that as part of my superintendent report there was also a video that was put together uh from the sunrise house and my mistake I should have pointed it out uh and I already passed it so if you have time on please go back and see it in your own time but but I take responsibility that's my mistake for not putting it up to Daniel okay thank you and I apologize for I'm sorry I was going to mention maybe bring it back next month okay so thank you and I apologize for my employee that um they put they spend the time and energy and my mistake for not pointing that out letter G this evening is our consent agenda if there are no objections I'll motion to approve is there second second by Miss Kathleen Vance m I letter H is our request for future agenda items I think one of the items I think was mentioned earlier in regards to the promotion and people that are having to I would like to hear about the graduation uh what we are looking at as far as graduation how many people are are on track and both from the alter the the um iOS and the high school accelerate and accelerate yeah and be it just I'm GNA I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna hold I'm gonna pause you because we had to have it on the agenda this will be in the future thank you I apologize I'm glad that you're super ready but we we'll put it on the agenda and we'll have we'll have it presented would you like that as a standalone item or do you want it as part of their principal's report separate item it's fine because I think I want the public to also be able to observe and see it's good for the communities and the parents to to know if they don't know and push push push your parent portal so they understand so they know where they can see the info too again was that it Miss syia future was mentioned earlier about the um 2024 class update I have it all spot of my future items I includ it agenda okay anything Ben no you got got coming up ail 15 summer opens up okay great super duper all right if that's it I know for the summer um we are looking to having two days during the summer for um a policy review okay um we have so tenative days um that we'll we can we can share those with you via email as well okay but we want to give you plenty of time to um say the date on your calendar it'll be during the month of June um and tentatively we have it for the 27th and 28th of June okay we'll put it on your calendar as tentative um save the date I might have something on the 27th Ben do you know when the summer Leadership is get for I think it's the fifth I think it's the fifth through the 6th through the eth I think yes I have it out on the field six and seven the asba yeah mhm Ben I may not be able to attent but check with me but I may not be be able to go this summer Leadership okay okay again uh we not to to add to the agenda I just wanted to the um application for the scholarships are still open I think uh it closes on March 29th I think so please encourage our seniors to perfect H okay motion to adjourn is there a second second second by me syia Hendricks hi it is 8:06 p.m.

e I all right we win as noes good evening to everybody we're going to go ahead and getting started the crane school district understands that our community of schools is located on the ancestral land of the oam jimam people who descended from the hokam and have inhabited these lands since time in Memorial the oam whose name translates literally to people are a vibrant culture in community sping countless Generations into the past continue to thrive in the present and carrying a powerful Legacy for Generations into the future with this acknowledgement the Katon School District formerly recognizes that the traditional care in keeping of these lands by indigenous people is an aspirational model of community stewardship that we are committed to honor with practices policy and human relations and with that Dr dupin do you mind leading Us in the Pledge of Allegiance please I pledge Alle to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation God indivisible thank you with that brings us to roll call we have everybody here we have Miss Gibson McLean Miss SS myself Miss MC cheffrey and miss miss Caleb and we want to welcome everyone to tonight's meeting and remind the audience of the request to um request to address the board cards that must be completed and submitted to the board secretary if you wish to speak to an agenda item those cards can be found over here to the left um board policy provides for two cards White cards to be submitted in order to speak to an agenda item and blue cards to be submitted in order to speak during public comments due to the open meeting law board members are not allowed to address items that are not on the agenda and that's part our policy B e DH and with that that brings us to the approval of our agenda I move the governing board approve the agenda as presented second all those in favor I perfect and that brings us to governing board reports and Miss MC cheffrey you want to go ahead and get us started just um real quickly I really enjoyed going attending um the Katon kids Congress a couple weeks ago um and getting Fe feedback on our student outcomes Focus governance from the students um uh they were a little quiet and shy in the beginning but then they really warmed up and um were their feedback was um invaluable I would say and I'll talk about it more when we get to the sofg part thank you Miss MB yes um well first of all almost made it through quarter three um good luck at parent teacher conferences and I hope everyone has some relaxation and self-care time scheduled for Spring Break um I wanted to take a minute to share a tough decision that I recently had to make um some of you that work in cronar in the role I'm in I am Esser funded and so I am currently faced with a what's my next step next year and so I decided to apply for my PhD next year to start doing it next year and I was accepted um yes it's very exciting that being said um I know that a lot of my classes will be evening classes and I won't know from semester to semester what my schedule will be and as I got more information about the program I realized that I will not be able to commit fully it will be out of my control and there's a likelihood I would miss a lot of board meetings so and I'm trying to not get emotional but um so with that um I am had to make the decision that I'm not going to run um for my for the next fouryear term that being said I just want everyone to know how much I absolutely love this district and I've been a part of this District in some capacity for the last decade um and you're not getting rid of me Jay will wrote me into some committees and things and maybe doing some research in the district um so but I wanted to make sure that the board has a Clear Vision going forward we've done so much amazing work and I just knew that knowing that I will probably have conflicts I couldn't commit to this so um also by next meeting I will also be married so I have a lot of life changes happening right now thank you uh Miss SS yes I'll make it sure as my voice is still not at full capacity the sickness has really been kicking my butt personally and it didn't really help that I went to a concert this weekend and I tried really really hard not to scream and yell but I can't help but sing along it's Dave Matthews I knew you were gonna say what can I do I knew you gonna say day Matthews Noah con it was amazing um so just enjoy your break um I think I'm probably going to end up sleeping for like half of it because I'm just so exhausted um so I made like no plans really um to do anything so enjoy your break and um I hope that you get to do something fun and relaxing thank you Miss Gibson McLean um we just had you know we're still chugging along on our student conduct committee honestly we thought that the uh dress code was going to take a lot more time than it did uh we really just breezed right through that and I won't say Breeze we had some really good conversations um and it's really interesting to see how where all of us are at um and you know we all have different perspectives on things and so it's really interesting to hear everybody's perspectives and see where we're at on that and so one thing that I will mention if you go back and watch and you look at our policies I'll just make this transparent as of now you know we have a district um dress code policy and there is a uniform policy however it really it really delegates the um guess the implementation of what the What the uniform looks like at a school or if there are even uniforms to the schools themselves and I I know there's been like a little bit of a misconception over the years that the district has a districtwide uniform policy and so I just want to bring that to folks attention you go to our policy you'll see that it's actually you know kind of left up to the schools themselves and so that's something to take note of um and uh so we had a really fruitful discussion you can go back and watch that um and see our disc discuss on that next meeting we are um I'm blanking it's a big topic Yeah March 18th yeah yeah it is March 19th but I'm I'm forgetting jic I think but I'm trying to remember remember what that is yeah not great we just know the letters um it is a big one so pay attention to that I think it's if you go back and watch our video we discuss or watch our video of our meeting we discussed it at the end um just a reminder we have public comment at those meetings as well you're welcome to come attend in person or watch online um and so yeah we don't have another meeting until after um after spring break and yeah I mean on a personal level just uh I also went to a I went the day before because I love Chris Stapleton I also went the week before and saw the r chili pepps I am a concert person um luckily it hasn't interfered with these meetings very often so good the food Fighters responsible for that um so yeah and they just going swimmingly at work and then I also you know it's the legislative session which has also been very interesting to be in the middle of as well and so just ready to get to like a place where you're in the roller coaster of these things that's not so slammed because I have like three trials coming up now so yeah happy to be here it's always a a step outside the normal to be here and it feels refreshing even if that sounds strange thank you I don't have a governing board report so I'll differ it over now to Mr Man thank you very much Madam president um so I am going to start off by sharing um that it is women leaders month and so I you know kind of looked to my right and realized I have the Good Fortune to work with five very important women leaders um and we have a lot of very important women leaders in our district in fact one of our agenda items tonight will be about potentially adding another woman leader to our district so um so I just you know as I've thought about that I think I've shared the story with a few people and I'll try to keep it brief but um was very close with my maternal grandmother and when I was a kid um one of the things that she always told me was that she would always be very proud proud of me but she'd be even more proud of me if I helped women break glass ceilings so that's always been part of my lens as I've worked my way through my career um getting to work with these five amazing women leaders that lens has grown to a broader spectrum of equity than just um you know doing that to help support bringing more women into leadership roles and so um I guess I kind of wanted to leverage women leaders month to she's passed but to give a shout out to my grandmother for setting me on the right path all those years ago what was her name Jay her name was Gert it was one of those good oldfashioned names so and um and then we there is an item and I know I'm getting ahead of the item but this is just a very touching story so um we have a donation that's going to be on our consent agenda and um I kind of wanted to read this letter that went along with the donation because it has to do with um sort of the dedication in the life of someone who was who was one of our staff members for period of time and so the letter reads excellencia of school is requesting permission to accept a gift of 40 plus pairs of shoes and socks to be distributed to our students through the Welcome Center this gift is from The Truman family in loving memory of their sister Terry Truman we had the privilege of having Terry on the excellencia campus as a long-term substitute this year and she was preparing to transition into our Middle School Ela position she passed away suddenly a few weeks ago Terry retired from teaching only to return to the kids and the learning she loved she wanted everyone to have a good pair of shoes so her family and friends wanted to honor her memory with the gift of remembrance and share it with the community of students at excellencia so I just thought that was too touching and important not to to share that with everybody and you know it makes me think of again there's another example of a woman leader but it makes me think about how hard and how dedicated all of our staff members are to supporting our students and our community so as others have already expressed take some time for yourself the spring break we're always very busy filling the hearts and souls of our students and um please take this time to regenerate spend some time with family do what you need to do uh to fill fill your bucket so that way um you're not coming back after spring break working from a deficit and that was all I had to share this evening thank you Mr Man all right that brings us to our student outcomes Focus governance Tab and this time I am super excited because we're actually going to have some Benchmark data that we're going to be sharing talking about um before we get into that data I do want to share a little bit of community council um meeting that we had and also the site Council meetings that we've been having at some of the schools we started off with our community council meeting on a Thursday and we brought the student outcomes focused governance framework to the community and it was really neat to see um different community members parents even Grandparents were in the room saying that they were really interested on what was going on and they've been hearing these kind of different things so that's why they decided to show up and thanks to Loma Linda for hosting us out there um it was really great to see everybody engaged talking about you know the guard rails the board goals and getting the really the feedback because one of the most important things that we're doing in the district and adopting these new goals for the first time is we really want to make sure that it Envision and encompasses what the community wants we have to work with um together with the community and our staff to make sure that we're um giving the best outcome to our students because at the end of the day that's what we're all here for right I'm up here because of the kids I believe all of us are staff speak of the kids and we just want to make sure that we they have all the support and resources so um we got a lot of feedback so that's what we're doing we kicked it off at the community council meeting and then last week I along with um Mr Man and Miss htis was able to accompany me at some other cafos we were at excellencia we went to Mackin and we were at Loma Linda again to give those parents that weren't able to go to the community council meeting in the evening sometime during the day like they usually have their coffee seos and it was a whole bunch of other parents and community members that came to those so it was really neat to see that and have these conversations um we had three um different families who had just come to the United States for the first time and for them to for us to get the feedback from them was really neat because they were saying that for the first time and being in an unfamiliar place and knowing that they're prioritizing their children's learning even though they don't speak the language that made them feel really included and like wow you guys really know what you're doing and it was just so cute to hear you know a parent say that like it it was gratifying that we're kind of working together in the same way so um I'm not sure if we've gotten the feedback yet or when the feedback will be shared with us because I know we have a couple more um schools that we have to go to some of it's attached yeah it's in here okay yeah perfect oh yeah I see caito's feedback so this is some of the feedback that um we can go over and look I'm not it's been on there so I don't know if you guys had an opportunity to look through it but for the majority of the part you know a lot of the guard rails they really thought that that was an important thing and the important feedback that I'm that keep carrying back is that everybody feels appreciative that they know where the district is moving as a whole now they know what the goals are now they understand how it's going to be measured and I think that's one of the most important things about this framework is now we have the vision once we adopt these goals we'll be able to discuss this and a fluid conversation going back and forth on where we at what's working and what's not working what changes need to be made so out of the comments or the feedback that you guys had from Community Council or from any of the site councils you guys have any questions any feedback remarks thoughts wonderings so I was reading through the caco notes you said that was just from Friday three different schools it was three different schools um I just thought it was interesting um some of the feedback that we got back was mostly about like behavior and teacher raises and yes some of that does play into some of the goals that we set but I wish it would have been a little bit more streamlined to like our goals and not things that sometimes are out of our control like teacher raises um and I think maybe that's a conversation that we need to think of start start having with our parents um as to how that whole system works because I don't even think like some teachers really understand how racis and things work um I'm not sure that they know that we don't get like an unlimited amount of money and then like just say oh you're going to get this much or whatever um and I think it would be great to have like parent advoc along with teacher Advocates to go down to the legislature and um advocate for those kind of things because I feel like they want them but I don't feel like uh it's necessarily something that you know we always have um control over so that was just kind of the one thing that I was looking at when I saw it along with of poorest behavior in schools which I know is being discussed in that committee y um yeah and I think what part of the feedback for those is because part of this framework is like yes the board has their five goals that we're going to focus on at the district level but those to us as board members are more the Academia portion of it right like what are students learning what are they not what's working what's not when it came down to the guard rails I think that was really important for us to hear because then we in return can set up the system of saying hey you know obviously our community things behavior is a huge issue that conduct so then we set a guardrail for superintendent regarding you know conduct and then it's up to them to come back and tell us within the intrm guardrails hey you know this is how we're going to start working towards conduct is it working is the CGA working is the new curriculum that we just bought on social emotional learning working and that's I think the beauty of these kind of comments because now that we're kind of hearing what the majority of the community wants we can come put it as a guardrail and then have our Administration and our principles work back with us and tell us hey this is how we're going to be following this conduct this is how we're going to make sure that it's lowering getting high I don't know what that looks like but I think that's what's so cool about this kind of feedback and in one of the um cafesito that we had that actually was a really good point that was brought up because the first question I asked was hi I'm the president of the governing board how many of you guys know what the governing board is nobody raised their hand so there's a very big education component there too and the ptos were so excited to even because I told them if you guys want to have a PTO governing board 101 then that's what we can do right we can do US sofg 101 at the PTO level so those were some conversations that we're bring brought up to and how we can mobilize our parents to to help us because part of this is too is having these conversations with the community because when we empower the community of what's going on at a district and they feel empowered in their students learning then that's when they get activated and in return hold us as the system that's telling them that we're going to take care of their kids and we're going to have them produce when they go to high school this is how we do it the more parents and Community more know the more they can in return come back and say hey no you said that you were going to do this what's going on with my kids math or what's going on with my kids Ela so um I just love this and I know I get super excited because I I love to hear this feedback and I want our parents to know and feel or Guardians whoever it is that's the caregivers to feel empowered and that they can work together with us to get these um outcomes and results for their students any other comments questions anything um Miss yeah go ahead Miss MB well I was just gonna comment um I'm super happy that we kind of paused and then circled back to do the CAF SE I'm sorry I haven't been able to make this round of them um but I really really enjoyed Community Council um I we've talked about sofg at prior Community Council but I really felt like a lot of the misunderstandings that we saw in the previous feedback were really addressed and the conversations at the tables were so rich that we really went over time um sorry Mr carbal um but it was worth it you know it was really valid deep just it was really amazing to listen to and and some of the concerns that I heard brought up about some of the goals um were concerns that we had shared too and things that we had grappled with and being able to provide some clarity on kind of you know how did we get here because not everybody's been able to watch or attend every single meeting right um so I just thought it was a really really valuable use of time um and looking through the recent feedback I think think I'm starting to see that Clarity come through and I'm starting to see alignment from more and more people um which is huge because that's the ultimate goal here so um I just it's a really exciting process and to see it all really start to unfold um but I think definitely like you know continuing to follow up not just caitos but PTO and and what are the different touches we can do and we talked about you know getting in front of the teachers and things like that um I think it's just going to keep that momentum going yeah and I think that's one of the most exciting things too because even when we get these progress monitoring once we're at that level we have to go back out to the community and tell them hey six months ago we came and asked you your feedback this is what you said was true to yourself this is what we're doing and it's this continuing relationship and commun two-way communication between us and the community it's up to us to let them know what we're doing to make the system work for their kids so they were really excited about that because they're like when do you guys ever come and tell us what's going on at the district level and I'm like well now this is when it's happening and continue yeah Miss mcrey yeah so I just wanted to share what happened um at kraton kids Congress we don't have the notes captured from that right we have them they're not available in the materials tonight we absolutely could get those out okay I'll just share the things that were highlights to me and um those of you that were there especially Mr Man please chime in I'm going to share the story that you told without using the name y um but so two big I would say the two issues that the kids had um and there was one young lady who really had an issue with the present of eth grade black students that score proficient on aasa math and so what do you mean when you say had an issue she I think was offended by calling out black she said do not call out race or ethn ethnicity and another student said they're not calling out ethnicity they're just calling out race you know I mean you know it was a really great conversation but I said look the reason my takeaway of why we chose that is because it is so unacceptable to us that it is 0% um and Mr Man um is so good at phrasing it in a way that we don't think these students are failing we are failing them there's something we are doing wrong as adults that this is happening so we want to fix it um that was not good enough for her um um we didn't get in this depth of the conversation I you know there may be opportunity to do this moving forward but she may identify as a black person I don't I didn't ask her that um but she she's like I'm not going to be the maddest person about this by the way away um and so you know at first I was like well we're not going to change you know in my head I'm like well we're not going to change it but thank you for your feedback and I have been thinking about it ever since then and she was obviously it bothered her a lot and I shared it with Mr Man and he shared another story with me saying well that and he overheard a couple kids saying well that means that Kevin didn't pass math his math thing so it's there's a privacy issue too because um we know who the we don't know but the students know so if we're calling this out that means that their friends who they think are black is all public though on the ad website okay that's what I'm saying like right like there's no way to hide it okay so us having this goal isn't hiding or like exposing anything is what I think I was wondering how because I had heard at the conference that um other districts are doing who goes on the ad website looking at all this in their free time who knows but yeah it ain't us the students yeah so my takea away from it was you know I don't want to unintentionally contribute to um a stereotype you know um and make kids feel bad about it so I think it's something we should think about and maybe even bring the kids back and you know have a deeper discussion about it um and then the other one was um the percent of third grade El students that score proficient on a Zella they thought that was too high of a goal because um they think the supports for those students who are trying to learn English is not enough um and so um you know the group's answer to that was like well then maybe we need to increase the supports and not lower the goal which I think is absolutely right but I think it also means that that's something we really need to look at and the student who talked had so much insight into that that I had never heard about um it's just these kids are really struggling and it's challenging being in Arizona where you're not I mean I don't know that teachers really know what to do in this situation when they have so many kids that are learning English so but the kids really recognize that it's a it's a problem that we face so and and I think they were saying it's mostly I mean it's people coming me they've just arrived at the country so it's just um they recognize it as a huge challenge thank you and I think that brings an important um conversation too on the long road on how when we're speaking to our students too because it's different when you're talking to students and adults and bringing this data on how we got it and why and how we process things right but it's also um a good conversation to have with their youngs on how systemic issues are started right and for us the only way that you fix issues is where you go to the most directly impacted and and that that's in any in any scene right it's not just race or job is you always want to go to who is the most vulnerable and who is the most hurt and who is the most that doesn't have the support and resources so I think when we bring this information to our students too because they have such a different lens our our our dialogue with them has to be very different from when we're out in community council and just saying well this is it because their understanding of they're looking at it like oh my God my friend of course they are because they're looking at it a child mentality basis so I think and this is really good feedback that when we're are having kids Congress maybe we're bringing this information to them more on a at at a their level that way they're not feeling that and why we brought this too um part of this process is not just giving Community Information and saying this is what we think is good good is how did we get here and why so we're all on the understanding of this is what we have been doing that's failing a a certain demographic or whatever and this is what we're going to do to get it to what the space that we need to so those are good conversations that maybe we can reshift our presentations when it comes to the student portion of it and I'm not sure it even needs to be reshift it I I think they they understood it and they wanted to talk about it and it because it's about them you know so um I really felt like there was a there was some feeling of offense you know um and and that troubled me um so I just think we need to be careful because it's yeah it's us from from up above saying this is this is how we're going to do it and they're like that that's not how we want you to do it that's not how we want you to look at us you know right thank you any other yeah I have a few things one um which I um had already brought up at the previous meeting um we need to have these cafesito times at least some of them all of them are still inside business hours we have to have something outside of business hours I can't attend any of these I'm sure there's plenty of Guardians who can't go to anything that's not outside of business hours I do understand that there's a lot of people that work nights or that are at home or like this these times do work for them but I'm considering workingclass neighborhood there's probably a lot of people that this does not work for them at all so I just want us to be cognizant of that um and then also getting more notice out about the dates and times of these events um I think some things that I noticed uh that I wrote down is make sure we're covering our roles within these goals I think there's maybe a few disconnects and this goes to like laying the foundation when we're doing these presentations is addressing like you know here's the board here's the District administration here you know kind of going going through and saying well we're setting these goals but the board is not the one who then is deciding what supports right it's going to be up to Jay to figure out if he's Implement like how he's going to implement these goals to get us there right and so I saw a few comments where it seemed like maybe there was a disconnect in understanding exactly what everyone's role is in achieving these goals and so that seems like something that we could do better at um I would also encourage folks because it seems like there is a disconnect and understanding how we came to these goals um I it's we can do a better job explaining and if you really want the detailed version our study sessions are online on YouTube go back and watch it I know it's not that entertaining but if you really want to understand why we came to certain issue or like certain goals and we've had it's not like we just you know closed our eyes and put our finger on something and decided it we had a we had robust like conversations about these and so they're not just from like willy-nilly like let's just set these goals okay so please go back to our YouTube if you want to understand more comprehensively why these goals and then the very last thing I'll touch on is kind of going to um you know some there I mean there's some qu some feedback in these as well as what we're hearing from the kids Congress um I think Sophia is like right on I when we have those um issues be brought up we need to like step in to the um actual issues which are the systems which is race-based conversations and so like have it's like stepping into those without walk stepping around them and in our reasoning and why we decided on these goals right I think it's hard to not address I mean of course there's going to be a disconnect especially if we're not addressing those the systemic issues uh the historic issues Behind these goals and that sort of thing and um and and that's something that we need to start being very comfortable stepping into I don't know I know we have Equity work in this District but um if we're not comfortable having like stepping into race uh race centered conversations where we're decentering whiteness and focusing on some of these things that's going to be difficult and I'm coming from working in Portland Public Schools where I was in a program called courageous conversations around race and I was a facilitator and that's something that we'd probably get skewed for having if we had it here in Arizona at our school district but like that's that's kind of like the school like that I'm trained in and so when I hear a comment like that we got to step into the discomfort and explore that that conversation in that moment and not let it fly like not let it pass um because now we have a kid sitting there that maybe doesn't have the full picture and it's still feeling frustrated or confused or doesn't you know what I mean isn't feeling like things are resolved and that's another element that things aren't always going to get resolved right but I just want to make make sure that when these issues do come up that we're explaining them in the best way possible and giving as much uh context and foundation and the appropriate topics in those as well and so I think that's going to help tremendously um you know it might not fix everything but I think it's a start yeah and one of the things that I'm going to wrap up with this before we get into our actual Benchmark data is that this district has been built since 1884 and for the first time since 1884 we've adopted District goals that have something to do with this so it's new language new everything and it's going to take time then I think we're going to get opposition we're going to get well what do you mean what does this mean and as we continue going through this having these conversations we'll adapt more to it it's a growing face for everybody so we're not going to have it you know perfect right off the bat it's really really hard to move institutions especially when you've been doing the same thing for years and years and then you throw in this new thing and it's a reshing of funds it's a resif of administration and it's a whole new mindset as well I mean one of the biggest things that we're adopting right now is student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors change and that's really putting the the blame not the blame but the the responsibility back on us as adults in the rooms with students from the governing board on how we present ourselves as board members to the administration to the teachers to the classified to everybody you know in the system so it's going to take some time this is why I think it's so awesome that we have this feedback and yes I do believe that we could be a little bit more flexible on time but those caitos have been standing for a long time so a lot of those community members already have that kind of system set in in mind in Mackin the other day had 65 parents at their cafo I'm saying maybe said 65 parents that's so exciting we don't call it a capito maybe we have an actual outside event for this person I showed up to a caito at 2 p.m.

our teachers actually in the class class they're actually delivering the instruction okay so now I want to just show you I'm I'm not going to show you the whole video but I'm going to show you a part of a video of a virtual school that's actually powered by proximity this is actually Mogi uh Georgia and it's called Lighthouse academy you know what I think when we transfer itation mode to click on it let's try that seem to be linked sorry Dr Robinson not okay so let me just tell you Bob mcco I'm not gonna let hold it against I'm not going to let it stop me work this is over but at uh uh at Mogi we actually built their virtual school for grades 9 through 12 and I know in this particular application we're talking about three four five six seven and eight doesn't matter we've got teachers that can teach all the way from K to 12 but the beautiful thing in this video what I wanted to show you was the parents how happy they were the students how engaged they were and one student talks about the ability to be able to do all the other things that they have in his schedule if they did not have the virtual school they would not have that then you've got some students who just cannot adjust to being in a brick-and morar environment so they need that option and so this that's what's pretty much in that in that video talked about scheduling not going to go belor that but we can meet any kind of whether you're on Flex block block whatever that's not usually in the elementary school you with pretty much traditional schedule uh one thing I do want to talk about is support for the program so okay the first thing is when we come in we're going to have an orientation for the students there's a technology help desk you wanted after school enrichment whether you want that to be asynchronous or synchronous we could do that we do the teacher walkthroughs also our TLS team does the one-on-one coaching so let's say for instance if we notice something that's happened in the classroom through our evaluations and walkthroughs we actually address that right away see let's go can I ask a quick question you said um you do orientation for the students so actually two questions for that one is that just the beginning of the year or is that provided throughout like for Rolling enrollment and two what does the orientation entail okay so the first of all we can do orientation whatever so we have X number of kids coming in with a kid first com in no matter what we'll figure that out but we also I should have said we also do orientation for the family because we want the parents to understand the process of what we do at proximity learning and what that includes is of course learning how to use the LMS accessing uh their their instructional materials within it grading policies and also breaking the ice to meet the teach room and as far as technology what's expected what kind of Technology if they don't have Wi-Fi or Internet access at home they can't do it and then they need a onetoone Computing device as well and then also what behaviors are expected in a virtual classroom okay and so here's a family engagement every parent would get a welcome kit uh we could also develop a parent kickoff night uh that could be done in person in the district if if you guys wanted us us to come in and do that and each parent if they use our LMS or if we use yours with our LMS we would be able to give them a parent Observer account that's where they can like look at the grades monitor the grades and also when the teacher has their planning period time that could also be a time that parents could actually speak with the teacher in regards to the things that they need is there some benefit to uh your LM using your LMS over our own is there some Gap there that that needs to be filled if we were to use our own that's a good question uh Miss Gibson CL um one of the benefits of using our learning management system our team can go in immediately and observe what's actually going on that means with the grades and that's also with the virtual software piece for the delivery like we use zoom so if we were to use your learning man management system and your virtual uh video conferencing you would have to give us our team access and the right to be able to be administ within it and if you wanted a quick TurnKey solution our systems are ready to go we know what to do bang bam up and is there reciprocal access obviously through your LMS with our absolutely so let's say for instance we would give whoever the district would want say Mr Man and his administrative team needed to go in and say Hey I want to go in and view the classrooms we would actually do that as well if if the district um decides to use your canvas instance do you sync that instance with like greaton uses Synergy for example for the sis for automatic cross strin okay so do you use a system like clever or anything like that class link clever yes clever okay so what we could do is we could integrate with clever and as far as rostering now grading that's grades that's coming so normally what we do at at present just for right now we just create a CSV file it's usually transferable into your student information system sorry that was a really techy nerdy question oh well hey look I'm glad you asked that question very good question um you said um obviously if a student has an IEP you would um you can accommodate that but it would you would need to see if it if they're a fit right how what what does that look like so first of all there are different levels in special ed different people have different accommodations with IEPs so for instance like in the Virgin Islands we do a virtual school for them and they had a kid that was blind and they wanted to put them in the program well in order to navigate a laptop you know our special education um experts said hey that's just not going to work and so usually what we do in a virtual environment kids that are mild to moderate like your level ones level twos but if they're profound and severe you know the accommodations wouldn't lend to that now a kid could have you know say hey they're in special AED because they're BD behavioral disorder right if that's the right acronym it's been a long time but but they can actually be in the program because that we can make that accommodation okay any other questions or comments I have so what I'm understanding is ADM would still stay with us if we went this route with proximity but what I'm hearing is that you guys do the majority of the training you do the onside the community kind of leaves that off pressure from our staff to doing all that you guys kind of handle that but our students are still registered as our students and we're getting the ADM for them that's my understanding is that correct understanding yes yes so what happens is it's your virtual school we are just you're Contracting with us and what are the teachers would become your teachers of record right so they would have so you could put them on as the teacher of record in the classroom and so forth so that's pretty standard operating procedure pretty much in every state now uh we already have teachers that are contract we do have we do have some yes because I was going to say like I know a lot about your program I like it and I actually was oh trying to get I'm a principal of an online school in a neighboring District so I was looking at using proximity to fill in some of our harder to higher positions yes but I guess and this you might be able to answer but it's probably a between you would there be a cost savings because we're doing a lot of these things but with our own teachers I guess would be my question yeah I think I think when we talked originally there was a there was a small cost savings comparatively because of some of the differentiations and the way the benefits are handled so these teachers um wouldn't be on State retirement we talked about um you know that's like 11 point something percent um of a cost model so um so there's there's potentially some savings there but it's not I don't want to create an illusion that it's like 10% of the cost or something like that you're still paying teacher salaries health benefits for them no it would actually be covered um through proximity so the amount we're being charged would be like a a packaged amount that would have Mr Man packag can I just um step in real quick I wanted to just make sure that we knew tonight we're looking at models yes um so procurement in this situation would come after in next steps and I just want to be careful that we're not discussing procurement items at um at this particular presentation uh because that would be a piece afterwards appreciate that thank you m apology sorry I think about all of it together it's hard to have separate Miss MC Jeffrey um I I don't really understand how special ed would work within um a Virtual Academy um in any of these models but so um who would work with the parents on an IEP would it be would you guys work directly with them or would that be the the district special ed Department first of all it still has to be the dis District special ed department so our teacher would become the teacher of service and the teacher of record now that teacher if it was a straight special education program I'm not talking about a kid that's just sitting you know that's been mainstreamed and put into a class the IEP has to be written by a team now our teacher could attend the IEP meeting and make contributions that's the way it goes okay because a lot of times what people get confused is hey can your teacher write the IP no teacher can't write the IP because it's a panel it's a group of people that's done in consultation with the parent psychologists each pathologist it's I mean it's just a whole bunch of people that are involved in it right they can do progress monitoring okay thank you yes any other questions or comments all right thank you so much Dr Robins appreciate it thank you for having me okay thanks and we also have Meg grosman and Mario Mali from ASU Prep digital do you need to change the slide de Jeff oh look at that that might be ASU gold hi everybody Welcome um I am a little chatty and a little noisy and so if anybody needs to stretch a little bit feel free um again my name is Meg growman I work with Mario Mali we the Arizona impact team for ASU Prep Academy um I am a lifetime educator Middle School and high school mathematics is the name of my game um and then I worked in administration and school Improvement in districts throughout the valley so and Mary go ahead good evening um I'm Mary Ali with ASU Prep and like Meg said we work as part of the Arizona impact team we partner with over 180 schools and districts around the state and I've taught and worked in schools in Arizona um since 1993 so we're really excited to be here tonight um so we want to give you a little overview and share um some of the ways that we can partner with uh kraton to support your um virtual school and online students um so our ASU Prep Digital Academy has been uh in in place and with proven success uh for close to 10 years um you might be familiar with our brick and mortar schools around the metro area those have been in place for about 15 years but our fully digital online program has uh been here and supported by K12 um teachers highly qualified and certified teachers digital curriculum um and lots of university-based resources um that support K12 Learners um inside of Arizona and um across the country too so we've shared with you too a few of the ways that we partner with schools and that we can support your students um so amongst the schools we work with no implementation looks similar because we really look to be flexible and bend and support you know your community and your students best and so we want to um bring our rigorous and College Prep based um teaching and learning resources to support your students in the best way that's possible to um so our support model really is focused on your students so you can see here that the ASU team provides that highly qualified teacher we also provide a partnership or learning success coach who's an extra caring adult in this virtual setting who's has eyes on your students to make sure they're being successful they're staying on track they're attending those live instructional sessions with our teachers they're communicating with your parents and um your district and local school staff um to see what's working what do we need to change or improve upon and make sure that there's a good flow of communication and that students are being successful um as well yeah and I would add for this model that particularly in the conversation that we're addressing tonight which is serving your learners that are choosing an option outside one of your buildings is that they are not choosing to not be kraton students right and it's really important to understand here that in the way that we've thought about how we can serve Learners in this capacity we're not trying to make them all Sund duffles that's not what's happening maybe in the long term sure president Crow is going to say yes please um but right now they're your students and we really know that students thrive in the communities where they live and so the services that you saw in the prior slide really serve as an underpinning to you all you don't need someone to take over your program you need just the underpinning to prop up and and serve Learners in all the unique ways that they have and so I just want to really preface that with the way that we work with schools because it can be a little awkward no I heard you mention this but are all of your teachers highly qualified or yes absolutely so and all of them hold a certification around the United States we look for the rest of procity oh good you're still here um we look for the reciprocity as well and if we're looking for um you know teachers to obtain specifically Arizona certification we can make that happen so we included um in your resources too a sample day in the life of a K5 student um at ASU Prep digital with a little sample lesson so you can see how our teachers interact with students what that livetime looks like um but you can see the schedule here that includes both the asynchronous or students working on their assigned um projects work collaborations with other students and then that live time with our teachers but also building in time for personalized learning uh between the success coach or and our teachers and your staff and also for the younger students those specials so at ASU Prep digital students will have access to uh nine weeks of Music nine weeks of art nine weeks of stem uh and physical or PE sure and I will speak to a little bit of what that model looks like we in K5 do not Flex for different BT schedules around for different schools and things like that they exist within our K5 community of digital Learners from students around the state what we would strive to do is put all crat students in first grade in the same class with the same teacher so that can be their own little small pod as well um and the learning success coach would be shared um they'd have the same one all Craton students so that when we're collaborating with folks from your team there's one person that has an eye on everything um but what we see a lot in online learning and I think Dr Robinson spoke to this quite a bit I think a lot of our principles align is that we do need to have that connection virtually with students it's very important and I know it was mentioned before it doesn't look the same as it does in a brick and mortar classroom I would really challenge all of us to think about a student who's sitting in even a virtual lesson with the teacher for 45 minutes over and over for eight hours when are students doing the thinking when are students engaged with the content when are students doing the work if they're just sitting in a lesson all with a teacher even collaborating when is that evidence of students working um and really what you'll see in this schedule is a very thoughtfully designed way to ensure that adults are facilitating experiences that are both offline and online throughout that school day in addition to the younger student sample schedule we included a day in the life for your middle school or older students too and so that will Pro pull back a little bit on some of the live sessions with the teachers um but and we're advocating teaching the kids how to Advocate too to ask for for the help to schedule that personalized learning time with their teacher and their learning success coach um the older students have a little more choice in specials or electives that opens up to career Explorations World languages um stem and career-based um coursework as well yeah and I would add so you'll see more time for students to um choose when they're working with their teachers because we don't have a rigid schedule teachers are open to work with students in small group or oneon-one as often as they need it we'll hire an extra teacher if we don't have time for a kid that week it's just not going to happen that's the way the model set up um I will include as well I know we've got sixth through eth graders here to serve um but all of our students that are full-time with us that we're serving in a full-time capacity of access to two ASU courses that are credited um a year and we actually do have some middle schoolers that decide to take a course to so um there's so many different things that we can really you know work with kids to find out what what's best for them and no matter what grade level or age we do support the rolling enrollment so as you have new students coming into the district or to your school we're able to accommodate and get them started um assign them that their teachers and learning success coach um and bring your parents and families into the fold too so that they're supported they know uh what students need where they need to be and when and who their teacher and who their contact and ASU supports are for that um so we also included here just kind of a comparison so you could see side by side what the K5 um experience and those uh the benefits of um those age specific learning experiences look like whether you're a K5 student or middle school student we also included here too that um we are an approved provider through the Mojave Cooperative purchasing um contract too um so yeah so and again we are not um impacting your local ADM because we are charging tuition that's how we work with school Partners too so that the funding they're your students we are providing the instruction and the virtual school supports for you yeah and to address special education as well for um exceptional students um the IEP services are done within the district so what would happen is when you decided with the panel of folks and team um what students need you meet with us and our team we have five people on the ground here in Arizona like we'll come knock on your door whenever you want to um call us up and and want to talk about something or even meet with a family that's what we're here for um but we take those uh recommended Services accommodations and modifications and things that are um able to be addressed online we take those into account with our teachers for specific minutes for a plan with someone that is through you all right um as again when we look at very unique situations we don't have a checklist or of okay a student with these IEP needs we can't serve we we don't have that um we're going to be working with the district to find out what are those things how do we team up together together to make it happen um nothing really is impossible we're like Mary said there's not one copy paste thing that we've we do every time so yes so we try to we work really hard to be responsive and to work alongside and be respectful of how things run here in your District um and what's the ultimate goal of Student Success are students feeling empowered are they being successful academically are they moving as quickly as they're ready to or do they have the necessary interventions and supports from our team um if they're struggling too um and then for parents parents and any of your staff would obviously have access to um the curriculum to an observer account so that from their phone or any device parents or your staff can see which students are taking which courses or different classes teachers and opening up those lines of communication so that if as you have questions or you want to be in contact with any of us and the local team that you have that too um and having access to a wide variety of courses and classes so again if students are very Advanced and ready to move on we can help support them if they're struggling and need some of those more targeted interventions then we've our teachers and our staff are ready to provide that too and so at this point we'll see if there are any questions thank you for that do we have any questions comments I just had a clarification on the special education so you said um obviously you know work with the teachers to provide a in class accommodations and modifications um but you said they can't provide provide minutes does that include like instructional minutes like this student needs instructional minutes specifically in math or are you talking about like otpt speech otpt speech in terms of minutes that are specific with someone who has the Special Education certification we aren't able to provide those minutes now is it like a hard no no let's see right but it would add on to the price of services because we would hire someone to with that appropriate certificate do you have any questions I feel like your gears are turning I know me too that's why I pause gears are turning that's a good thing should I keep talking and then no question um how much um asynchronous time is spent or is that up to us to decide yeah so asynchronous depends on the student right I think some Learners are very successful working through content at their own pace um I was a middle school teacher I know that doesn't happen the first day of school and so what's happening quite a bit is the learning success coach um puts out a pacing chart of recommended pacing of how to complete your course within the allotted amount of time we have the ability for students to take longer than a semester we're not bound by dates but we understand districts off and are so we can help with pacing a learning success coach is going to be helping students understand how many assignment they need to complete um to you know finish in that amount of time what starts to happen is every single week for middle school I'm going to talk just about middle school because I think that's where we see more asynchronous time for middle school they're going to have one live session with their subject main subject area teacher that's on the calendar like every week it's at this time they don't have to go to it we're tracking it so you all will know if they do or not um and then outside side of that time the child can meet with the teacher oneon-one or in small groups so what you're going to see happen is the teacher is going to notice a certain you know a set of students is working on a certain assignment we're going to reach out and hey can you be on Zoom at two o'clock today or tomorrow and plan for that time and the learning success coach is going to help with that as well again when we see with our students getting into Zoom all day the production of work the things they do and produce it's very very small and we're constantly looking for actual student evidence of learning and that has to be done either one-on-one small group on their own not in a large group of students on Zoom I understand that it's just that one of our biggest feedback from all the parents majority is that they are not okay with the asynchronous learning so that's why I want to know how much asynchronous learning you guys are giving but I didn't really get a straight answer no from that because there's not there's not a straight okay not plugging kids into classes every hour of the day so what it looks like is it can be quite Hands-On where if you want to see your math teacher every single day you can see your math teacher every single day and I know that it sounds so wishy-washy but it's because we have a model of hundreds of teachers and when we put with uh teachers with students and you're not standing and taking attendance every day and monitoring hallways and doing all these things it leaves a lot more time for actual student interaction and one of the things our teachers love the most is getting to work with small groups of students so we've really shaken up the model of having whole group 30 or 40 or more students in a live lesson where we're not seeing that and I think when we have parents who are struggling with that we know we know it because students aren't completing work and so that's when the model changes for them okay that makes me a little worrisome but that understand that I do and I really you know I think the the followup here could be even talking to some families that are currently in the model I'd be happy to you know at least facilitate something like that if it's worthwhile I think in general we don't want to see kids on a computer all day by themselves that is not the model that we are trying to communicate to you but what I am trying to communicate is not a rigid learning environment of every hour year in math at 9:00 A.M on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday when they do have the um live group lessons not the small group how many students are typically in those um typically 25 to 30 students at the most again because they're optional and kids sign up for their own times with the teacher um you know they might not go to the whole group lesson if they just saw their teacher the day before any other questions or comments um can I clarify really quickly just about the K5 environment looks a lot different than that if you look at the schedule there's much more synchronous time class huddle in the morning live session with a teacher for math K5 looks a lot different than 68 because obviously a Kender third fifth grade doing this all day that's not what we want it's not what we want in 6th through eth either but 6th through eight we started teaching that autonomy to schedule time with your teacher and work with them any other questions or comments thank you so much thank you appreciate it have a good night thank you we also wanted to provide um an overview of the procurement process if the district decides to go forward with full solicitation um just to remind us of that the the biggest most important part of a full solicitation this is when we go over $100,000 uh we develop a scope of work and there's a team that gets together to identify what is important to us and for our students and families and what do we need to see from people who could provide for us and then a formal evaluation committee goes forward and starts to obviously evaluate some of the submissions for that and then finally um if we if the evaluation committee agrees on a product they send forward a recommendation to the governing board I know that's a pretty quick flyby view of what a full solicitation looks like but um Vanessa anything else that you might add to that what does a timeline generally look like for that kind of process um I apologize I don't know exactly I can look those stes up saying like is this feasible before budget time or is really what I'm getting at yes okay yes I think it's like uh they have like 10 days to respond we set the date that they have have to we can um we have minimum requirements and then sometimes we want to give an extra amount of time depending upon uh how many vendors we're sending it out to um and a lot of it is the scope of work because if you have a very complex scope of work a lot of detail that you're expecting the vendors to respond back to you will give them a little more time uh and before their uh procurement cut off deadline and this obviously wouldn't be limited to the three vendors we've heard um or would depend on which vendors are out there a lot of different factors of who we would send it out to um and who's on contract who's not on contract um yeah and what of the three that we've heard about are they because mldp my understanding is it's more of an IGA is that still follow the procurement so there are exceptions to solation which includes an intergovernmental agreement also state approved cooperatives such as Mojave or one I one GPA um so there are some exceptions to that but typically when we develop the scope of work and we put out kind of the advertisement which even goes to the Arizona Republic we see who responds and see if they meet the criteria and that goes into the evaluation pool gotcha and that's how we kind of narrow it down to what we would like to propose for a selection so but to get to that point we need to know what we want our model to be right which is why we wanted to look at some of the model options tonight so what we what we'd like to bring back to the board on the 26 is giving you some time to kind of digest all of this is to have a conversation about that model so that way we can get that guidance from you which would allow us to then move forward with figuring out which of those procurement models are the best fit and then finding out who that best fit vendor is either by virtue of solicitation or cooperative contract or whatever that is so um this was been a little weird and I apologize I we probably could have handled it better from the beginning if there hadn't been some misunderstandings but you know typically we might have sequenced things a little bit differently um but I think we're still in a good place because now the board has a sense of what the different options are that are out there um an opportunity to have a conversation about what we want this to look like moving forward and then we still have enough time uh to be able to make that selection get that in place and get our families in the loop prior to going away for the summer I guess my biggest question is like you know we've received feedback like we know what the ideal models are part of the struggle was financially sustaining those models so I guess my question would be are all of these options like is that has that been played around with in the budget it's a it's a great question yeah and it and it really genuinely depends on the number of students that sign up and the ability of the partner to scale so because different models scale in different ways and so as you saw with with ASU Prep digital as an example it's a per student cost right so we that's easy to model out um when we when we deal with what we've been doing in District or what we might do by Outsourcing with a vendor providing teachers it really depends on the ultimately the teachers that are in their model their flexibility because if you end up with 40 kids that's you know you know a stretch would be two teachers to make that affordable so the question becomes if those kids are three through eight you know are we able to have a partner who can provide us two teachers that can support that span of grade levels or do you all of a sudden need you know six teachers if you need six teachers then you're going to be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of a half a million dollars to support 40 kids which means you're going to be taking resources away from the other kids in order to support back are we just because it's been brought up a lot of the third and up is that set in stone because that's what CVA currently is or are we considering depending on what model we go with and cost and all the things going back to ka8 I think model and cost would really would really ultimately off the table to bring K2 back in I mean I think the main reason and correct me if I'm wrong Jeff that we rolled back to third was because of low participation in k12 and some challenges with those students operating in the virtual environment that and also the way you described it you know with the number of teachers we had and a K8 span it's just really hard to make that happen with four teachers so difficult yeah um I'm trying to think of the best way to word this question if we have a conversation next about what model to go with but we're going to run into issues if if we get too much into what would be procurement issues for me it's going to be hard to make a decision if certain vendors are not you know what I mean the Mojave issue the intergovernmental I need to know like I know cost should is not going to be the sole Factor but it is a factor right and if I don't have an idea of the differences that would be incurred from the IG versus the Mojave versus like a whole holy private contract like it's going to be hard for me to compare them and then say well I think this model is the best one to go with because I think that's a factor that's really important in making that decision how can we have those conversations about what the difference necessarily cost-wise might be if we went with it with this model that has an IGA versus somebody who's under Mojave versus a fully private organization kind of what I was getting at too like I think first we need to create that scope of work that allows us on the procurement side to kind of see what's out there so if if there isn't an entity that we could enter into an intergovernmental agreement because they don't meet the model at all then that wouldn't be on the table as an option so I think once we get that scope of work built out we'll be able to bring some more information in as to we feel like we could go out on contract we have to go out for bid or we potentially could have an an IGA situation but I think one thing that could help for the conversation on the 26 is we could give some sample models of what different types of build outs look like right so so we you know we already have a cost model for that asynchronous model we look like I know it's not the board's preference I think we bring It Forward though anyway just as a comparative so that way you have that data um we could bring through we could bring for we could make an assumption of a model of X number of students and then show what that looks like in that per student cost model and what that might look like in a teacher model then and then the question becomes the spe because we're not saying who or how but then it it gives you a sense of sort of where the broad spectrum numbers are but then the specifications that that Miss shapir referred to would need to specify that the partner we're looking for has to meet this criteria in order to fit within the model let speak and you know really the the the piece constraining us here is if we do go out to bid and so that's why we can't really discuss a lot of the procurement ahead of time because you can't share that information out if you potentially could be going out for bid yeah so I would say that the district's common practice is to look for uh vendors and entities that are already on contract and um and obviously those intergovernmental agreements tend to be a better path for us procurement wise um we could give some I would say that we would um have our procurement specialist work with us to provide any um procurement information when it comes to costing things out that wouldn't put us in conflict if we did have to go out for bid I would appreciate that like I know it's a like very fine dance don't talk about it no no it is very dance but it's it is a part of a model as well so just yeah whether it's hypotheticals whether it you know yeah exactly obviously yeah the board has worked with Mr Martinez in the past and they find him very competent so I was like I bet he could do this he got the little parameters he's probably watching right now because I promised that I would step in if I thought it was going over any line sorry and I appreciate you doing so thank you fine we have it's a gatekeeper table over here you don't need any more process service showing up here okay any other comments or questions um okay um the only thing that I'm going to leave with is that we have parent feedback so we really need to look at that feedback and one of the things that I want to get us away from doing is we already have feedback that's saying asynchronous is not an option I understand just for number purposes but I think that when we're giving information of something that we already know we're not going to move toward it causes confusion if we're putting out way too much information out there so we already know that our community does not want an asynchronous model so bringing information to us that already eliminates that is to me I think easiest and more transparent for us and for the community too if you start throwing out all these models and then they just told you this is not the model that we're looking for then why did we even go back out to ask them what they wanted if we're bringing information that's literally going against what they just told us and it's not a big group it's 37 that we first so I get the comparan is but it just causes a lot of I think followup question that and it was spurred by the presentation just now from ASU and I guess my question is this when the these parents are saying asynchronous I'm thinking well my question then is what was their experience what did asynchronous look like or mean to them and was it the same as what was just communicated to us as what would look like in a 6 through eight program through a program like ASU where you're not going to necessarily be in a 30 40 person or like where there's these other opportunities for small group learning and all of that is that exactly what our parents have you know experienced because I would hate to say no to something that's like different than what they're saying they don't want I think at that point you're just getting in the weeds of a lot of questions and the plain question was do you want your guys to have kids to have live instruction or not I'm assuming that's what asynchronous is versus not and a lot of the parents feedback was we want there to be more live instruction versus asynchronous on your own and what I want us to start getting away from too is kind of like the presentation that we had with Mesa a big issue was well where are these third graders going to go historically this is why we end up with 0% black students not learning anything because we keep pushing it down like oh we'll figure it out um ASU oh we're going to figure it out it's tailored to each child that still doesn't make sense in my head because it it they're basically saying once we bring them in we'll kind of figure it out they couldn't give a straight answer of what exactly they were going to do to get that not asynchronous or whatever it is it was a lot of well once they're in the program we'll figure it out and that's what has gotten us to these data points so that's another whole aspect too that we can't continue to think oh we'll just figure it out no we have these teachers this is what we need to do and we heard it from the community the beginning when we were looking at her feedback that the Virtual Academy was something that our community really held um as a value to them so if we already have this information it's up to us to figure figure out how we can get there without adding on information that's going against what we're hearing as the feedback that's all I'm saying yeah maybe it's where I'm coming from where does this feedback live and have I seen it before it was in the board report and in the last board meeting that we had it was added as attachment to the agenda the very last board meting I whenever we had the first conversation where they tried to make us make the decision and we said wait a minute no okay in January I believe it was don't I don't think the full parent survey was it was requested at that point in time so um so I um I believe it was in a board update that information was shared out because we were it's hard for me to keep track of that stuff I'm just gonna be honest I get bombarded with stuff all day long and I know it's very important for me to look for that I just didn't see it and so like I I trust obviously that this is what it said it's just hard for me to know what they're saying if I haven't even seen like what the feedback we can do two things we can send it out again and we can have it available for the conversation 20 and we can just share the DAT you don't have to resend it's there I'll go look for it right now well I think it would be helpful to have that public also as part of the conversation um yes if we add it on the 26 it'll be in the public record we don't really have a way to distribute the board update to the community no no but I think the feedback just like we've shared yeah like um and I think when I saw that that part of the board update and just the comparisons of cost I mean oh it was in that one yeah okay well I I don't remember either Katie if they were if it was in the same board update but um I mean it there is a matter of cost for 40 kids and it it it's not all the models are not Equitable I mean for all of our other students so um that's the concern I have we we still still have to do you know it's it's one thing and I agree I mean I'd like I'd like to hear even more from from the parents and see if if that's something that they're 100% set on because we have no guarantee um that they're going to even stay with us um and I just feel like we can't we can't be spending like three times a student to get them a Virtual Academy when it's like just 40 kids and I I don't mean to say just but it we're taking money from our other kids with we're doing that so I think we do need to find the model that's right for our district you know it was in the January 30th okay I was looking at the December 5th one thank you um any other we can I guess move the discussion more for um going on in the 26 when we make a decision but I I really think we need to work on this as soon as possible yeah no we we can do that and um and we don't have to bring back the original like the pricing model from that original asynchronous that was not desired there's no there's no reason to bring that back again I I offered as a comparative but it really is meaningless I think the points well take okay um and just one other comment um housekeeping thing so the ASU presentation had a the student schedule but it's a Google doc and so those are hard to um I this I don't have a sign in on here so if we could do like just a PDF of stuff that is a Google doc and also I think that's easier for public to see it too and sorry one more time I'm not trying to harp on this this is what we're referring to as the one slide in this presentation on January 30th that's a summary of the parent feedback okay so I was like where's the actual feedback because oh the actual feedback sheets or whatever and I'm not saying I need that I'm just saying like if this is some it'd be interesting if there was like commentary you know what I'm saying like if there's Trends or if we're like summarizing and then like generalizing I don't know you're you probably are the one that went through it all Mr guy yeah is there anything that you know that stood out to you when you were summarizing all this I guess it's just it's very it's very succinct and to me it feels interesting that it's like I don't know we're used to seeing like the feedback form so I just don't know if there's something we're missing and I just want to make sure I thought I missed this whole thing entirely but I no sure I did this over the phone and so them in person and met with all the parents and we talked about it uh there were some that were in Spanish and I had a translator and we talked about kind of those four different elements you know what do you value most about your current experience with cring Virgil Academy um how would you feel about having a different service provider you know different set of teachers for your child but your child would remain as a kraton student how would you feel about asynchronous time only versus is having synchronous and asynchronous and just overall perceptions about um about online learning and also what are your plans for next year gotcha okay some of the students are eighth graders so we knew the answer for that one but we wanted to talk to them about what do you already have an idea of what you want to do next year you already think are you already thinking we're going back in person and some of the parents did say that yes we're going back in person kind of no matter what you do others said we want to wait and see and that was the General trend of the feedback from the parents we would like to wait and see right now we're happy with the way things are going keep us informed and then what I'm seeing here is almost all parents prefer the synchronous and asynchronous hybrid is what you're saying they would yes they prefer to have a teacher who their child can say Miss Higgins is my teacher Miss R is my teacher and I see that person on camera and we're we're interacting live on camera with each other every day so that that is what they prefer but it is it is not even under its current format which is their preference it is not 100% of the time synchronous they're right synchronous synch makes sense well and I think that's like I know we can't get into full cost comparisons but like pulling the async out like that is important to look at the model we have now versus other possible models too and that's what I think I was trying to get at like if they're answering this question based on our model what is are you know model versus what are these options right and I think the board can direct in a in a costing model um just some guidance that we're looking to reduce the current cost or ensure that per pupil spending stays below a certain threshold or I mean we can have some generic conversations about cost I'm not saying that cost is it's just this vendor cost this and this vendor cost that yeah so that that's the place that we have to stay away from but when we talk about cost we can talk about the cost of it especially what what we currently uh what it currently cost us um and and get guidance on if we're looking for a the most reasonable costing model that meets the criteria of the scope of work that we're looking for certainly and then we would find all of the ones that meet the scope of work and then that's when the cost Factor would come into it if we went out for bid got you if it was something that worked in a different procurement model uh that we would bring that information forward and thank you for clarifying I think what I was really trying to get at is when we do this scope of work you know I think we're going to have to come to some agreement like a a syn async hybrid is very broad right what do we mean by that how What percentages are we talking right and that's where I was trying to figure out well what were the parents saying there and what I'm hearing you say is that they like want a teacher that they know um beyond that there's not really a percentage number we can put on we wouldn't say that there's like a percentage of time that we could put on these like a proportionate percentage for closest thing we would have is our current model okay so clearly there's High satisfaction with our current model and so we could use our current model as the guideline for for what the expect when I think things like um because there's a lot of different programs out there there's other districts doing programs and so you can even look at like you mentioned daily versus weekly right because some models have you get one live session weekly per subject area versus maybe smaller chunks of time but daily live yeah okay so I think those like any feedback you have on that from the parents is helpful as well any other discussion all right I appreciate you thank you so much thank you for all of your work on this I know I know it's a lot all right and that brings us over to our science um adoption progress update thank you president Kio as you are aware we are currently in the on the hunt for the very best instructional resources for Science and we intend to bring a recommendation for adoption to you early in May I think May 7th first board meeting but we thought it would be wise to provide you with an update and opportunity to ask questions about where we are in the process of this evening so with that Dr pombo and miss ernandez our special projects coordinator for innovation in the Arts and Science we're very excited to bring you a quick update of the work that we've been doing this P last uh quarter and this past quarter and as we shared before our goal is to bring the best resource for our teachers and our students in the classroom for Science and this is a picture of we have about 25 committee members but we this is this picture of us working on a Saturday um looking at the different types of uh rubrics that we wanted to develop and to be able to pick our vendor and this is these are the committee members and we took your feedback and from last time make sure we try to get um distribute the elementary group from different grade levels try to get more community and parents involved and also students these are the meetings that we had so far and then also some upcoming meetings to continue the process this is the overall timeline that we presented in the first uh the first part of the year and then this is just kind of our work since January 10th we just we um analyze the vendors that uh that sent us information based on our rubric and we invited some back to present to us on January 27th we invited three vendors and on that day we had that the committee members fill out a rubric and we determined BAS on that on January 30th to invite two vendors back and right now we are we just completed training the pilot teachers and we're in the um 60-day review and piloting of the two vendors that were chosen this is just an example of the rubric so the two vendors or the two finalists are hmh into science um and savis and then um Miss herandez is going to talk about the pilot teachers and what's happening right now good evening everybody um so we have 15 teachers piloting Savas and approximately 641 students and that's across um all sites for um H Mifflin um we have 14 teachers we originally did have 15 um but one of the teachers um couldn't continue and then we have 5 106 students piloting we are also in the 60-day public review we have digital access um if you go to the cran website you'll be able to find this beautiful um banner and then we click on the science adoption website and you will find this beautiful notebook and you have a letter from Dr pumo English and Spanish and it talks about the process and then you'll be able to see um evaluate hmh which is um what we have for math right now and then Savas is going to be the second one and then you can provide your feedback in a survey and this is accessible we have Flyers up in um every site's office and then we are sharing this with our with our um principles um and then with our crane um connection every week and then just sending reminders to families we also have physical sorry I'm like losing my words here it's 9 o' oh my God it is nine o'clock okay so uh we also have physical review I'm usually this non monotone I'm usually like excited about things I'm like who I just heard myself like this is not me three days until spring break that's why wow so we also have a physical uh physical access where our parents can go to uh the family center and we have a rotation cycle and um there's actually also physical books at each site where teachers can go and review them and they have access from kindergarten all the way to 8th grade and so we'll do that throughout those 60-day review just for the Public's knowledge if somebody were to want to have some conversation in in Spanish or another language about the curriculum they could reach out to somebody at the district I know there's the one letter at the beginning but just about the curri cul itself yeah definitely yes um we also went to ks Congress um a couple of weeks ago and they had access to the uh physical resources and they had conversations so they had the opportunity to review um both resources and these are just examples of their feedback this is just the beginning um this how do you learn we spark their curiosity and started um you know just having them think about like how do they learn science and engineering invest and then what do they need to be successful so as we sparked that conversation they were able to really just engage deeper into like the resources so some of the feedback was um as you can see many visuals half and half there was a balance Savas they you can tell it's they said it was a little confusing there was way too many notes for the teachers and students they had access to teachers um resources and um also student resources just want to say I really appreciate the student feedback because I don't think I've seen it portrayed like this in any curriculum adoption in kraton or otherwise so yeah this was really a great I didn't want to stop the conversation Dr pumo and myself were really um facilitating this conversation and we kind of kept them maybe 30 minutes extra but they were so engaged and looking and they were like this is what we need and we need this and we need that and they also talked a lot about their teachers and what their teachers are doing already and they wanted to continue that I think like too like it was mentioned earlier right we get lost like we know the acronyms we know the and I think even as teachers and you guys have a you know a vast team like looking at all these resources but it's easy for us to get hung up on the like we're in our educator brains versus like the Simplicity of learning that kids just see and know and recognize yeah one of the TR friends from the data as you can tell and this was only three examples but was really Hands-On learning and guided notes they thought that was very important for them as Learners and then another thing is how do we support our second language Learners with the terminology being so um tier three and hard so what kind of support are we going to be giving our second language Learners this this was the same one that I attended and were it was really cute because they were they this was like part two this was after the sofg and they were like jazzed up they were they were into it yeah yeah thank you um and again our 60 day review um we're here just to remind you guys to share with schools teachers parents everybody that's listening right now um encourage all of our stakeholders to visit the Family Resource Center to review the resources um or the digital handbook how many days left in our 60 days that is a good question so about NOP last Friday I would say they are about 40 46 days we've done no maybe no no we have 46 days yeah and our next steps will be to continue when we are doing our learning walks during site visits um we are asking to visit science pilot piloting teachers so we can see how this is um being implemented I actually got to visit manav Vista last week and got to see the implementation in a fourth grade class um continue to get student feedback is specifically for our pilot pilot classrooms um um continue to encourage stakeholders um I did finish a podcast with um J Mr J Man a couple of weeks ago that's out there it was in our community um cing commun or creting connection so if you guys want to listen to it I give specific um recommendations on how to support um how to bring in your students from a parent perspective because I am a parent and then from a teacher perspective and then final meeting with vendors on April 30th super excited and then then our committee meeting is going to meet on May 1st to review feedback rubrics and select a vendor yeah any questions questions comments the only thing that I want to say is that I'm really thankful that you guys are giving this update to us but I have full confidence that with the community feedback that you guys are doing and the work that you guys are doing hand inand with Administration that you guys will pick the best curriculum that there is for students I do see already that ties into the FG framework you know dual language is very important to this community so the fact that we're picking curriculum off of the bat that's in dual language is obviously a big yay for everybody um so yeah we're doing all the right things I really appreciate it and um I really really like how intentional we are I'm making sure that the community knows because I've seen this blasted everywhere on the newsletter the podcast is a great idea to send out to our community members so they know what's going on in the district and then we just approve um whatever we need to approve after you guys have done all the feedback and everything so thank you guys for doing that I might have bragged about this process and you might be hearing from somebody in another District as they embark on some future adoptions because it really has been really well thought out and intentional yeah and if we've only been doing this for 16 days I have seen this a bunch of times so somewhere oh we're doing it we're doing it right use natural I just quoted a song I don't know if you guys know that I'm the one who's overloaded by yeah yeah thank you so much I appreciate your time thank you thank you and that you made it [Laughter] fast all right and that brings us to our next agenda item which is um personnel and that brings us to um the position of principal of Kennedy Madam president members of the board I think there might be an arm wrestling match over who gets to run with this one I am going to let um Dr Lauren do it but there's a lot of people who are excited about the recommendation that you're about to receive um I just wanted to share this for us was a very important selection because you know it's critical to the success of the reimagined Larry C Kennedy School and and you know we're fast approaching the August opening of that school so with that I will turn it over to Dr Lauren thank you Mr Man uh president kuo members of the board uh we again conducted a search for the candidates that would be most appropriate for the principal of Kennedy School we advertised through our typical providers for advertisements Arizona Department of Education employment board the aspa job board as well as indeed we had 13 viable candidates uh that were in the pool for the position and paper screened uh to a total of eight candidates that we invited to participate in the in basket process uh and to sit for an interview um we did have an interview panel that was made up of 12 participants including administrators uh support staff teachers a parent who is instantly a former Kennedy student um as well as a a student that was part of that group and that panel recommended two candidates to the finalist interview uh Mr Man Dr dupin myself uh Miss Shapiro and Miss bosle uh sat for the final interview process and we are so happy and thrilled to recommend olena LeBron as the candidate for principal ship of the Kennedy School so in case you aren't familiar with Miss LeBron uh she had currently serves as principal CJ Jorgenson School in the Roosevelt School District overseeing the development of a signature program and successfully elevating the school's academic standing from an F School in 2020 to a b School in 2024 prior to working for Roosevelt Miss LeBron was part of the kraton family she began her career in kraton in 2002 as a middle school teacher at excellencia worked as a student achievement teacher at kraton school and then as an assistant principal of both crat and Mack schools her experience in the classroom and supporting teachers in campuses has earned her the reputation of being an effective well-rounded leader Miss LeBron holds a masters in educational leadership from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor's of Arts in elementary education from Arizona State University and I just want to add that Miss LeBron inspired me when she was in Roosevelt to get holiday gifts for every single student you haven't been here for the other meetings where we've volen told people to come on up but if you have anything you want to say we have to do oh that's right I was like I forgot I move the governing board approve Miss Elena LeBron for the position of principal effective July 1st 2024 I second all those in favor I I yay now we get to invite Mrs LeBron back up for a few words back I just wanted to come and say thank you so much for the opportunity I'm really really excited to uh roll up my sleeves and get in and get the work done and and learn about the vision of lck reimagined and hoping that I live up to the expectation and know that I'm going to work really really hard to serve um the community and just do great things so I'm really really excited yeah thank you we really appreciate you and it's heartwarming to know that an ex-employee is willing to come back and serve to this community because you already know it you left but now you're back home so we're so happy to have you yes thank you are there any questions for me no I was gonna say my dad and all my aunts and uncles went to Jorgenson and I'm sure I mean to hear about that turnaround is amazing and congratulations to you and I'm sure that you've built a team there that's going to carry all that on but we're obviously happy to have you back and hanging with us this late in a meeting shows your perseverance which we already it's been eved tonight as well all right thank you so much and welcome back you congratulations all right and that brings us to Future agenda items do we have any future agenda items all right um yes go ahead something for I don't know if this needs to be a future agenda item um for a library naming is that something we that needs to come to us for approval yeah there is there is a um there's actually a policy around it and there's a a process upon the request so um we we can um Miss Warz and I can provide you with what that process and proceed okay that would be great and then is there this isn't a future agend item but maybe some way maybe you can talk with Mr Man about following up with um Valia about a conversation about what she like what the discussion was tonight maybe someone can follow up with okay regarding the dress code our student oh yes yes yes I am so sorry specifically for I mean accommodations for kids who have sensory issues that we should be able to accommod there were multiple layers there so we we will definitely follow up on on that from a couple of different angles you know the one that you just mentioned of course but you know the other thing is we are ironically you had shared in your I was wondering if it was an alignment yeah so so we we will um we'll be attacking it from at least three layers so we'll definitely get on it awesome thank you so hearing no other future agenda items that brings us to our last and I move the governing board adjourn second all those in favor muchas safely thank you thank you everyone

a at March 13th from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on Thursday March 14th two sessions 10:30 to 1:00 p.m. and then 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. with a presentation at 6:00 p.m.

so that's more than two and a half increase it's quite a substantial increase in density one of the standards for this increase in density which can only be done via a PUD is to show that you don't have a detrimental impact on neighboring property that's the third Criterion in the list for PUD considerations um in this case we contend there's been no consideration at all of the impacts on my client's property uh we have been in touch with the city we've been in touch with the least people associated with the developer uh I sent a letter on behalf of 716 Packard back in February 20th uh but we've really gotten nothing uh to uh no attention to the potential impacts on the adjacent property it is our contention that you just can't do this you can't rubber stamp a PUD without actually going through and giving material consideration to each of the eight factors so in this case we're going to have something that is 2.65 times more dense than what is permitted under the current zoning uh District um right on the property line it's going to be 200t high and granted there's no current height restriction but you know if you were limited to 300 F 300% you you wouldn't be able to build what they're proposing it would be different so what they're doing is maximizing density it's going to have impacts on our property in terms of shade in terms of wind and snow um it's going to basically dump things down onto the current structure and limit what we can do in the future so I understand there's a lot going on here I understand it's a big project but at the end of the day you're supposed to go through these criteria and say that they have been met and if not you should be recommending the city council that they not approve this plan or alternatively table it and have them do a shade study or Shadow study uh to show the impacts of my client's property and to mitigate those and only then consider making a recommendation to city council so it's you know I understand there are a lot of factors here but you're supposed to say that each and everyone is met there has been no analysis no study no nothing to show that my client's property won't be impacted and in fact we believe it will be impacted quite severely and I just want to close aesthetically what you're seeing is not what's really going to happen my CL CLI property with the dominoes is still going to be there and the profile of this is going to be not what you're looking at and being asked to approve this evening thank you thank you do we have any other folks present that would like to address the commission please hi my name is Lynn Kelly I live at 1912 Anderson um I Am pro development clearly we need to have more density I'm I'm not opposed to that however 14 stories or maybe 15 well before I say that it seems to be a very thoughtful design I appreciate the sustainability I apprec appreciate the Aesthetics I appreciate trying to set back different parts of it it different ways so it's not a huge mass on the sidewalk I wish it didn't have to be CL you know 5 ft setbacks but I get it if you're trying to ram a lot of apartment in there you have to have a lot of floor space a big footprint but 14 stories or I think I heard you say 15 stories in a neighborhood where the prevailing uh structures are three or four stories that just seems to me to be not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood um I understand that the staff is recommending this and I also understand that I'm Davey against Goliath here but it just seems like a seven story apartment building there would be great it's a great place to develop I'm I assumed that Domino's was part of this I'm a little surprised to hear that Domino's isn't one of these Parcels but that seems to be another issue I guess I'm I'm arguing for can't we cap it it seven stories that's already massive thank you thank you welcome he uh my name is Bella mazeres and I live at 7-Eleven Arch Street uh my apartment building along with a collection of houses and a park will remain on this block on the south side of the proposed development these exist in a high foot traffic area popular with students the proposed elment has a lot going for it and you've heard about that and we'll hear about that today in lights of previous comments about the use of PS let's talk about how we can put this one to work in a unique way this PUD includes a stipulation that the developers pay for improvements to foresight Park which I have been hoping to see since I moved here the park is neglected and walled in from the neighborhood as it exists now what I would like to see as part of his contribution is public pathway on the south side of the property connecting state to Packard this would increase access to the park and Residences like mine along the south side of the property for pedestrians meanwhile this would also directly connect to the new bicycle facilities along South State Street and 's athletic facilities and the proposed building's front entrance a public path along the south side of this development would be a wonderful contribution to the street skate every day I see people using the parking lots behind my building to cut through the block right now I think the developer proposes to fence this area off once the building is up instead a public path could allow this flow of pedestrians to exist in a safe welcoming environment PS are a give and take this is a small but impactful way that developer can make a major contribution to the public good and the character of the neighborhood my balcony looks right back at this proposed development and I would much rather see a welcoming space there than a wal off Alleyway all I ask is that this 14-story apartment building that will soon rise above my home include this small Improvement to the built environment as part of its contribution to the city under the Pud thank you thank you is there any anybody else that would like present that would like to speak to the commission Mr Moore are you on behalf of the petitioner or be I'm on behalf of me okay all right although I am working with the petitioner um okay I just wanted to uh bring uh some of the planning Commissioners who weren't here during our PUD conference up to speed and kind of refresh the memories of those of you that were on that pre conference um we've Incorporated many of the suggestions from that pre conference that you'll see in this design I believe commissioner white you had been concerned to put the number of curb Cuts onto Packard where there's a bike lane approximate to our building so we've eliminated the one curb cut that went to our underground parking combined it to the State Street curb cut so now we don't have that potential conflict U with the bicyclist I believe it was commissioner Gibbs Randall who wanted us to enlist in arborist to to determine which of the landmark trees on the site had the greatest chance of survivability and those are the two of the four that are there the two we've shown as remaining were the ones that are arborous said had the highest likelihood of being fine they are sandwich between the foundations of two of the existing buildings and so once those buildings are removed high capacity high quality soils can be replaced and nurture those trees so they have the highest likelihood of surviving um I believe uh commissioner Mills is one of the uh of the Commissioners that talked about the fact that high quality design is a public benefit and that we should really key in and focus on The Pedestrian experience on both of the streets so we've added the townhouse units and you'll see we have spent a lot of attention to the streetcape and how the pedestrians interact with the project and you'll see that in our renderings so that's just by way of saying we have been responsive the comments we've heard from the pening commission before thank you for your time thank you do we have anybody else present that would like to speak to the commission do we have any remote callers there are no hands raised Mr chair okay I'm sorry one two hands were just raised all right that's why we give it a moment thank you Adam yuskevich you have three minutes to address the Planning Commission hi this is Adam dusevich calling from Las Vegas driveing Fourth Ward I would like to support staff recommendation that this rezoning site plan and development agreement be approved for all the reasons outlined in the staff report including the additional housing and density in a walkable area close to student destinations affordable housing a20 sustainability standards Park improvements and more this project meets our standards and will provide significant benefits to the city and to the neighborhood we are in a housing crisis and in a climate crisis and adding a significant number of housing units in an area where most of the residents will have no need to to drive a car will go a long way toward addressing both of these we're also in a traffic violence crisis and eliminating curb Cuts will significantly improve pedestrian and cyclet safety along two major corridors I also want to support a comment that council member dish made earlier but the format of Staff reports I've seen in this meeting makes it a lot easier to see where a project does and does not meet the requirements of the UDC thank you for making this change I hope that you pass this tonight and I look forward to seeing it built I'd also like to mention that The Dominoes is going to sell a hell of a lot of Pizza Thank you thank you Michelle Hughes you have permission to address the Planning Commission hi um I was just going to say I lived in that neighborhood for 10 years and was at um what used to be called the Lester house Co-op and it's now uh and it's now called the siia Rivera and Mara P Johnson house it's uh one of the IC co-ops and um in my experience from living in that neighborhood what is needed is more housing um the people who live there there's a lot of students in that in that neighborhood and they're just crammed into these old houses and um it's it would be better to have DSE housing than the type of crowded housing that's in there right now um and you know I I think that a neighborhood that you know is generally three stories right now it can't become a neighborhood but everything is generally 17 stories until someone does it first so let this be the first one cuz CU that'd be great um I I also hope that one day the uh the co-ops can build big in that neighborhood because I'd love to have more co-ops but fair than that I'd love to have more neighbors of co-ops thank you thank you do we have any other callers on the line caller with phone number ending in 194 you have permission to address the Planning Commission hello can you hear me yes we can hello good thank you hi this is Rita Mitchell calling from um 621 fth Street and the old death side and um my concern with this project as pres presented has to do with one additional element that hasn't been discussed this will be a very tall building in an area that's really at most two story region in in that particular part of town and it'll be raising a lot of window space that will be a risk for um birds in the area and I would ask that the developer strongly include bird safe glass which is Fred um small dots 2 in apart across each window to prevent bird strikes the best possible other wise we can anticipate um a fair number of dead birds unfortunately um around the building that would be quite unpleasant for the birds and for the public um I also would comment that I appreciate the attention to the park nearby foresight park has been ignored for a long time and it's great that this developer um is paying attention and um preparing to support improvements in that Park um so that's really all I have to say but I'd also like to call out that as as a developer in the the Chicago area the attention to birds should be something that would be quite um familiar because of the many bird strikes that happen in that city thank you thank you there any other callers on the line yes Adam Goodman you have permission to address Planning Commission hi this is Adam Goodman speaking to you from the Fifth Ward uh I think this is a fantastic project I hope you'll approve it I had one small concern which is the bike parking uh it looks to me like 100% of the bike parking spaces are class A this is generally something that's allowed by our code our code presumes that class A is always better than Class B and Class B is always better than Class C however uh and I think I've brought this to your attention before I don't believe that this is actually true in in reality because Class A spaces are generally locked up and so in in a building like this they would only be available to Residents um I would prefer to see in in this project and projects like it a mix of Class A spaces for residents and then Class B or or C spaces for visitors to the building um I I hope this is something that youall can maybe explore with the developer tonight but regardless of that that's a minor point I overall think this is a fantastic project and hope you'll approve it thank you thank you Mr Goodman any other callers there do not appear to be more callers okay all right we'll give just one more second okay with that I'll close public comment I'm going to read the proposed motions to take them together unless there is strong opposition to take them separately okay okay all right I'm going to read the uh motion the Anarbor City Planning Commission recommends that the mayor and city council approve the 732 Packer PUD zoning zoning district and supplemental regulations and the second motion being that the Ann Arbor City Planning Commission recommends that the city and mayor uh city council and mayor approve the 732 Packard site plan and development agreement subject to outstanding um addressing the outstanding comments from staff moved by commissioner Mills and seconded by commissioner W we're in discussion council member dish thank you chair Lee um I want to talk about the things that I appreciate about this project um I think it's really important that the intent and permitted uses of this PUD are similar to the existing C1 underlying uh districting both are designed to encourage orderly clustering and placement of highdensity residential development near campus the Pud will achieve this by coordinated development of 12 Parcels into a more efficient 14-story residential development than what is currently there yes the height increase is significant relative to what is there but rather than focus on height I'd like to speak briefly about density and efficiency the project will be 2.6 times the underlying density and it will deliver 376 dwelling units which is more than 10 times the number of dwelling units that the parcels currently provide which I understand is 33 that is a very good ratio of density increase to housing unit increase I'm not going to go over uh the benefits because they've been sketched out a couple of times and they are numerous and exciting I'm um I'm really interested to see how the invest of 1.6 million in DTA DTE infrastructure works out it sounds like you were doing this without a clear guarantee that capacity the capacity that you need will be available when you need it so if it isn't uh will you will you have some gas infrastructure that will become sort of what is it extraneous that's the what I'm looking for yeah so the intent for the Bas case would be to permit this building as a hybrid building with a gas boiler for auxiliary hot water generation if within 18 months of when we intend to deliver we can get away with value engineering that out of our price we will but before we say we're going to do that we need to make sure that we can get the power to actually serve the building as all electric and reduce the need for that boiler okay so are you providing water heat that's correct so uh we would have a gas boiler for water heat not only for the the retail portion but for the residential portion as well that's the the element that takes the most electricity and it's hard to do that when the grid is overloaded particularly in the winter uh and so that's when that would primar the the boiler if we were to build that building with the auxiliary boiler that's when the boiler would be most active would be during the winter months um if we can get the power to not have the boiler we certainly don't want to pay for it so we would rather not build it given that we have already paid DTE to extend power to our site um So the plan would be to uh have the ability to do the boiler if we need it without coming back to city council or plan commission um and then try not to and then you can heat you can heat a building using essentially radiators with electricity you can heat the water with electricity right so w that's cool it's a water sourced heat pump system so that's very cool um thank you I'm trying not to be too slow but just wanted to spill it all out so I can explain it um okay so that is great thank you very much I was going to ask you about compost but you mentioned that there will be a compost room for residents and that's great um OSI suggested that you pair solar with batteries I don't know if that's advantageous to you so I throw that back out you need to you can come back and answer everything later that everyone asks you I wanted to ask staff to pursue um two really good ideas from the public comments and one was the idea of bird safe glass um and I'm asking staff to pursue this I'm not trying to open a conversation um and then um I've I thought that Bella maer's suggestion about a public pathway on the south side of foresy Park Park to improve improve connectivity to um and bike and pedestrian Transit was something worth um exploring and I don't you know if you at the end want to speak to any of that but I'm asking staff to you know that's okay I have noted those two follow-up requests okay commissioner white uh so thanks for bringing this project to us thanks for listening to us in the prepu uh thanks for offloading the uh deliveries into your auto Court though I would try to think of a better name for that um one thing that I persistently see as a biker in the city is in spite of there being driveways in development delivery vehicles still try to wedge themselves into the bark uh the bike facilities so I don't know if there is a way to de de um incentivize that with poles that are closest to the entrance because what I see them doing um they did it today or yesterday at uh University Tower there's a driveway where they can go in to do their delivery but they sit a quarter way into the bike lane so you still have to move around them and if there's two-way bike traffic that creates a problem so I under I've seen I I think we talked about this at 333 um Williams development where they were going to put poles right before the cutouts so that the delivery trucks couldn't just wedge themselves in in such a way cuz they don't want to go into your auto Court to do their delivery because then they have to turn around or back out or something like that so they still want to stay parallel to the building so they can jump out do the delivery and jump back in but that creates a hazard uh for bikers so if there's any way for us to look at that just at the cutouts I think if we did that like polls at each side of the cutout I think that would deemphasize that and would be safer for bikers um I also want to thank you for hearing me talk recently about cargo bikes and noting it on your site plan that you plan to do that I count 12 Class C bike spaces that are available to the public is that correct on your site plan that is correct okay and then everything else is Class A inside the building there isn't any transporting of bikes uh up a level or down a level it's all on ground floor that is correct and then uh you note it but didn't note in your benefits that you were also planning to do uh ebike charging as well I would ask that you put that on your sheet to say that you're creating facility for ebikes and that you're cre creating facility for them to be charged uh cuz I think that that is also helpful and then um what was my other question I lost my other question when it comes back to me I will ask it thank you um and just a quick reminder um please speak into the mic because otherwise it won't be picked up um when you are responding uh so everybody that's listening outside can hear so we appreciate that any other Commissioners I commiss it's for staff it's just a technical question so that I can understand something that I read that I did not understand at one place in one report it felt like I was reading that the affordable housing wasn't required because of the underlying zoning and then in another place it was it was required and so I just wanted to understand the the Delta from uh c1r to to the Pud with the how we would treat the um affordable housing quoti because I was just confused in what I read um because in one place it was like we didn't have to do this and I was like but you did and then you're now saying you're only did a 1% more so just Clarity for me yeah well um yes it is all about 1% um in standard number five it there's a number five talks about when residential uses are proposed and it exceeds the underlying density then um 15% of the floor area must be dedicated to um affordable housing dwelling units and so projects that propose 15% affordable housing we are not going to say no thank you to however that is the standard of approval but that standard is 15% this project is proposing 16% and they don't have to so we would like to give credit where credit is due and um when you have a project of this sides that 1% you know is significant and um they are requesting a payment in Li um so that is a lot of extra dollars um and so we would like to acknowledge that they are um proposing and then we have codified that um 16% is required in this District so I and just if you could bear with me for a second so it is not the case that they are not required to do the 15% that is that was required is it correct standard of yes a standard of approval is 15% um affordable housing because this is more than 300% F because of the F but it's not based on like when we were looking at the Pud for 7-Eleven church and it was r4c to the Pud and it was a 10 times the density because of the units per acre we don't have a units per acre density here we're using f instead well that project too we had that project too they had tried they that project was also required to have 15% affordable housing and um they were trying they were saying that that was a purported benefit and staff was saying that is a standard of approval and because they remained at 15% at the table we moved at the table it moved to 177% correct um but it is an entirely different project here the minimum standard is 15% and like I said we would not we would say thank you very much but that is not a benefit of the P of this PUD to just meeting the 15% but they are proposing 16% and that's something that we cannot require I don't know if I'm just in my reading it was it was hard to track all of that because at one point it felt like it wasn't required and then it was like oh and we're just doing this and then it was no we're just doing 1% so like that I think I think I am understand what you're saying now is because they are doing 1% more than is required you acknowledge that as a public benefit in the staff report yeah as a public benefit that we could not get otherwise okay so again for the developers on that sheet that you created of all the the benefits the 15% is just a given because of the density so it's really just the 1% and I think that would be a little clearer and it would be a little more honest in the report in especially since this has to go to City Council and will U be subject to another um public hearing and then uh I also wanted to uh support is it Bella was that okay Bella's suggestion for the um sidewalk to come on the south side of the building uh through foresight Park to connect um packerton state so if the developer is agreeable to that um and that can go into the $250,000 Park Improvement I'd love to see that there thank you any other Commissioners commissioner Weatherby all right so I just have kind of a set of things I think I'll Focus primarily on uh kind of bike Lanes pedestrian access um Can is there can someone show me like where entrance Ingress egress to this building will be for pedestrians bicyclists like like where are the stairwells where are the where's the I mean I saw the lobby is kind of in the middle um in addition to their response um in the packet there is an attachment called uh architectural plan I believe yeah and on uh page four of 22 um there are some triangles at each of the entrance right the the entrances are denoted by triangles um on sheet four of 22 okay so the image you're looking at now you'll see black triangles everywhere where there's an entrance and so the main entrances are both from State and from Packard Street you see these triangles yep uh and so you would enter into kind of an interior circulation Zone uh where there would be doors actually out to both streets there's also uh an exit here out to that Court um and then you'll see uh other kind of exits and entries into the bike rooms uh notated on the outside of the plan by a black triangle okay so if I'm living in this building and I call to get pizza delivered all right pizza maybe is a bad idea I call to get a sub delivered um Pizza will just walk down go around the corner um where where would you expect that delivery driver I'm getting groceries delivered let's go with that um where would that delivery driver where would I tell that delivery driver to stop so you would want to tell them to stop along Packard in the cutout uh which is shown at the top of the screen here yeah so there is a curb cut out there specifically for standing vehicles to get them out of the street and our Packard Street entrance is right there and so that's and so that's a that's a nice entrance that's not just like the bottom of a stairwell that is main that is where the that is where the building address is that's what it's 32 Packer okay and we do have an image of that coming right up it's right here okay and so because uh certainly as I walk down Main Street and I walk by 615 South Main the yard um it's a very similar position where there is a uh private company that's not part of the building that has a parking lot at the end of the street and there's a lot of conflict with that and there's always people in the bike lines parking for deliveries and for so so I'm really happy that is a spot that is designated for this and does not interfere with the bike lane does not interfere with the sidewalk right I mean I'm nod okay I know we did we did the yard and I know the delivery vehicles Park in the bike lane it's just the most convenient place for them to park so this is a dedicated space for drop off and it is near the cuz one of the things with that one has a lot of space but it's not near the front entrance where people are going to come in and out and feel safe and comfort and so this has a designated area and is there going to be some sort of buzz in for delivery or um so that packages aren't just left out on the street is there yes so we we would have on-site management during delivery hours that would handle that we have a system called Butterfly MX which um we could arrange for entry into the building uh through that system okay that would be at both main entrances uh particular the one you're talking about is shown there you see that actual curb cut is about 20 ft away from the actual entrance okay perfect just cuz this is a really big issue with a lot of buildings in town and in this spot which is extraordinarily heavy traffic of all types on both sides right um it could really be a big problem so I'm glad that that has been discussed and thought about um let's see uh just another um I like the mixture of the apartment sizes I think that's a really good good thing for this we we don't always see that um bird safe glass it sounds like a silly thing but it's actually a big deal so another another point for the bird save glass um and then the other question so I know you're going to work on the are you adding a crosswalk at Hoover or moving the crosswalk from the south side to the north side of Hoover and state the orientation and location of the crosswalk is is essentially the same we're moving some ramps around a little bit to accommodate some poles but we're putting a uh we're upgrading the signal there because actually the exit from the courtyard is will be a signalized exit it'll be actually a four-way uh stop uh stop light as opposed to a three-way right now so there's just generalized improvements there cuz there's not a crosswalk on the north side of that intersection there's only a crosswalk on the south side of that intersection is it I thought it was just the opposite but there's only one I used to be it was now it was switched okay because the north side didn't work the South Side had to yeah there there's one and I I won't debate which side it's on I know there's one right now yeah okay and then um a a point for the city maybe that is probably not your responsibility but the that whole intersection um not the the state Packard Arbor intersection is a really intense intersection and when we we're adding a lot of people right on that corner and uh there's a lot of bikes and there's a lot of it's a it's a hard one to kind of get across it's kind of a scramble so I don't know if we can do something to make that maybe it just appears unsafe as a pedestrian um and maybe it's fine but that is something that I'd like if you know the trans trans somebody could take a look and see if there's something because if we're adding a lot of people right at that corner um and a lot more like I'm not at all concerned about the vehicle the car use from that building I don't think that's going to be an issue car use to that building and away from that building and bikes and people is just going to add a lot of intensity to that whole kind of wild intersection there and and so I just if if there's any way that we can kind of have somebody taking a look at that separate really from your responsibility but but just in general to make sure everybody can safely get to campus and downtown and um with this up upgrade but other than that I think it's a great building I think there's a lot of good things about it it's definitely a change it's going to be a big change um and that's what we need so well thank you I appreciate that thank you other Commissioners commissioner aprons I just wanted to ask a clarification question about the building electrification um we received a communication from a Community member who was concerned about the retail SL restaurant space uh having a gas hookup and I wondered whether you your kind of conditional commitment to building electrification based on the upgrades to DTE would include the retail space as well I would prefer to have the flexibility to offer a gas connection to a potential tenant in that space uh if it comes down to prohibiting that it's a small enough piece of the development that I could live with that um it would be better though to offer more options for potential tenants so I would prefer uh to keep that option on the table for a gas Conor ction for a retailer in that 2,000t retail space so the so the in your mind the ideal scenario is the the DTE upgrades happen in time and the building is all electric except for that retail space that's correct and the what's that and backup generator got it thank you thank you commissioner Adams does that work with the supplemental regulations that are on the table which as I'm reading them only contemplate a natural gas connection for auxiliary hot water generation that's what we would ask for for our base case uh we would have to add language in there about actually making that DTE payment to make sure that that process gets set in motion that was a late email um after the staff report was compiled so uh but in a base case we would want the ability to use a supplemental boiler to provide auxiliary hot water generation just in case DTE cannot um stick to their schedule because the scenario in which we deliver a building of this size to uh in a way where it can't be served by electricity is very very bad so we need to have that approved and on the table chair quick followup yeah yeah go ahead please the um what I so I understood in the last exchange though that you intended to potentially offer a gas connection to the resta potential restaurant tenants in those spaces am I did I mishar you that is correct and what I was asking is is that is that intention consistent with the regulations that we have on the table in front of us tonight or is that is that something that needs to be amended as part of the regulations I would defer to you I thought my understanding was that auxiliary gas connection for for retail uses was in there but maybe I Mis it says auxiliary hot water generation okay uh you are you are correct that um the the draft language would not cover that option for the restaurant um and I would encourage the the Planning Commission to discuss whether that would be um acceptable revision to the to the draft I'm fine either way I just heard something that seemed inconsistent with what I was seeing on the page and if that's going to if that's going to leave those spaces dark then that's a problem right so I just wanted to flag it thank you any other Commissioners um commissioner Mills I want to follow up a little bit on that in part because it seemed like maybe staff wanted to say a little bit more and I was curious about what staff maybe wanted to add on this um just that in addition to the option for restaurant um it doesn't currently provide for gas for um backup power the Lang the language it right and that's that was in the so that was in the staff report too that that was the intention behind this so I was curious about that within the supplemental rigs I feel like 99.9% accurate is good enough but no but joking as said um um I can take ownership for that I think that in our in just the very last minute this is a draft um maybe our signals or communication cross paths um we have the opportunity to um to revise it now we would just so you know as a course of action we also provide the an applicant one last um opportunity to re to review and revise both the development agreement document and the supplemental regulations if it differs from this version tonight going to city council and you are not aware we have not previously discussed it we would make it abundantly clear to city council that this is a change um and like I said I think that we may uh Mr zoo and I may have a cross path in our communication and our reviews of these of these documents um this draft was finalized last Wednesday I believe yeah I know if I could jump into and share um my perspective and a conversation that we had as well um I was really excited because I saw an email that at the time I think the approach was as the petitioner indicated this building is going to be designed with a heat Source in such a way that the source of that heat Source I think you said heat pump I that can be fueled either with natural gas or electricity that technology exists that that adaptability is they're planning on that for that sign I got really excited when we got an email saying hey we might have a solution to actually do this with fully electric as that I know that's an interest of the plan commissioner and the city council um based on our conversation um I maintained that excitement but I also cautioned him that there's a lot of ifs in that for us to put a requirement in the supplemental regulations that it has to be electric at this point for that source is in that case him putting this Project's delivery and realization on Decisions by DTE that will be out of their control and so my advice was to retain this language as it is be upfront with the Planning Commission um I really appreciated them being really transparent about some of the cost factors and the challenges with that but I just want to also add that context that is why I don't recommend at this point that this this say it only the only restriction would be allowance would be natural gas for the retail spaces as well as uh emergency power backup it's that that's up to you if that is a critical benefit that you want to see that then you have additional information here for that but to memorialize that requirement building wide for electrification I just want to be honest and let you hear from the petitioner that that is putting decisions that they are willing to facilitate and invest in but it is there's time associations and realization of those that will be drastically out of their control I I is that okay okay I was going to say I get that and I'm probably going to say something that people is going to shock people first of all the presentation that included this 1.6 million wasn't right like it wasn't in any of the stuff that we saw and so that actually gives me a whole lot more Comfort behind the language that's in here about because it's not achievable because we hear over and over again it's not achievable this seems to me to be like a good faith effort the reality is I I mean again because it's not in anything that we have we can't make we're taking your word on it and so coming in here I was like we know but the G we've been told multiple times oh sorry that's crazy we've been told multiple times that the grid can't handle electric generally for many buildings right and so is this really going to happen and it seems like there may well be path towards that so I leave it up to staff honestly in the next iteration to know what our goals are here and to write it and then again like this is not your first building here this will not be your you this it sounds like this you don't want this to be your last building here we remember yeah that's correct I mean that's that's the reality like we remember I remember at least try to remember what people tell tell L and then what actually comes to be so I am comfortable with staff working that out and however however that comes I I don't love it when people like tell us something that like H we're not holding your feet too because I want to if you tell us that you're working with DT and making this investment of $1.6 million if you don't do that that's just poor form anyway so okay so I'm thinking on the sustainability I think that that is definitely making good faith effort and so I'm trying to think about again how is this different like what are the community benefits associated with this different I appreciate the pedestrian experience I think that that the the uh Western facade along State Street having the cutout to accommodate the large existing trees is amaz like I think that that's really going to change that experience and I think that that's definitely something that the underlying zoning doesn't require and so I think that's great I'm curious about what your plan is to make sure that you don't kill the trees in the process of demolishing everything else he's best to answer that so I actually met with Bill Lawrence um the former city Forester who our arborist on site to discuss that process um the two homes which flank those two trees left and right um will be uh demolished and then the basement's pulled away from the trees and then he's designing a backfill mix um because of the species they are it has to be well drained you don't want to a lot of water sitting up against those roots because it kill the tree so it's going to be a mixture of sand and LOM and lifts that get put back into the voids that are created by the removal of the foundation system and then you'll notice we have um uh protection zones outlined around each of those trees so once that new soil is put in there the protection methods were putting even outside what's required by the city you'll see two dash circles there one is the minimum requirement for the city and the second one is where we intend to make sure there's a no Drive zone so that all that new soil doesn't get compacted and then he's also coming up with a watering schedule to make sure that the trees get enough water for the first two or three years as the roots are gr into that new uh soil that's being placed there great sure that's specifically yeah sure go ahead so I'm watching uh 2 2270 be developed and there are some ancient trees that line there's a Grove of them that line and I'm watching the trucks decimate the branches of that tree and I've watched them take out one of our trees in our easement they are so can you just just say a little bit more about how you are planning to protect that you know with the no drive like is that well so there there'll be onsite construction management the beer barriers will be erected um and as as regards the canopy if there has to be some selective pruning where the branches may go outside of that area where there might be a crane swing coming into plant then the arborist will direct The Selective pruning of the of the canopy um that actually can help the tree survive sure and then a followup to staff if those trees are harmed they'll have to remediate that yes okay well they're a central feature of our of our pedestrian we understand I'm I'm just following commissioner Mill's uh lead here with like are we going to do what we say and just I mean you know this but for everybody else's benefit who only follows the project that's in their neighborhood there's it's not just the normal mitigation metric that you have to pay if you take out a tree that you say you're going to save there's a penalty in the unified development code so it's it's we do take it seriously um again for the TV friends out there um okay so I see again I see that that is something that is unique to this particular district and I don't I don't see that it's really in the supplemental RS and I don't know how people feel about putting it in the supplemental RS but I think that that's a real big benefit and if there's a you know I don't we to change things at the table I'm just saying I see that as a benefit um let's think the other a question about the benefits that are shown and this is just for my owne reminding me the park improvements is that as a result of the Pud or is that just as a result of development because we require payment to Parks when you add more housing um it may be semantics but is perhaps the planning department can correct me we don't require it we ask so what we've been doing um rather than it um going into some amorphous fund we've actually been we've hired a a a landscape architect who's done City Park work and we've been working with the city parks department to identify those areas of that Park which need the most help and and so we would be participating uh in replacing those elements the rotting benches the the street lights the Park lights that don't work till we hit that threshold so we're actually the you're seeing those improvements happen as the buildings being built got it all right super and but that that multiplier is roughly what we ask of to make sure that the our investment in our Parks is commensurate as we're adding people that our parks are keeping Pace with that okay great um let's think of public path in the South I also just want to say I think the location of the bike rooms alone is something that we don't like we don't require but I think it's great that it's at surface like that they are easily accessible that there's an entrance into the rest of the building from them I think that that is inspired and I I'm intrigued by this bar in the Bike Room and very intrigued um so in summary one of the things that I think about is is like again what are our what are our standards for approval of a PUD um and also one of the things that didn't come up in this discussion of a PUD quite as much although it came up just a little bit is is are kind of the public benefits that are offered commensurate with kind with the base um of what is there right now now and there's some measures for that for example for affordable housing contribution but I that we that is a standard but that this Balancing Act my sense is it is like this is a com it's not any one thing I would say that this maxes out on um the you know it's not like it's 100% maxing out on sustainability it is providing additional affordability or affordable housing contribution but it's not like knocking it out of the but I think that there's a combination of things and again what this entire block could allow is something that's half the height but covering the entire thing and I think that that the arrangement of this building and the and the thinking about how many curb Cuts there are is really thoughtful and so I think collectively it is providing that benefit so um this is something that I'm excited to support and again thank you the staff report was really helpful um in in laying out what's there now and how this is the same or different thank you commissioner Mills any other oh U commissioner Adams so um I want to Echo commissioner Mill's comments about the staff report I thought it was excellent and thoughtful careful um I agree with the analysis in it I I intend to vote to recommend approval um I ALS but I do want to stop and note the objection filed by Mr tra um I agree with the claim that the UDC requires a consideration of whether the development will have a detrimental impact on neighboring properties and I want to take a moment to address the issues raised in his letter and explain why I'm voting to recommend approval in spite of these effects um so the UDC requires that we consider whether there's a detrimental impact it doesn't Define that um but it also doesn't require and this is contrary to the claims in the letter that we quantify or investigate those those those effects we have to consider them as part of our analysis and I think I think we are um the letter identifies four potential impact shade uh redirected precipitation sources additional wind and the location of due dumpsters um I think interpreting detrimental effect in the UDC to mean that a PUD cannot change the direction of the wind cannot impact the way the precipitation flows cannot block the sun cannot generate new uh refu receptacles would mean that could functionally never be approved or could only be approved with a kind of analysis that the law by its terms doesn't require um and I think when we look at the prevailing zoning on the site that only underscores this conclusion um a project could be built on this site today by right that although not as tall as this project uh could still be quite tall tall enough to generate all of the effects listed in the letter to sum or perhaps all of the degree that this project would and I don't think it's reasonable to interpret the UDC to forbid the approval of a PUD District because it might generate these things in this manner particularly again with the prevailing zoning Define the way that it is um so with that again I I just want to say that this is a fantastic project um the you know I think the corridor here has struggled for years for lack of density um when I was a student I lived across the street from this project on State and it's it was astonishing to me at the time that restaurants and bars couldn't stay open on this on these streets and that's because there weren't enough students there's too much low density housing in this area to support viable restaurants bars the kind of things you see in South University so I'm happy to see that we're going to have additional density finally uh in this area um a personal note as well I want to note that there was a u ofm student killed across across the street next to where I lived in a run down building that's not terribly unlike the buildings that are being bulldozed to make way for this project and I think it's fantastic that we're finally replacing some of this Legacy house housing stock with new buildings that are safe and to code um and I think if my kids end up going at attending the University of Michigan if I'm lucky enough to have kids that attend I want them living in buildings that are safe so um I'm happy to see this project and happy to vote to support it thank you Council M dish thank you charlee thank you commissioner Adams I was hoping you would address that um I wanted to come back uh to the question of the public benefit that uh commissioner Mills raised um in a I think that this is what I was trying to say in my comments um that the public benefit needs to be proportional to the increase that's asked for and if we think about the increase in terms of height alone it feels like oh this is a very big increase but if we think about this increase in terms of density and if we think about what we are getting for the increase in density for a 2.6 times increase in density we are getting 10 times the dwelling units and so that's what I mean to say that what the developer is asking for and what is being delivered in terms of one of the things that we want which is density is in an appropriate balance and I agree with you very much and you a beautiful job commissioner Mills uh teasing out further the real benefits of this project um that perhaps ought to be memorialized in the supplemental rugs but we'll leave that to the staff um there are many benefits in this project that taken together I think we are getting really quite a lot and I'm extremely excited about the project thank you any other Commissioners I'll add some of of my comments um I think when this first came to PUD here uh I think we gave some feedback that this seemed um I think the word used was brutal um if I recall but I feel like a lot of that has been addressed I think it came in originally at 17 stories if I recall correctly and we felt that it was a rectangular block being fixed into a you know what could be a triangular kind of um a beautiful building with with a visual Plaza that I think coming down State Street what does the experience of the user feel like and so feel like a lot of those elements have been addressed I I do think that there are some hard angles still um so as far as we've addressed um proportionality I have I'm going to start actually with something a little more kind of detailed this one's dedicated towards staff there are develop I'm sorry so this is in the Pud language itself in the dimensional standards um there is it says it's a minimum of six stories and then a Max of like a feet and so my the the minimum Building height six stories the maximum Building height shall be 15 stories and 200t do we have a standardized like what is one story like what is the minimum of six stories so this is like a you know I mean I know that sometimes like the first story is you know 18 ft as prescribed by you know code but is there a particular reason that the dimensional standard isn't just like 72t or what's what's the minimum Building height conru kind of a stickler sorry it's a very detailed pit nit picky question um it is my professional opinion that having a minimum number of stories will get at what we want better than putting in a number of feet um I think it's very clear here and and we only include this because they are saying that a benefit is increased density sure so you know although there are a lot of reasons why that why they they cannot then get the Pud approved and then probably come in with a one-story building yep but never less I I feel to be holistic I do want to add a minimum number of stories and this is I think it's very clear six stories they would have the option then to make those stories 9 feet tall if that's maybe the minimum building code or 15 foot stories right right um so they could do that I I am going a little bit of Faith but um I feel that with a minimum number of feet there's not then the I think the expectation is less clear and if we want density and if that is a purported benefit of the site I think that six stories and it could be um that is maybe open for a debate but I think six stories is um a very clear expectation for if you're saying it it's increased density well then it needs to be at least six stories got it thank you for the clarification um okay again that was kind of like a very detailed level question uh I'm going to go a little more broader again kind of the applicability of PUD I think we've discussed so encourage Innovation and land use variety of design layout um I I do think that the kind of paracity or the pockets with the setbacks that creates you know additional kind of pedestrian interaction is helpful um I'm also going to Advocate again I think it was um commissioner G Randall who said this is like the worst intersection ever and so we need to do our part in the right of way to try to make this a more uh friendly intersection I've spent a lot I'm sorry go ahead I did just circulate an email email to the commission but uh looking in the capital Improvement plan in 2025 There is almost a million dollar ear marked for this area that does include crosswalk improvements um to get more details on uh if there's any anticipated delays or anything we would need to confer with our colleagues in transportation but it appears to already have been identified and some dollars set aside perfect thank you for that um I think we need to do our part in making sure that the intersection is more legible to the users and so um aside uh in in addition to that we've spent a lot of time looking at the retail so I do recognize the grilled cheesery has been closed for quite some time um one of the one of the uh most Salient variables to retail success I've said here is clustering and so um I would love to see some you know heavy emphasis at you know monetizing through retail uh storefronts um but also I will also add that I was at the Michigan restaurant Lodging Association meeting a few weeks ago um I had a chance to talk to a lot of operators from around the state and asked hey would you lease a fully electric space most of them gave me a pretty unequivocal I need gas in my kitchen and so that's been an interesting kind of that being said I've talked to some Architects that have given examples of kitchens that have worked with induction stoves and that have worked and so um just wanted to give those kinds of like you know two different standpoints the The Operators the people that you want to lease to have said I don't want to lease that space and so giving the flexibility I think is um responding to a market demand um looking at PUD encourage Innovation land use variety and design layout I think that's been um that's check uh to achieve economy and efficiency in use of land I think again that's a check in the use of land natural resources energy and the provision of public services and utilities I think that's uh done um encourage the provision of open space protection of natural features I think that's also uh been accomplished here providing adequate housing employment shot opportunities um yes particularly through to the needs of the residents of the city uh we did get the uh comprehensive Plan update that said that uh what 75% of the growth in the last 40 years have been actually predominantly students so they are a big part of the city uh expanding the supply of affordable housing uh $6.5 million I think um again we appreciate the extra point um added to that we have discussed very specifically the the portion about um proportionality and I think that was a big discuss with respect to the Church Street and so um but I think you're right that it isn't a kind of a combination of uh items in a holistic fashion uh I'm not going to read the entire list the one thing that I am going to kind of mention is accommodate developments with um I'm sorry the Improvement of existing sites and buildings that will be developed in a compatible way with surrounding uses and so one of the things that I actually noted that I didn't necessarily see here and some of the other PU ones we've seen how larger taller buildings when you're working against a grade right so let's say that it's the grade coming down from Packard and fourth and fifth coming down to like the the lbell field for example we've seen how developments harness the overall grade we didn't really see that here and there there is a great difference here right so it's it's coming down from right uh from State uh State and Hill down towards there's a minor amount of f maybe 5T from Packer state but nothing like that the four oh sure um well when I think of like walking down from the Ford school down to like Hoover I've also biked up there so I I know for sure yeah right right but I'm kind of talking about the visual Plaza as a students's kind of coming down that way what what are they kind of met with that that student experience is something that I think a lot about the compatibility with the surrounding uses I do want to give credit to the comment about the seven Stories the surrounding buildings I think the tallest one if I can recall is about five stories and so it was particular that we didn't see the comparison of the overall building relative to the the other buildings that are kind of near by and so I do want to make a minor point that the scaling still does somewhat nagg in my mind um but given the you know the housing crisis that we have as as well as the proportionality of things being offered we have to take that into consideration as well so overall um what I wanted to say was from the 17 to the 14 um I think this isn't quite as brutal but that it still does feel somewhat out of still a little out of scale but we also know that construction costs are high and we have to be able to scale in order to make these projects work so all of that to say um I appreciate everyone's thoughtful comments here procedurally speaking this is a recommendation to city council not a site plan by right that is getting approved here so whatever we vote here is a recommendation so with that do I have any other Commissioners that want to profer thoughts comments uh petitioner as well yeah how about Mr Moore my client would just like a little clearity um from Commissioner Adam scet um I believe what you're saying is that in order for the suppl EGS to jve with what our clients have disc discussed it would have to say auxiliary backup hot water heat comma restaurant use comma emergency power generation yes we would view that as a we would view that as a friendly Amendment or we could just fix it with staff between now and Council whichever you want we just want to know which what we're supposed to do I'm just flagging it if you want to fix it with staff go ahead I'm happy to approve recommend approval of what you've proposed but given the given the comments I heard I didn't want to let the night go without mentioning that I saw an inconsistency between the uses I was hearing and what was written in the law that will apply to the district plan to Le yeah I just staff's happy to work on that language but I would like just absent a modification to the supplementary regulations I want to set the stage to make sure that we can represent the planning commission's perspective on this change I am not seeing concern about modifying that language to specifically except the retail spaces and emergency backup power so um if I my clarification is if that is not the case I would I would suggest that you make a motion to modify that language as you would like to recommend it to the council got it okay thank you for that feedback would any commission commissioner aons um it's not a big enough factor to change my vote but I just want to log my dissatisfaction with those additions um I was excited coming into this that uh we were being kind of maybe offered the possibility of an all El electric building period and then we're going to leave the table with a a maybe all electric building except for these three big things so um I don't yeah I don't sense that there and I heard the petitioner say that he could live with actually no no gas in the retail space but I don't sense from my fellow Commissioners that there's an appetite to change that but I just wanted to voice that thank you I would entertain other Commissioners thoughts on that matter m um I'll just point out that the development agreement is a document where we memorialize um offers made by applic by applicants it it serves as both um it reflects needs that are offsite that are not that do not show up on the site plan and it um memorializes offers made in a different sort of development um we do have Park contrib contributions that we request if a developer agrees to provide that that's where we memorialize it and then it becomes binding um note that the developer has offered to contribute $1.6 million and I can follow up with very specific details but they have offered to do these particular upgrades this is not something that shows up in the develop I'm sorry on the site plan but they've offered so I would amend U and this is a late ad relative to the draft date of the development agreement this would be something I would be adding to the development agreement to memorialize the offer so um they're going they've offered I will hold them to that now this would be further work needs to um further revisions need to go into the supplemental regulations um to allow them to do the gas to operate for emergency power emergency generator or to gas power the the the restaurant but I think that you can have some Assurance they've offered to make grid improvements and we will memorialize that in the development agreement we can't I don't think it's fair I don't think we can require them then to make sure that those improvements come in on time Rel on time but um I think I I did want to point that out that there um there's probably a little more Assurance um we can make make sure that they facilitate those improvements and I do want to recognize and give them credit for that I don't know if we can make sure that they happen in time relative that but we can there is a way to codify that outside of the supplemental regulations Mr Leo just a quick clarification question is there's nothing that I saw in the development agreement with respect to the $1.6 million grid is that int there is not because because development agreement was written before I knew about this cool all right so I would just say that this would be another offer that they have made and I would thank them for it and then add it in to the development agreement okay understood commissioner Mills thank you uh commissioner Adams right I got your right last name okay for doing the detailed reading like um I certainly I came in having read the staff Report with the expectation that there were the carve outs for these couple of things I am the person who usually says let us not hook up things to the natural gas lines because it makes it then harder for us to get off of natural gas like 100% [Music] um certainly the addition to the supplemental or not to the development agreement gives me a whole bunch more comfort that there is more than a good faith effort being taken to try to make this not as on this I still with these car folks I would say this is not sustainability like number one priority but it's again within a suite of things so I am really personally comfortable changing the supplemental r to memorialize what's in the staff report and then adding into the development agreement what we heard here at the table tonight like that's the the balance right so allowing the supplemental RS to allow for the restaurant cooking and backup generator but knowing that there what we are hearing about the DT contribution is is something that is real I think when we make such changes like this though again I I think that this seemed friendly with based on what you were saying I just want to make sure that that's okay okay yeah yeah please go ahead say I agree with that I'm fine putting the working on language to go into that development agreement okay it's um commissioner Weatherby um I you said so I think for me in this case um I want that retail to be successful and we've had a lot of um large apartment buildings where there is no retail tenants and so whatever we can do to make that retail as successful as possible sorry um retail and yeah the retail I want that retail um but also uh the gas line goes right by this PL this building we're not running new gas lines across fields and like this is just going to be sort of a off the the side so I don't think we're doing having some gas here is not as big a deal as sorry as if we were you know if it's a electric building with these carve outs out in a field somewhere so thank you so so it seems like we are in need of a motion to amend the supplemental regulations to include restaurant cooking or retail space to the exception except yes I think the motion is to amend the regulations to include the language from the staff report on page four subpart four under electric ready building following the comma and except for a natural gas emergency backup generator restaurant cooking and auxiliary hot water generation only during periods when demand cannot be met by the available Electric Supply that I think encompasses The Proposal that the petitioner makes and will conform the regulations to their intended use do I have a motion yes I'll make it do I have a second council member dish we're in discussion of the proposed amendment to include a subsection 4 electric ready building the the addition of except for a natural gas emergency backup generator restaurant cooking and civy hot water generation only during periods where DeMent cannot be met by the available Electric Supply to the rags commissioner aons weren't we also discussing is it a different motion the um $1.6 million that's that's going to be a separate motion yeah modifying the supplemental regulations that's more uh appropo to the zoning um the development agreement actually um oh sorry I got confused between supplemental Rigs and development agreement never mind any discussion commissioner Mills I agree with all of that I would only make a slight amendment that the the second half of what's in in currently in the supplemental regs which is not achievable given the capacity of the Grid in the area is the better potential end of the motion and I don't think that those are in compatible I think you they could be spliced together I would just say that that gets at the idea that like hey we particularly for the backup hot water auxiliary hot water generation like that's the thing that you're trying to avoid right that's like the $1.6 million is trying to avoid that um the other two will go no matter what even if DT gets all their ducks in a row so yeah oh okay staff do you have Clarity on that okay got it um any other comments I don't I don't have any I don't have any concerns about that okay got it sounds good um Mr Leo will you just for the clarification of the commission will you just read that one section the amendment language I don't have it written down but I have it in my head so I'm going to say it slowly and we're going to record this yep but it would be um to amend the supplemental regulations to state that um no natural gas connection except for restaurant cooking and emergency backup generator and auxiliary hot water generation only during periods when demand cannot be met by the available Electric Supply okay um do we we need to do a a Voice vote or do we need a roll call vote um for an amendment I think a Voice vote is fine and if it gets hard to track we can move to roll call okay gotcha all those in favor say I I I all those against the amendment passes we're back to the original motion now um with respect to the Pud zoning District supplemental regulations as well as the recommendation that the mayor and City Planning city council approve the site plan and development agreement so any uh any other additional thoughts commissioner Mills is this where should there be a motion for the development agreement that's separate because that's in the second motion okay so if I can move to add the cont the contribution whatever whatever you want to call it the 1.6 million to try to make this almost all ready almost all electric um to the development agreement yeah I just want to be clear I I don't that's not language that I would suggest you craft but you direct us to incorporate into the development agreement the memorialization of that intent investment and intent to uh work with DTE to achieve that capacity to enable full building electrification thank you for making a much clearer motion does that require a motion for Amendment or is it just a Direction that you're getting from us for just for my edification yeah I I mean the development agreement ultimately is approved by city council it's a contract right um honestly could go either way but since the motion was made I don't think I don't think it hurts just to clarify that that's something that you are communicating to the city council and then when we memorialize it we can tell them hey this was language that the Planning Commission wanted to see memorialize is to follow up on that commitment to that the petitioner is making okay how exactly do you by which mechanism are you recommending I would recommend a motion to modify the development agreement as commissioner Mills indicated to that directs staff to ad language that includes the commitment of investment in the electric grid estimated at $1.6 million to build the adequate Electric electric capacity for this building if that passes staff will work with the petitioner to make sure that that language is appropriate it's going to be um a little bit unique because most of our development language is tied to a milestone with the development process I don't know that we be able to do that the same way with this so just that direction to include to task us with that crafting of language then we will communicate that to the city council okay got it understood is the petitioner friendly to that particular motion to direct staff to work with you on uh language and the development agreement yes okay got it easy enough I'm looking for a motion to um what we said oh oh um council member dish second need a second sure um commissioner white uh we're in discussion with respect to the motion of what Mr lonard said uh respect to uh directing staff to work with the petitioner uh regarding the DT contribution to improve electrical infrastructure and circuit at the church and Willard um on that circuit any discussion I'm going to call for a Voice vote all those in favor say I I all those against motion passes we're back to the original motion is it yes as amended twice um are there any other further final Thoughts with respect to This I Promise agre commissioner Mills I just wanted to let you know I did do the normal comparison that I do about how the height of this and setbacks compare and it's it what's in the supplemental regulations is very very close to what is there so I don't think that even if this building doesn't go forward anybody else would have to build something that looks pretty much like this building thank you let's go towards a roll call vote on the motion as presented with the two amendments to first to the supplemental regulations and secondly directing staff to uh make modifications to the development agreement chair Lee Yes Vice chair yes secretary W [Applause] yes council member dish yes commissioner Clark yes commissioner Mills yes commissioner Weatherby yes commissioner Adams yes that carries motion carries good luck at city council gentlemen than you very much all right with that we are moving on to other business which there are none we're moving on to agenda number 11 which is public comment this is a second opportunity for persons to speak up to 3 minutes about any issue that is not listed as a public hearing on this agenda we will first call on individuals present uh then remote participants to speak during this uh public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or use the raise hander if viewing through the web link for phone access call 877 853 5247 and enter meeting ID 977 663 41226 City staff will select on callers that have raised their hand using the last three dig of the phone number or by name if available you'll hear an automated announcement that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please mute background noises and move to a quiet area so that we can hear you clearly for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments is there anyone present that would like to address the commission at this time do we have any remote callers there are no hands raised Mr chair thank you give it just three more [Applause] seconds with that I'll close public comment we're on to agenda number 12 is there any commission proposed business commissioner W just a a quick followup from my earlier question about churches and the special exemp or use exemptions I was not as clear as I want it to be because I forgot that this is only required in residential or in some of our zoning categories not in all so churches require a special exemption across multiple districts but if they're granted that like an office a child care center is automatically permitted by code so that's what I was trying to clarify was could the church do the daycare center without the special exemption and the answer is no because the dwellings are zoned in R where they would need the special exemption is that correct yes okay great that was it thank you thank you are there any other commission proposed business yes commissioner Mills I'm wondering if on our list of potential future things that orc should consider we should we might reference the public comment that we've received today and the list of potential changes associated with um super yeah Cooperative housing yeah happy to look into that um one of those was a contribution that I fear might be an impact fee um I don't know that I haven't researched it yet but it seemed to be indicated that it was a fee that is required by developments to pay into a fund that has realized a lot of housing that would um I've again I've got a lot to learn but my very cursory looking at the description of that suggests to me that it might not be a VI a legally viable tool available here in Michigan um but yeah um and um I I do think that there's going to be a lot of questions along that through the comprehensive plan process what recommendations do we want to make about a variety of housing types you know the city council um very specifically wants us to look at ways to increase our housing Supply and densify and I think um looking at group housing models will be part of that conversation yeah in particular I mean I think it starts with the things that are more squarely in our wheelhouse uh reducing or eliminating minimum lot sizes and square footage requirements like I think that that's um and again it's not just for this and so maybe that's one that can specifically call out and also talking about the zones in which this is an allowable to use I think is something also that is part of there um the number of unrelated people in in a unit and then the next two I think the next one that's on the this memo that is what you were talking about the impact fee and further the tenant opportunity to purchase I don't typically see that as something that Planning Commission would do but I it seems a bit to me like other um it could be a city council action um that's obviously planning adjacent but that is not a a UDC change yeah I I think we brought I think I've addressed this before with the the the occupancy limits and that's also something I think that's appropriate for us to talk about with the comprehensive planning process but I do just want to remind the commission our entire regulatory residential um scheme is based on that unit it's not to say that that is the only way that it has to be or that we can't modify it but I just I just want to remind that that is how our ordinance is constructed that definition of family which is inclusive of occupany units when we find ways to allow residency that isn't maybe a traditional related family um that is a building block of our scheme of how we regulate housing so I just as a reminder totally appropriate conversations to have I think with the comprehensive planning process going in that direction depending on the methods that you do might be very much a drastic restructuring of our ordinance so I I just want to equate those it's not it's not necessarily just simply going in and striking that or easily adjusting it that would have a lot of um a lot of impacts throughout the balance of our ordinance that we just have to be thoughtful about what those are and how we wanted to deal with them yes council member dish yeah uh I just want to acknowledge that um I think this memo is in some ways a followup to the series of conversations that mix Kelly Miss Deo and I had with the IC and I think that there may be interest on Council in just having another meeting to review this memo and see if there's anything I think they tried to reduce their asks and from their perspective these are small from my perspective from the conversations we had maybe one of them is small but some of them are very large and so it might be helpful before kind of putting it on a orc or Planning Commission working list if we could just circle up again and and see where we where we stand following what we had already talked about sure thank you yes commissioner W so Mr Leonard if I'm understanding you correctly you're saying if we change section 516 use specific standards subsection one residential uses paragraph a or title a residential occupany point two limits on occupancy of dwelling units that that changes all of the code yes if that is the case can we get some legal advice from our attorney to understand this because I when I first sat at the table I asked about this and it's come up a couple more times um I would love for it to be in our unzon but it sounds like you're saying it's an unintended consequence or it has a tree it's not yeah I don't mean to say it's an unintended it's it's a very intended consequence we um every District that we regulate by dwelling units that is a that is a way that we Define what a dwelling unit is and so I I'm not trying to say that you can't eliminate that but when we say that you have a uh whenever you see anything in our district that is regulated by a den density a number of dwelling units that's all of our our districts that is based on a dwelling unit that definition goes to Define what we mean by that alternately if we didn't have that I think you know one scenario would be to say we don't we don't care you know if you have uh if you are in an R1 Zone currently under our current without that definition it means maybe you could have a 60 60 bedroom home as opposed to a four or five bedroom home within that or six-bedroom home depending what zoning District you're in and so that is that was that was a framework that when our ordinance was crafted those two things were used combined as um they've had an impact on massing they've had an impact on dens density of population and so I I don't mean to say that it's not intentional it's very intentional in fact um that definition has had repercussions for better for worse across the state because it is kind of how you define a family can be really challenging from a legal perspective ours ours was sort of the case law that sort of that set a lot of that stage so to to eliminate that or modify it it's just to recognize that has implications to every time you see a number of dwelling units anywhere else in the code not that not that there's not changes I just I just want to bring that up that that is it is very foundational to how if you were to strike that now our entire zoning framework would be very different right now in what could be achieved and can't be achieved yeah so I think I would like if it's possible for us to get either a memo or one of those privileged conversations so that we can understand the implications of this because I don't know that it needs to be privileged but we can I don't know I'm not a lawyer um and so I cuz I would you know to me when I sat at the table I was like what is this for like why are we trying to keep six people as the minimum and then we've seen how that's affected um development because then we get these six-bedroom units that got developed to fit the standard because of where it is and so if we can get some guidance um on this that is more than sure you know that would really help us understand how it would impact our code thank you um yes Mr Leo yeah I do want to mention I I think the right solution we can follow up with that as well I think though the right solution is to sit down again with the student Cooperative um inter Cooperative Council I think their heart is absolutely in the right place and I agree with their goals but they are um um they are not interpreting the zoning ordinance correctly and there if you look down same page their the occupancy standards um do not apply to group housing fraternities authorities student Cooperative housing Emergency Shelters or convalescent homes yeah so they have a i i it's worth uh part of my part of my assignments and responsibili just to make sure that everyone understands the zoning parameters especially before you suggest changes I I don't think that the solution to their ask um and I I is is their suggestion but we can still help them meet their goals got it thank you appreciate the clarification um I'm just going to make one clarification on the record for one of my comments that I said during the Apple play care uh discussion which was I had said hey it's possible for you to also petition for the special exception use I just wanted to make on the record clearly that what I was referring to was one of the criteria for approval um because of the allegations that that would be detrimental to the economic value and I was simply trying to clarify that I wasn't necessarily 100% convinced that that was factual um based on kind of what was being said so I want to just on the record clarify that aside from that any other commission proposed business seeing none I'm going to move to adjournment seconded by commissioner whes all those in favor say I I hi hi we are adjourned thanks

yes I drink coffee and there was no coffee I was so sad but it's okay but anyways it's a growing process and um I'm just really excited that we are actually getting all this feedback I mean we have hundreds of parent surveys already and usually it takes weeks to us for us to get 20 30 pages turned in so the parents are parents are excited community members are excited and I think our staff is finally in that ignition point too like oh this is something new so um it's working together we ask for you know this collaboration and as we go we can adjust but we're we're finally getting to one main um Target basically which is making sure our babies all of them regardless of social it doesn't matter I don't care how much money you have what race you are we should all be able to have the same tools and accessibility to learn it makes no sense that depending on the ZIP code you're in within a seven mile radius that you're learning more than the other zip code that's just not negotiable for me oh I was GNA say and I think it two miles down the road well yeah but I'm thinking of our whole District as a seven mile radius you know um but with that being said we're going to go ahead and get into The Benchmark information so I'll go ahead and turn it over to Mr Man yeah and I um I'm gonna add one more comment just because um and it's gonna sound like I'm pushing back on on on what you said but I'm not really pushing back it's actually a celebration um I don't think five years ago when that student had that concern about that particular goal that we would have stepped in deeply like we did with her in that meeting so I think you know the work we've done around Equity has emboldened us to have those conversations and I think students are some of the most the people I'm most uncomfortable you know having those conversations you're always worried about like age appropriateness and all those things on top of the conversation itself so I just wanted to give kudos to miss MC cheffrey because and Dr dup and and um actually Dr pombo all of us I think took time at that meeting to engage with that particular student in the hopes of more deeply understanding their concern but also you know trying to help them understand what the direction of the concern was that it really wasn't about laying blame on a student or trying to to place it there but it was really about the board's work um when they look at statistical data and say this is unacceptable and how we move a system forward for that um I I had the opportunity to talk with some parents at Gateway this morning and um it was really really powerful to see you we've talked a little bit about things that maybe aren't clearly understood um it's really powerful for us to engage on that too because we haven't had a Common Language and we haven't had a framework to engage parents around those conversations in the past and like one of the best examples I can give from this morning was that there was a parent who was looked at the goals and was very concerned because they read that eighth grade math goal for all students they said so what you're saying is anyone who doesn't get above minimally proficient you're holding them back they're not going to high school so that was a really important opportunity to be able to clarify that because a lot of these things a lot of these goals I mean they're they're written in a very specific format Dr Ramos was very clear with us about why they had to be in the format they're in um you know AJ Karel I've heard him speak about why it has to be that way right so we're doing it that way to make sure we're doing the work the right way but it isn't necessarily a very accessible format for our families and so these opportunities to engage and and create Clarity around some of those things I think are are really really important so so I just want to appreciate um the board for moving us on this pathway because I don't think we'd be having some critical conversations and we've even Unearthed you know we talked about the teacher pay things about uh um Behavior you know what I what I've been trying to do in those cases is say thank you for that feedback we're going to capture that that isn't what this work is or attach it to a guard rail because some of those things do fit within those guard rails so kind of helping to guide them back to the framework and where that lives but regardless that feedback is really invaluable and we can use it in a lot of different ways to make certain we're we're meeting our students where they're at and we're meeting our community where their desires and needs are so talked way too much yet again you already have a plan for like followup on how to then make sure there is more connection on like what like what like you're saying like the thing the issue about holding kids back like making sure there's understanding and Clarity I think one of the things that we'll need to do and all is said and done is create an FAQ so like a frequently asked questions document that we can go ahead and post along with student outcomes Focus governance you know goal guard rails and and you know our whole what we ultimately want to get to is a dashboard so um I think that dashboard could also have frequently asked questions attached that would help but one of the things that and I'm still very early in my learning but if I understand Dr Ramos correctly this isn't just this one round of conversations we're supposed to be going back to the community and telling them you know how we're doing where we're at and all those things so turning this into an ongoing series of sations will also give us an opportunity to re-engage with those families and say so how are we doing on this now are we making movement are we some of the feedback we've gotten has already shown movement we've made already this year even though we're just in the early stages of this conversation our parents are seeing the difference so but we need to maintain that ongoing conversation so that way they're letting us know how we did or how we're doing because it'll help us to adjust as we move forward to make sure that not only are they seeing it but that we're making certain that the data sets we're looking at are we even interpreting them correctly because sometimes data can hide reality and so you could say oh look these numbers are better but then when you talk to parents they're like well bullying's doubled not gone in half right our scores are up um and but we we want to make sure we're hitting not only the goals but the guard rails too and that's one of our best places to get feedback on those guard rails not to get to into the weeds but I think one way to also try to do this in real time is when we're facilitating especially at the community council or larger groups when we do these um small group breakouts for the feedback is in real time like okay let me have somebody do a walk around and assess it seems like there's a common issue at all these tables let's talk about it right now rather than oh we're now looking at these maybe three months later we're going to address it well we didn't happened at the community council I went to is what I'm saying the first one did at the second yeah that's part of why we went over time because we did start to see some things come out um and I think that's what made this a different shift than the last time like it was definitely meteor um we also had groups sharing out too and kind of bouncing off one another um I really like the idea of FAQ because I think there have been questions that have emerged um from that meeting from some of this feedback um so I think that we're we're moving there yeah and there's even a board calendar that will get adopted at some point and within that board calendar it will tell us when we're progress monitoring what goal we're doing when we're supposed to be going to the site councils back to the community to give them updates there's like this whole system but like I said we're in the beginning faces of it so it takes but yes you're already ahead and that's exactly where we're leading to it it's just takes some time to shift over these big old you know um changes that we're making but that's exactly where we're heading and what we're going to do with the framework um so early phases is kind of going to be my introduction to this next part because um we we had kind of two things happening at the same time you know we had an opportunity to meet with Dr Ramos um a little over a week ago but during that same time frame our team had already been preparing data sets so they've tried to adjust as much as they can to that feedback what you will see tonight is not in the ultimate format that we will get to um and and they'll talk a a little bit about how we don't even have all of the data sets we want to be able to give you at some point because one of the things we discovered pulling this together is that some things happen on a quarterly basis and other things like gazella as an example we we don't get that data until a certain point in time and some of our goals require you know some of that Isel data so um so we're this will be an ongoing work in progress as we develop the metrics and more finely tune them and create better ways to be able to present them to you but also in that conversation with Dr Ramos he said it's important for us to start now doesn't have to be perfect don't wait for the perfect don't what's that expression don't let um great be the enemy of good or good good be the enemy of great or whatever it is so um so with that I will turn it over to my esteemed colleague Dr dup thank you Mr Man and just real quick one more celebration from the kids Congress the way the goals and guard rails are structured is really elegant because we had a board member who really did a really nice job of facilitating the whole group plus took we did a gallery walk around the room and our Board member Miss M cheffrey did the part about the board guard rails and then our superintendent did the part about superintendent guard rails and Dr pombo facilitated the academic Excellence piece and then all the kids had a chance to rotate and ask their questions and thought that it worked really really well and I think as a result we can expect some board members who will be ready to run for office in probably about how old do you have to be so you know they'll be ready when the time comes very I was going to say one of them is in the audience right now from kids Congress one of the students excellent so she might want to add to her comments when the time comes um so if we can go to the next slide Dr pombo as Mr M Mr Man mentioned Our intention this evening is to report progress on the um the Strategic goals that we had established at the beginning of the year that are aligned to our strategic plan that were kind of in motion and then bring with those in alignment our student outcomes focused goals progress particularly on the first and second goal and so um just I think we can skip that one actually go back to that one so just a reminder our big strategic goal is that we are able to prepare and inspire all of our kids to graduate from any high school they want and be successful in their future endeavors so that's what we've been trying to track for across the last couple of years of the Strategic plan and those that works very well in support of the student outcom focused goals because those provide Clarity and specificity around what it means to be ready U and prepared to graduate from high school upon leaving gr and School District this year we have been focusing on an interim goal which is that 80% of our students will show 10% growth on on each all alt together over the course of the year on their interim benchmark assessments as indicated by a 3% increase on each Benchmark they take so growing from three 3% from the interim base like the the preest to interim Benchmark one and then another 3% to between inter and Benchmark preest and Inter and Benchmark 2 and then ultimately by the end of year to have increased by 10% no matter where they began so I'm I'm going to just go over the tables the data with for each goal and then obviously if you have any questions but the first one is the student outcome goal number one the percent of eighth grade students that score minimally proficient on the state assessment in math will decrease from 73% on August 2023 to 48% by August 2028 so if you look at the first uh first part of the table MP stands for minimally proficient on the pre test so we're talking about our Benchmark assessment we do a pre-test in August uh uh the first assessment in October and then we do another one in January and then again at the end of the year so we've taken the preest and the first IBM Benchmark and the second IBM Benchmark so the first row is um this school year and we're looking at eth grade and so for the first preest we had uh 521 students take that assessment and 95% um were minimally proficient and then in the next column you can see that uh the second time they took it after the preest we had 92% so um 535 out of 551 students were minimally proficient and then this last one in January we went to 90% so 526 out of 557 students and then right below that we can compare how we did last year at the same time so the preest um in 23 you could see there it was 97 and then the first one was 90 the first Benchmark was 97 and then the last one was 95 so we look a little bit better than last year and we know that we're just beginning this work and so we um these are not what we want or what we um but we this what we expect as we're just starting this work together and so that's the first part before I talk about the growth goal do you have any questions about that First Column ver two okay then this next one the next one is looking at our um growth goal of that 3% each Benchmark and so um the first one for eth graders you can see that 40 40% of the students met their growth goal and you know our goal is 80% of them will meet the growth goal but 40% of them met it for that 3% um from the pre-test to the to the first um test in October and then the second column is comparing the preest to the January assessment and you can see it went from 40% to 42 showing growth and then we compared the same thing uh from last year just so we can compare apples to apples and you can see like in the in 23 from the preest to the first Benchmark it was 60% and then the preest to the second Benchmark was 39% um and then by the end of the year it was 33% we don't obviously have that one for the second goal uh the percent of eth grade black students that score proficient on the state assessment in math will increase from 0% on August 2023 to 28% by August 2028 and so this one um is the the you can see the endc count or the number of students that we have for the 24 school year and the in the pre-test was 24 students and we have 0% and then in the first um I M we have 26 student 0% and then and the the one we just took in January the same so you could see across that for the last year as well and then we just put in there just all Races and just to see the proficiency and you can see that it's Z 0 and 1% and then the previous year was one one 2% um and I know that this is a learning phase for for everybody so I guess when we're going to be looking at these goals right um passing pre tests passing IBM first of all what does IBM stand for um Benchmark what does I stand for interim Benchmark okay so one of the things just as a side note um part of this framework is that all of our stuff needs to be at a sixth grade reading level and I know that we use a lot of acronyms in our um field of education so just whenever we're putting like IBM on stuff if maybe we can put somewhere like what it means because this is access this is eventually stuff that we're going to go back to the public when we're ready to give monitoring and I want to be able to make sure like if I had to ask IBM I'm pretty sure our parents are going to be like what is an IBM so in order for them to understand the data that we're giving them um and I know it's a little bit of more work but the more you know we can be without using the acronym so people know what we're talking about the better but I guess the questions here too is what I would like to see on these goals so we know as a board if stuff is working like questions that I would ask based off of this would be well what are we what's what are we doing right now that's that's working currently or what's not working like the 0% and we still don't know what actually is happening with that 0% that would probably be a question that I would have for the team like okay we the preest happened 0% what happened from the pre-test to this middle test to the end test and we're still getting the same results so what's happening between the pre and the middle that we haven't caught on yet that's still giving us that same result I don't know if that makes sense oh that's a great question and later in the slideshow I talk about what we've been doing and we're not seeing the results yet but we will over time okay um got it okay that is a great question yeah that's a good question and we appreciate the feedback too about just for formatting and Clarity and word choice and everything and I I'm I'm I feel confident that with more practice and more dialogue we're going to get to a format that is just perfect in terms of all of those pieces and so we're committed to to providing that information in a very understandable format for every I Echo that too we want to make sure that it's very understandable and acronyms and that's why we're reflecting later like oh we should have fixed this or fixed that so yes definitely thank you I say I appreciate that feedback because I IBM and I'm just used to it like I don't even think about that so it's almost like there's things that we and I think this is in a lot of ways this reflects an equity lands and the perspective of privilege there's things we just don't see when you live this every day yeah and and that's why it's important to have this kind of like when I used to work at the pediatric dental office I know how was I going to go tell a parent hey your kid's tooth F was knocked out they look at me like what oh okay I got to take take off my Pediatric Dental hat off and talk to my parents so they understand oh the front baby tooth is the one that knocked out so if we can just make it a little bit clearer so we have that common language and we all know what we're talking about that's the only reason why I brought that up um but yeah when we go to the goals and we have those questions maybe like helping us letting us know within that slide of goal two like what's happening what are you guys doing to monitor that 0% or give us and I think there was a phoenix l um kind of like example of what they're doing and I'm going to reference Phoenix Elementary a lot just because they're a little bit ahead in our progress monitoring that we are and just the way that they've been giving the information to the board and the the conversations that they've be having back and forth It's just amazing it just makes my brain go woo um so those were kind of the questions that I would ask on this that are not here but I'll let you proceed maybe I'm jumping the the gun um so this is the the growth goal for the same uh for our same governance goal number two with um the percent of eth grade black students at score proficient on the state assessment will in math will increase from zero um percent in August 2023 to to to 28% August 2028 so this is the looking at the growth goal and so the eighth grade black there's um 43 P 43% of the students met their growth goal in the from the preest to the first Benchmark and then on the second Benchmark 41% met their growth goal and then obviously on the next line you can compare last year um in 23 the first Benchmark 33% it and then the second Benchmark 40% Med it and then at the end of the year 19% from last year so it looks looks a little bit better from previous years not not much basically the same but it but um the next one is looking at the same thing the growth goals but for all Races and so we look at um school year 24 the first Benchmark 40% met their growth goal and the second Benchmark 42% met their growth goal and then you can see the previous year first Benchmark 60% second Benchmark 39 and ended with 33% do you guys have any questions or comments as she's going through this data this is the perfect time to oh sorry go ahead stop me any time if you just going to say like um just kind of to increase our awareness too like when we're looking at goals that are very specific to subgroups um percentages are great but we also just need to keep drilling down like the 43 to 41 is nine out of 21 students versus nine out of 22 so like yeah the little things count it was just kind of a reminder for all of us to look at all the ways that like you said earlier the data can be deceiving so yeah especially when you're working with small sample sizes so I appreciate you having the counts on there because it gives a very different perspective and and that was carried forward from the feedback from when the sofg work was put together so my appreciation to the team as well that I think it's something we should definitely continue to carry through because um sample size has a significant impact on what the data actually means so and I think that was also Illuminating when we were setting these goals to hear from you Dr pombo about how attainable things are based on the actual numbers and not necessarily I think the percentages are scary for a lot of people without knowing the actual numbers behind some of the things there five kids or 50 kids yeah and this is the this is just you can see overall our growth of 10% um that we've been working on this school year and so it has all the grade levels in the First Column and then um each IBM so it has let me let me explain so the second column has la which I in explain means um English language arts and that is from the first Benchmark in just English language arts the kids that made 3% you can see in third grade it was 36% fourth grade 36% and obviously you can continue to read um down that column then the second column for English language Arch was the was the second Benchmark that was taken in January how many kids meant 6% growth and you could see third grade again 59% met that growth goal all the way down to 8th grade which is 35% and then the next column over is how they did on math on the first Benchmark for growth from pre to to the first Benchmark so 56 for third grade and then all the way down to e8th grade how they did on that first one for Math and then the um comparing again the preest to the second Benchmark in January how they did oh it should be math um for the last column 57% to 43% what um tools or what assessments are we using as Benchmark data like it's it's called the um DNA assessment okay and it's this is the first year we're fully on DNA okay um last year we ran it in parallel to our old system we ran it for two years in parallel to our old system so it's based on that grade level standard and it gives us it's close to give us an indication how they would on the state assessment and the pre-test is like what they're supposed to learn that year so we want them obviously getting better throughout the the school year so we would assume that whatever they score on the May would probably be very closely what they scored on the state assessment in April I think even including information in here like what Benchmark data we're using and that stuff so we can get familiarized what the names of it is too just know um because it's not everybody uses DNA right correct yeah I mean there there are other neighboring districts that use it and there are other neighboring districts that use other tool sets got it and so I so maybe just getting to know the tool sets that we're using to just so we know as well that that would be good information to have on these slides okay any questions on this slide okay so to go to your to to help answer that your question um president Kio doll student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors change and I hope that's a correct quote but we've been looking at how um as a team all of us as a team what are we going to change um to improve instruction so that our students can be successful and meet all the needs of our students um and so we want to look at all of our students from all different perspectives and different types of data not just Benchmark assessment or just the state assessment so kind of those little bubbles like what are their um talents you know what's their attendance what's their home life what are their strengths and how are they doing academically so we can support them in um whole group instruction and also in small group instruction um so we've been using the data wise cycle and the data wise cycle is a systematic way to make data form decisions and the collaborative uh school team approach that we're doing this together that we take ownership of what we're seeing as a our student centered problem and our problem of practice and working on that together to create an action plan so that we can meet the needs of all of our students and the data wise cycle is based on the ace habits of mind which is we have a shared commitment and we've been working on this with our leadership team all year since July to action assessment and adjustment that we have intentional collaboration that we plan for a collaboration to support ongoing adult learning and that we're Relentless focus on evidence and all conversation so we're not talking about kids specifically we're saying this is the evidence that I see based on assessment data attendance data what we're seeing in the classroom so when we go and do walkth through we're just looking for evidence so we count how many kids are in the class classro we see how many kids are engaged and uh we try to do least amount based on opinion but using evidence and data Dr pombo if I may one of the things that's so valuable about this in connected in connection with our sofg work is the relationship with the mindset work that we as executive team did with Dr Ramos in that early those early days so we have the work happening here in this collaborative team the mindset work happening with the collaborative team that's Administration and teachers and all that's merging together to help guide our our Collective efficacy I think that's a good point I'm sorry to jump in but I think one of the most powerful things is that uh in this process the thing that you set aside is the things that are outside of your control just like we talked about with Dr Ramos and you're not blaming the students for where they're at you're looking for the problem of practice and so the team's done a great job with kind of trying to develop and maintain that mindset but it's very interesting that it's a very parallel process to the mindset work that we've been doing with the student outcomes focused governance work so when I show that picture of the student looking at all different types of data these are the four types of data that we're looking at to make um decisions on our action plan and what we're what we're doing each quarter and so um and these are just examples of what we look at but this just give over over overview is the blue circle is student information so looking at attendance data and then the grain circle perception data so an example would be our Panorama surveys um that we give to students and families or um then the most familiar one which is a purple circle is looking at the student learning data from The Benchmark data DNA we look at the English language arts and math and then the last one which I'm going to talk about next um is the red circle which is looking at our systems and so looking at a curriculum instruction and learning walk um data Trends and that kind of goes back to what you were saying uh president G looking at is our curriculum working is our instruction working like what kind of supports do we need to help our students be successful so looking at our school systems um through learning walks so this is the learning walk um rubric and I'm not GNA I shouldn't go in detail right for a little bit want to see the learning walk rubric I I saw it beforehand I'm but I mean you can just pop it up real quick and then so the public can see it but yeah I went through it and this is yeah areas that we're looking at based off our strategic plan and based on our Danielson framework and and research of what makes an effective classroom there's a lot more than this but these are just the main areas from our strategic plan and so first just looking at we we have spent a lot of money on our curriculum resources and looking to see if the teachers are using the resources and the pacing guides and things that were're developed to um help them help give resources for the state standard so this is part part of our learning walk and then um based on the top part is the success criteria of being successful with this indicator and then they get a rate there's a rating between one and four so I can go in that detail or just I can go to the next no that's fine just I have a question um just on and I know that this is our first year using data wise right um how how is it being received just generally by teachers is it all over the place would you say or are they um kind of like like the inquire for instance um what stories do we tell whose stories do we not tell what assumptions do we make about students when we look at their work like what kind of feedback are you getting from teachers well well first we started um doing the training and building capacity and understanding with our principles and our instructional coaches and our assistant principles so we spent most of the first half of the year really working um with our leadership teams and now this is the first quarter that we're really bringing it back to um to the school I mean we've started but bringing it back to the teachers and when we've been meet visiting with schools every um we meet every quarter a couple times on the campus the feedback has been is very collaborative they like the process they like how it's very systematic and how they can create goals and action plans um from that so it's been going we've been getting really positive feedback and that they like the collaborative part of it and also that it's everyone's responsibility no one's like taking blame that this is our problem and that we need to address it together okay so it's been positive great I I think the harder piece has been um with the walkthroughs there's certain look fors and so I think the the bigger challenge has been you know there hasn't been a lot of accountability around some of those components being integrated into learning prior you know I'm not saying ever but prior to this year there was less accountability around that and so sometimes and I'll just speak for myself you know even as an adult when my wife and son hold me more accountable to something than I'm used to being held accountable I may know it's what I should be doing but I still chafe at it a bit you know so um so I think I think for for our staff members it might feel like something extra and so we really need to um not only be um you know maintain the importance of it but we also you need to be working with them that we're we're trying to help them grow and develop it's not a blame thing it's more of a you know let us let us help you to a pathway to be more successful because what feels harder in the beginning when you feel like you're doing something extra becomes easier later on when the engagement in the classroom improves and then that kind of is one of the many things that helps with some of those um you know student conduct issues that we experience what's like an example of one of the collaborative aspects I'm just cu curious about what that looks like um so to give an Give an example is just first looking at the research what makes an effective team so there's like seven characteristics of that and one of them um and then so we kind of just study those and see what what what um are we doing and what are we not doing based on this and it's it's based on a book like what these seven characteristics are and then looking like how can we address those if we're missing that part without getting too much detail it so there's a lot of every single time we meet we do something that helps build that collaborative work um so I thought the learning the purpose of the learning walks part of the datawise cycle it's the fifth step because we're not going to meet um have students are not going to grow without effective instuction we know all the research says the most important thing is the great instruction they get in the classroom from our teachers to have that growth um and so we're really looking closely at what's happening in the classroom to support our teachers and our and our school teams and so the first order um I'm going to just we went and I didn't put the number on here but we did 150 learning walks we went in 150 classrooms in that first quarter and then the second quarter we set our goal between 150 and 200 and we got into 198 classrooms and gave you know gave feedback working with the leadership teams um and this quarter we're like at 170 so like trying to get between 150 and 200 so I wanted to share with you um these are the areas that we're looking for on the learning walk and um the first one uh these are percentages so um the first one curriculum resources we didn't really have a good way to measure that on the first quarter because we we created The Learning walk tool the second quarter after we saw it was happening in the classroom so that's why there's not a blue uh where you could see the difference but you can see from first quarter and second quarter that our instruction is improving in those um areas um after having the meetings and the and the school leadership teams communicating to the teachers and providing coaching and PD on these areas that they're improving um they're definitely not where we want them to be but we're seeing progress in the classroom and instruction so I just wanted to share sorry just to understand more the percentage here is the percentage of the learning walks you went on that are meeting these criteria yes components but there's a one through four so these are based off of um the the score between one one to one to four it's hard to explain without sh the exact thing but these are the percentages that are meeting the some of the criteria not all of it yet I guess I'm confused on why they're decimals so we're not even meeting it in 1% of the learning walks that we're going on I guess that's why I'm getting confused with this yeah the 0 2.4.6 okay so it's really low is what I'm getting out of this just making sure I'm completely understanding so what I'm hearing is quarter one you went onund and tell me again 150 learning walks what I'm hearing is that of those 150 learning walks 0 five% of them have met some or a quarter two 0 five so it's like 20 something percent like this is 40% sense to me G to say doesn't mean 20 46 80 learning targets would be like 64% thank you I thought those were the actual percentages and I was like oh no no sorry it's on a scale of zero to one okay patience 4% and I thought we have a lot of work to do yeah it's it's labeled as a percentage but it's represented as I was like this is really scary yeah well here's some here's some numberers these are um little little tweaking in the presentation this this is a represent a little bit different way so the the rubric is one to four so this is just from Quarter Two um so we're looking at curriculum resources and I don't know we must not recorded 195 all of them are 198 total it'll show you we had 37 classroom score one 52 classrooms score two under curriculum resources 50 classroom you know 65 for three and so on so that's the exact number so you could see the average for teachers using curriculum resources is um two and 5600s and so that's that that's probably better way to see the data too no no no I just feel way better now it said percentage so I imagined that the numbers were expressed in a percentage and that's why I was very confused because they are not so that's why I was like whoa okay I get it now and our goal is for all you know all of our classrooms to be to have these areas out of three because that means they're meeting most of the criteria so you can see that the curriculum resources learning environment learning targets we're um getting closer we're working on that and then the other areas are still red so we're working on that but just an overview of where we are that were in second quarter and then a lot of those how many of those you've visited more than once or are you trying to get like we're trying to get a wide range and our spe our specifications are for each visit we want to do a reading a math a science or a social studies and a special education or intervention so a typical when we are together it's those four when Dr pombo goes with the coordinators they usually see with seven or eight classrooms but following that same um kind of breakdown and when we started at the beginning of the year we were much more like we're coming be now the dates are scheduled and the principles know but for the most part the schools it's it's it's a little bit more of a I would say a typical day and then for like you both of you Dr D and Dr pombo and then the coordinators within you like your own role how much of your time is now being spent on these curriculum walks just out of curiosity oh that's a great question um I mean we're out I would say my goal is to be at every school twice each quarter okay so it's a lot and we'd go together once each quarter we go together once and then I go once with the coordinator that is supporting that school and and when we go at shorter period of time in the coordinator we spend more time making action plans and what we're going to do to address what we saw in our kind of our snapshot and the principls and the instructional coaches at the campus they're with us when we're together they're with Dr pombo when she's by herself so and they also do their own so there's a substantial I would say yeah I just ask that because you know this is obviously very important to the goals that we have right but at the same time if all you're ever doing this this and you can't ever come back to the actual like drawing board of trying to assess and readjust it's like when my clients want to talk to me all day long and I say I can't do any work on your case if we only talk on the phone all day um and so like that's kind of what I was getting at like okay well is there enough time for y'all to like also then assess and adjust or is this taking up a lot of like the majority of of your time I would say for me it's probably about 20% of my time okay I think for Dr Pomo it's probably closer to half at yeah I would say 50% for me okay and I know that sounds like a lot but this is really you know yeah I mean it's if you think about it it's like and I hate to use this example because everyone's always used Factory examples with schools and we are not a factory but you know if if you have if you have someone who's managing a factory and they're not spending at least half their time seeing how The Works getting done how are they able to properly support the people that are doing the work so I think that that visibility um and that um opportunity to interact is is critical um and then there's different ways we interface with sites so it's always been you know for me personally as a leader my goal to maximize the amount of interface there is with wherever the wherever the kind of contact point is for support and so you know it's we try to make sure that that we're giving our principles access like our um business operations and development team as well because they need a certain amount of access to be able to get um you know basically ensure that their needs are being met related to physical site and transportation and nutrition and all those things um but this is really I mean at the end of the day if the sofg goals are going to move forward this is where that work is what's actually happening in the classroom is really what's going to determine whether we're successful or not when I think um like Katie you make a good point because we do want to make sure that they have the time to do something with the data but I think this is really powerful to be spending 50% of your time um as a teacher even as a coach I wished that um I had more um people from the cabinet at the schools right it's something we hear all the time and I think another facet to it is because you're spending so much time like anyone can not anyone but you know you could send out a team to go collect these numbers right and have a table on the page but that time you're spending is also giving a lot of perspective Beyond just the numbers here too which is where then that real meat of making acual plans can come from certainly and I think it also goes to um you know building culture and a more of a culture of like an Open Door culture an accessibility culture I know that that's something we need to work on overall as well and I think that this is good for that as well and if I may one of the additional practices that has come along with this this year is Miss Wasola comes along on on the learning walks when Dr Pomo and I go and it's it's a it's an interesting opportunity to share the story of learning in school district so she takes pictures of the kids sometimes the activities that the teachers are leading and then we put out in our Friday crat and connection new newsletter just a little summary of what we did in the learning walks and what we saw and that allows us to kind of celebrate what's happening and also to reinforce a message about the importance of learning targets and success criteria as an example so that helps to keep the narrative going for everybody even though in a given week we might only be seeing certainly you know 40 or 50 rooms and and we do share some of it out with the community Through the community newsletter as well and I think it's important that our community has a window into what's happening in our class classroom so um and it sometimes is amazing what happens when you I used to be more of a lay person when I first started doing learning walks at a prior District it's amazing what people who don't have all the training and experience see going on in a classroom and so some of the things that molik shared with me I'm sure she shared it with the team as well it's very interesting to get that other perspective because sometimes you you capture a completely different way of looking at things this is really helpful for me this particular slide um because I think the success criteria and engagement rigor you know just the low numbers at number four kind of explain I think some of the behavioral problems that we're having you know um so it's just it's very helpful to see this all right next slide so we know that there's been a lot of feedback that you've as a board receiving about the goals and so we as admin have taken that feedback and provide just for consideration some thoughts about potential adjustments um if you wanted to consider these so the the rationale for these goals um as considerations is that they kind of they are tightly aligned to the a through F letter grade formula which looks at our eighth graders and their math which is our first goal that we already have which is awesome athf also has a literacy goal tied to move on when reading and third grade literacy it also focuses on English language Learners which is a pretty substantial chunk of our population and then a special education component because school Improvement status for most of our schools will be in targeted School Improvement based on on the achievement of our students with IEPs so we were just kind of thinking like how can we leverage and maximize our sofg work in alignment with a through F and the other parameters around school Improvement at the state and federal level so they're we've eded them out using the same kind of process where we looked at the last three to five years of available data to try to create projections so we simply offer these and we're happy to ask any questions and of course you know they're yours to to do with what you would like like one I'm not opposed to making some adjustments I would like for it just because we took so many time like or we took time to process and like iterations of the other ones so like my ask would be that we kind of get to process this compare these goals looking back at the feedback um and be able to discuss it at our next sofg um also for me it would be visually helpful to have these just like right next to each other and and that too but what I do like about like just on first glance is I did at Community Council we did get a lot of feedback and even in the written feedback right about one literacy and then two um there was a lot of discussion about our zel goal and so I really like bless bless bless you um that this just kind of hon it in a little bit more um because there was conversations about if we're like we know why we came to the eighth grade right and we were kind of hoping for you know those interims is going to mean it trickles down but there was a really good point brought up about when we're looking at our eighth grade e and I saw some written feedback on this too like one how many of them have been with us you know for so many years and also we often see um that by the time they're you know taking that in eth grade what else is going on that's prohibiting them from passing it so there's just a lot of variables when you just look at the eighth grade Aela scores in isolation so I like the the rewarding of the language one specifically and we got a lot of feedback on including special education as well so that was just kind of a general first impression I appreciate and can see where the thought and the feedback from all multiple places is tied in here and we'd be happy to put those in a side by-side format so you can just look at them and um you know one of the things we're especially concerned about and Miss mcaffrey kind of touched on it with with end count the by eth grade the number of kids who've had continuous exposure to learning Target success criteria and all the other things that are in our instructional Focus that number can get kind of small so it's just something to think about in terms of long-term goals achievement for as for a large population within the district and regardless of what the board settles on you like if if you choose to implement any of these into the mix versus others or whatever that looks like I think um whatever is kind of left as the odd goal out could be recaptured as one of our interim goals because all of these things kind of fit into each other in different ways so um you know just just because you know if the board may decide okay based on the feedback we want to make this adjustment or whatever doesn't mean we completely lose the other lens we can find a way to capture that lens in our conversations moving forward yeah I think this is a good takeaway it's just yeah let's just capture it and bring it in with the others as yeah so we can more visual people yeah compare side by side and and like Lindsay said process it a little bit yeah thank you so much I was just going to say I want to thank you for the opportunity to talk about data and instruction academics and I'm excited for us to be on this team together and I also want to thank Tyson Myers our data person over here helping us put everything together yeah um I have one more comment sorry before you go nobody else has questions or comments real quick so I love this Benchmark data um but this is going to be considered progress R monitoring so I just want to make sure that we're changing the language too so it's adapting to the framework so moving from Benchmark to um progress monitoring and one of the things that I want the board to know is that when we're doing this progress monitoring We'll be asking questions but eventually when we get to this point is if we're going to have to be adopting and voting on these progress monitoring tools saying okay you know the the primary things of the progress Mary is does the reality match the vision does the data match the vision is the growth towards the vision and is there a strategy and plan sufficient to cost growth towards div Vision so those are some of the questions that us as the board it's like what is your game plan if there is no game game plan from quarter one to two where we have that 0% and we're being presented the information and there is no feedback on what happened or what we're going to change to move it differently that's when we as a board cannot reject the progress monitoring report and it would be up to admin and the superintendent to come back and say oh now we're going to answer these questions and then bring you back to another board meeting if we continue rejecting progress monitoring reports that's a whole another conversation that we need to have on why is our employee not following through with the goals of the board um so this is going to live in every single board meeting I'm going to pass out um eventually in the board too information on progress monitoring and hopefully we can have this up on the website at some point or attached to these two so the community knows what questions or how this process works as well um but given the information I love it I know that we're working on it but we didn't really get a strat or a plan sufficient to see how we would get that growth so that's a little bit of more information that we're going to start seeking going forward and as we adopt these goals um just so everybody kind of has a clear of where we're going to be going and asking questions but thank you so much and yes I'm so appreciative of all this data and that we're finally having these transparent conversations to see what we can actually start doing to get our kids to learn what they need to learn so thank you thank you okay and that brings us to our next agenda item which is public comments it looks like we have two and we're going to go ahead and get started with Valeria venor hi Valeria thank you so much for being here good evening Madame President governing board members my name is Valeria venzor and I have been I am currently a seventh grade student at Kennedy at lominda and I've have been a student at the lomalinda campus for my entire education seven years now and I've enjoyed much of it during my time here however I have noticed some things that I think we could change to better our school community and one of those things are uniforms I have a brother who's currently in second grade and struggles daily with our school uniforms he has always had sensory issues and struggles with textures and loud noises on some days I hope him get ready for school and he always asked to change clothes before we go he says that the texture bothers him and he thinks they are itchy I feel bad that I have no solution for him and that he has to wear clothes that physically make him uncomfortable daily for eight hours I canot do that buying many different pairs of pants to see if there are ones that work better for him really isn't the option because of the cost which brings me to my next Point our uniforms are expensive even at the cheapest of places our uniform pants still cost around $16 a pair I still wear clothes that are years old and some of my uniforms are hand me- down to my older brother the costs of the uniforms are expensive and families have to buy new uniforms each year because we are constantly growing and changing I understand that the idea of having uniforms is to help families not worry about buying other clothes but the reality is is that we still buy non-uniform clothes to wear outside of school and those clothes are often less expensive finally getting rid of school uniforms would give students the opportunity to more freely Express themselves right now uniforms Force us to look relatively the same switching from uniforms to a dress code would give us the opportunity to wear clothing that represents us students would feel more comfortable and have more confidence in themselves if they were clothing that they felt confident in the truth is is that many students come to school wearing clothes that make them feel uncomfortable and they think about this a lot during the day they worry about how their clothes fit if their peer peers notice that their shirt that the shirt they have on is too small or ripped they worry about others judging them or saying something about what they are wearing getting rid of students are thinking about this in class instead of listening to the teacher getting rid of uniforms would prevent students from having these thoughts we could then then focus more on the lesson and learning it would be one less thing to distract them from their learning I understand that the change would come with responsibility and that a dress code would stay in place however I strongly believe that uniform should go away I don't think there are any obvious benefits that make uniforms a better choice I ask that the Schoolboard revisit the policy that is in place and consider AOS code thank you for your time and consideration thank you so much and although I cannot directly say anything I just want to say that you should be so proud of yourself for being here speaking in front of a board you did amazing I'm assuming mom felices you have a bright awesome courageous child next to you so that's that's awesome so thank you for being here tonight listening and thank you for using your voice to to empower whatever change it is that you think is needed so thank you all right and that brings us to our next public comment which is Mara Ortiz Madame President members of the board uh good evening my name is Marta Ortiz I am a special education teacher and I have been a member of the cranon district for 30 plus years I'm currently teaching the Stars program at Kennedy at Lolinda I am here this evening to request that the district rename the school library at lomalinda the Lisa Jacob Eisen School library this request is to honor Miss Jacob Eisen a former student Middle School teacher and Title One coach Miss Jacob Eisen worked in our district from July 2001 to October 2022 for over 21 years she worked at Several of of the district sites her last position was at Kennedy at Linda as the title one facilitator throughout this span of time Miss Jacob Eisen shared her knowledge time and care with our students and Community during her time in the district she taught a wide range of students Miss Jay exemplified what we need in a teacher today she had a genuine love and dedication for all students and their education this was true regardless of the age of the student young or old more importantly she loved to teach and found joy and satisf action in gaining new experiences and knowledge from those that surrounded her young and old Lisa was a kind loving friend who was always there and willing to support all whether it was teaching in a classroom or providing an empathetic welcoming ear to a friend in need renaming the lalinda library would not only be a long- lasting way of remembering her as a friend and a continued member of our community but would also be a poignant way of honoring her commitment as a teacher in our district District thank you for your time and attention to my request I look forward to your response in regards to renaming Loma Linda Library the Lisa Jacob Eis School library thank you thank you so much can I just say thank you for your 30 years of service and also I'm sorry for your loss yes that brings us to our next agenda item which is six approval of consent I move the governing board approve consent agenda items a through G in accordance with policy bb- e second all those in favor I I thank you that brings us to Educational Services and our conversation about the future of our cron Virtual Academy and Dr dupin thank you Mr Guyer has continued to explore option and um services that are available to support continuity of virtual learning so I'm going to invite Mr guy up to get us kicked off we have uh two uh presenters here with us this evening who will speak about options available to us through proximity learning and through ASU Prep digital Madam president members of the board Dr dupin said we'll get some fresh information tonight some perspective from two different organizations and they're presentations will focus in on how they could manage fluctuating enrollment which we see a lot of in online schools and also information about the teachers their qualifications their certifications and also information about what a typical day would look like asynchronous time synchronous time and what some of the extra services are that are offered for the families and the students um we have the vice president from proximity learning Dr Michael Robinson and he's coming up first come on up Dr Robinson going to try and get this guy going you can just go to the next slide yeah all right good afternoon everyone my name is uh Michael Robinson I'm the senior vice president of strategy for proximity learning I've been with proximity for almost eight years working around the country helping people to solve the teacher shortage and also working with them in regards to virtual classrooms and virtual schools what I'm proposing for you guys is a virtual school and what we would be able to do is handle the academic social emotional and personal interests of your students a student can attend a virtual school full-time part-time or even in summer school that all depends on how you want to set up your virtual school so in order to have a good virtual school you have to have a team that would actually service your school so we have four people first one is a client success manager their job is is to be kind of like the service person in the development and setting up the school then we have H another person that actually handles the Staffing all of our teachers of State Certified we would make sure that they would have Arizona State certification and then I was very interesting because I come from the background of instruction rounds walkthroughs I'm a Danielson nerd and I was just listening so we have a person on our team that handles walkthroughs and evaluations just like what you would do in your school but most important we have a parent engagement person so that person would work with the community and your parents now when we put together a virtual school we have what we call Seven Pillars of Excellence the first one is understanding the leadership and policy of the district also we believe in equity and accessibility for kids regardless of where they are on the Spectrum or what ZIP code they live in or who they are what color they are and so forth next thing as far as technology and systems we have our own systems that we have that we're real comfortable with but if your district has a learning management system I also heard talk about curricular instruction we can take your curricul culum and put it into our program then also we can de develop an organizational staff around what you need not only the teachers but I also talk to you about the Pod but any other things as well um when it comes to implementation we have a process for evaluate assessment and what we want to do is like I was listening to that whole thing about Ace I like that I'm have to still that itself but this continuous Improvement model so when we work with school districts we go come back we say okay what is the data telling us what's going on with students if they're not showing up why is the student not showing up in class why is this student not engaged and so forth and also the entrepreneurial initiative and what I'm talking about that is you might have X number of students who are being homeschooled who are in a charter school what you might want to do is repatriate those students back to your district and those students can participate in sporting activ activities even though they may want to be homeschooled their parents may want to be homeschooled so that's one thing that we also do our teachers which would become your teachers one thing teaching instructionally in a classroom versus teaching in a virtual environment is two different things so all of our teachers go through nvta what that means is National virtual Teachers Association and at that that's where they actually learn how to teach virtually if they do not know necessarily have the skills so if you remember during Co we took a lot of teachers from the brick and mortar environment we forced them into the virtual environment and it was a disaster because they did not have the prerequisite skills to deliver instruction virtually when our teachers go through mvta they learn about classroom preparation that we make sure they have the content knowledge and instruction and that goes into their licenses even though this would be probably a a grade 3 through eight implementation but we can go all the way from grades K all the way up to 12 and um and so forth skip to this our teachers come from all over the United States so what we would do is when we get a teacher we would make sure we would use the reciprocity laws to make sure that they have their Arizona certification when we place them with you some just some quick facts about our program in this last quarter 90% of our students are actually passing I work with Shelby County Schools which is Memphis city we have over 100 uh teachers there we actually service over 10,000 students that's brick and mortar but the one of the reasons why we do have done so well there is because we're platform agnostic we actually use their systems we use their curriculum and we take on their school approach whether it's they use Mastery connect for their Benchmark assessment our teachers actually deliver Mastery connect and we would do the same for you what we do at proximity U um is in our virtual schools we serve different types of students it doesn't matter if this kid has an IEP or 504 as a special education student we'll take we'll look at their IEP and their 504 at a glance and see if they are a good uh candidate for our program what we also do is int planning we sit down with you and your instructional team to make sure we're doing what needs to be done when our teachers come on and also with the district and parents we have a lot of support so we do extensive onboard training and we have multiple tiers of student support so whether you're using uh RTI or whatever we can actually help you with that as well and most important being able to partner with families so that students and parents they have portals that they can go in they can look at their grades we can also attend plc's we can attend parent nights as well now these are some of the Mis uh misperceptions of virtual learning virtual Learning Works in isolation that is not true so when you have kids in a classroom who are receiving virtual learning even though this kid is way across town and this kid they build a community with their teachers it's just another medium for actually accessing uh learning virtual learning is not challenging is face to face as a young kid I was a brick and mortar kid got my colle my first college degree as brick and mortar second one it was a hybrid program when I worked on my doctorate it was all virtual and it is challenging and it can be rigorous because what we're going to do is follow your curriculum and what you have in place and the other thing is any teacher can thrive in a virtual environment that is not true you have to be trained in Virtual instruction um and then the other thing is that parents must play a very significant role in the virtual environment that's not necessarily true as well because what the teacher has to do is engage the students the instruction the learning is between the intended learner and the uh instructor which is a teacher I'm loving how you're already putting the adult behaviors that the student outcomes don't change until the adult Behavior change so we're taking the problem off of the kids of not learning or the parents and putting back on the instructor of who's teaching the kids so I love that mindset already sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you okay no that's great I need a little pause so when we talk about customization if you look up here these are the levels of customization we can use our canvas art which is complete turn key if you are happy with that or we can use your learning management system and our virtual and our Zoom or you can say our canvas and zoom or you can just say your LMS so it all depends on what works best for you it's not canned it's not prescribed so we don't have like less we we have our own curriculum as well if you didn't have a curriculum but I clearly heard your research and evaluation person talking about curriculum instruction and I think that's and I think that when we come to someone's home we should use what they already have in place um so I kind of talked about this customization but plc's your professional learning communities we want our teachers to be a part of the fabric of your District so if you have professional learning communities we want them there we are going to adopt your grading policy so whether you use fourpoint scale or use a percentage or use letter grades that's what we will do also your calendar we follow your District's calendar so if you're out for two weeks at Christmas time our teachers are not there two weeks but let's say you have a professional development that you require all teachers to be at and this during the regular instructional time we will do that and most important uh Mr Man and I we kind of talked about this like your bell schedule we follow the district's bell schedule um so there's a lot of debate about asynchronous and synchronous instruction asynchronous is self-direct student instruction synchronous is where a teacher actually takes them through their instruction our teachers are with the student from the beginning of the class period to the end of the class period say that one more time our Stu our teachers are with the students from the beginning of the class period to the end of the class period so if reading is taught from 9:00 a.m to 10: a.m.

at all these workshops members of the public and will be allow will be provided an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback on multiple uh City Planning initiatives one is of course the comprehensive plan uh the second is the downtown area circulation study and also the Downtown Development Authority development and Tiff plan so we're really excited um to provide this kind of three-in-one opportunity for the public thank you do other commissioner officers or committee Liaisons commissioner abon I just wanted to report um as the chair of the ordinance revisions committee that we did not meet last week uh the meeting was postponed to allow us to have more time to have a substantive discussion about uh zoning so we will meet again in May and just a reminder that our monthly meetings are now every other month to make room for um comprehensive plan subcommittee thanks thank you do other committee leasons have anything to report seeing none um um written Communications are included in today's packet we're going to move on to agenda number six which is public comment this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about an issue that is not listed on this agenda so if you you will have an opportunity to speak on every single agenda as they come up uh we'll first call on individuals present to address the commission then remote participants to speak during this public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or use the rais hand feature if you're viewing through the web link for phone access please call 85352 47 and enter meeting ID number 977 663 41226 City staff will select callers who've raised their hand using the last three Gs of the phone number or by name if available you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please turn off any uh move to a quiet area and turn off any television or background noises so that we can hear you clearly for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments is there anyone present that would like to address the commission yes please uh thank you um I I want to first thank the all of you for your work and Leadership of the city and for uh letting us come and speak today my name is Brian Donovan actually don't live in in Arbor I live in high Park Michigan at 206 Moss Street uh but I work in in an arbor I manag the I'm the general manager for the inter Cooperative Council which is a student housing Cooperative got started in 1932 and we incorporated in 1944 to buy our first building today we own 19 properties in and around the University of Michigan with with houses and all but one of the different Council Wards um monthly charges for our 550 members uh who live in our properties range from 493 for a shared room in north campus to 1370 for a two bedroom apartment on Kingsley and all contracts include utilities as well as highspeed Internet um affordability is a top priority for the ICC and we know it's important to the people of an arbor too uh we have researched how several cities enable group living cooperatives like us uh to prosper and grow that we will share with you um their zoning and use codes uh from those cities we're also interested in innovations that provide permanent or very long-term affordability for residents whether they're living together in a large house or not and I want to particularly highlight work done in Washington DC Austin Texas and Cincinnati Ohio um in Washington DC the tenant opportunity for Purchase Act has been in place for 40 years and it allows it requires notice when a landlord is going to sell a property to the tenant with the tenant have a chance to put together a bid there's more than 16,000 properties that have been affordable properties that have been created or preserved through the topa in the last 40 years the second one is the University neighborhood overlay this is in Austin it started in 2004 it's their most successful affordable housing program providing more units than all of their other programs combined all for students uh it's a optional up zoning that requires longterm affordability as well as a fe andl if you don't go to more deeply affordable units the last thing I want to mention is from Cincinnati that's called renter Equity it's developed by um uh renting Partnerships uh they put it together when they were managing a low-income housing tax credit project and it's a property management system that allows tenants through tenure through and participation in maintaining the building and attending me meetings for the organization to build equity and they can earn up to $10,000 over 10 years uh if they pay on time and do all of their work all of this is actual savings so they're they're budgeting for regular Property Management costs but because they're not turning over and helping out they get a share of that money um so uh we're interested in the comprehensive planning process excited to be able to share with you tonight thank you thank you um hello members of the Planning Commission uh my name is Brian Pagan um I'm a resident of 1507 wasal Avenue which is also known as um soier n truth Cooperative house it's in W to a student run Cooperative House part of the inter Cooperative Council and as my colleague mentioned the ICC is a cooperatively run nonprofit housing Corporation where the members own and collectively managed operations of the organ organizations we collectively set utility charges and provide services to our members um it's a place where people can become Cooperative leaders and stewards of their community and where you not just buy a place to live but you buy a place into a community and into a larger Cooperative Vision years ago um I joined the ICC in order to complete my undergraduate at U ofm and I stay in the ICC now because I want to continue to contribute to the Cooperative movement and I want to help steuart its growth however in the pursuit of our mission we Face many real challenges the current zoning code makes it difficult for the ICC to Steward our properties and continue to expand student cooperatives are not permitted in any residential zones except by special exemption use in either the r2b or R4 zones to get a seu Within These zones there must be 8,500 ft of lot area 5,000 ft of floor area and 350 ft of lot area per occupant um many of our properties have been grandfathered into their neighborhoods nine of the 18 ICC owned properties are non- compliant with the zoning code disallowing us from prolonging the lives of our houses and each year as our houses get older it becomes more and more important that we're either able to make the necessary changes to prolong their lives or to purchase new properties and in order to do so we ask you consider um the following recommendations to bring the existing ICC properties and Zoning compliance we recommend eliminating the minimums for lot size and square footage for student cooperative and housing uses for the R forc zone and to enable ICC expansion densification we recommend permitting student cooperative housing and residential zones by right this will put the ICC on a Level Playing Field with investors and absentee landlords as the ICC has to Endo extra cost and delays to be allowed to provide affordable units in residential zones and the ICC also requests to be permitted to operate group housing in R1 r2a and R3 Zones near the university and Transit hubs and we also strongly encourage the city to eliminate the maximum number of unrelated people that share a unit in house um thank you all for listening to our considerations today and we look forward to working with you all as an organization in the comprehensive planning process thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak welcome um hello I am Alex zlan I live in Ward 2 on Washington Avenue also at truth house um in the ICC um and though the ICC is primarily made up of U ofm undergraduate students we also serve many graduate students students from WCC and Eastern and non-students the ICC has also begun identifying and prioritizing applicants who demonstrate Financial need during contract signing the ICC and house charges typically amount to about $800 $820 a month for socialized housing utilities groceries and educational and Leadership opportunities we also provide need-based charge reductions to those who qualify and I'm speaking with you all tonight to share our struggle to expand affordable housing options in an arber so historically the ICC is expanded by purchasing single family homes and student rental properties and internally densifying them as group housing however about half of our properties are grandfathered as they are not compliant with the current zoning use standards set for student cooperatives primarily floor area and lot size minimums set in place so that way we may only operate homes that resemble large Greek life houses um we can't operate a new non-p client property with more than six unrelated residents making many expansion opportunities infeasible if we wish to remain below the market rate and we're also unable to find new properties to expand into that meet our zoning use standards as group living and are routinely forced to reject opportunities to expand into non-compliant properties on the market even if we were to find a compliant property conditional use requirements Force us to jump through additional hoops and expend resources before even knowing if we'll be allowed to operate a new property um and if these zoning restrictions had existed in 1930 then we would have never been established or exist today so we do have a list of asks to make our properties compliant and to make our expansion feasible namely eliminating the minimum size requirements for our zoning use eliminating the maximum number of unrelated residents who can live together in a home and also investigating the university neighborhood overlay ordinance from Austin Texas to collect fees and L to support um affordable student housing and to investigate the tenants opportunity to purchase act from Washington DC to give tenants the right of first refusal to purchase their home from their landlord um I've passed out info packets to everyone um with with more information for you all would love to meet and talk more about this and answer questions thank you for your time thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak to the commission all right do we have any remote callers there is one hand raised phone number ending in 534 you have permission to address the Planning Commission good evening this is Tom stalberg calling from lower toown in N oror the Pud or not to tud that is the question tud is a useful tool in our zoning code the UDC it can be used or abused later this evening we will discuss the resoning from C1 AR to PUD but for now let's review some of the uses and abuses here's a quote PUD should not be used when there's an appropriate zoning category and in this case there is one C1 a r end quote no I'm not talking about the five corners application on Patrick Street on tonight's agenda council member Lisa dish said that on September 5th 23 it was about the application for Southtown on South State Street she was correct on the first half of that statement and incorrect in the second half but that was only one of many errors that led to that project inappropriately being approved as C1 AR with variances and conditions had the exact same project been approved as a PUD we would be getting 33 units of affordable housing or about $3 million in affordable housing funds perhaps later tonight Lisa dis will reconcile that statement with tonight's application consistency is vitally important in zoning law I won't go into all the details right now I don't have time about how the city helped to develop a cheaply affordable housing fund out of $9 million or 93 units by mimicking a PUD at lowertown in 2017 I will remind people that voices were very loud bent claiming puds were not viable so just a month or two later the city approved the Pud nearby and that contributed about a half million dollars to the affordable housing fund consistency is vitally important in zoning law there were two other projects that were approved later as teds in that area both providing affordable housing units or dollars then there was the inap appropriate use of a PD at 415 West Washington let me read you a citation from the UDC that I raised when that was up about a year ago with regard to 415 the UDC says that a PUD shall not be allowed where it is thought primarily to avoid the imposition standards and requirements of other zoning classifications for other city regulations and give you site the article on that we have been very Inc consistent with using and abusing or inappropriately avoiding puds we need to reconcile our MTH thank you thank you do we have any other remote callers there are no other hands raised to this time thank you uh with that I will close out public comment on Section six uh we're going to move on to agenda number seven this is the public hearing SCH sched for the next business meeting staff there's uh no public hearing scheduled at this time the Tuesday March 19th 2024 regular session has been cancelled uh the reason for that is because we're working through details with petitioners of which we do have many active petitions but we want to bring clean proposals to the table without the need for adding conditions to your motions um so to give us time to do that we um we made some decisions to uh cancel tentative items so there are no public hearings at this time thank you uh moving on to section 8A which is unfinished business there are none so we'll move right on to regular business um I'm going to introduce a petition this is 503 Miller Avenue special exception use uh you for Planning Commission approval this is a request to allow a child care center limited to 47 children and 15 staff the existing um 3200 ft structure is to be renovated and no new development is proposed the site size um is 8,447 the zoning designation is r2a to family dwelling and the staff recommendation is approval we will move on to petitioner presentation with um hello hi welcome thank you good evening my name is ETA Heisler I use she her Pro ouns and I'm the executive director of Apple play schools I'm here with Bob overhiser of Architects Design Group Ted hirh of Midwestern Consulting Mr Tom myy representing New Hope Baptist Church building owner and from Apple play schools I'm joined by Jeff Wilkerson the chair of our board of directors as well as Britney Muro our development and Communications coordinator who's sharing some images online our nonprofit organization Apple play schools currently operates three licensed Early Childhood centers in Arbor including Manzanita Spanish Immersion play school and green apple Garden outdoor immersion play school as well as Apple Scouts Community immersion summer camp program we're requesting approval of special exception used to open and operate a child daycare at 503 Miller AB shown here at the corner of Miller and chapen Street 503 Miller as wanm stated is currently zoned r2a and special exception use was granted previously to operate an adult daycare and Community Health Clinic at this site we have been operating Child Care Center under a similar special exception use just on the street at 511 Miller Avenue since 2014 if seu is approved our plan is to renovate the existing building at 503 Miller to bring it up to code particularly state code regarding fire safety and egg grass for child care centers and provide 47 new child care spots with approximately 10 to 15 adult staff present daily we've worked with the landlord New Hope Baptist Church for nearly a decade when we started exploring ways to better meet the dire need for child care in our community the church leaders recommended we renovate the building and put it back to use for the community after sitting mostly unused for several years several key businesses are located right on this corner which anchors the neighborhood Knight's market and big city small world Bakery as well as the church which has Decades of leadership in the community and we believe a child care would add to that for Apple play schools 503 Miller's proximity to these businesses as well as to West Park Argus Farm stop on Liberty the farmers market Miller nature area the downtown library means we have bus and walking access for children to be out in the community being immersed in community is an is an essential part of our curriculum as a Regio Amelia inspired Center but it's also just good for kids there's ample off street parking both in the auxiliary lot we currently use just to the south of the property and across the street at New Hope which is accessible by the crosswalk across Chap and at Miller and there's proximity to several different public transportation lines as well as the future Tree Line urban trail um which support both the cities and apple play schools sustainability goals this location is accessible readily to the families and staff we serve currently 20% of our families and staff um at the 511 location bus W bike or walk walk to school we plan to add at least six Class B bike parking spots at our sister site 511 as part of this project and um at our citizen participation meeting we heard concerns from Neighbors about the noise during our weekday business operations and to address this we will include some plantings and have other ideas to create Visual and sound buffer between the outdoor play areas and the neighboring properties and we're happy to consider other input as we figure figure out how best to be good neighbors we're required to install a new hydrant for these operations as well as indicated in our plans and we plan to run the lines for the hydrant off um or across chapen street thanks Britney before I end I want to provide some important context for the project and our special exception use request in addition to my work at Apple play schools I also serve on the Livingston washna Child Care planning Coalition which formed last year to study the child care crisis in our area and develop solutions for our community and I don't use the words Child Care crisis lightly here in Wason County there are only enough licensed child care spots for one out of every seven children under the age of five only 40% of families in our area have access to child care that meets their needs and child care costs here are the highest in the state families are paying more than $10,000 a year per child to have the care that they they do have even if it doesn't meet their needs this lack of child care is keeping people out of work and impacting their earning capacity over time at best this is a seismic loss to our local economy in fact the Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimated last fall that Michigan loses nearly $3 billion dollar in economic activity every year due to lack of child care at worst this crisis widens the already massive Gap in racial and gender Equity by pricing caregivers of color and women out of child care services and thus out of opportunities to work to advance their careers or to build assets for their families meanwhile child care workers in Wasau County earn a median wage of $12.23 an hour startling $34 below living wage that's just not good enough for professionals who are providing skilled labor that the rest of the community depends on to work the child care we propose to open at 503 Miller will not only provide more child care spots and allow us to increase scholarships to the community but it will also allow our organization to continue improving compensation to our teachers creating highquality jobs and attracting new child care education talent to our area with over 40% of an Ann Arbor households falling below the Alice threshold expanding Child Care access and priori child prioritizing childcare Workforce Development are essential steps that we must take towards meeting the city's goals for equity and economic development thank you so much for your time and for considering our requests for special exception use we look forward to answering any questions you may have about the project thank you uh moving on to staff presentation Miss Thatcher thank you what you do public com oh we will do public comment right after staff presentation thank you Miss sasher I'm going to put back on your screens the uh aerial photo of the site this is the one that's in the packet but um I wanted to briefly touch on a couple of things um there's no off street parking required by code on this site nevertheless it has a lot of parking and since it's got it and they use it I wanted to make sure that um you were aware of it um so this is 503 Miller on the corner um this is a privately owned residential home next door and next door is at 511 is um an an apple play schools existing preschool they use the empty lot at 5:15 which is over here as their playground um it's a little bit hard to see here but 515 wraps all the way around the back of 511 and the neighbor 507 and a buts here uh the 503 Miller that's at the corner that we're talking about tonight um there's a small parking lot right behind 503 Miller that is not proposed to be used for parking um I assume that that will be used for for kids for a playground area right now parents are and caregivers are going into the parking lot down here that's owned by um new Baptist Church that uh abuts West Park a little bit F farther to the South you can park here where you see these cars parked and walk right up this path through the back to get to uh Apple play school is the existing location so this is really convenient um to keep kids um off the street as much as possible there are also however good sidewalks um in front of along Miller and along chapen there are marked crossw walks uh at the the intersections um so really in terms of both parking drop off and pedestrian friendliness um this is a pretty good site for that um uh we should Let's see we should note that at the citizen participation meeting there were three neighbors um I'm sorry three members of the public who attended I'm not sure if they were all neighbors or just some of them um there were noise concerns raised um um and the the the owner or the occupant of the the house that would be sandwiched in between the two preschools had some concerns about adding more kids to the mix um this is a pretty uh busy Street there's quite a bit of traffic it's close to very close to Spring Street where we have Knights and a bakery and the church is right down here so there's a lot going on on this corner and um I've talked to representatives of uh Apple play schools to Eta who presented to you tonight um she has assured me that they want to keep working with the neighbor that would be in between the two preschools and do what they can they've already taken some steps to mitigate some noise that they had going on um and they're looking at what else they can do um that's not codified on this of course but um we have had those conversations um meeting the seu standards for approval um like I said this is a pretty intense neighborhood and I don't think that this is out of character with that neighborhood um turning movements will remain unchanged um the last thing that I want to talk about is bike parking there there's there's no development proposed with this so there's no site plan there are sort of civil engineering plans attached only as for information um because we we ask for some sort of existing conditions plan with an seu that doesn't have development proposed um so as such there isn't bicycle parking required on the site but um I strongly uh suggested that they provide it because they do have people that bike now to their site and uh they were very amenable to that took an inventory of both sites and thought that the best place to put it would be behind the existing preschool but to be shared by both preschools if the new one is approved um it is on the existing conditions plan that they would provide this by September of 2025 um after they get the 503 Miller um in better shape and uh there would be six Class B spaces there shared between the two it's a little bit strange to put your bike parking on a different site that you don't own but since this is a special exception use it's I don't think that that it's detrimental since they'll be using both properties and going between the two quite freely um should somebody else want to occupy this building that we're talking about tonight in the future and there special exception you says you have to go to 511 Miller for bike parking obviously that's not going to work at that point we would have to update the special exception use or just have them provide it on the 503 Miller site the class B um spaces that are required and who knows what will be required by that time we might want to update the whole thing so staff does recommend that the special exception use be approved with conditions the conditions are that the child care is provided for no more than 47 children and no more than 15 caregivers and that the sixth Class B bicycle parking spaces will be provided by September 30 2025 at 511 Miller for shared use with 503 Miller thank you thank you with that we will move to public hearing um this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to 3 minutes um about this particular item we'll first call on people that are present and then on to the remote participants to speak during this uh public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or user raised hand feature of viewing through the web link and for phone access please call 877 853 5247 and enter meeting ID 977 6634 1226 uh City staff will select callers that have raised their hand using the last three digits of the phone number or by name if available um you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please move to a quiet area so that we can hear you clearly for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments and with that is there anyone present that would like to address the commission please I thought the three minute limit was only for things that were not on the agenda but my name is Lori lsbury I live at 507 Miller Avenue I have nothing against children I have two of my own and three grandchildren but this location will add they already have 30 children on one side of me and I don't know how many teachers this will put almost a 100 people all the way around me if you looked at the map they had they're going to have the children playing behind my house that means 100 people completely surrounding me all the time as it is right now I can no longer use my backyard they like to have the kids outside all year long which I'm good with having kids outside but I can't use my backyard it's so loud they're and they're little kids they're little tiny kids screaming and yelling all the time the teachers are allow to my biggest problem is that this I bought this house 20 years ago this is all I have this is my life savings this was my retirement plan to stay there and let the equity appreciate this will immediately destroy all the value in my house no one would buy a house wedged in between a 100 people a 100 people 70 of whom will be loud children so I will be ruined devastated I will lose everything I have with this everything I did my due diligence when I bought my house that house next door did have a special exception permit for an adult daycare I don't think that ever went to fruition if it did I never saw a person coming and going when I bought my house the daycare next door was for six or eight little children it wasn't a big deal then Apple came in and it immediately became 30 kids outside all year long H chapen Street is extremely narrow I've seen so many cars get sideswiped on that street I've seen a city bus sideswipe cars on that street I've seen the neighborhood with Miller Manor that corner is kind of unsavory and I think we all remember a woman got murdered 100t from this place these little children I'm all for playing outside like I said but in the summertime they play out there in full View of West Park or any of the people walking around there and they are wearing nothing but their little Underpants boys and girls out there in the summer that seems like a formula for trouble big trouble they're outside all the time all the time they are always making noise their website says it's an outdoor immersion exploring natural landscapes Eda said something about the community and being in the neighborhood I've never seen them leave there this will ruin me this will destroy me ruin me my house won't be worth anything I'm sorry up I'll be done thank you thank you is there anyone else present that would like to address a commission about this particular topic welcome hi I'm Francis todoro Hargreaves I am the impact investing manager for the an arbor Area Community Foundation the impact investing program has been in the foundation for about 3 years the committee has three priorities that it's set for itself it's affordable housing small business and child care and as part of that child care Focus I have also participated in the living wash County childcare Coalition that Miss Heisler spoke of um we communicate and keep up to dat with uh decisions in Lancing on how to handle this crisis and we have been working with uh the team at Apple for the last four months on this project the committee is supportive of this project and so we're hopeful that you will be also and we look forward to working on this in the future thank you thank you is there anyone else that would like to address the commission at this [Applause] time is there anyone remotely that is looking to address a commission there are no hands raised okay give it a few more moments okay seeing no other I'm going to read the proposed motion which is the an arbor City Planning Commission after hearing all interested person in reviewing all relevant information including an accompanying site plan and finds a petition substantially meets the standards in chapter 55 unified development code section 5.29.18 point2 pointb child care center and therefore approves the 503 Miller special exception use for child care at 503 Miller Avenue this approval is based on the following findings the proposed use will be consistent with the r2a multiple family dwelling District which allows single and two family residential uses and Child Care Centers by special exception proposed use will not adversely impact traffic pedestrians bicyclists circulation or Road intersections based on the location Miller Avenue and shapen Street provide access to the site and the proposed use is consistent with the existing and other surrounding uses traffic impact the subject site meets the use specific standard of at least 7500 ft of lot area and finally the site plan documenting the existing and proposed conditions of the site plan has been submitted as a part of the application the special exception use is approval is based on the following conditions Child Care is provided for no more than 47 children by no more than 15 caregivers six class be bicycle parking spaces will be provided by September 30th 2025 at the 511 Miller for shared use with 503 Miller and that the an arbor Planning Commission approves the attach site plan which demonstrates compliance with the applicable special exception use standards as no development which would otherwise require site plan approval have been proposed moved by commissioner Mills and seconded by council member dish we are in discussion would anyone like to kick us off commissioner Adams yeah um so the legal standard for something like this relates a lot back to impact on the neighborhood it's compatibility with the neighborhood so this is my neighborhood um I think the expansion of this project isn't just compatible with it I think it's it's going to be the the the the center as expanded is going to meet a dire need for Neighborhood Child Care in this neighborhood um beyond that I I I think that the adverse impact on neighbors here has to be viewed in the context of you know two streets that support a significant amount of daily traffic a very vibrant park that's right behind the property a corner grocery store a bakery a dispensary a church I mean this is a very active as staff pointed out a very active and busy neighborhood in that context I think the noise the incremental noise increase that we're talking about really falls into the same category as the stuff that's already there so when we're talking about consistency and impact I really feel like this use is very consistent with what's already present there and I fully support this and I'm excited to vote Yes on it thank you council member dish thank you um I wanted to say thank you to staff because the staff report does a great job with its table checking off the UDC requirements that are met by this uh project and I'd like to elaborate on the first of these which is consistency with objectives of the comprehensive plan and as staff notes the proposed Child Care Center provides an essential service for those living and working in the city um it it it is not an exaggeration it is a actually empirical fact that was county is considered a child care desert there is only one license spot available for Kids 1 to five and this is what should really give us all pause that close to 20% of the licensed spots are sitting empty because people cannot hire staff because Child Care wages are so low Apple play uh pays its staff over the median wage of Wasa County they pay them close to $16 an hour they also provide 50% infant and toddler and 50% preschool care their expansion that they are bringing before us is necessary for them to be able to continue paying at at what is almost a living wage and yet we are happy about it and that they are able to continue to provide that kind of ratio many places just cannot afford to provide infanto care because it is so expensive to do so and so without this expansion they are not able to continue this important service of offering infant and toddler care um this is not merely I mean these issues of child care are also issues of equity because they hit women and women of color hardest so in terms of the crucial services that this child care center will provide I think that the project checks those boxes I have uh immense Sympathy for the frustration that uh Miss Lounsbury expressed I cannot imagine that Apple play school wouldn't be willing to talk to you about noise mitigation we already have in the staff report evidence that they have responded to concerns about a piano on the front porch by moving that so I bet there are ways to talk about that um I also can't imagine any house in an arbor having no value so I understand that there may be a loss but um there may also be uh there are many gains thank you um commissioner Mills I think you were next unless um commissioner Weatherby uh this is not my neighborhood but my niece and nephew went to we wisdom which was in 511 Miller back in the day one's now in college one's a senior in high school um and this was a fabulous spot it was just so amazing their parents could walk them to and from school if something happened we could rush in because we worked downtown at the University it was just a really great spot and um I it's it's very exciting to see more opportunities there for child care because it is a huge problem and what we you know the thing that is most dangerous for our kids is driving them everywhere and to be able to be in a neighborhood where not everybody would have to drive their kids and drop them off and leave them you know have big lines of cars I love the bike parking I think that's a really important piece um I am sympathetic to loud children um I live in a neighborhood where the children are older but they are still loud and they are loud later at night um but it's our community and that's our society and we have that and and um our our houses are have gone up in value no matter what sometimes you might think how could a How could a house next to a you you know terrible student house go up in value and yet they've doubled in value um and so I I am sympathetic I know that's not going to help that that we're sympathetic um but I think that uh this is a great location for a child care and an expansion that is you know it's on a park it's it's just in a really great space and it's been used as a child care center for you know the area has been child care centers for a long time so um I think I think it's great I did have one question for staff do we need to add the fire hydrant to the motion or is that just part of it we do not the the fire hydrant is um required by building code okay and so the Fire Marshall is taking care of that okay yeah thank you thank you thank you you any other Commissioners commissioner Mills this is my neighborhood um I looked at Apple play school and I actually have a question about how the two centers will operate um this is not my children are blessedly now in elementary school so I not paying for daycare um but I remember that I would need to take them to two different centers because of the age Gap so is the intention um age How would how will this operate I so wish the intention was to consolidate infant toddler and preschool Care on one site so people didn't have to drive up and down Miller Road but sadly that is not the intention um no the intention is that the new center at 503 Miller will be only for children 30 months and older that's for two reasons one is because of the State child care licensing rules and fire safety and egress um it's not appropriate to have infant toddler care in most of the spaces at 503 Miller um because of what's required to make sure that kids who can't walk can be moved safely by their caregivers out in the case of a fire so to sort of alleviate any issues around State Licensing we decided to stick to 30 months and older there um the second reason is because as council member dish mentioned we currently provide infant toddler care um at the building up the street as well as at manzanas um that constitutes 50% of our enrollment and the margins on infant toddler care are negative they we run those spots at a loss um in order to accommodate the community's need and the older the the tuition we can charge for the older spots will allow us to offset that cost spread our overhead among more families in order to better compensate our staff great well the uh I can speak from experience the need for child care is great um it would have saved me from I mean one of the reasons is we try to not drive and couldn't handle both drop offs on bike that's a hill to go up on but anyway um but um even so I mean I I think one of the things that's great about this site is the compliment AR complimentarity of the parking with the church use um in terms of using the infrastructure the time that it would be used is are always off peak right and so even if there is a a church event kind of in the middle of the day that's not during drop off time so again I'm literally just across the park in Lor Terrace's backyard and so like I can see what's going on like how often that that parking lot is full and I mean it's it's it's super complimentary in terms of those uses and in terms of a neighbor right it is it's it's silent at night kids go home um and on the weekends and also you know that's complimentary with this with the church use so I I think this is a great use of the infrastructure that we have this is like the Hub of kind of the lower water Hill Neighborhood um there's a there's a hub of activity here and so um and bus stops just across the um just across the intersection at chapen so um I think that this is um is appropriate as the staff report points out I think it meets all the criteria the question that I have and this I think is for staff is um in the UDC there's a a th foot spacing from a dispensary to a private school and I'm curious if this counts or not this does not count because the dispensary is already there okay so a child care can open within that th000 ft but a new dispensary say on the other side would have to then be 1,000 ft away from the new CH it you know right is this going to put the is this going to put the dispensary I'm sorry I have to I okay child carees are not counted the same way schools are you don't have to be a th000 feet from a child care okay that I couldn't couldn't remember if daycare counted as it's it's Elementary end up well and I would just say again my kids are in the park all the time like this is a happening place to be and actually the more activity that we H like I I like the activity that's on the street um so I just wanted to make sure that we weren't putting another special exception use in a weird spot um in case there was a conflict and it sounds like there's not so um great I this is I'm excited to see this thank you commissioner Clark um yeah I just want to I express that I'm looking forward to supporting this um and thank you for bringing more child care to an arbor I know from experience that we very badly need it and um it's very difficult for child carees to get to a scale where um it's profitable expand so thank you for doing that um also I just think it's a great location it's right by a public park and um children I strongly believe children have a right to exist in the city use our public amenities and I think it's wonderful that you have the children outside um that's an absolutely fantastic amenity and I think it's really matter of um perspective whether it's a benefit or not you know on a personal level for the homeowners but I would say that again um we're fortunate enough to live in a city where property values are pretty stable and there will you know be a market for that so well I I guess I can be sympathetic to neighbor concerns on that um children do have a right to exist in the city so thank you thank you any other Commissioners commissioner white just a question for staff about um I was looking up the property ownership it looks like the church owns yes 5503 511 and 515 that's correct okay so then the property that they're sharing across 503 and 511 actually run from 515 across and back according to your staff report lines let me look at the map sorry make sure I got the numbers straight and I guess I'm I I just have a general question about the the need for the because the church is not operating it and they're leasing the space that's why it's coming in cuz the church would have flexibility to do what they want it to in that space within certain restrictions the church would also need a special exception use to operate a church-based child care okay yeah okay all right those are my questions thank you any other Commissioners all right um with that I'll just add my two cents I was at a spark Economic Development uh meeting a few days ago which we did talk about the lack of child care and the the impacts that it has on Talent attraction as well as retention I certainly hear you um as far as frustrations with respect to uh noise um bordering on what could be considered nuisance looking at the overall context of the the concept of Economic Development as well as as as the other Commissioners eloquently put children do have a right to place in our city as well um I'm in support of this overall in consideration um that being said I would also say that your particular property is also perspectively also possible for a special exception use as far as conversion goes but that that's um neither here nor there um all of that said I'm in support and I think any other Commissioners with final Thoughts with that we'll go to a roll call vote thanks staff commissioner Adams support commissioner WEA be yes commissioner Mills yes commissioner Clark yes council member dish yes commissioner W yes commissioner aons yes and commissioner Lee yes that passes motion carries thank you moving on to regular business this is 416 Longshore Drive site plan for City Planning Commission approval I will give a quick um this is a proposal to construct a new four-story 15 unit Condo building next to an existing office building the site size is 1.66 Acres zoning destination is office um due to a noticing error this petition is requested to be moved to the April 2nd 2024 meeting agenda we will still hold a public hearing since it was posted but we'll be Ren noticing and holding a new hearing on April 2nd uh I need a motion to postpone and Voice vote after the public hearing and so oh well we'll do that right after uh yes after the public hearing so we're going to go on to we're going to go to public hearing with respect to 416 Longshore Drive um this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about this item we'll first call on individuals present and then those remotely um to speak during this public hearing remotely please press star9 if listening by phone or use a raised hand feature of viewing through the web link for phone access please please call 877 85352 47 and enter meeting ID 9776 1226 City staff will select callers that have raised her hand using the last three digits of the phone number or by name if available you'll hear an automated announcement saying that the host is allowing you to speak and when speaking please move to a quiet area mute background noises so that we can hear you clearly and for either method of participation please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments do we have anyone present that would like to speak on 416 Longshore Drive yes please before I start could I ask why it was postponed again just it was a noticing error perspectively staff you want to no the yeah noticing error okay yeah the we uh take several steps to notice uh a public Hearing in a variety of ways and one of those steps wasn't completed apparently for this one so to make sure that everybody receives that notice that's our rescheduling it for the April meeting okay makes sense yeah no no sweat um my name is Kyle Troutman I live on 5:30 Detroit Street in North Central um and I want to bring up two points that I had about this development the first of which is that I took a glance at the mitigation plans or the site plans and I think that the overall plan for mitigation for this is more or less like design-wise and otherwise unacceptable um I understand that there are Landmark tree requirements and that this is taking out a swath of a nice chunk of woods in the area but to kind of disillusion yourself into thinking you can place what I think they said is 95 trees in this now extremely cramped lot is just not doable by any stretch of the imagination if you take a glance at it there's essentially just these circles overlapping one another it'll look nothing short of an orchard and is just a little bit silly so I would implore there to be a different way that to think about how do we mitigate for all of the landmark trees and the Woodland trees that are being removed in this development project um one thing that I know is that oddly enough the little chunk of woods to the west of this is actually a very high quality birding hot spot in the ant Arbor especially within the downtown realm and I think this is due to it being you know it's a proximity to a the downtown but it's also a Flyway it has proximity to Quality Riverfront and there's just a host of birds that migrate and and reside in this little swath of woods here so perhaps there's a way to make the mitigation instead of just plopping 95 useless trees in an orchard Style on this cramped office and now residential property maybe there's a way to have some sort of habitat and E ecological Restoration in the chunk of Woodland there perhaps there's a way to maybe not just restore but also better that area and the habitat um I think this is difficult and would require some thinking on the end of the developer or you guys but um there needs to be a metric you can't just say you're restoring something and have that be it there needs to be a way to actually document and ecologically monitor what's happening there and show an increase in species and habitat um so that would be my first point um would be to reinvestigate what mitigation means for this because if you take any close look at the site plan I would consider it unacceptable and it shows that there was no design thought put into this at all and it was just required 95 trees plop plop plop plop plop which is just not okay in my opinion um the second point I'd like to bring up which is less of a um ask of anything of you but would just to say an argument that I'm sure you've heard a million times which is why is there another luxury condominium extreme wealth oriented development going on in an arbor um I myself am a young professional a recent college graduate it and I just look at the plans for this and know that I would have zero chance at affording something like this and I consider myself well off and quite privileged in a lot of ways and I know no one like myself or within like a similar situation to my own could really think about affording to live at a place like this um and I'm sure this is something you've heard a million times and the developer is allowed to have Luxury Condominiums here but I would ask why is it so easy to continue having projects like this and why is there nothing to maybe de incentiv as the developer to having these you know it's it's 15 luxury condos on a 40 something, square ft um building so to me it seems like there's maybe something missing there um I walk through this area every day to work and it's a unique part of Ann Arbor it's a unique neighborhood it's proximity to the medical center it has proximity to bike trails and a lot of awesome outdoor recreation and I just think the people that would want to live here are not going to be the people that are going to live in this place it's going to be people that are very wealthy and are driving their car into the big parking ramp and are leaving every day and are not using the space the way it could be used um yep that's it thank you yeah appreciate your comments is there anyone else present that would like to speak on long short drive yes hi my name is Judy Nikolai I live at 517 Longshore Drive uh we are a condominium Community right across the street I really have more I guess a comment and a question having lived there for 10 years I'm quite aware of what the neighborhood is like on weekends and sometimes during the week between Memorial Day and Labor Day day when the Argo Cascades are a huge attraction in the neighborhood I personally don't drive but I know that my neighbors have plenty of trouble already with access to their own parking lot because of all the activity you have people walking down the street in bathing suits carrying tubes and kayaks it's kind of a fun neighborhood in that regard but it's really difficult for me to imagine this neighborhood with 15 multi-million dollar Condominiums it doesn't suit the neighborhood energy at all I I it's hard to square that Circle for me um I also wonder a lot of the area that's going to be developed here is used for parking for the Argo Cascades and I wonder what the plan are to replace that parking assuming that people will still want to be coming to the Cascades to canoe and kayak and do their tubing down the river so those are my questions and concerns I will confess that I have not had time to do much research on this project but from the point of view of someone who lives in this neighborhood those are the kinds of things that my neighbors are talking about in addition to the fact that we're all rather puzzled that people who can afford that kind of a property want to live right next door to a freight train track where trains come by at all times of the day or night um so I have more comments than than anything else thank you thank you is there anyone else present that would like to speak on Long Shore Drive is there anyone remotely that wish to address the commission there is one hand raised one moment phone number ending in 534 you have permission to address the commission hello again this is Tom stalberg this is my neighborhood I live a couple blocks away from here um I want to address the what the last speaker just said about parking so I know it's not an obligation of the developer here the landowner to provide parking for the Argo liery um but it would be very nice if the city would realize that uh this parking which has been very helpful to have because the popularity of the Argo Cascades and in the livery uh if the city can come up with a plan uh more than what exists as the current plan uh to help alleviate the concerns of the neighborhood um from losing this parking again it's not any obligation of developers to do this but it would be nice if the city who runs Aro liery uh would think about uh a plan for that so that's an ask I also have an ask for the developer and again this is just an ask so I assume the developers going to follow the mandatory sto water uh I'm sure they are require of our city and county uh right now the impact of global climate change on our region have a very large impact on the severity of storm events and the frequency of severe storm events so this building like all other buildings not unique to this one but essentially what we're designing for right now and what we can mandate right now is going to be pretty obsolete pretty quickly this particular site is uh the topography situation puts it uphill of a woodland and then into AR liery this is just a simple ask to the developer if you're able to oversize your storm water retention so that you can add 10 20% uh that would be really wonderful and I'm hoping that that's something that we can look at in terms of all developments uh I know right now there's no storm water mitigation from this site at all so whatever happen Happ there's an improvement but looking forward to what is going to be the reality uh for our region uh it' be very nice in particular for this uh developer who's next to this Woodland which could uh be greatly impacted if there's more runoff than in in five years than is currently planned for thank you very much for considering that good night thank you Mr stalberg do we have any other callers there are no more hands raised at this time all right with that we'll close public comment I am looking for a motion to postpone uh this hearing to um April 2nd uh move by commissioner Mills and seconded by council member dish uh this just requires a Voice vote um all those in favor say I I I all those opposed motion passes all right this is postponed for the April second hearing we're moving on to section item number 9 C the 732 Packard Street PUD zoning District uh and supplemental regulations and site plan for city council approval this is a request to rezone 1.27 Acre Site from C1 campus business residential to a PUD plan unit development and adopt supplemental regulations to allow development up to 450,000 Square ft 14 stories and a site plan to construct a 14 story apartment building with optional ground floor commercial proposed beneficial effects of the Pud District include affordable housing by payment in Li enhanced sustainability and open space as proposed the building has 376 Apartments 82 vehicular parking spaces 392 bicycle parking spaces and includes Street skate improvements the site includes 12 Parcels 722 726 732 736 and 740 Packard Street and 917 921 923 925 927 931 and 933 South State Street the zoning designation uh that's recommended is PUD we'll move on to Petition of presentation welcome thank you uh good evening everybody uh my name is Andy seavoy um coming to you from Chicago 1647 North Milwaukee Chicago Illinois uh I'm here to ask for your support for um a proposed mixed use Housing Development that will help to alleviate the housing crisis here in ant Arbor and have has some serious um public benefits and environmental benefits to boot um I'm with a company called core spaces we are a national um university anchored housing developer based in Chicago uh We've um developed close to 30,000 beds across the country and this will be our third project in an arbor uh we are uh we do have a partner for this deal Jared shank of shank realy who's sitting right behind me uh as well as my entire team uh the architect and engineering team is back there to help me answer any questions you might have just some photos of our projects around the Midwest this will be our third in town we have one built one that's kind of in the permitting process and this would be our third so the site we're here to talk about um this is uh 12 Parcels about 1.3 acres in the Triangular block between State and Packard we have Frontage uh on two bike Lanes uh Northbound on State Street Southbound on Packard and we also have direct Frontage uh to a city park foresight Park you see some images there of the street view uh and what you're going to see tonight is a 15 story uh mixed use Tower um mostly apartments with some retail on the ground floor 376 units we have 82 parking spaces most of which are underground um and then we have a collection of um town home units along Packard that kind of mimic the use in that direction and we have retail and kind of an open auto Court along state so the the idea is to provide very active Street Scapes on both sides of the project and we would be um shooting for groundbreaking in December of this year to deliver in 27 Q2 so this is uh so the the project will involve uh several off-site improvements I'll start with those and then work my way in so right now there are 11 curb Cuts along the frontage of the property we would be proposing to change that to only two curb Cuts one for our vehicular access from State another which is kind of a pulloff area from Packard so that Uber drivers and such can pull out of the street uh to make their drop offs we're also going to be adding a crosswalk at Hoover inate the second uh substantial offsite Improvement is we're proposing to um invest up to $250,000 in uh improvements to foresight Park to the South and that scope would include refinishing the basketball court new lighting new benches all to be coordinated and approved uh with City staff and thirdly we're proposing uh investing approximately $1.6 million in the DTE infrastructure in town actually several blocks away uh as we were exploring ways uh that might result in uh better kind of all El electric prospects for this project they came up with a plan where if we were to update a circuit by church and Willard from 4.8 KV to 13.2 KVA then they can move buildings off of the circuit that currently serves our site freeing up capacity to serve Us in an all electric way we can talk about that more later but we are proposing to make that investment as part of this project starting with the plan and moving up um we have uh our parking level in the basement we have 17 uh EV installed spaces proposed here that's 20% double the um requirement this is the uh ground floor you'll see retail uses our main amenity um level is here we have Town Homes proposed along Packard um and we also have back of house spaces and bike rooms so this Auto court that you're looking at is our main entry to the lower level garage but we've also designed it to be able to accommodate the movements of a trash truck so trash could be collected interior to the site nobody has to stop in the public way or back up onto the public way and it could also be programmed for from time to time resident and public events with food trucks Etc because it does kind of line up exactly with Hoover and it's a nice Court there uh kind of an urban space there are two bike rooms labeled here A and B Bike Room a fronts right onto that Plaza and we're thinking of that as kind of a bike bar type scenario where you have front of house type uh finishes and um kind of a very presentable space there's also Bike Room B also accessible from the plaza both of these bike rooms have automatic door openers they have uh Frontage directly onto the plaza with windows that allow natural light so all together we're proposing 332 class a bike parking spaces that's 4.4 times what's required this is the me res level you'll notice there are some uh trees noted on our plan those are Landmark trees that we're proposing to save uh as we go up through the plans it becomes kind of a typical Corridor building but note that we are proposing some Kinks and undulations to really break up that facade to avoid any overly long stretches of building there are several step backs that occur as you go up the building and then on top there is a amenity Deck with a pool as far as the elevation as far as the materiality goes we are proposing high quality materials on all four sides uh in the upper tower that is a a mixture of cementitious cladding and a metal Panel System you can kind of see how that's used in the rendering to the right and then for the podium element the ground floor element we have uh a warm brick uh with wood inlays for the um entry areas uh this is uh just kind of shows you how the building gets broken up by those undulations we have several different heights for different parts of the building because of the step backs so on the right you can see the height that's proposed is 116 ft on the left it is 162 ft and then behind it's even it's one floor taller uh we are in the PD language uh the proposed height limit is 200 ft inclusive of all rooftop equipment these are the renderings this is uh basically looking South on Packard um this is looking at that auto Court from Hoover uh the left image here is looking North on backer so fory park would be directly across the street from you to the left and then the Right image shows uh a shot looking down state um of the building this starts to talk about what that pedestrian experience is like up on state we have this brick element with these kind of warm wood inlays for the entry of the building similar language along Packard where you have these Town Homes but you still have these wood inlay sections that kind of communicate an entrance to the building so our sustainability plan includes providing a lead silver building we are proposing a mostly electric um building with auxiliary gas backup for hot water generation however we will invest the $1.6 million in the DTE upgrades and uh the plan would be to basically ve out that duplicative hot water generation if they can Del the power in time uh so that would be by January of 25 if not we have to have an escape hatch because it would be a disaster to deliver a building that you cannot serve um uh along with that there are other um noteworthy uh parts of the sustainability plan we are providing rooftop solar that would generate 125,000 kilowatt hourss of capacity um we are providing the standard lowf flow appliances specking low E materials we're providing five times the required Class A or 4.4 times the required class a bike parking uh double the required EV installed parking spaces um and uh a compost room for residents uh so there's a lot here that we're doing notably um the investment in the grid and so as a conclusion I can't believe I got through all that so fast um we are providing a whole slew of public benefits with this project so uh not only we increasing the housing stock and implicitly uh helping to alleviate the housing crisis um in town uh we're providing sustainable lead silver con construction uh we're increasing that real estate tax base we're creating jobs um we're adding active uses at the ground floor so um that's retail that's town homes that is uh this open kind of uh Auto Court um we're removing nine curb Cuts uh making the investment to the DTE grid $1.6 million 250,000 in the adjacent Park we're pro uh proposing to invest 1% more into the affordable fund than would be required so that's $413,000 for each percentage Point um and then we will coordinate with the fire department to allow them to conduct a training within our uh property line to the extent uh we can before we demolish those buildings on the way up so with that that closes me out thank you for the time appreciate it um and then we'll move on to staff presentation uh thank you I'll cover a few mundane details and then I'll move into our staff analysis um I think as mentioned but I'll um make sure it's clear that this is a site that consists of 12 Lots it has 11 buildings on it currently and all are zoned C1 a/r um that is a district that is intended to quote or mostly quote intended to encourage the orderly clustering and placement of highdensity residential and complimentary commercial development near the campus business district it allows up to 300% floary ratio um and has no minimum lot size um staff report um goes um relists The purported Beneficial effects of a plan unit of this particular plan unit development these are also listed identically in section three of the draft supplemental regulations um I think highlights were well the actual purported beneficial effects were well covered by uhu Mr seo's presentation real high level The Beneficial effects include lead standards integrated solar power additional electric vehicle charging infrastructure electric ready building uh increased density reduced sprawl and vehicle miles traveled um affordable housing uh housing diversity Street ESC Cape activation and neighborhood park improvements staff report talks a little bit about a comparison of the current and proposed zoning districts in summary the intent and permitted uses are similar the dimensional aspects of the current and proposed zoning are regulated in opposite manners but it's my opinion at the end of the day they kind of they kind of they are similar but the current zoning district is regulated by floor area ratio without a high limit and the proposed district is regulated by a height limit without a floor area ratio um and also includes building coverage and open space standards um so both are trying to get at massing in different ways and then finally the development standards like parking sustainability and affordable housing are generally more stringent in the proposed um PUD District uh keep my pages organized uh um uh we have gone through also an analysis of the Pud zoning District review standards there are seven right nope sorry there eight there are eight of them I won't go through them all but in we staff we have found that this proposal meets the Z meets the standards of approval I'll point out the first standard is that the uses physical characteristics design features or amenities proposed have a beneficial effect for the city um staff field that the zoning District requires lead certification integrated solar panels additional electric vehicle charging stations limits on natural gas connections increases and requires a certain house a certain density requires affordable housing and improvements to public parks and streetscape activation and these are design features and amenities on site that will have a beneficial effect for the city we've also found for standard number two that this beneficial effect could not be achieved under any other zoning classific ification is not required to be provided by the existing standards we have found that other zoning classifications either do not require the beneficial effects listed or they don't require it to the degree proposed um and um I've gone through um several points in our staff analysis I won't repeat them tonight but I will point out that as a package The Beneficial effects of this 32 Packer PUD better achieve the overarching goals of the comprehensive plan which have been accepted as encouraging more dense development with a particular emphasis on more housing overall and a wider range of housing types and encouraging more sustainable developments and living arrangements with less or no Reliance on personal vehicles and reduced vehicle miles traveled than the underlying district and given that the underlying c1r District um designation of the site and surrounding area the development standards of this proposed PUD are in keeping with the generalized goals and strategies of the land use element that emphasize the orderly transition between higher density commercial and uh residential neighborhoods the design and massing of this project um sufficiently aligns with the potential character of the surrounding remaining c1r District um we also have a site plan the site plan analysis in the staff report um site plan has been reviewed by our staff team and we find that it meets all of the applicable standards um there are a couple minor um clarifications and little tidbits that need to be taken care of on the site plan that will be taken care of prior to city council approval should should this move on um the staff report also goes through some of those specific development details like the reporting of what is the floor are ratio the number of dwelling units and the range between apartments and town houses height and setbacks and so forth um and provides information about um the access plan landscape plan storm water management and sustainability features there are two proposed motions at the beginning of the staff report and staff recommends approval and supports both happy to answer any follow-up questions as well thank you um now we're going to move on to public hearing uh this is an opportunity for persons to speak up to three minutes about the item we'll first call on the individuals present and then uh remote participants to speak during this public hearing uh remotely please press star 9 if listening by phone um or if a raised hand feature of viewing through the web link for phone access please call 877 85352 47 and enter meeting ID 977 66 341 1226 City staff will select callers that have raised their hand using the last three jits of number or by name if available you'll hear an automated statement uh saying that the host is allowing you to speak in when speaking please move to a quiet area uh mute background noises so we can hear you clearly for either method of participation um please state your name and address at the beginning of your comments is there anyone present that would like to address the commission good evening I'm Dan tra I'm an attorney representing the neighbor is 716 Packard U my address is 350 South Main at Cony filbrick here in an arbor um you've seen some renderings of this property and uh you will note that my client structure is not actually shown in those renderings um my client is the owner of the building where the Domino's Pizza is currently located so I think you all I'm sure know this intersection it's a very important and vital intersection in the city of Ann Arbor um this development is coming in under PUD because under the current zoning it can't go beyond 300% in floor area ratio The Proposal will take it to 795 per.

we're hoping that that will attract a lot of people because it's hopefully after the work or the school day next we have another holiday on Friday March 29th that's the spring holiday and again no school Wednesday April 3rd we have our next board meeting here at 5:00 pm in the boardroom Friday April 5th there will be a school visit to Higley High School we hope you can all join us for that and we conclude with Saturday April 6 for our Fine Arts Festival at williamsfield high school from 9:00 a.m. to noon and that concludes the superintendent report a lot going on thank you Mrs Richards next we have our public comments we value input from our constituents this time on our agenda has been set aside for anyone from the audience who wishes to address the board those that wish to speak should have filled out a speaker card which which is due prior to the start of our meeting members of the board may not discuss comment or take action on matters raised that are not specifically identified on the agenda therefore pursuant to AR ARS 38-43 1.01 I actions taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff to study the matter responding to any criticism or scheduling the matter for further consideration and decision at a later date also we ask that the audience members practice proper public meeting decorum refraining from either negative or positive responses including clapping or verbal outbursts to ensure fairness to All Points of View those that refuse to follow these rules may be asked to leave in accordance with policy BH public participation at board meetings if considered necessary the governing board president shall set a time limit on the length of the comment period in order to ensure that each individual has an opportunity to address the board the president may also set a time limit for individual speakers thank you for your cooperation and first we'll be hearing from Heather Balch good evening I'm going to read an adapted poem to you tonight TW the day before break when all through the classroom each creature was stirring the teacher too I assume the students were antsy and moving here and there in hopes that the clock would move faster if they just stare the admin was nestled all snug in their offices with visions of having no calls about students from all of us and you in your Dr Seuss shirt and cap just want to settle your brain for a long spring break nap when out in the hall there arose such a clatter you sprang from your chair to see what was the matter away to the door you flew like a flash spun the door knob and open the door with the crash the fluorescent light glow and hallway gave off quite a glow you looked left and right to see what you could know when the noise that had traveled to your wondering ear helped you realize that it was the Bell you did hear the end of the day really did come so fast it's hard to believe all the days in third quarter had passed more rapid than Bobcats the students they came they hustled and shouted and you called them by name now Panthers now scorpions now Spartans and Hawks now Cardinals now cougars now Knights and Blackhawks by tigers coyotes sharks and Gator children do be careful as you're leaving this dear building to the top of the hall or to the top of the hallway to the top of the hall now dash away Dash away Dash away all as papers and dust in their happy wake fly when they meet with their bus they jump in not shy and back to their houses with the bus oh it flew with the B all of the girls and the boys and their energy too and then in a twinkling I heard you so true you're prancing and dancing to your door as you did shoe you got in your car without turning around down the parking lot you and your car were homebound the school in your rear view got smaller by sight have a great spring break to all and to all a good night happy spring break that was cute thank you uh next is June bla good evening governing board president Anderson board members cabinet members my name is June Blaine and I proudly serve as the president of the Higley Education Association for as long as I've been a teacher in The District 20 years now uh haa has had a memorandum of understanding with the district since 20 1 we have had a governing board policy in place supporting and securing our role in The District which is to Advocate on behalf of all staff over the years while people have come and gone the policies have remained haa not only sits on meet and confer but we also have Representatives on every District committee we make sure that all staff have a voice and a in excuse me I have a voice in decision making in the district whether someone pays dues or not does not decide the course of our action when taking and advocating for staff haa has been instrumental in uring bonds and overrides paths uh we have outstanding members as Educators some of whom are nominated as teachers of the year we are leaders both in the classroom and in the community and the relationship that we have been able to forge with the district only makes Higley stronger together we are stronger thank you thank you next is Jessica D Ambrosio good evening president Anderson governing board members intern superintendent Miss Richards into our husd cabinet my name is Jessica D Osio and I've been a teacher here in Arizona for 19 years 16 and a half years ago I attended a Job Fair held by hickley Unified School District in hopes of obtaining a teaching position in this upand cominging community in Gilbert Arizona that decision has been one of the best decisions of my life as I found a school district with leadership who values Student Success and teacher longevity moving my family into this area I found neighbors and a community and community members who actively engage and attend Town Council Schoolboard and HOA meetings enrolling my two two sons in husd schools I have watched them Thrive with the support of talented teachers supportive PA professionals caring nurses invested Administration and dedicated coaches tonight board members will be voting on a proposed raise for all husd staff members Mr Moore presented two options to the board at our February 21st meeting the first option proposed was a four to 5% raise for teachers and a 2% raise for classified employees in administration the second option proposed was drafted by the meet and confer team who advocated for all staff members to have a more proportional raise for all employees with teachers receiving a 3.5 to a 4.5 raise and classified staff members and administration receiving a 3% raise I come here this evening to ask you to vote in favor of the second option because as my shirt says our students first in order to put our students first we must first recognize that while all students have classroom teachers many students have additional husd employees helping them and their families to be successful par professionals work alongside students with special needs School psychologists support families through the IEP process counselors support students with social emotional needs and offer insights about Pathways following High School graduation bus drivers transport students safely to and from school each day lunch AIDS supervise and assist students in the cafeteria and at HTA even the plant foran knows the names of many students in their interest and works alongside teachers to motivate students to try their best and to act with character looking at the surrounding school districts and the recent tragedies regarding Stu student safety I feel it is necessary to highlight the unified efforts of our certified and classified members all husd employees P play a vital role in making all students successful in both the classroom and in life since 2018 pro-public education supporters and Educators have worn red to show solidarity I ask you to look around the room and recognize a representation here this evening tonight many teachers are still sitting in their classrooms holding parent teacher conferences all hoping your vote tonight will secure all current employees with with a position that reflects inflation and the cost of living here in Gilbert Arizona for next school year please recognize the efforts and dedication of all your husd employees by voting for a 4.5% raise for your certified classroom teachers and a 3% raise for your classified and administrative staff thank you for your time this evening thank you next we have Kathleen Richards good evening board and members of the cabinet I um wanted to quickly come here because of uh couple things primarily being the discussion around staff increases I have the honor of serving on the citizens committee that was formed to investigate um whether or not we will suggest to the board at the next meeting to put forward a bond uh as well as a a continuation of the M override and one of the things that the committee asked for was a survey to be done within our community to reflect not just what parents here within husd but the community as a whole sees as important in terms of the role of husd and the thing that struck me the most last night as we were listening to a presentation on those results was that the number one one thing that our community members and when I say community members I'm talking whether they have children or not in this District whether they have children in the home or don't whether they're retired age across the board the most important thing in terms of how the M money is spent was in terms of teacher pay and making sure that that was reflected in how we choose to Steward the money that we have at our disposal and as this is the topic primary topic of the C meeting I felt it was important to make sure this is all things that um folks can find out by reading the minutes these are all public meetings they're welcome to attend um but it was important for me to make sure that you guys were aware of the fact that that is something that's not just important to our teachers that are here representing tonight it's not just important to us parents and families who benefit from those amazing teachers that HD has managed to secure and hire and educate our kids but it's also reflective of what the community expects of our board and so I hope as the um haa has expressed that this will not just translate to our teachers but the reflection of the fact that it takes a village to educate our kids and within a school district that Village is certainly led by our teachers but those teachers cannot do the work that they do without the support of the staff around them and so whatever we whatever you all end up voting and deciding to do with that should be reflective of that of the desires of the community additionally I just wanted to reiterate and take a moment with the last few seconds that I have um I had sent an email to the board because at the last few board meetings there's been some discussion about wanting to start board meetings later and while I do understand that um there's a certain desire to have the meetings start later so that more people can speak given the fact that these meetings are available um publicly for people to plan I'm somebody who works at night so I have to make sure that I make special plans um and make arrangements to be here for something like that and when I look at the students and teachers that come for those uh the recognition of the different schools and things of that nature if we push everything back I just want to remind the board that when our meetings are taking anywhere from two to three hours on average that that would push everything much later that's a huge burden on a lot of Staff members our students that are recognized Etc thank you next we have Maryanne good evening board I come here representing many of the people in the community there was this very sad letter sent out to the williamsfield high school families last week regarding a very beloved administrator at that school for all the talk of student retention needed what is going on when a beloved administrator has given his notice we chose the school district we chose to move into it based on him our family moved from charter schools to the williamsfield high school because this particular administrator had his eye on the future and was ensuring career Readiness college readiness for our williamsfield students considering that the student retention for elementary is escaping our elementary schools and moving over to the charters and the only schools that are growing right now are high schools we really as a community of Educators and Leadership need to take a look at what would cause such a man to resign from that position furthermore I also sit here and as somebody who had to basically leave my job early and missed with my family in order to make this 5:00 p.m meeting I again move for these meetings to be moved to 6: p.m.

the final match of Peto uh where we'll find out if Sam can make number one number one spot from stalo a different player who currently is the best in the league they currently have the exact same score so it yeah they currently they're currently both sitting at 174 so we'll see who is the best minion 139 or stalo the Minecraft Youtuber sometimes the sometimes yeah he's got a pretty cool Channel actually really check it out if you're interested after watching this video of course after all right so special against special thanks again to auction it Wells County Foundation Indiana Esports Network and the Arman National Guard for their support of our program we thank you so much for joining us and we'll see you on Monday like he said toodles peace bye love you you should love yourself now [Music]

at the community center and Susan is there anything you want to update us on the response or I know there's you've been sending out the invitations how's it looking so I called in the head count on Monday we have about 60 people in attendance we didn't get everybody to respond back but I'm hoping that planning for 60 is a good number you blond is going to take care of opening the building and anyone that shows up and helps her set up tables I'm sure she will appreciate that all right and what time um N9 so what time should we show I would say 8:15 8:30 okay that we can get the table set up and table and table cloths and stuff down all right and yard was collection begins Monday April 1st and continues until Monday June 3D no no collection on April 15th which is Patriots Day right or May 26 7th which I guess is Labor Day Memorial sorry I'm moving ahead a few months okay time's moving too fast don't do that please so if you read the hearing notes yeah why don't I do that so I'm I'm going to given that we have a few extra minutes uh for the dangerous dog hearing you'll recall that we continued this from our um February 7th meeting so I'm just going to reread the notice that went out that's this letter correct to the to the Ros roscs yeah so this is um uh Ashton select board will conduct a hearing which will be held in person and Via Zoom the meeting will take place at ashin Town Hall uh if you wish to attend virtually use the zoom link uh the hearing is is held pursuant to General art chapter 140 section 157 and section 87-116 the town's General bylaws to determine whether um and and this letter this is addressed to roskam's uh determine whether your dog identified as Cooper an American Bulldog is a dangerous dog as defined by General Law chapter 140 uh section 136a in the event that the board finds Cooper to be a dangerous dog it will also determine what measures are to be taken to protect the public in accordance with General Law chapter 140 157 C and uh just a reminder these measures U these include a number of measures including um uh uh euthanasia uh but also a number of other protective measures that could be taken so um I'm not going to reread everything I read at the last one but think given the time I will declare that we are reopening the dog hearing that's suspended at the February 7th meeting uh to make a determination on if Cooper shall be DED deemed a dangerous dog uh based on the incident that occurred on January 13th uh and any measures the board wishes to take uh regarding that um so uh anyone uh speaking or testifying this matter must be sworn in I'll be asking you to do that shortly I also um um we will go in order of uh animal control officer Donna Walsh will uh give a presentation and then um um uh would be Kelly and Peter lacass or anyone Pres during the attack on Lincoln will uh will will be given the opportunity to speak and then we will speak with the roskams if they are here and are if they're if they have an attorney other roscam here okay great okay thank you um and I'm advised that um you or you do you have an attorney or is it just you folks okay so you will have you have the opportunity my understanding to ask questions of anyone speaking right into oh this I should introduce this is our uh Town Council uh Steve Chaplan uh who's going to make sure we do everything legally and is here to advise us so that's the goal anyway all right all right thank you so I I believe I also have to at least um I should at least generally list the documents that we're going to be presenting here today yes should list the documents and give a brief description of each perhaps just a date in the title yeah so I have um in front of me the a copy of the dog license from the city of framing need a mo motion to open the hearing or reopen the hearing oh okay I'm sorry sorry let's do I have a motion to reopen the hearing yep motion made I'll second okay motion's been made and seconded all those in favor reopening the hearing say I I okay sorry I was thinking about the list of documents so I will list of I will talk about the list of documents so I have a see if Framingham dog license uh number of uh violations supplied by the Animal control officer Donna Walsh Donna's recommendation to the select board um and the some other matters that we have oh the an assessment of Cooper which I'm not sure everyone's got we just got this recently um the there's a letter from the lassas about the incident and let's see what else I had in my little pile here viations is that about is there anything else we have um the incident report from Donna Walsh her recommendations um one two 3 four five violation notices which I believe she describes and the uh letter from uh Kelly and Peter laass is that a have we received any other written or other documents that anyone's aware of oh I'm sorry and the photographs of the dog Lincoln and the injuries that uh Lincoln sustained okay uh that was for people who couldn't hear um it was pointed out that uh we received letters from some folks and um we not sure we have them do Susan have them were they emailed before the last hearing might have been before the yeah I may Mr chair since it is an evidentiary proceeding if those people are here to testify I don't know that that the absence of the documents would materially affect the proceedings okay all right so let me um so who is who is um considering testifying uh today if you could just stand and raise your right hand or if you're on um okay um want see to we sure yeah go ahead so anybody on Zoom they need to put their camera on is anybody on Zoom I see Michael Mike's on there Trisha do if you guys just show yourselves if you can and raise your right hand if you're here to to deal if you want say anything right if you're going to give testimony on the dog hearing it could be the other mik Kane no that's your that's your mic okay I can't I am not going to be um saying anything during the meeting thank you okay and Michael we take your word for if you raise your right if you want to speak all right Mike's not saying anything okay go ahead do you all solemly swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the matter now in hearing thank you all right thank you okay so we're gonna ask our Animal control officer Donna Walsh to come up to the microphone and just a note um for you folks that are here in person you really need to come up to the microphone and speak into the microphone so everyone can hear you so go ahead uh Donna Donna Walsh Animal control officer for the town of Ashland so on January 13th I was called to full Woodland Road for a dog bite the police were dispatched as well Lieutenant Briggs and officer muy were on scene upon my arrival they explained there were three dogss living next door that broke out of the fenced area and the dog Cooper attacked the a silver lab named Lincoln they described the bite wound as severe the injured dog and dog owner had left the scene to rush the dog to an emergency care facility uh that dog spent several days um a good part of a week in emergency care if I'm not mistaken in and out Kelly just keep in mind that people can't hear you that are remote so anyway it the dog spent several days during a week's time in an emergency care facility for to take care of the wounds um I spoke to both Claire and uh Chris rosum and um at that time I uh found that the dog had not been vaccinated for rabies or licensed um I told them that they needed to take care of that I um issued citations for failure to license um I issued another one to restrain and muzzle at all times uh I issued I have them here I can probably go back and look at them um but several anyway um so that we had all of the you know the citations in order that we needed um failure to uh vaccinate failure to license complaint of nuisance um so those are the citations that we issued and a quarantine order um I later found after talking to um Mary Beth that also Quinn was also involved in the attack so it was more than one dog um during that week um Quinn was euthanized for her part in the attack that dog belonging to Chris rosam um he felt that was the best the right thing to do considering the severity um Cooper is now living in Framingham with Claire and her boyfriend and uh your parents I believe yes so um they live in a close neighborhood um the houses are close together so it's a concern um about what we do okay even though the dog not yeah sorry sorry to interrupt you procedurally is it best for us to ask questions of each witness as they testify like if if um rather been waiting for everybody to be done and I'm also looking at the board is that what people prefer to like we'll ask questions of Donna I think so okay yeah no hard fast Rule and your me go ahead Donna so even though the dog is not no longer living in the town of Ashland um it is a concern that at any time that dog could come back here go to our future dog park that's coming up uh anywhere uh go to visit somebody and there's no restriction if we don't um put restrictions on put a restriction on it and is there any um so this has come up is there any kind of legal issues with the dog living in Framingham and US issuing orders that control and framing it no it's good throughout the state anything any decision is good throughout the state y that's correct says that in the statute okay great I interrupt is each City or Community um is it their responsibility to enforce any decisions that we make is that how it work correct correct that gives them um the ability to enforce anything that we deem necessary to keep the dog safe from the public and from other animals uh it wouldn't be our job to go to Framingham and enforce it that would be framingham's job but and is the statute is that a state statute so that it would be the same um remedies there that as here yes yeah that's right it's still it's the law throughout the state generaliz chapter 140 section 157 falls under licensing Like Liquor licensing Donna um do you have you you're going to talk about your recommendations as well at this point is there anything else you wanted to add so the recommendation that we have um I spoke to framingham's Animal control officer and um we came up with a u recommendations to um that all that are allowed in the dangerous dog um one would be that Cooper may not be chained tethered or otherwise tied to an inanimate object including but not limited to a tree post or building um that just kind of falls under the tethering law um to make sure that the dog isn't left out there for you know an unlimited amount of time that the dog Cooper be confined to premises of The Keeper of the dog provided however that confined shall mean securely confined indoors or confined outdoors in a s securely enclosed locked pen or dog run area upon premises of the owner or keeper and within the confines of such pen or dog run such pen or dog run shall have secure roof and if such enclosure has no floor secured to the sides thereof sides shall be embedded into the ground for not less than 2 feet a dog house or proper shelter from the elements shall be provided to protect the dog three the dog that the dog Cooper shall be securely and humanely restrained with a chain or a tethering device having a minimum tensile strength of 300 lb and not exceeding 3 feet in length while being walked outside that the dog Cooper shall be securely and humanely muzzled when Outdoors excuse me that as a dangerous dog Cooper you that as a dangerous dog Cooper shall not permit a child under the age of 17 excuse me to own possess or have the care or custody of such dog that the owner Claire rosam or Keeper of the dog Cooper shall provide proof of insurance in an amount not less than $100,000 insuring the owner or keeper against any claim loss damage or injury to persons domestic animals or property resulting from The Acts whether intentional or unintentional of the dog or proof that reasonable efforts were made to obtain such insurance if a policy has not been issued provided however that if the polic if if a policy of insurance has been issued the owner or keeper shall produce such polic upon request of the hearing Authority or a Justice of the district court and provided further that if a policy has not been issued the owner or keeper shall produce proof of efforts to obtain such insurance and that the dog Cooper or Keeper of the dog CLA rosam microchip the dog Cooper for permanent identification and provide information to the Animal control officer of which should should be the town that the dog resides in Li of the listed restrictions the other alternative would be to humanely usize the dog and and Donna you you don't make any specific recommendation as to excuse do you um do you want some water you want to take a break get some water um but you you don't make a specific recommendation for uh euthanizing the dog you're you just as possibility right if we don't do that then there's all of these okay any other questions or for uh officer Walsh um I just have a question in terms of um whatever you know uh Remedy or remedy but it's a word here um whatever stipulations we place on on the the dog here how does that follow the dog is is there um uh is there you know do you all have a list where there shows dangerous dogs or or some kind of the dog were to move from one to another we well by law well I don't know if it's by law but we would like if we have a dog that we've deemed dangerous here and it moves to another town I believe it is part of the law that we're supposed to [Music] notify excuse me say do you have so the statute is not that spe specific I will say in practice uh police departments do cooperate and share information and you know dangerous dog situations are not unlike that um can go both ways If U one Community knows that they've made an order and the dog's going someplace else they might noty that Community um if the community gets wind of um there's a dog in town they might do a little bit of homework on where that dog came from and reach out to the community that made the order and ask for a copy so as a as the dog officer or the animal control officer Donner do you have a list of any animals that have been deemed either dangerous or um you know anything else do you do you have such a list that you for we don't have a list but we know what dogs we have that have been deemed dangerous yes interesting okay well and there is some kind of record of it because we have a family here in town who were they were going to be foster family and their dog had been deemed dangerous and they had to come before us to change the notification of the do of the the status of the dog so they could become a foster family that was that from another town yeah it just seems to me like there should be something formal right that there should be something that I mean nowadays right probably not our well there's records I mean there's records there's a paper trail because you you don't want to think that if there were that these heightened concerns that no matter where the dog went that right some people would be aware right oh yeah yeah if there's um and we can call Donna back if we if other questions come up so Donna if thank you and um stay and get some water okay I think Jen's getting right so I think next I'll call ask Kelly and Peter lacass if they care to come up and you can come up both together if you like and um we have your uh letter from uh dated Wednesday Jan jary 17th to us I'm not sure that I have a lot to add to what I wrote in my letter um I will say that I am so sorry for the situation that you guys are in they've been super Cooperative I know CLA is working really hard um to to train Cooper and to have him change his way I in my heart of hearts don't believe that can happen I saw his face um he the the attack was completely unprovoked the dog was walking through the yard the other three dogs came like out from under their fence um in a in a it was so fast and they circled once around and Koopa just latched onto his back and Quinn followed and Chris I'm sorry that you put Quinn down I know this is really hard for everybody I can't imagine I can't imagine we had to put a dog down but I will say my dog did this to another dog he would not be here today I love my dog and I know that CLA loves her dog too but I have to have it on record that I believe in my heart that all you're putting your dog through right now is all well intended but I don't believe that he can be reformed and I honestly feel that it will happen again and I want it on record that it's not going to be because I didn't put up a fight to have that dog euthanized I know that breaks people's hearts and it seems like a mean thing to say but if you saw what happened that day you would probably think the same Mary and Mary breth can speak for herself but I I was screaming and she dove in like she was jumping into third base and tried to grab those dogs and she could not pull them off my dog and my two brothers Tim Kane and my Kane were kicking that dog in the head and he would not release his latch on him and his face was cruel mean I I I I can't think of a word for it but it was traumatizing and I am so sorry I know this is hurting Claire a lot um anyway I okay thank you I don't believe he can be restrained and I also think that muzzling a dog and keeping him on a leash for the rest of his life is inhumane and I don't believe that like a sex offender unless you register the dog in the town you move to nobody's going to know he's there I don't believe that's going to get followed up on so I pray it's not another child if it happens again thank you thank you thank you um any questions for them I guess so okay is there anyone else um that wants to speak um on behalf of the complaintants um anybody remotely or here and then go ahead Mary Beth okay go ahead Mike yeah can you hear me I'm sorry I'm I'm at the airport I'm traveling so I'm not prepared to speak tonight I'll just back what Kelly said uh that I was there that afternoon and it was horrifying to see uh I have never and sorry Claire again like Kelly said I have never kicked anything so hard in my life that dog was not releasing um but other than that everything Kelly said is accurate and clear uh and I've got nothing further because I don't have my notes with me I'm I'm about to get on a plane so I apologize for that that's all right thank you Mike Michael anyone else Mary Beth did you want to so I also don't have much more to say than my sister um and I feel horrible Claire I can't even look at you CU I'm feeling horrible about the whole thing and for your Dad too the good neighbors um but I was beyond traumatized I did dive in and I did grab both of them by their collars and stayed on the ground till my brothers came and did what they needed to do but they weren't letting go of Lincoln and to see my sister screaming and to hear the dog crying will stay with me forever um I feel traumatized um I'm not comfortable still letting my dog out I we have a big fencon area for my dog I am grateful that my sisters I mean I'm grateful that my dog my brother Tim's dog and my brother Mike's Dog were already back in their cars heading getting ready to go home and my dog was back in my house because if it was 5 minutes earlier they would be dead they would not have survived that Lincoln's a big dog and that's how Lincoln survived that I love dogs and I have put my dogs down when they were sick and I never want to see people have to put their dogs down but the only thing I can keep thinking of is I can't imagine Cooper's life being led the way Don had just described he would have to live his life and that's no way way for a dog to live and I am sorry I really am sorry and thank you thank you Mary Beth okay anyone else uh um sure which is unusual actually the this injury occurred between mine and Mar best home we live next door to each other and the only thing I have to add to that is if the police the two policemen had arrived 2 minutes earlier Cooper would have been [Music] dead okay thank you so I understand um the roskams are here um are Claire do you want to come up and make a statement um talk to us a little bit um you guys kind of know everything that happened I felt really awful for a very long time and I still feel really awful for everything that happened um I've been trying as quick as I can as we can to pay back their family um for the money that they had to spend bringing Lincoln to the vet um my dog has never done something like this before and it kind of confused us all um he lives with two dogs my boyfriend's family has a dog as well and he gets along with all of them um we would bring him out all the time and I it was almost as shocking to me as I guessed them cuz they were actually outside I was inside I was in the shower I heard my dogs barking I had gotten out of the shower I'm in my towel and I look out the window and I see that they had a dog that I've never never seen before um that was kind of near our fence but on their in their yard and my dogs were just barking and I tried to in that moment I'm watching and I start putting my clothes on and I just see the fence break Cooper jumped on the fence and broke it one of the wooden panels and I couldn't even move fast enough I just went outside and I called for my dad um he was napping it was Saturday and he got out there before I did I was still getting dressed and oh my God she was trying to separate the dogs and by the time I physically got over there she had done it she separated them and we were trying to bring our dogs back inside um that day I emailed 10 places even a behavioral therapist in Boston just to see what is going to be best for him I got two physical opinions two physical cont consultations on Cooper who both believe that he can be fixed um and that they think that they can work with him and that he lacked basic training like sit and because of that his mind was just stupid essentially and I just believe that my dog deserves a chance at life to get better and I guess that's all I really have to say other than I'm trying everything I can to help them in every way but there's really nothing I can do cuz it was traumatic but I do believe that my dog deserves a chance at life um one more piece I wanted to add as well is when my do when my dad took his dog to be euthanized he did actually take both dogs to be euthanized um Donna helped him schedule that and when my boyfriend found out he actually called the hospital to find where he was um cuz we didn't consent to that um I I believe that if it's up to anybody it's up to you guys um but that's all I have to say and thank you for your time and I'm sorry that any of us have to be here today hold I think why don't you stay is Richard here as well he's right there he wasn't was he involved at all there or he wasn't there that day no um so one thing we received this uh Claire this Boston doctor are you prepared to speak I brought just a few um I don't know if you have anything else but I brought receipts we went to Home Depot the next day and bought a ton of Fencing Equipment um to get started immediately we actually got a panel in but it started snowing that week so we could is in framing him he's no he's in framing him under some sort of restraint right yeah no we have well no right now he's in southb right there but when he was with us he was in framing I don't if it makes sense to summarize what we have has everyone else seen this um yeah um have you folks aware of this so I I don't know I guess I it makes sense for me to kind of summarize this evaluation or assessment sure sure um who is this person that's this is Georg o and this is um an organization called Boston dog dog dog tour yeah um he's he has a license um he's licensed I he's insured he has a three-year um guarantee on Cooper that if anything were to ever happen he'll take him back um and retrain him so he's Cooper's with him now being trained and he is he's is this he's saying that this is an assessment of Cooper yes um so I don't is there anything you care to say about this do you I mean is he making some sort of um commitments or representations that there's going to be particular results with Cooper is that um yeah I I don't have it in front of me but I believe it does say on there that um that so far is doing very well um and getting along with all of the other dogs there and he believes Cooper is making great progress and that he's going to be a new dog when he gets home so can I ask a question on this please um I think this is great that you're doing this um this is always dog dog hearings are always the hardest and certainly um many of us have been or still are dog owners so we understand in regards to this it talks about how Richard will be trained to work with the dog will you you will both be trained to work with the dog if we okay he's just been kind of the main contact with the guy so yeah okay mean um and then I did have other other question you said this is the first time that you've seen this behavior in Cooper yeah um he there was um he has been attacked at a dog park before I used to take him to dog parks all the time but he actually a dog attack him so he had been attacked previously how how long ago a year and a half ago okay I haven't I haven't taken you haven't taken him to a dog park since then well that can certainly indicate um right if a dog has been attacked it makes him a little more likely to totally okay that's all the questions I have right now okay thank you other questions for Claire or are about this present this material yeah I guess I have a couple of questions um go ahead you know I wondered what the data for success is for this company um and what sort of you know I did go online and try to review all the reviews on um the business and they were all very positive but there wasn't a lot of detail in terms of what sort of um dogs he had um you know it seemed like there was a big range sometimes it was just sort of your typical training and sometimes it was something U much more significant type of training like in this case would be so I kind of wondered um about you know what sort of data that this individual would have about the types of dogs that he's had success with um and what what the long range time you know what did it look like three years out or and me he does talk about three years and and what sorts of I I just felt like I needed more information from him um um can I just ask you a quick question um didn't you Donna if you say feel free to go up to the mic or Richard or Donna who she I was on the day so I that's okay it's this is not regarding the day now this is regarding this program and the and and its success I just didn't you tell me that he actually knew Donna at all yeah and that you guys kind of work together sometimes um yeah um his name is like very hard to pronounce it's on the back I don't want to o g e v o r g he says he does like some volunteer work with sboro Boston dog d o subber some volunteer work there maybe um but anyway um you had a friend whose dog I believe got trained by him and he recommended him to us I had visit he came to our house to see Cooper and before that I had broughten Cooper um I forget the name of the town but up near Lawrence to check out another training facility um and we we're going to go with that one until he found this guy um I liked how he came to our house I like how he doesn't use any sort of like intense therapy like shot callers he does um he monitors the dogs with clo social interaction to safely reintroduce Cooper to dogs and kind of see what his triggers are and what is going on in his head so that he can show him that it's okay um it's a two twomon program so it's not just like two weeks he actually stays and then we have to go there and then he comes to our house and he shows us everything in all different sorts of ways um but I just felt really confident and comfortable with he has seven dogs of his own his dog hopped out of the car and he said pee and his dog peed on the floor it's just I'm not saying that that guarantees anything aggression wise because my dog has a problem clearly um but he specializes in aggression training um I believe he has college degrees in dog in dog science or animal science um and he does have several licenses that um I should have broughten them with me today I'm sorry I didn't but I do believe that they're public record um if we did want to look them up at all um I just just a so your your intention is to have Cooper finish this eight-week training program and then and then what come back to live with us in Framingham and did you are you aware of the recommendations that the dog officers in framing him and you're aware the the recommendations that Don has made yes visiting so I'm I'm just so was your dog visiting Ashlin so your dog was visiting my dog lives there her dog was visiting her she do Lincoln doesn't live in Ashlin Lincoln lives in no but but your dog is now in framing him my dog's in Framingham well except when they're at this okay yeah and then your dog is going to go back to framing him yeah uh sir if you want to say something I can kind of clear that up if you could come to the microphone yeah just identify yourself um and how old is Cooper four four so but Cooper's you're GNA have a secure you listen to Donna's recommendation and yeah you're going to your intention would be to have Cooper go to Framingham with those kinds of conditions should we discuss that yeah as of now until we figure out uh where we're going to move forward okay and Sir if you want to come up and identify yourself and what your I'm uh my name is Chris rosam I'm the owner of the property okay you're the Chris in okay the CLA and Richard were living with me at the time that's why Cooper was there right um I didn't see the incident I was upstairs I'd been sick I woke up to the barking and a level of barking that is unacceptable to me so I was on my way downstairs not in a big hurry The Barking stopped and then I heard like screaming so at that point I sprinted down my stairs out the front door over around the corner to the where the dogs were and I saw on the way down that my back fence the corner had been split open uh so I didn't see the event I was just there for the aftermath um I tried to secure my two dogs Quinn and Cooper I guess Lucy was back there I didn't really see her um I when CLA came out I handed Quinn off to Claire to get her inside because Cooper was still fighting at me trying to get back and um got them both inside secured my dog door that takes a piece of wood and some screws um and then at that point um the police had shown up once I'd gotten that all done so I went back to talk to them find out what happened in their eyes so there were three dogs involved in this well only two we have three and Lucy at some point came through the breach Luc Luc my my other dog but was not involved in the attack to my understanding had no part in okay so it was just Quinn and Cooper right that were actually attacking Lincoln so what did you want to clear up you said you wanted to clear something just that that clar and Richard were living with me and that's why Cooper was there and then yeah and now they're living in Framingham yes okay well the Southboro is a residential program for the dog is that true so he's there for two months and no it's okay right just want to be clear and then does the trainer know that the intent would be that well first of all I mean the dog if if these are stipulations that we put in place that the dog would need to be following those stipulations in South borrow too and that then when the dog was released from that program in two months he would come out and be living with under those same um requirements and and what does that do to the dog psyche I mean I'm not a dog psychologist I don't know but if the dog it just on some level it seems like we're trying to do two things that don't align um and I'm not sure how to get around it um well I mean I the only thing I have to say about that is I know we don't have a much of a yard in framing him so I actually have to walk him um but he has this muzzle that barely touches his nose he doesn't mind it they actually train the dog to get up and like want to put the muscle on they wait and they adapt to it and it becomes yeah a new way of life um but they are trained to adapt to that and walking him I mean he won't be in any sort of CH like Runner or fence or anything like that um so I mean that's well I have to say on that so the training then in part might be to get him used to this new way of life for him wearing a muzzle always being Tethered to a person yeah so he actually doesn't leave the property or hasn't left the property yet but when he does there he is muzzled and he's kind of currently getting him really adjusted to it so interesting other questions yeah I just I just a quick clarification you're saying that the Y uh where you're living right now now doesn't have a yard big enough for uh Cooper to be Tethered on an outside Runner or anything like that is that correct I mean it's big enough it's just we there's no fence there's no it's it's open it's completely open well there there's a fence on two sides and then a shed so the back isn't fenced okay but like there's some chicken wire like it's not really a fence it's not anything that's going to secure that dog in that area so there's like a p there where like a pool area so that part is fenced in cuz so you're not going to be letting loose in this backyard is what you're tell basically that's what you're saying okay it's just not the whole thing that's open it's just a section of it whereas like the pool is just a note you have to speak into the microphone otherwise people can't hear you that's okay the pool just yeah so the pool basically is like the fenced in place by law pool has to be fenced in so that's thank you other questions um for these folks I just have one more question the dog that your dog was attacked by at one point mhm do you were you did you see that attack M and what kind of dog was there with my buddy you weren't there on that day oh no I wasn't there I'm sorry I wasn't there it was it was him yeah he was a little bit younger it was um I told her the story that's why I she a little bit nervous but um it was he was like right around like becoming a teenager so essentially step up a little to the microphone so essentially he was like a bit of a scaredest dog so anything you kind of just get her off um and this other dog no no it was a little bit bigger than him so essentially he just kind of barked at him and then he like ran over to me and kind of like bit like try almost tried to bite him you know what I'm saying like going towards him he just kind of tucked his tail ran to me I picked him up the dog owner kind of took his dog and after that day like we were kind of like oh you know and then from there it was kind of like he was a little bit skittish about other dogs you know so we kind of like separated him a little bit but he's always good with other dogs you know we take him like to he sees my my mom's dog maybe once a year sees him he's good you know okay other questions for these folks or we I have question you can come up come up to the microphone and um probably you can address address your questions to us uh Kelly well I I just actually had a question for Claire because she said that this was a first event that he had never done anything like that before but in conversation and text messages since the date of this incident I thought there was a time where he did bite somebody and harm a cat no okay so indicting uh the response is no to your question is that correct um that does is there is there anyone here that knows any any uh time when this dog has evinced aggression towards people or children do we have any indication of that I know that was something Kelly you indicated interest in anyone yes sir any so uh I had let Donna know this but um Cooper did bite me at one time um I'm not a professional but I've worked with a lot of dogs I've been bitten a good number of times not by my own generally but at least six times I've been bit uh the last time before that well pull got a hold of my lip and did some serious damage I haven't shaved my mustache since then was there something that happened that you think made Cooper bite so I listen I I I'm going to be honest I I blame that event on myself when they came to live um Cooper and Lucy my pitbull were having a rough time with each other and he was a little hard on her in my opinion um Luc Lucy was overly defensive you know she'd kind of become Alpha and then Cooper came in and he wanted to be Alpha and they were having some confusion and trouble with food and one night I was feeding them both bacon in close proximity and a piece dropped and they got into it and I reached in to pull them apart okay and he got me um it was very quick um he probably thought I don't think it was intentional and the reason I say that is he showed extreme remorse for three days after that I came home the next day and I said Cooper what's that and he tucked his head down tail between the legs outside he didn't look at me for three days so listen I'm going to say this um I care about everybody here right um in my opinion I'd to put them down that's me and history shows that that's what I try to do um my dog's down for her part yeah but that's me you know if we Liv south of the Mason Dixon I'd have Tak him out backing it have been done you know but he's not my dog but when I was told that it was going to be all on me that's what I was going to do they were both going to go down period that was it my view I'm not the owner they prove they are um but that's the truth okay you know not too many people know about that I didn't report it it's not the first time I've been bit I didn't think he deserve to go down for it it was kind of my fault in a way being kind of stupid but unless you have questions that's all I have okay thank you Sor that was thank you all right um is there any other information we should um consider does anybody have anything else that they want to tell us about this before we go into comments and deliberations okay so I will so this is the comment and deliberation portion on our uh on our part um and then you know following deliberation uh which I think we'll discuss our actions we will close the public hearing and take a vote so there's anybody questions deliberations thoughts go ahead Claudia yeah so I have a couple I guess kind of procedural questions so um if if we were to put certain orders in place um is it for specific period of time and then it could be reviewed or how how does that work we play put orders in place and and nothing happens unless there's another incident or um we it's actually been too in different ways for some dogs based on their activity or what has happened we have said you need to do these certain things and then we'll review it in 6 months or 3 months depending on what it is and others we just make the determination and it stays in place um unless something changes along the way so it's been it we've done both we've had both issues so so potentially we could we could put some some orders in place and then ask to hear from the trainer at some point or and that's something that that's within our purview and your experience Steve I've seen boards Do It um you know the statute doesn't explicitly say that you get to revisit at a certain point so typically what I advise boards is that if you know you put a condition in place and somebody comes back and they ask for you to modify it uh you are the hearing Authority so that um that you know that would be another hearing like this one a formal hearing with the same rules and procedures um not not really it's a be a different posture because the the posture here is there's been an incident you're an investigatory uh body at this point essentially invest you know taking testimony so if um you know if the owner comes to you later and says you know hey circumstances have changed X Y and Z it's a whole different ball game now we'd like you to relax you know condition a or something like that you the law doesn't preclude that it doesn't expressly allow for it and um you know this is a little bit of a um lesser traveled area of law in the court system so there's not a robust you know body of case law out there telling us that you can do that one way or the other you know what I what I wouldn't do and what I'd caution you again say I I wouldn't put an order in now that you think needs to be made more severe later that's really my question because you the statute does not permit you to do that and I I would not want to defend that case if that's so in other words not choose to hear from the trainer in 3 months and and have him say that it's not effective or he's has concerns and then choose to say euthanize you'd say no don't I I would I would not advise the board to do that yeah you want to go severe and then if you can lessen it up we can lessen it up but yep others uh speak up if you have thoughts or proposals to make um go ahead I I'll go um as always as I said early these are tough and having watched as a young child not young but my own dogs attack each other seeing dogs get attacked is traumatic and hard um but I'm also the kind of person who feels that if there is a way to allow this dog to continue living who am I to decide I'm not its owner um if a life with a muzzle is appropriate or not I think the restrictions that Donna has recommended to us in regards to if it leaves its property it has to have a muzzle on it can has to be a short leash um I would rather go that way and certainly the fact that they have already sent it and are working to try and train the dog I have seen some dogs be retrained um and it's certainly the fact that I mean I know we've sat here and required owners to send their dogs to training so the fact that they've already made that decision and they're investing in that for their dog I think that shows that there are owners who are are trying to do the right thing for their dog so my personal recommendation and I don't know where the rest of the board stands would be um to not force it being euthanized I I think the fact that you know your dad tried to do that that was his way of handling it I would say it needs to finish the training but then the requirements that Donna put in place of um you know it has to have be have a muzzle and it can't just be tied outside I think that's appropriate um that it needs to stay confined you know if you were to put want to put it outside you'd have to create some kind of enclosed kennel um and you know maybe he it does not come back to Ashland I mean so you're living in Framingham now oh we can't say it can't come back to ashin okay then I that's fine but I would say that um you know putting a microchip on them would make sense the insurance I think everything that Donna stated makes sense in regards to uh um muzzled humanely restrained um chipped and the insurance I think if we if we do those can I just make a quick comment too sure um regardless of anything that happens anything I will not ever bring my dog back to my dad's house near Woodland Road ever just for the sake of how I care for my neighbor and I know how she feels now about him regardless of if he is changed or not that's a positive thing to hear I just wanted to confirm that as the owner of 292 he'll never be there again okay okay thank you um I I have a procedural question so yep Claudia brought this up earlier so this dog is now at a training facility in south barl Y and I we don't know how that dog's being kept there but it sounds like it's doesn't have this sort of thing so how would that the dog is going to be there for the next two months well I think I I would think it would be when the upon completion of the program and when it gets returned back to its owners these are the restrictions when it gets returned to its owners after the training I think the the orders we can also certainly give these order to the person who's doing the training yeah I think but and it sounds like some of that's being done anyway in regards to a muzzle and stuff like that so I would think that we would want the trainer think we want the trainer to start working with the dog with those restrictions in mind because who's already ready for this okay a couple cases that's kind EXA so why don't you come up here again because I want so is is this person is your trainer aware of these yeah so specific and he said that he could work with this is that so he he told me that he's already dealt with a bunch of cases where he's already like saved dogs in this type of man right but these are very specific specific ways of handling the dog yeah well he's on a muzzle now he already has one and the one the CH the thing that he uses is specifically for that type of breed of dog so the equipment that he needs to so do you what so we actually have two Hoops that we have to jump through the the first one is there's a statutory definition of a dangerous dog stat defition answer that one I think so that someone would need to make motion for a fin right I have the notes right so we need to vote whether he's a dangerous dog take that vote but we have to do that after we close the hearing correct that's that's right yeah okay and then we need to decide what restrictions we're going to apply to this dog and the timing of them that's after we CL close the step one close the evidence step two dangerous Doug nuisance Doug neither all the possibilities and then step three remedial measures if there's a fining so yeah go ahead I have a question for for Richard and Claire so given all of this given given what could potentially be Cooper's future um do you feel like a you can control the dog like re like because you know the training is the training is one thing and then the the other part is when the dog comes home how how that dog is going to be reintroduced and I know that there's a whole program here and that's but at the end of the day it's going to the two of you controlling this dog um so you know we want to make sure that if we do put conditions on Cooper that it is something that not only can be followed but that is is something that is um doable for both you guys and the dog because because I think that's part of it too it's it's it is it is very restrictive what we would put as far as conditions on this dog and I and I I know like it's it's hard like these you know like Yolanda said these are this is this is part of a family I mean I'm a dog owner and I'm listening to the story and you know you know my dog I can't let off leash because she has anxiety issues and things like that too and you know it's almost like one incident can ruin families MH um and it's heartbreaking and it's heartbreaking for everyone um so my heart goes out to all of you guys it's it's but it's it's you know I I feel like you know I'm I'm an eight-week program is an is what I would think a pretty intensive program for this dog um so I mean I'm I'm torn because I do feel like the life for Cooper is going to be very restrictive um but I I I feel I feel like Yolanda does I feel like that that if you are willing to commit to the program if the dog is willing to commit to the program um that that you know potentially that you know Cooper can have you know have a life so um and I I don't I don't know if I I don't for a first incident I know it was a it was a horrible traumatic incident for everyone I don't know if I'm if I'm willing to to to put the dog down at this point um but like I I I it's it's but it's it's it's a hard situation because I do feel like this the life for the dog is going to be extraordinarily restrictive and it has to be because if there's another incident if somebody else gets hurt if another dog gets hurt like well we are no I I think we're it's our deliberation now and we we've gotten your input and so I would say if you have something new to add if you're ready to close the evidentiary hearing and have a deliberation you would need there something we the opportunity to speak you have any questions I do okay uh counselor I just there was a question and I I I don't think I heard it correctly but any decisions that we make tonight especially when it comes to Banning the dog are you telling us that we don't have the ability to ban the dog from the town that's correct the statute specifically precludes an order banishing the dog from your town okay does it preclude the fact that we need to be aware that the dog is in town and if the dog has a chip will we be able to decipher where that dog is constantly constant surveillance so what one of the orders that you can make if you find that the dog is dangerous is that the dog uh be uh able to be identified and one of the ways you could order that is with a chip right okay which is in the information that we're thinking of adding okay the other the other thing that I want to add to uh CLA and Richard the program that your dog is in right now is only as good as what you do when that dog gets out of this program so the support and structure that that dog is getting right now will will only be as good if you support that program if you don't then it's a waste of time and that's actually one of the reasons why I chose not to go to the first place we went to because they are shot callers and they don't really call us to go in it's kind of he stays there for a month it's only half as long and it's just like more money honestly and I didn't see that the same to us okay I just want to make sure that you folks both realize that you know the success of that training is is going to be on your shoulders once that dog leaves that facility all right all right any so I will you know I will Kelly if you want to have some if you want to add something new to your previous statement I will let you come up did you still want to say something so part of my question was what Joe just brought up so that it's you're taking awesome steps to take care of your dog which you probably should have done when he was a puppy right so the followup after this training is going to be rigid for you and if you didn't do it 3 years ago when you got the dog how can we be sure that you're going to do it now it's it's going to restrict you you you're not going to be able to leave the dog with someone else your daughter is not seventh there was a comment about leaving the dog with nobody under the age of 17 you've got a young daughter in the house um what about when she wants to have friends come play at the house you know it's I I understand you love your dog but things you have to think about moving forward if there're if if you're not going to vote to euthanize the dog you guys have a lot of growing up to do to be responsible dog owners and not let him do this to God forbid a child my dog is fine I'm over it his his wounds are healing and he's running and he's fet and he's good but as soon as I take him for a walk and we come up with another dog I'm the one that's shaking not my dog so they the dog was not secure at the house that he was in he was getting out a lot I mean I Mary Beth told me several times she had to bring them home so is that all going to turn around in two months and all of the sudden you're going to be these like hero go dog owners that aren't going to allow this to happen again again that's my concern cuz if it's a child I know you couldn't live with it and I could not live with that because a child in that backyard that day would be dead thank you and uh did you want to respond to that or say or um I guess just I mean I definitely could have done more with my dog when he was little um that's totally on us I just had well I think part of Kelly was asking about your future and how you will handle these situations so if you could maybe address that cuz I think the board um I mean I am as you guys can tell I love my dog um I think we're committed if that means that my daughter can't have her friends around if that means that I can't have him around young kids we'll build him a kennel outside and that's where he'll stay when she has friends over I mean the links that we have to go are the links that we will go and if that's what we have to do I mean when I had him when Cooper was born I had my daughter two months later 3 months later I just wasn't thinking on training him I just had so much going on and clearly that was probably the biggest mistake I mean not only that but okay I guess yeah anything else all right I miss all right I think if there's nothing further we're I think we're ready to close the evidentiary portion of this hearing I that we close the hearing on the dangerous dog motion's been made in second to close the hearing all those in favor say I I hearing is closed so I move that we vote to uh deem Cooper as a dangerous dog I'll second that motion's been made U to deem Cooper a dangerous dog has been made and seconded all those in any further discussion on that I don't think that all those in favor say I I oppose none so Cooper unanimous vote Cooper has been deemed a dangerous dog so now this we get into the measures we will take as a result of that finding so I move that we take the recommendations from our Animal control officer and impose items one items two items three item four item six and item seven uh what was the items you left out I only left out five which is that as a dangerous dog Cooper will not be permitted to have it with that he will not be permitted to be owned possess or have the care or custody by someone who is 18 I mean 17 um I mean hearing that the dog grew up with the child um I would think that they take precautions should they have friends come over it would either be restrict Cooper the other thing is hopefully with the training that Cooper forgets I mean dogs can be trained I had a dog who we trained him to stay and he would sit in one spot we would have a party in the house and he would stay there now because of what has happened maybe that's not the case I don't know but um I would say that yeah so that we the restrictions that we put on him are 1 2 3 4 6 and other thoughts on that um discussion I guess um I guess there a second well any further discussion on this on this any discussion or question about this particular motion well I guess we do need a second a second to discuss it is there a second I'll second that okay so so the Motions been made in seconded discussion questions um yeah go ahead you know no I just wanted first of all you know thank everybody um you know first of all how kind um and heartfelt you are to one another even though um you're coming from different perspectives and how civil um you've all been to one another and and uh you know we live in a world now where people when they don't agree they're not very civil and I just really appreciate that discuss hear you know and and I just want to add in terms of um the commitment this is this is just such a huge commitment right I'm um you know when I think about even having a child and and there are times when you kind of might screw up because you're let up a little bit and it's so easy to do that in life and uh so this this commitment on your part is truly massive um and I hope that if at some point you know that you feel that you can't live up to that commitment that you think about um finding you know a special home or wherever they would take a dog with this kind of History um rather than just going about and and let letting up on what you've committed to probably here tonight um so I just you know want to say that that if you feel that you can't go forward at some point that you do the right thing then for everybody because you don't ever want to have to live with you know anything that could happen um that this dog could do and especially if it was because you weren't as committed that day right um and and and too I just want to thank your your dad for his honesty and uh I think a lot of us understand uh you know uh uh I just hope that you appreciate him and and how he's trying to do the right thing too and and again I just really appreciate everybody's uh cilty uh to one another here tonight and uh this is certainly a uh you know really just a difficult thing so those are just my comments thank you thank you um I I will have to unfortunately interrupt this uh we we're required to open another legal um uh hearing and then we will uh susp I guess that we'll suspend that hearing and finish this one but um since it's um we've made a public notice that 820 will start a hearing we need to do that so if you'll just bear with me um notice is hereby given that the select board will conduct a public hearing regarding a class two license New Beginning Auto Service currently operating at 72 Nickerson Road is request to open a second location at 73 Waverly Street currently middle SE mes operating a Class 2 licens uh this is not a request for additional license and would replace the current um this would replace the current license so public will hearing will be held at ashon Town Hall 101 Main Street Wednesday March 6th at 8:20 p.m.

um and they're not held every month um there's usually more of a quarterly type meeting um there just isn't any more room on the dance card in the evening for meetings there just isn't any more time and all of our First Responders that we asked to join and our principles as well um it just was the best time we had given the busy schedules everybody has in the evening so just know that if you're interested um BHS Athletics program review you already heard a little bit from Ava um the visiting committee was here yesterday and today I do have to thank Stephanie and joy they were the board members who participated as being interviewed by the the team as board members so thank you both for that um making time in your schedules to do that during the daytime for us was greatly appreciated um the other part to that there was a self-study done last year and as part of the self-study and other work there was a a student athlete survey conducted we did uh Rec conduct that survey and had uh a more up-to-date this year survey uh conducted as well as with even more athletes participated so that was better more up-to-date information so we got that really important to thank Nas who really stepped in to support the CIA to really help us get this uh get this going this year CIA is has some limited capacity I think I mentioned that a couple of meetings ago so really appreciate that and of course Mr Baldwin and Mr Banda for really organizing things um the folks on those staff and then and then the kids and the parents that participated um along with the other staff that helped get things ready it just it's really takes a team effort you think a visiting team just comes in and there's a lot of scheduling a lot of logistics and I it's it's extra work for everyone so I have to thank them um I did want to ask Dr man just to jump in for a second because she was able to attend the early afternoon uh deep brief meeting as the site team finished uh up their visit sure so thank you um and we're excited for the formal report to be returned um they will have you know some processes that they'll go through they compile a bunch of notes kind of do a brain dump sort things out and then um the uh one of the members of the team actually George um who was the part of the observation team and I'll explain that in a minute I'm not sure that they explain that or not um he's going to go and kind of compile the whole report share it with the team and then then they will send it along to Mr Blanda um to share with the rest of us so Mr Blanda will be here um presenting to the board as soon as he has the you know the copy of the finalized report um and for those for um joy and Stephanie who went yesterday and for those of you who are um just curious this was a team of there was actually two teams there was a two teams of three one team kind of representing the actual so um two an athletic director from Connecticut a coach teer from Connecticut and then a principal from Massachusetts um was kind of the team coming in to do the review and then there were three additional people um uh George Edwards from the nas representing Nas he's the one of the executive directors of Nas New England Association of schools and colleges Bal Bal Bob Baldwin who is the um MIAA uh executive director which is the you know Massachusetts uh version of CAC and then Glenn larini Who was the Connecticut um inner Scholastic Association of um conference uh or Athletic Conference um they were here to observe kind of the process because this is um this as Dr bril has commented in the past uh this review process is something that c has done and has had on you know kind of as part of their uh function for about 15 years um actually two executive directors ago um but that executive director uh was also a member of the nas commission um of which I am apart now and have been since 2017 I think um and so he really liked that process and so we brought the concept to CIA and made it available as a you know kind of a volunteer um review and audit to go through for uh public high schools in Connecticut well since that time last year neas has been very interested in um offering this to as part of or as a you know kind of addendum to or compendium of the accreditation process so um the commission asked George actually asked for permission from the commission to kind of go and talk with c and see if there's ways to adopt the process um to extrapolate it to the New England uh States and so they were really here so I actually as a member of the commission for neas I served on a subcommittee to help kind of make it a little bit more ubiquitous and um you know to the whole New England uh area so it's a really exciting process uh and and opportunity for Brookfield because we are not only going to get a really good report back but we're also supporting you know kind of the future of Nas um I was actually at a commission meeting on Sunday and Monday this week and everybody's very excited to hear how it's going because they would love to figure out how this can become either um an additional part of the accreditation process the decennial process that happens every 10 years which is actually a little bit different now um or maybe an add-on for schools um you know depending on the capacity of the school they may or may not need um reflection but we talked a lot at the commission about how important um inter Scholastic Athletics and extracurriculars are to a comprehensive High School experience um it's a huge part of the educational experience kids learn so much more than just how to play their sport better as we all know so um it's something they're really excited about and we were really happy to be able to serve as kind of their you know Flagship pilot for them so um it was a good process and they were they were actually um very grateful that we were able to we started talking with George right before the um the winter holiday and we kind of brought all this together in a very short time and that was in large part to uh Mr Bland and Mr Baldwin's responsiveness getting them all the you know hotels and all that Logistics so thanks for your support in this and we're excited to share the results thank you for that thank you for my much appreciated and I I new news will will come down the road but I understand I missed the debrief meeting because I was scheduled with something else and apparently um he may have been volunteered for his own visit yeah there might there there might be be larger scale visits that Dr br will be a part of so we'll see how that works out so we're having some fun with that um excuse me before you move on can I ask a couple questions will this um will this yield um a neas like Report with recommendations and commendations yes um and they're exclusive to the high school they are yeah they only focused on the high school and it's not just to clarify this is not an accreditation right um so there's no there's accreditation on the line it's really just that kind of athletic review recommendations commendations um we'll get a full comprehensive report written report all typed up neat clean organized how and and the results of surveys and all that kind of stuff um what we won't have is they this is U they did this for us um and so you know this is a nonprofit organizations that are doing this so um they don't have anybody to come down and do a presentation okay so similar to a so we will work with Mr B to help him and support him and he can and uh we can put some slides together to kind of succinctly present what was in the report and then publish the report for everybody Mr Baldin as well will we be able to read the report absolutely this is a really big deal comprehensive it's it's exciting having done this as a high school principal you know go gone through this and invited CIA in for this it really and it really helped us frame just like the special education um program review you know when you have a third party come in and really look through the standards and so forth and then provide information recommendations commendations you know where you're doing well and you know where your future planning needs to go it helps you set goals and helps us prioritize those things we need to do that we may have to budget for so we could think through the longer term short and long-term plans we have and this also actually um offers the opportunity for it's not just New England Association of schools and colleges the national Federation has asked for feedback on this process and how it's going the former so Paul hoey was the executive director of cic who who kind of f founded this idea but Chris an neehoff who was the executive director for about eight years in between Paul hoey and Glenn larini really took it and kind of built it she um ended up leaving CIA to become the director of the national Federation for high school so she is the you know in Indiana the you know head honcho out there so she's very excited about working with Nas and CIA and consequently Brookfield to um kind of bring this to the National Federation so it's exciting Good Stuff Wendy do you feel like it's appropriate to share what we learned about athletic trainers in this process um can I I um actually I'm I'm unclear on whether that like can we can we um have a couple of uh board members share they want to comment on their visit today I just didn't know if you were like on a super questions were asked and things like that great pleas free to share that yeah it was just a point of interest that hadn't come up previously um one of the questions since Wendy couldn't be there was um that she put on my radar was asking about athletic trainers and sort of their importance their role you know how they see that Statewide being something that we need to adopt or um how how that will come to fruition because it has become a really key issue in schools um and they told us that legislation had just passed in the state of Connecticut that we weren't aware of where they are looking very closely across the state at not only the athletic trainers that are currently on staff but how it affects schools and athletic programs that do not have have athletic trainers available to them um that in a lot of cases they have to go out to contract to local therapy places starting between 90 and $100 an hour to have athletic trainers or um medical professionals on site for games just to meet requirements um and that's been very taxing and so they've gotten the state involved and the legislation is hopefully going to alleviate some of that the hope is in the future um what were some of the other things do you remember anything specific uh I think that they discussed like one of the main things that come out of the discussion was that it's not really sustainable to have a high functioning Athletic program and not have an athletic trainer um someone who knows the kids someone who has history with the kids someone who knows who to bring on locally when they can't be in you know multiple multiple places at one time and so that's kind of the growing Trend and um they had all spoken to their own personal experience having had an athletic trainer um brought on to their team and to their athletic department um and the value that that added and the safety feature uh sort of aspect of it um um did you have anything else yeah they were shocked to for us to not have any um litigation issues with um injuries and whatnot um they're like well I'm sure it'll happen at some point um they've seen it more they they're like we've seen this often yeah but the value of having a staff member like a teacher being also um a trainer and having being offered a stien so um yeah yeah having someone in house that's right work with all the and we have had if I if I may add we have had um and this is my ninth year here so I've got a got a a good lengthy history we've had um at various times an employee as a trainer as well as paying private services to have a trainer because we couldn't get an employee so um and looking at the budget so we've we've been very responsive as a district and the board has been very supportive of when we need to make one move or the other whatever works best for us given our context um but we've had the same trainer now for a couple of years and it's worked out really well I mean I've watched the trainer myself in action um I'm thinking of last year maybe it was two years ago now the time flies so much but you know one of our uh football players happened to literally I was down on the field and he happened to be in it just simple drill dislocated his kneecap and you know seeing the kneecap off to the side and and the the student in gruesome pain and um 911 was called and but that takes 10 to 15 minutes to get them down here to get our First Responders here the trainer was able to attend to that student you've got to have that medical professional here the other thing that came up with uh Anna myself and Casey when we were interviewed by the committee very similar they asked about a strength and conditioning coach that's something we um tried to budget for uh for all four seasons the three during the school year and the summer season Ava just talked about the new legislation allowing more Athletics in the summer um that can work with the weight room and and in other areas of strength and conditioning for kids to prevent injury in the first place so um there's a lot still to be done let's see what comes out in the uh the final report but thank you both for going appreciate yeah thank we appreciate it more oh sorry there's more so I I'll make this quick um School uh school security talked about that we talked about Athletics uh budget I just really this part of I know we'll talk about budget under old business but uh and the finance report but I just wanted to mention it's really important not only you know in terms of my comments at the beginning of my report in terms of uh how much time uh over the 8we period the board spent vetting the budget and really digging in and again if anybody wants to go online it's almost a 30 page question and answer document I mean that is demonstrative of the of that and that's one document that has to do with how much work we've done with the budget but in terms of um kind of uh formal and uh organic collaboration that goes on around the budget it's important for everybody to know that we continue that um we have a standing uh Casey and I have a standing weekly meeting with Mr Dunn and Miss Mar and our town controller um and and this is an annual it was with Mrs car last year Mr Dunn before that um where we're always uh collaborating on most mostly budget issues or facility issues it's kind of what the town shares you know those kind of issues but that's ramped up it's almost daily now um over the last few months that we're talking chatting Mara stops down Steve stops down we go down to see and there's a lot of uh good collaboration going on there um the board of finance and board of Selectmen have submitted a lot of questions through the finance committee that have been forwarded to us and we've responded to those um actually this week one of uh Mr Hoffman one of the new uh Board of Finance Representatives was interested in learning more about the budget asking some questions so Mara Mr hoffen Casey and myself we spent a couple hours together this week or earlier this week one morning so really working together there um I think uh what was it uh just the other night Wendy you were at the board of Selectmen meeting providing an update to the board of selectman regarding the January finances monthly we try to get um Rosa typically goes to the board of Finance meetings to do the monthly updates um and uh what was the other one I think tomorrow night Ros and Wendy will be at board Board of Finance talking more about the budget um and we've also um really worked uh hard with all of our new information and we I shared an email with you and we'll talk about that in a little while uh about how we're progressing to meet the $575,000 reduction so far a lot of new information on health insurance and things like that that have gone positively thus far so um that's it on budget for now and then the last thing uh bef has supported us with the France trip so Dr man can you add a little to that for us sure so bef had their um uh monthly meeting last night of which I wasn't able to attend but I was excited that uh our um director of World Language and multi- language learning Katherine abgo and our French Middle School teacher Keith Johnston had submitted uh to bef for a grant to help support the trip that is upcoming um that this board has so generously supported in terms of your um you know giving your permission for it last year um so part of their 10day tour is uh two days is One Night in Paris so they're and actually they were able to move some things around so they're going to be flying directly into Paris and that's going to be the start of their trip um and so part of that is an educational tour you know company taking them around to various places um which costs uh $52 $55 per person and they have um 52 students going in the chaperon so they asked bef to sponsor this portion of their trip and uh to the tune of $2,585 and bef has very generously supported that so we are really excited that um you know we continue to be able to partner with and our students are continue to be the beneficiaries of um the generous donations from the public and from Brookfield I think it's an awesome you know kind of community entity that uh Brookfield has um and when Once the students get back they will be putting together presentations 7th 8th and nth graders because these were the sixth seventh and eighth graders from last year who hosted um and so they'll be putting together uh presentations and hopefully we can have some come present to the board they were also be sharing um in their classes through social studies and French when they return so we're excited for that so thank you to the bef and for everyone who supports the bef I know that a lot of you do and hopefully the M uh hopefully the first of many trips for our students to get out there in the world Yep they're planning them they're already planning they're excited so that's it thank you all thank you Dr BR and thank you Dr man appreciate that um let's move now to uh item 10 on the agenda the subcommittee reports um let's kick off with uh Finance Roso what do you have for us uh so we last met on Tuesday the 21st um our regular meeting would have been the 13th um but that was canceled due to snow so we met on the 21st which is a week later to go over the January um financial report um so um we had uh one public comment um regarding um the budget freeze which hasn't been kind of talked about too openly so I'll touch on that um tonight um we went over check registers so we take a look at all checks over $1,000 written in that month um and the committee members asked a few clarifying questions and then we went over the January financial report where um it's it's a pretty familiar um report um it summarized an approximate $493,000 uh budget shortfall and in particular we have now moved into a more less than a frost but more of a freeze but um to sort of clarify what that means um you know to my knowledge nothing has been denied um in terms of purchases but it's sort of like a hey if you can hold off on purchasing it don't purchase it if that textbook can get one more year out of it let's do that so it's freezes in terms of that so we can take money from sort of Supply accounts for the most part um okay okay so yeah so that was it for the financial report um we also were given um for the first time um a a very long budget transfer list um we as a board typically see large transfers um if you know large sums need to be moved from you know one account to say the salary line to cover a new position or something that we've added mid budget year um but we took a look a look at all the budget transfers and Casey had this idea to to bring this forward to the finance subcommittee maybe once or twice a year just to kind of see the ins and outs of of every account and um and I thought that was pretty helpful so I think that's going to be a good tool for us to to look at just a couple times a year um and then miscellaneous discussion I um Casey you had mentioned this during our uh joint meeting with the board of selectman and board of Finance um talking about that teacher turnover term and we we have that as a line item in our budget but it's kind of um it's a little bit misleading because it's not ju the it's a it's not just related to teacher turnover right so we have a bunch of you know sort of um budgetary shortfalls um and savings right and we're talking about long-term Subs um in being sort of like a liability that we don't budget for at all and then we usually see some teacher turnover savings but we also see Savings in leaves and vacancies so it's kind of all muddled together even though we call it all teacher turnover savings so um we kind of toyed around with the idea of maybe making it or just calling it something different like maybe just salary savings because it really kind of relates to the savings that we would see from leaves and vacancies as well so um that's something that might come about maybe not for this budget um but for the next maybe budget cycle um and that was that was pretty much it so unless anybody has any questions Rose if I could I just want to make sure I clarify that the point you made about leaves and vacancies because when you when you say we we don't budget for that I don't want anybody who might be listening to think that we're derel in our duty um you really can't budget for that um one the board doesn't hold contingency anywhere that's not appropriate that's for the town to do and we work together with our friends on the board of Finance uh and and work those uh issues out um but with leaves and V acies we don't know who's going to be on a maternity leave we don't know who is going to have a very serious illness and need be out for a long time with lots of treatment what happens with these different leaves is for a time uh the staff members not just teachers right so all of our staff members and all six bargaining units and are unaffiliated um may use sick days but there may be a point where they need to actually take a formal leave where sick days are not applied well once they take that leave where sick days aren't applied that that's where we would start to save money because they're not being paid most of the time there is a sub brought in for somebody like that but many times there's not whether the sub is brought in or there's there's no one there to replace that person for a month or so whatever the case may be a sub is usually less expensive than the the actual employee so there's savings there if it's um uh an area where we aren't able to have someone replace that person for the the the leave that they're on then there's a real serious significant excuse me savings there so it but you just don't know that's the the that's why a budget all the time is an estimate of what you need for the year because you just don't know things come up and that's why it's so important for us to work with other Town officials as well as the Board of Ed and be so transparent about our budget and Report monthly on what's going on so everyone knows exactly what's happening so I just want to be really clear on that for every no thank you thank you and I think that's going to be another it's an important topic for us to continue at our fin finance committee meeting next week think as well y thank you um then let's move to uh a report on policy and Communications please okay so the uh policy and Communications subcommittee also met on Wednesday February 21st and we had uh been discussing the school uh the I'm sorry the um student survey policy which has been ongoing since the last board um um and we had been discussing some of the language uh maybe making some modifications and we uh are now in a position to um bring this to the board on our next meeting so March 20th for the first read for the full board so that's where we are there we also had a couple of other policies uh that we wanted to take a look at one of them was a school library media policy 6563 specifically with the selection criteria and the um the weeding out of material in the collection and we had a you know a discussion about that we were looking at possibly changing some of the language uh we looked at the New Town School District's paragraph which I think had also been um looked at previously by the former board and we decided to um come back to the next meeting with some suggestions on that language the policy number 514 5.5 which is a sexual harassment policy we tabled because we ran out of time so that is another um that's another policy that's coming up for discussion next time around and that's it holl can ask a clarifying question um do you think it would be beneficial for um all board members to review um 6162 51 about the survey of students before we meet next time sure that would be helpful okay so uh please put that into your calendar to uh yeah to to read um before our next meeting thank you so you're all set then all set thank you very much okay let's move then to um let's move then to the consent agenda Stephanie take it away I move that the board approve the items listed below on the consent agenda as recommended new hires resignations and financials from January 2024 do we have a second on this thank you very much Sarah um all in favor of approving the consent agenda I hi any opposed I just a quick question um for the OT position is that we're still in um you know doing our mandated IEP we're not out of compliance with anything by not there hasn't been a concern presented from Mr Roland on that at all okay is that something that we're looking to fill oh yeah as soon as possible absolutely all these positions are posted okay yeah she does she doesn't actually leave until a couple weeks and so we posted yesterday I think okay okay um I think I jumped the gun then um I did I called the vote before um you were able to ask your question so can we just do the vote again please thank you is there are there any other questions all right all in favor of approving the consent agenda say I I I any opposed okay so the consent agenda is approved awesome um let's move now to item 12 new business um we're going to receive an update on instructional coaches from um Dr man and from um director of instruction Deb Fus on The Daily roles and responsibilities of instructional coaches I believe this is part two in the series continuing roll roll out right our series Wendy if I may before they start I just want to provide a a little bit of Conta context we spend a lot of time appropriately on the budget on facilities on finances on um uh policy um we just talked about all of that tonight Athletics uh but at the the end of the day all of that is in service to Student Learning that's why we are here that is the backbone of why you have school in the first place is the sole reason for our purpose is the students in their learning and what I'm excited about with this presentation tonight I think they've done a heck of a job and the instructional coaches were a part of developing some of this with with Deb and Anna is I hope beyond the details of information you pull out and although this is this is still high level for you know everything that goes on on a daily basis that you see the alignment and the coherence of the board approved strategic plan from one literally one year ago I think you know this month um and all of the work for the last year that's gone into this and then that will continue to go into this so I'll leave it there but thank you for your thank you in advance for your attention please okay so similar to Ava no it's on okay thanks um I also didn't neglected to print out copies for all of you so I'm going to invite you all to actually move to a better position so that you can actually see the presentation you don't have to move if you can see it that's great and we will be providing you um a copy of this we'll uh PDF it in email um and then uh and we'll also be posting it online for everyone to see so we were here when January I think with our you know the introduction of our series and our first episode that was focused really you know on the concept of the uh you know the Continuum of curriculum instruction and assessment um and so we really dug into the concept of curriculum and the review process and what is what does curriculum do for uh for a school district um and that was what the first episode was about the second episode is really focused around um sure thanks the instructional core um so this is episode number two highly anticipated um so as you saw you know this is just a review of the purpose of the series series um the first part was concretizing the curriculum process tonight we're really excited to share with you um kind of the conect Highlight the connection of the Continuum um between curriculum and instruction and assessment but really bringing out that instructional core we spoke I spoke uh at the last Cape meeting about the kind of GES gave an update on the instructional core um and this was actually a phrase that uh uh Mr Roney from the board of Finance had asked about you know the instructional Corey asked to get information on the on the whole instruction core from you know class I don't not so much classroom teachers but from instructional coaches all the way up through um Administration and so I really liked that kind of you know kind of visual of this is the core of everything we do so tonight we're going to be talking with you sharing with you you know kind of what is the instructional core and how does it relate to the Continuum of curriculum instruction and assessment where do the instructional coaches fit into the instructional core along with uh the administrative UH responsibilities and then the roles and responsibilities of all of those members and then we'll get into what the last episode for the spring will be in terms of the evaluation piece a sneak preview thanks yeah little sneak preview and obviously this has helped everybody including the public um understand the intended outcomes of our critical work so the first is who is the instructional Corp so this is the who of the instructional Corp so first our instructional coaching team there are seven members of our instructional coaching team and um they are all veteran in uh teachers um most of whom have done had served for a long time in the in Brookfield Public Schools so our K5 Ela and some of these were adjustments this this year because of the uh clees um you know the um right sizing the school the school district so Julie vaugh is the K5 Ela uh instructional coach Jim Jim Fitzpatrick K5 math uh Jen shoot is K8 social studies so this is her first year serving as an instructional coach she had been a seventh grade social social studies teacher um but she's now in that role of K8 social studies instructional coach Rachel Cohen um is the K8 science uh instructional coach Aggie Burns is 68 Ela she had been 5'8 but when we right-sized the middle school they went to 68 Mark JW is 68 math and then Jackie Whiting is our K12 technology integration coach um so she serves all the whole District uh uh many of these and I'll talk about this at a later slide many of these uh people served in roles of content leaders prior to being instructional coaches um and so we'll talk about kind of how we're getting you know a little bit we expanded the role and getting a little more bang for our buck but the instructional core is not just the instructional coaches um it really you know it kind of spans the whole gamut uh so the district administrators and building administrators who are part of that direct instructional core are Miss Debbie FAS our director of instruction um and then at the high school level 9912 humanities Dr Spencer Dr Liz Spencer 912 stem is uh Mr Andrew Hill and then Katherine orgo who I mentioned earlier is K12 so she is a district level uh administrator for World Language and multilanguage Learners and then as we also spoke about earlier uh Mr Steve Baldwin is not only our athletic director overseeing middle school and high school sports he also oversees the um curriculum instruction assessment K12 for physical education and health um and so that's our kind of our core team we also don't want to leave out all of the people who do um you know are working with students directly every day and are the beneficiaries of this instructional core team so our classroom teachers our interventionists our par Educators school and District administrators all of whom I feel like we kind of like rotate around this instructional core team so this should look familiar Debbie's going to review it again yes so first of all thank you for the opportunity to present episode two of our three-part miniseries um this slide should look familiar um it really we spoke to this last time when we introduced the concept of you know the curriculum instruction and assessment and the Precision of alignment with relations in relation to curriculum instruction and assessment so um as mentioned last time we start with the standards they're kind of like the building codes to use the analogy of let's say construction right um standards are really the foundational building blocks they represent really the minimum foundational um building block basically of uh of what we are required to include in our curriculum right so the we bundle those required standards or put them you know group them together in a way that's meaningful developmentally appropriate and we span it across we Pace it across the context of the 10-month school year we then use those standards to build out grade level Maps which is to build the curriculum which goes above and beyond standards um which represents kind of like the blueprints if you will with um in that analogy of construction and the curriculum map basically has the standards that are unpacked or basically um you know um you take apart if you will the content and the skills from the language of the standards right so what do students have to know and what do students have to be able to do in relation to the required um foundational building blocks of the standards and from that we then um identify resources and the pacing is outlined within the curriculum apps and as I mentioned last time that's when you have the big Ideas which are the the teacher facing why why and you know why are we teaching this why do students have to learn this and then the student facing essential questions why am I as a learner learning this and again the content and the skills and then um we get to the instructional piece but before we do that I'll talk about assessment which is then kind of like the building inspection right um where it's like okay how are you doing relative to the building codes and the standards and also in terms of the content and the skills so that's where you're able to measure evidence of success relative to the standards and the curriculum and as we mentioned last time that Precision of alignment is through the way that we do the development the curriculum development process is through alpha numeric coding to be able to precisely align the standards to the assessments and then to the instruction so the constru the instruction is basically the construction right you're constructing learning so you're taking the standards in the curriculum the assessment and now it's the how how are students going to learn this and that's really through um uh uh instruction so the other part of the curriculum is taking the instructional components which is basically built from the standards we call them learning targets so what is it that students have to be able to know and be able to do and that's in the form of learning targets and activities and those are also alphabetically um we use the alphab numeric coding to be able to align precisely from the skills that are derived from the language of the standards to the assessments and to the learning targets activities and resources so there's that real Precision of alignment directly related from curriculum standards curriculum assessment and instruction so that's little arrow is that's what we're here to talk to you about today so with that um we know who are part of the instructional core um and we refer to the folks in the instructional Corp as the leaders of of the Learners right so this is just a a a list some bullet points of some of the responsibilities and duties of the folks myself included um in the instructional core so uh as instructional uh leaders of Learners we certainly support the learning of all students um through effective instructional um approaches we work in collaboration with individual teachers or teams of teachers to address an area of identified need to improve student learning outcomes and we do this again in collaboration with teachers who are obviously also an essential part of the instructional core uh we work on implementing processes and procedures for assessments um Universal screeners diagnostic assessments summi of Assessments formative assessments all of these are different types of Assessments that are used for different purposes in order to inform instruction some of these assessments are assessments of learning and some of them are assessments for learning um we collect share and analyze data with teachers attend pre uh professional learning um training uh research in O often outside of school hours to really help lead professional learning in the district with teachers and educational leaders um so while teachers are in the classroom delivering instructional core um you know uh instructional leaders are also looking to gain uh and develop their own knowledge space and um professional learning in order to them be able to TurnKey that with um other members of the instructional Corp our teachers um and other folks um review CC and also actually create curriculum documents and align those with instructional approaches and research curricular tools to align with the curriculum instruction and assessment practices um in the district so these are just a few of the responsibilities um and duties of folks that are leaders of Learners in the instructional core and I just want to clarify here that the concept of Learners um is everywhere from our students to our teachers to our administrators right all the way up um through the entire organization um because we are a learning organization and that's one of the things that we're interested in showing you the alignment to um the Strategic plan um but you know that the idea that the um instructional coaches and the administrators in charge of curriculum instruction and assessment have the opportunity to help uh kind of bring together help coales all of the concept of the conri curriculum instruction and assessment Continuum um and they do that through embedded ongoing professional learning right and we thought instead of talking about let's say a day in the life of you know an instructional coach or an instructional leader um because no day is necessarily the same and it's so the responsibilities and the duties can change but they really do Encompass many of these um you know responsibilities and duties um certainly on a daily basis so um we have some professional anchor texts and some tools to talk about out today um while these are four anchor texts um here that we're sharing with you there were certainly more than four texts that the coaches and myself and folks in the instructional core have um you know engaged with but these are four I guess key or anchor texts that we've actually are using um have used and are continuing to use um with our instructional um model Co instructional coaching model so um we have the impact cycle which is a book by Jim kn and that actually really helped us when we first U brought on the instructional coaches to develop really what would an instructional coaching model or cycle um look like and I'll talk a little bit about that um as I share some of these tools and the next slide with you um you can see the instructional Playbook and I'll talk a little bit about that and give you an example of such a tool and then the other two books leading student- centered coaching and student centered coaching the moves are two books that we're doing a book study with um our facilitators from Ed Advance as um I think we have what 10 sessions um for the year about once a month uh that we get together um and engage in this professional learning so as you can see there there's a lot of structure and systems in place to support the instructional coach coaches um it's not just kind of you know Fly by Night and yeah go into some classrooms and do some coaching there really is um a lot of structure a lot of thought and it's really a whole a model approach that we're working with probably have to click here oh thank you um and I want to just give a nod to a couple years ago um to Dr Ruby and uh Mrs FAS um and to the board for the foresight of looking at the um opportunity to use the the actually to leverage um you know covid and the impact of covid through the arser grants as well as looking at the cons the current model which was to have content leaders um and kind of M morph those into the role of the instructional coaches which as I see it as really an extension of um a lot of the work that is done um you know to support the specific instruction in the classroom but it kind of is that be created a Lynch pin it created a bridge from classroom teaching and the administration um to really hone in and focus in on uh the concept of you know enhancing instruction for and so it can enhance the experience of all students so um after the board approved the concept of these seven instructional coaches in the 20 the spring of 2021 the um first year of the instructional coaching model was 2122 and um that was when Mrs ferious and Dr Ruby first you know kind of led a book study around Jim Knight's work um with the instructional coaching team some there have been some changes in the actual Personnel on that team um but over the last couple years we have continued that work last year we all were kind of just figuring everything out so we didn't have a formal uh professional learning cycle with them but this year we wanted to bring it back and really hone in on the concept of student- centered coaching and learning targets and really helping um you know focus in on the experience of the student which aligns directly for to our strategic plan which we'll show in a little while um and also just help structure uh you know the concept for everybody and again as I've mentioned before and I'm you know preluding to our last episode um it's fortuitous because of what is coming down the pike with that embedded ongoing learning for teachers as they set their own professional learning plans and their goals going into next year so we're probably out yes okay so I'm going to show you this results-based coaching tool so you can really see how it's a very um thoughtful and structured process so with this and again we'll share all of this so you folks have it yeah so this is a sample of what the results-based coaching tool looks like and our coaches are currently using the this tool and it really reflects like in the you know in those shaded in um boxes um part of really the coaching cycle so you'll see that it begins with a standards-based goal and this is where the coach with the teacher in Partnership um establish a goal for student learning so it's student centered and it's based on a learning Target and learning targets are built into our curriculum as I shared before when we talked about instruction all of our learning targets are directly aligned through our alpha numeric coding to the standards and which are derived from oh excuse me to the skills which are derived from the standards so you can still see that connection to standards curriculum instruction and and how the coaching tool itself is really connected to the student learning um and the curriculum obviously um as well so in that you the teacher and the uh coach partner they um focus on a student learning Target and targets often times and it's um based on a stent learn student centered goal and you can see what what we are the students now so there's Baseline data that's considered um so they use formative assessment which is an assessment type that's really for learning um it's kind of like a pre-assessment if you will um prior to going into a unit most of the coaching Cycles are around you know six to eight weeks give or take and that usually aligns with the length of a um of a unit a grade level unit um so you can see the Baseline data is um is taken um and then the what instructional practices will help students reach the goal so that's the part now where the coach and the teacher are identifying an effective instructional practice or instructional strategy a high impact High effect size instructional strategy to be able to um use to be able to impact students in a positive way so this is really kind of like the learn aspect so with a coach is really helping the teacher to learn a highly effective instructional strategy and I'll show you with the instructional Playbook how that also informs the coaching tool Etc did you have a question now H just a quick question my thing keeps going on um are these uh voluntary or is this across the board it's voluntary it is voluntary um and it really also happens organically through our professional Learning Community meetings our plc's um because the coaches um are at at Candlewood Lake Elementary School are running um or facilitating I should say professional Learning Community meetings with teacher um it's not whole grade levels but part you know communities part of um grade levels and where they uh will be looking at a unit of instruction let's say it's a you know a reading unit of instruction um where teachers are then going to be um as a as a teaching team using this form well the coaches using this form as they're guiding and facilitating um teacher um teacher meetings uh whether it's individual teachers or whether it's groups of teachers so a lot of times it comes organically where during a PLC meeting um you could be reviewing you know for of assessment data for example the other day we were looking at iabs which are interim assessment blocks from uh from the state from the the espa assessment and smarter balanced and looking at that data then uh teachers just organically will say hey can you help me you know with X Y and Z and looking at the data and then that starts to form a relationship between teacher and Coach so long-winded way to answer your question is it is voluntary uh no teacher is forced into a coaching partnership a coaching situation um but we do there's coaching that's happening also in a less formal way through the professional learning uh you know facil the plc's facilitations um of the instructional coaches and myself I'm at those meetings as well so if I could just also add um so right now yeah and this is the you know kind of second and a half third year of professional um of instructional coaches um and this is just I don't want to get too far into the weeds of going through every single piece of this because you know again we were going to be sharing this with you and you can kind of get a sense of this essentially is making the coaching visible right it's a kind of like an opportunity for the teacher and the coach or the teachers and the coach because coaching can happen with groups of teachers as well as uh Debbie was mentioning um this uh format just really kind of helps outline and concretize for the whole group to decide what are what's almost like a you know kind of like what are we agreeing to on this and um where are the spec how are we always looking back to the students as far as it being voluntary um as Debbie said that it is the formal coaching Cycles are however we are at the point where we're building capacity with our te with our within our schools particularly K8 um so that as we go into next year this will be built can be built in as an opportunity for a way for a teacher to achieve a goal right so it might be that a teacher is saying I really need to learn I want based on my experience I want to learn about how to be better at responding to the needs of my students more immediately so I'm going to use I want to understand formative assessments the use of formative assessments as an instructional tool I'm going to as part of my goal bless you um enter into a coaching cycle with one of the coaches specifically on math and um work on this as you know as as my own learning so while it is voluntary now I anticipate it becoming um an opportunity for teachers to really demonstrate use of or uh you know actualizing of their goals in the future as we change on the previous slide um it was identifying areas of weakness through analysis of data so I would imagine that that that's probably triggered by uh um by assessments of some sort um you know maybe yeah right so that would be something that would be more across the board than individual teachers so in that is there any kind of a structure or a uh format through which that data is um or those areas of weakness that have been identified are then um talked about with teachers and then and how do you address them like across the board right so that's why um that's where the PLC piece we're kind of like walking backwards here but that's um the instruct that instructional coaching tool is one part of an instructional coach's kind of position right um they do a lot of working directly with students and directly in classrooms in terms of looking at you know administering data especially or administering assessments especially if um a teacher needs to have a particular assessment done kind of more individually um but then also taking helping uh kind of harvest that data and looking at it um systematically and then making helping make it uh meaningful for teachers so not only looking at it from the bird's eye view but also then having you know a particular uh classroom teacher dig into that classroom's data and then come up with ideas based around that information which also might be in relation to the whole cohort of this of the grade for example um or compared to previous years or that kind of thing so I hope that answers yeah okay so and again we're going to share these Resources with you so you'll be able to take a look at them and one of the other things that just to share on the um the last thing on the um the coaching tool the results based coaching tool one of the things is because I know that um one of the questions we were asked is how do you measure the impact of the coaching so this tool really does reflect all of the um the components that are in the the coaching cycle in addition you can see that teacher learning student learning right as a result of the coaching what instructional practices are being used on a consistent basis so as I said in Tern of on the in the learn part of the three parts of the coaching cycle so to speak there identify learn and improve so all of those pieces are in this tool and the teacher learning and the student learning um is really part of that improved part it's like okay so what did what did the teacher learn and how did that change you know their practice so if in in the example of a formative assessment um if that was a goal um or if that was an instructional practice excuse me relative to the goal so for example if the learning Target was something like um students will ask and answer questions about key details in a text right and I think that's like a first grade um standard um the teacher may elect to learn about formative assessment how can I use formative assessment to inform my teaching and to inform students on their um evidence of success or lack thereof yet relative to that learning Target then the teacher and the coach engage in that learning and um practices then changed right and then in the end there the student learning now again you're using an assessment to be able to see how did the students do relative to um you know their their learning right so you did the pre-assessment Baseline data at the end you're getting student data on you know on the learning um and then you followup plan for the students who didn't yet meet reach the goals so and this um this tool is a tool that our coaches have been um exposed to and been learning about this year and so it's something that is not necessarily you know embedded into their everyday work right now but it is something that uh we have asked them to work with uh this this spring um however another thing that they're working on um oh boy y well this is the instructional Playbook sample um this is not an example of one that our coaches have um started this is actually from the book a sample from the book the coaches are actually working together right now to create um the uh Playbook and just like in coaching right if you're a basketball coach or whatever it is whatever the sport is um coaches have playbooks right and the purpose for that is so that there are um plays that are highly impactful and successful in helping the players who are ex you know experts in what they're doing but have to learn how to you know certain plays that are going to help them to win the game right so that when the coach calls out you con everybody knows what that play is they know where they're supposed to be what the play looks like who's getting the ball who's shooting right so the same thing with our instructional Playbook is what high impact instructional strategies do we want in our playbook for our Educators our teachers the people that are in the instructional core to know so that when we talk about formative assessment there's calibration on that language of what is formative assessment what's the purpose what does it look like how is it used so then formative assessment becomes part of our district you know Playbook and this calibration of language of what that's going to look like so this is a sample part The Playbook actually has the um on each one of the strategies there's like a one pager this is kind of like the one pager and the components of it um you can see there like for example I won't get into into details on this but the hatti check like what's the research you know why is this a high impact strategy um and then as you scroll down you can see um you know how is it used by teachers how was it used by students and then the other part of it is a checklist so the checklist is kind of like a look for so that um and it's this part here is create Co I don't want to say created but it's revised if you will with the teacher um and the coach so when the teacher and the coach are working together to learn about the instructional strategy and this example would be formative assessment they look at this checklist and you know does this meet with you know what you're thinking about or what it what it looks like so there could be some you know revisions done to the checklist that are individualized for the students and for the teacher but what the instructional strategy is the instructional approach that's not revised because that's you know that's the Playbook right and therefore you then have a short experiences across the district as to what does this practice look like what does formative assessment look like how is it used and what is its purpose you can have like effective questioning um you know feedback other instructional practices um as well so while there is a published instructional Playbook we are also asking our instructional coaching team to come up with the a Brookfield Playbook and so that it can become a more shared um not only uh you know shared universal language but also the opportunity for teachers will know okay like eventually the goal would be that teachers are going to say hey Julie vau can you come in and help me with and you know formative assessments or small grouping based on you know the my middle of the Year data because I know that there's something there I just don't quite have I can't quite see it so the idea is to again build that capacity over time but not just take something that is already created and adapt it or adopt it it's to actually kind of create our own resource modeled after those resources and one of the benefits of also doing that is because it really deepens the learning for the instructional coaches as well because as they're creating it and getting you know collaborating and having that conversation it really deepens their understanding of the instructional practices as well and again that calibration of language so these are just um some we mentioned some of these some of the components of what student- centered instructional coaching looks like I don't have to read through all of this but as you can see right it's setting goals that a student centered it's got the identify the learn and the improve as part of the cycle and really as you can see here um the using student evidence again to c-plan instruction that's part of the learning phase um and measuring the impact of coaching on student and teacher learning and the seventh um number there is obviously it's it's imperative to partner with the school instructional leaders who really have to communicate and sustain the vision of instructional coaches um and really support that as well and this really um just continues on what the impact of coaching um has on student learning um and as you can see really here it it talks mostly I mean I'm not going to read them all but um coaches are really the critical drivers in improving student outcomes through building capacity and building capacity is kind of a little bit of an edge of jargon term but B really what building capacity means is to really deepen the understanding the knowledge and the skills of curriculum instruction basically teaching and learning so that um you know teachers can have the most effective curriculum as well as effective um teaching so that we can really um make sure that our student learning um is at the highest level as possible and I think what's important to kind of highlight from this slide is that this is not any one particular demographic of teacher it's not new teachers it's not you know very veteran teachers it's any teacher um can benefit from from this because it's not only the the you know our constant learning but it's also you adjust and grow based on your cohort of students that you have that year or based on your team you know if you move from fourth grade to fifth grade you have a whole different relationship with that team of teachers with whom you are working and so um it's really like uh Debbie had said before that partnership among all of the um Educators that are a part of the instructional core to to create that strong sense of capacity so that we know we can take a teacher can go to any level can kind of you know not necessarily to any um content area because of certifications but can be put in a situation where that teacher is going to be strong and also the kids are going to have that assured experience of um the high leverage instruction and just lastly on this slide I think it's really important to point out and we'll talk a little bit about it on the I don't know if it's the next slide or the next one but in one of these upcoming slides really on how the coaches again as those critical drivers really support the school Improvement efforts so that that deep levels of implementation can occur they really take the research and the best practice and help the implementation in the classroom so that it's sustainable and there's really deep levels versus a oneandone kind of PD where then um you know the teacher doesn't have that you know sustainable um support but coaches are really that um the sustainable support so that the implementation can actually be um deep so um last year I uh kind of gave an update in January of the instructional coaching model so some of these that's yeah sure that'd be great some of these are um you know this this is a reflection back to that um but the principles of instructional coaching in Brookfield specific are um you know yours going have to go through because she the idea yeah that uh oh oops sorry got a little happy um it's really that partnership focused on uh student learning that can continuous embedded professional growth and again that's going to be very important as we move forward to next year um in our new guidelines for Teacher um support and growth and that um creating that real ecosystem of professional learning you know that it's not just as Debbie said those you know that one day of PD in the very beginning of the school year and good luck for the rest of the year it is um that ongoing embedded uh ecosystem but also that continuous connection of the curriculum instruction and assessment um model um and so the idea that it does it has that it also um allows for a POS a positionality of curriculum being important on a regular basis um we all know as many of you are Educators that things get really hectic in a school and throughout the year and it's hard to kind of refocus and reframe everything that you're going you know you're focusing on with your instruction being informed by your curriculum and really using that assessment to inform that continuous instruction all right so um another kind of this is just a brief history of uh you know kind of hearkening back to last year and also thinking back to that that slide where I mentioned these veteran uh Educators so um out of the you know with still focusing on the instructional coaches as part of the core um the seven instructional coaches um are uh you know in those various areas um they are Ela and math positions no worries um that were already in the operating budget prior to 2021 um and so they were just reappropriated from those content areas to uh instructional coaches which actually in fact kind of broadened the impact um of the content and curriculum area folks um the three positions that were brought in at that point were funded through resser but um you know with the board's uh feedback and um with uh um the you know central office focus of making sure it was built in over time there was a phase in that was planned for so that those three there was no budget Cliff which is I have to say pretty masterful given what we're seeing around the state at this point um it's really focused on those highly impactful instructional approaches and the authentic assessment strategies we talk a lot about tier one instruction um so just the idea that every student benefits from this right this is not a specialized thing this is not a pull out it's not an intervention it is something that happens across the the Continuum of the classroom um and really kind of creates that embedded PD it focuses um not not only on the curriculum and the instruction but that data piece or that assessment piece to use student data um as a way to really leverage um getting into instructional uh reflection and then um again that like thinking back to that tier one entire class so that all students benefit um from these this you know expertise all right so again you know I like to love to align back to that one pager you're going to see this for a while um but thinking about what we really wanted to do is just just kind of highlight how impactful the instructional core and um the work of the instructional coaches and the uh District administrators and and building administrators is with um realizing our goal of the fiveyear Strategic plan um you know so again you can kind of look through all of this but it's important to note that every single goal of each one of the four goals there is something that the instructional Corp if not a lot of things um really has a a hand in um in order to realize and so just as a reminder those Brook field SE seas and the Strategic actions those are our larger overarching five-year um focus the bottom um part is the actual is this year right so explicitly in the port of ports of The Graduate explicitly integrated into curriculum at all grade levels well once we finalize that Port of the graduate which is also forthcoming that's going to be um the instructional coaches and the uh department leaders and content leaders um from the administration are going to be integral to making that come alive um we're going to have to set learning targets next year with the portrait of The Graduate that's going to be really important in terms of linking the in the curriculum instruction and the assessment um and we can go through a lot of other things but um one thing that Debbie mentioned earlier is that assured experience so right down here you know you you see this that is a written in um to our strategic plan for this year and going forward creating those assured experiences it doesn't mean that everything is lock step it means there are certain aspects whether it is regular use of formative assessments or you know really reflecting on using small group instruction based on middle or or beginning of the year data um those kinds of short assured instructional practices will then create assured experiences for our students so that we know that our students are me are meeting with those standards in the curriculum um at each of the grade levels um we talked about that that third uh area of of Technology um integration that is uh super important with our technology integration coach um she is really focusing a lot this year on embedding professional learning um with the use of Technology at the high school at the middle school and um at the at for the fifth grade teachers in particular at the elementary school and then also that concept of you know is this a good investment and is this good bang for our buck um and we believe that it is so that kind of brings us toward the end of our instructional core presentation but we didn't want to let you go without uh you know giving a little more of a review um with kind of what's coming up next I'm hoping for May it might be June based on how our professional development and evaluation committee um is able to how quickly they're able to work but um we are really going to be kind of finalizing and summing this whole presentation series up with the uh ultimate presentation we'll talk a little bit about assessment and how that relates back to uh the instructional core and the Continuum but then really use it as an opportunity to present to you um the tenets of our new teacher value valuation system um for lack of a better word um that is really all about support and growth and it's not just for teachers but for educational leaders as well so that's what's coming up next and we are happy to take questions and again we will share this with you so that you're all right well we may we may have some things that we want to go back to I just have a couple I think they're all related I'm not sure first question I know that at whiskin there's a math teacher who's out a um from what I understand there's a math teacher math teacher who's out fifth grade uh well whis has Lake yes L I forgot my schools again um was is that a PO to in looking for a long-term sub is taking one of the coaches a possibility for some for something so significant like covering content when we don't necessarily have a teacher or a sub who can do that yeah go ahead so I can speak that a little bit um Jim Fitzpatrick our amazing uh math instructional coach has been supporting um the person who is um subbing in that um in that role um so the coach is involved in supporting the the teacher um but he is not teaching all of the classes he's done some modeling and some teaching um and some co- teaching so he's working closely with the teacher but he's not subbing in right so just to kind of answer that kind of more generally um it we would not take a teacher out of one position necessarily like an instructional coaching position and put them in as a long-term sub um because that based on our model but also kind of based on our our general approach to filling long-term sub positions we probably wouldn't reappropriate that way necessarily um and we have been able to find a long-term sub for that position um and so that that's not happening explicitly but as Debbie said he's doing a lot of he's doing a lot of support and some coaching and certainly if he were to be in that position we would be taking him from you know all of the other classrooms that he is supporting um with you know the illustrative math um adoption that we have this year um as well so he's he's very busy and in high demand but um please know that he is supporting um that teacher who's doing very well by the way and I think the other piece um Sarah to answer that question is that at the elementary school when at any school when we get a long-term sub we're always looking for someone certified in that particular area at elementary school it's a general Elementary certification it's not a math certification so that's something just as a for those who might be watching at home than I know you know that and then in terms of um do are teachers able to give the coaches feedback yes in any like especially teachers who maybe you know three four years ago who before the instructional coaches to kind of see the value added is that something that well as far as um kind of like a General survey and like we we don't do we don't survey um teachers for other teachers um that's not part of our uh our like an evaluative piece but as far as giving feedback of how effective was this coaching cycle how um you know did I feel like this you know based on the um data that I'm gathering and based on the way that I'm seeing my classroom uh function absolutely there's a kind of a that partnership piece is really integral to the coaching model so they don't um again te it's not part of the evaluation or that kind of like you know we give our survey to no I didn't mean like formally I just meant more of like that feedback back back and forth absolutely because again this is about this is about helping everybody grow this is you know and if if a a coach is um working with one teacher in one classroom on formative assessment but working on differentiated instruction in another classroom it might be a place where the coach would say hey I really think that you know this teacher might be able to learn from from um another teacher so I'm going to be that kind of conduit back and forth so they'll be asking for feedback on a particular instructional approach or even you know just solving an issue that's in one classroom that they're seeing in another and the other part of the results based coaching tool that we didn't show you um here also is the EV the self-reflection form so there's a teacher self-reflection form and a coaching self-reflection form so they engage in that in that conversation as well so it's a a very good question and the coaches are always looking for feedback because as you know lifelong Learners themselves they obviously want to want to improve their practice as well and similarly they offer feedback to the administration just like you know other teachers do so they'll be that's been part of our ongoing professional learning this year is inviting the administration in not just the content leaders um because they have also been brought in um as part of the for their own professional learning but a couple times throughout this series we have invited the principles in so that they can be because they have to be the champions of um you know really kind of embedding this not only from what they're saying at their faculty meetings into their faculty but also through uh the mindful creation of plc's and you know the scheduling and that kind of thing so they are part of that feedback loop and that partnership um I think when we first started this we got to see some metrics in terms of of like how many teachers were engaging with coaches and things like that is that something that we can sort of have refreshed data on is I know it was like it was like in the first year of implementation I don't even think all of these coaches were a part of the district at the time um but if possible I'd like to see sort of how that's grown and how teachers have if if they have embraced sort of this model sure we can um have a comeback next time in terms of actual like you know in terms of Psych coaching Cycles but also how many teachers have they worked with in a variety we'll kind of put together a almost like a chart of you know coaching Cycles versus um data review teams plc's mtss those kinds of things we could do that thanks definitely I'm wondering just based on the timing of when the coaches uh this whole you know these positions were implemented am I am I right in saying that they were possibly in implemented at the same time time that we were starting to see learning gaps because of the pandemic so H so thinking about that were these meant to be like permanent positions or were these thought of as the planning for these positions were they considered to be well let's let's get this in and let's see if we can close these gaps and learning and these might might be sort of temporary things until we can move forward or were these meant to be permanent positions I'm going to defer to my colleagues who have been here longer but I can tell you that um my understanding and what I I see the value in the permanency of this of these positions um and I I especially because there was a reappropriation of kind of assignment from the content leaders which have been in the curriculum leaders at TH those four at the elementary and middle Ela and math um the idea of kind of baking in the concept of instructional coaching along with that content and curriculum uh expert um is definitely a sustainable model that would be that benefits the entire District um you know we've talked a lot about uh the pathways the professional development Pathways this year and um the coaches are part A really a major part of that because they are able to help teachers um across the building at Cs and then also across the district K8 and K12 when they work with their content leaders at uh Partners at the high school um with that kind of uh that concept of vertical articulation and vertical alignment and so having a tool like that having something an infrastructure like that built in is really important for the success of uh you know rolling out the Strategic plan and realizing all of the aspects of that so I would say it's definitely something that I think was created under the opes of this is a permanent model um that you know is not just about addressing learning gaps but also about making the district continuously making the district better so the the ad there so Anna nice job on that I know you've been here a year and a half got history on it there for us so they always were meant to be permanent holla and the the part in terms of learning recovery Summer School uh emotional support tutors uh math interventionists those were some of the other pieces that were either brought in right around that time or um with some arester funds to help us with that in terms of the actual uh goals and and like we shared in I think it was December um we really had some incredible gains um last year through last spring in terms of our uh Smarter Balance assessment we look forward that that continued growth but this is a continuous Improvement model and it's a culture of learning as they discussed tonight Joy did you have something no okay um anybody else thank you very much ladies that was very informative you Debbie thanks Anna so you'll be sending you'll be sharing that out with us we will thank you very much P send it out and we'll put it up it's back wonderful so um I think it's good that Lisa here that she's missed she's oh she's always missed when she's not here she's right she allowed to get sick too so yes yes inde it's okay okay then with that uh let's move to Old business and um we are going to uh continue our discussion on the uh 2024 2025 adopted budget um if needed I understand Casey you have some exciting updates for us that um I I just wanted to sort of just preface this because it's more of like an overarching sort of comment but um just to kind of refresh the Public's um understanding of our budget process um and I wish uh the public speaker had stayed maybe to hear this um but it's it's far from a rubber stamp process and I know all of you guys know that because um either you served on the finance committee or were at some point a part of it um and so you know the amount of hours that went into it um and that are still going into it um and you know a lot of the reductions and the adjustments that I think Casey will talk about tonight um were not we far from magically found I think we we were very clear about um keeping an eye on health insurance how that was going to vastly affect the budget and as you'll see did um and also you know special education tuition Transportation those are all very big items that we always keep an eye on and that always affect the budget in very big ways um and then lastly I think and maybe to a point like we didn't talk a whole lot about the Investments as a board but I think that was just maybe taken for granted by us because they were Investments that were planned years ago um and so we kind of had already talked about publicized them um so they were not um sort of glossed over in any way but I think that we had just we sort of understood what they were and maybe the public needed a bit more sort of reminder about that sort of plan um that were in the last year of of a three-year roll out so um so I think that that's um but we still have a very big chunk of that um Board of selectman reduction to go um but I and I think Rose if I could I could jump in just a little bit about process it's important for people to understand as well um the the in in Brookfield um and and comparatively in Connecticut the budget process is is an eight-month process eight of the 12 months we are working on the budget we always we are living in the current budget and managing that um and uh we are planning for next year's budget and as all of you know um because I I shared this with you in December even our new board members October 1st KC and I send out the first memo to the administration of how they're going to go about developing the budget for this particular year and and while there's some pruner things that are typical but there are different year-to-year things that we have to do um we look at the Strategic plan we look at our goals we look at board priorities for the coming year we talk in October about board priorities and assumptions um that is a two-month development process and then not typically uh like other districts in Connecticut um we present and it's by Charter um the budget Board of bed budget has to be to the first elction by the end of January which backs up the calendar where I have been asked to present the budget at the very beginning of December and I've done that eight of the nine years that I've been here at the very first meeting in December it's a very early time to present the budget because we don't know all of the numbers we're making a lot of estimates and to use one of Wendy's terms they see a lot of how we make the sausage um it's a new term for me this year I've never used that before but I like it because the public sees all of this now my colleague uh in in Orange presented his budget this week to the to the board if I presented the budget this week to our board here this $470,000 in reductions we're talking about likely would have occurred and you wouldn't have seen uh in in the an an anxiety causing hand ringing that goes on of oh my gosh this is such a large budget um and then have all this hope and plan and careful uh monitoring of what's going on we've been doing this for three months three months and other districts in Connecticut and just the design of their Charter are just presenting this week some haven't even presented their budgets yet so we have a very drawn out process we just need to think that through and not punish ourselves for that and this is the whole Community I'm talking about so and it is I and I said this we want to be careful about not getting too emotional early in December because we got a long way to go and we're finding some very favorable news here that I shared with you just the other day um so that's a big piece of this the other piece that's really important um is to mention uh health insurance it was very early we've had incredibly in the last two years favorable news from what we originally put out there as the number uh and this is the same as the town to where it's going to land and I'll let Casey talk about that in just a second the other piece is we have to um give credit to our special education department our supervisors um our director uh and frankly all of us that are working with students at at the schools um our correct report um from the program reviews really asked us especially the one that I originally was was saying that we should do which was about analyzing out placements in our special programs is our working with our out placements and the one of the recommendations was really take a look at how kids are developing uh in the special programs that we placed them in years ago with the families and see how they're progressing because maybe they can start to come back and Bill has shared news with us on several occasions where we have situations like that now where the families are comfortable with the progress of their child and are confident in the school system to be able to meet the student where they're at now in their development and what they learned in the specialized program because we don't want kids to be outplaced forever we certainly don't want students to have one-on-one pair of professionals forever if they don't have to we want students to be independent and so we're seeing some of that and that's the favorable financial news that's a result of that so those are some cont EXT that I really thought is important to share tonight um if I may I turn it over to uh if you could talk a little bit about the email we sent yesterday to the bo okay with some of the new news to meet the $575,000 reduction from the board of Select so the news the news as of yesterday Wy you're right is exciting news which is um that we did get the final number for um our health insurance increase um and if you recall we started back in December presenting a 7% increase to our health insurance and that has landed now at 2% um so um when we got that news yesterday I I uh updated our census as well because our our original estimate was um was uh developed based on the census of employees and staff um that uh were currently taking our insurance in November as you said we been working on on this for a long time so um I updated the census to make sure we had exactly the you know the most upto-date accurate information for the health health insurance and uh so the 2% increase actually will adjust down our budget request by $278,100 um electricity so as of yesterday um our electricity rate our supply rate originally in our budget was uh for for January through July of 2025 um we were estimating at 11 cents um good news um our purchasing agent has been in touch with his um energy um consultant um that he that he uh works with and he said safely we can assume 9.88 cents per kilowatt hour so that savings was just under $47,000 um and as Dr bril mentioned um uh Board of Finance member Brian Hoffman came in on Monday and um we spent a lot of good time had some really good conversations about a couple of areas um teacher turnover salary savings shwing up Subs like that was one conversation um and then we went into depth um on electricity I shared with him my my SK my modeling schedule and how we did and he's he he sent feedback after looking at it himself um which did prompt me to look at not not our supply and not even necessarily our usage but um how how we were figuring our delivery rate and so I'm comfortable um reducing our electricity um estimate by roughly another $38,000 um sorry $33,000 so um on top of on top on top of the 46 so a total reduction electricity of 8,869 is what I'm comfortable with there and that's new information that Casey and Marshall worked on today not only on the town side but on on the board side but also on the town side so I did I did share that with Marsha the sort of my thinking and and the process I went through to to redo this model um not not huge impact but but we'll take every every dollar that we can and um and so Marsha is is understands how I did that and I think she um she uh she was aligned in and sort of how I I modeled that out um they she has a many more electricity accounts than we do so I don't know if using that same me the same rate um and I'm I'm not sure about exactly the same methodology but um but she certainly understood what I did and and and supported that so that was reassuring um and I do want to thank um Mr hoffen for his time on Monday that was very very well well spent um on my end at least I hope it was for him um before you move on could I ask a clarifying question please so let's say that my husband says wait what's this $33,000 reduction for when I get home if I say uh it's a remodeling of the electricity delivery schedule so the delivery so the there's two charges I I know way too much about electricity bills now um but there's two we had essentially two charges on our electricity bills we have a supply Supply charge and a delivery charge and the delivery um isn't it it it is calculated based on usage but there's also reductions in that and it's not straight kilowatt hours sometimes there's a portion of it that's the Max uh usage rate and the short so it's it's much more complicated than just like take your kilowatt hours and and apply a rate um so originally in my first modeling I was using um I was configuring delivery as a percentage of the total bill because it's it's fluctuates anywhere from 46 to 52% of the total bill so if I know my Supply rate char charges I got took an average of What the the delivery percentage was and backed it backed into it that way when I remodeled it um based on you know some feedback and from uh Mr hoffen which was which was helpful sort of trying to get that delivery rate a little bit more consistent um I essentially took an average of our total um delivery rate per kilowatt hour and appli that factor and that that did bring the charges down um I think it's I think it's sound I'm I'm comfortable reducing it um by that amount um we do have we have had a very mild winter um and so um you know I don't I don't know you know there's so many what ifs but we we have to we have to just go with our our um best estimate based on the information and data we have CES obviously is still um um somewhat unknown we only have now five months of electric bills there and the kilowatt you know the the usage is sort of all over the map um anywhere from 990,000 kilowatt hours a month and I think um September was 2 38,000 Kil you know so so that's still um a bit of a question mark but um but based on the data we have I'm I'm very comfortable with that with that projection there so all of that said um the total adjustments to the budget uh right now we're looking at just just over $58,000 um so we're still looking for $67,000 and so and it is really important to note that these are adjustments to the budget we are not changing how we are educating kids with these changes it's still a really it's still the the best budget that we can that we can offer um and these are just straight adjustments based on um the timing of when information has come in um and and really sort of trying to fine-tune um these estimates as we as we do have time to do that so know what the overall percentage increase is now yes uh 5.42 okay with that additional 33,000 correct thank you Casey yep I was just reaching the limits of my mental math I was like uh um and then and then the other know that look everywhere and then the other important piece that I think we will um continue to look at and I think it's going to be a really important conversation for us to have at the finance committee next week is um is there any um is there any uh any room to reduce further um a salary line uh based on you know historical leaves and vacancies and what we may see for next year um again that's really just um a question of your comfortability with risk and budgeting and and unknown um because these things are certainly not known um so that's that's that's going to be a really important conversation for us to have next week I think um and there may be some opportunity there as well Casey can you share a little bit I know you had some conversations today you were going to go through an exercise and put some uh charts together um from early December and then different reductions over the course of time so it's very uh concrete for everybody to see yes yeah so so um at the board of Finance last night um they they have they've requested that they see sort of our starting point the budget that was presented by Dr bril on December 6th and then any changes um after that that brought us to the um 2024 Board of at adopted Budget on January 17th and then any changes after that that brought us to um the uh adjusted budget as of 227 like before before it went to the board of Selectmen but again they still got this the full 6.43 but we already went into that meeting knowing we had some some reductions um and then again since um the board of Selectmen has now sent it to the board of Finance what do we know now so like the electricity changes the additional changes to health insurance and sort of just that timeline of where these changes came and um and what the the final adjusted sort of natural budget looks like as of today so I I have worked on putting that together um I think we're going to connect tomorrow Rosa is that right um so I want to share that with you before I I you know send it down the hall of course um and um so that's what we'll great yeah thank you we'll have that ready my mic wasn't on this whole time um the for the special education tuition and transportation those adjustments is that for maybe a student coming back into the district that's exactly what that is we and student um so it's one student coming back in and then another uh change in placement for another student and what I asked uh Mr Roland to do was to update the outplacement chart that we have great um which is as saying it anybody hears me speaking right now is absolutely not student identifiable at all doesn't have schools on there and it doesn't have student names anything like that um so we could you could actually see those moves um I know that there is some information uh two different students um one maybe a new out placement that is happening and we um have a strong case that may um there may be some really nice agreement of a student coming back so it's a constant e and flow and and recently things have been working in our favor uh in in a financial term they may not with the next bit of news and that is but it's you know at some point you have to make your decision and move forward and so that's where we're at and then we communicate the adjustments like we always do great thank you are there other questions or comments on this part thanks that's really wonderful um I really like how you explained it so anybody who's still watching at home will see that this is isn't just like we weren't serious at first it's as new information is being acquired we're weaving it into um the budget absolutely great so um we can move forward now uh there's no one here for public comment which makes that pretty uh easy can we talk then please about the three main points Stephanie um what are your thoughts on that and then we'll get some input from everybody else uh I think the first um main point would be the budget update both including um Dr brell's update the finance committee and what we just discussed um the second I was figuring could be the um NEC and C visit sort of overview and the third the instructional coaches update any objections I would agree um Are there specific points from any of those that you guys would want to see um communicated to the public maybe just including the uh instructional report from the first time like attaching both oh we could do that yeah yeah good idea absolutely have the whole series of T and would you just want to um I'm sure you were going to think about this Stephanie but just highlight the fact that the report from it will be forthcoming so people aren't like searching around for a finalized report from nas C visit yes I did not that okay perfect Dr man what's the timeline on that approximately do you know um they're hoping by beginning of April um we'll see how best laid plans and Stephanie I think you know one one thing the video and the presentation speak for themselves and they're long so don't feel you have to explain everything to people they can that's the whole point they can click on it and see that's it's a lot of extra work so I don't don't want to see having to do that great and in terms of upcoming events um that people need to know about Ava covered a bunch bunch of them uh yes I have nothing new from the previous meeting list because it was all the April uh May and beginning of April dates that had been shared with me but I did want to highlight again that mam Mia is next week tickets are on sale this week what is the date today next week right 14th through 17th Thursday night that's next week yeah so everybody go and recent Productions have been selling out right so get your tickets okay um awesome that's wonderful then then with that um we will uh for people watching at home thank you very much for spending this time with us um we are going to um I think vote to enter into executive session we do need a motion yeah um so uh I move that we enter into executive session um to discuss uh self-evaluation of the board did you second okay um can we get get a vote on that please all in favor I I any opposed okay great then with that thanks everyone um have a wonderful evening and we'll see you next [Music] time [Music]

e good evening everyone thank you all for being here tonight big energy tonight thank you um I'm going to go ahead and do call to order Mrs Richards may I have the roll call please president Anderson let the record show that four out of five board members are here this evening thank you please join me in a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance okay okay I motion to approve tonight's agenda second all those in favor I I I motion carries four to zero next on the agenda is a superintendent Report with Mrs Richards good evening we're excited tonight for another episode of Higley Adventures we start off congratulating the high school students who were selected as the National Merit finalist the Higgly high students are Mason Osborne cutar renowden Wyatt Rosso and Jennifer white and from williamsfield high school we have William Robinson if any of those students or young adults or adult else that's what I'll call them or in the audience will you please stand this is quite the honor we're very proud of them these academically talented High School seniors now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly 28 million we wish them the best of luck as they continue this rigorous process and I want to give them a round of applause because hopefully they're [Applause] watching next congratulations to the Higley High School choir chamber singers and Bella Norte for earning Superior ratings at the 20 24 Northern Arizona University vocal Jazz ma magal Festival so are they in the audience anybody here tonight all right good job we have singers and we have thinkers next we have a sixth grader from Cortina Elementary he participated in the annual National Civics B out of hundreds of essay submissions Cole the sixth grader from Cortina was selected as one of the top 20 competitors and he was invited to compete in the next round against 19 middle school students from other Queen Creek schools the top competitor will now continue to the state competition and the winner of the state competition will compete nationally in Washington DC great job Cole we are so proud of your accomplishment if you're in the audience stand up and wave all right I know his administrators are in the audience so let's give Cole a round of [Applause] applause [Applause] next we have the best buddies Carnival it was hosted last Friday on March 1st nearly a thousand students from 17 East Valley Schools attended the event it was a fun and exciting day for all students who participated a huge thank you to miss Aaron Sharp for all of her hard work with the best buddies program you are all amazing and we want to say thank you Aaron are you here tonight all right we're going to acknowledge Aon and her [Applause] team everybody had a great time they got really messy that's what it looks like to me all right next we have Hy yl cheer showcase that stands for our higgle Youth Sports League hosted um by Community Ed this Elementary cheer showcase was highlighted last week you know the day where the dirt storm blew in and we weren't sure it was going to happen they did it cheer teams representing Kinder through sixth grade from each of the elementary schools performed for their peers parents and the community is a culminating event to the season so let's give all of them a round of [Applause] applause moving on to points of Pride I'd like principal Kelly papy and Chrissy devono the vice principal to come up and celebr celebrate these amazing individuals from [Applause] qua good evening uh Madame President members of the board cabinet thank you so much for having us this evening I'm Kelly papy I am the principal at Cortina and I am very excited to be able to recognize some special people from our school who are just a few that uh make up our amazing community and we're just super excited to recognize them tonight so we're going to start off with our student so if we could have Isa come on [Applause] up so a little bit about Isa as a fourth grade student at Cortina Isa embodies all that it means to be a tiger who Roars I have had the pleasure of watching her grow from a brand new kindergartener to becoming a leader on campus as a member of the tiger ambassadors best buddies and Robotics she is able to highlight her leadership skills and she models the key pillars of character some examples of how she has contributed to her school and Community are by assisting younger students in the cafeteria during lunch mentoring other students facilitating conflict resolution at recess providing monitoring and assistance before school and actively engaging in various Community projects her teachers say that Isa is a kind respectful and a very hardworking student she is an enthusiastic learner and tackles new challenges eagerly with a positive attitude Isa is a problem solver and her interactions with her peers are always positive and encouraging she demonstrates great leadership qualities by being responsible and treating her classmates with respect it's a joy to have Isa in our class and we couldn't be more proud of her so congratulations Isa Isa would you like to share who you have here with you this evening do you want me to tell them for you so I know Mom Dad and I believe brother and Grandma are here this evening to help support Isa so thank you for being [Applause] here all right and next we would like to recognize our certified staff member uh Miss Nicole Flores come on [Applause] up Nicole is a kindergarten teacher at Cortina and for those of you who know kindergarten teachers she's kind of a secret little hero in and of her self um a little bit about Nicole Mrs Flores exemplifies a remarkable commitment towards a collective responsibility for every student and his or her success and I mean that she demonstrates a keen awareness of others needs and has a solution-driven mindset which allows her to proactively support those around her she guides her team with a student centered collaborative approach working working to ensure that the needs of all students are addressed she also serves as the head of the yearbook committee and provided homebound support providing actually homebound support beyond the regular school day to a student she Fosters strong connections and engages with both students staff and parents in a manner that genuinely demonstrates her compassion and concern she seizes opportunities for learning and personal growth demon rating a willingness to invest time effort and hard work in all that she does Mrs Flores comes to school each day with a positive attitude and a Readiness to serve and lots of fun stories about her new grandbaby we are so grateful for her leadership and dedication to students colleagues and our school Community as a whole her Caring Heart and commitment truly have a positive impact on the the students she serves Mrs Flores we appreciate your invaluable contribution as a member of our team thank [Applause] you and would you like to share who you have here U my husband is here my two boys my daughter-in-law and the cute little grandbaby thank you for being this evening good evening thank you members of the board members of cabinet and to all of you for helping us celebrate our special uh members of our Cortina family I am Chrissy debono the proud assistant principal at Cortina and it is my pleasure to um share with you two more of our amazing tigers at Cortina um I would like to invite up to the front our volunteer um nominee tonight Mr Brett [Music] [Applause] [Music] Ramold Mr wamble is one of our parent volunteers and more specifically um a member of our super cool Rad Dad's Club um which is part of our PTO Mr wol this year not only helped organize but led initiatives on our campus for campus improvements including uh cortina's new school garden if you haven't toured that please come see our beautiful school garden through his leadership with the help of our PTO Mr ramble and the team worked tily to build and donate to Cortina 10 garden boxes um and an unveiled them if you will on make a difference day our students have benefited greatly from his and The Rad Dad's contributions as they have helped to not only plant flowers but vegetables um including cabbage and kale and uh bachelor button flowers on our campus Mr wamble uh worked to secure those donations of soil and dirt from local companies as well as helping us get seeds and starting plants for for our garden and without his dedication to the project uh Cortina students would not have been able to recently donate the fruits of their Labor uh many many bucketfuls of our fresh kale and cabbage to one of the local animal rescue agencies nearby um so some very well-deserving pigs and goats uh got to reap the benefits of their hard work um Mr wult is the first to offer ideas in the spirit of of Continuous Campus Improvement at Cortina he spends his free time helping to support teachers staff and students he's a model of perseverance hard work and of servant leadership thank you Brett for all that you do to make a positive impact at Cortina you have the thing right Mr wul would you please introduce who you brought I brought my wife Stephanie my daughter Alexia my son Liam and then the rest of the Brad dad's crew and the great PTO back [Music] there thank you I am equally honored to celebrate with all of you our classified staff nominee tonight Miss Suzanne Anderson if you would please make your way [Applause] up Suzanne is one of our dedicated passionate and carrying lunch Aids on campus every day I get the pleasure of being in the lunchroom with her and watching her serve the students and staff at Cortina um specifically through her heart of gold when she's in the cafeteria you can see Suzanne going above and beyond her regular duties as a lunch a supporting individual student needs it may be a Band-Aid for a boo boo a tissue for a runny nose um napkins for faces but most importantly her never-ending warm smile and encouraging words she's always listening to our students um helping to not only problem solve through conflicts but be that solution driven uh person in the cafeteria to help us every day make sure lunches and lunch recesses are smooth and effective Suzanne is not only punctual present and caring but she has a deep commitment uh to ensure that not only our students are well fed but safe on the playground she has an astute awareness of what is happening around her and works collaboratively with all of our other lunch aids to truly form a team approach and if you have never had the pleasure of um being in a School lunchroom for lunch and lunch recess it is an experience like no other and Suzanne and her team just truly Embark every day with warm hearts and caring Natures uh students shared with me that Miss Anderson is kind helps them and is the best um so thank you Suzanne for supporting all of Cortina and for making an impact each day we could not function without you and we appreciate you go ahead and tell us who you brought I have my husband and my four daughters including Claire shout out to her for her birthday so uh yes thank you picture time certificate next we're ready to celebrate Power Ranch Elementary can we have interim principal Mr Brun Griggs and assistant principal Michelle Kota right so president Anderson members of the board and cabinet thank you for the chance to to celebrate the great things that are going on at Power Ranch those great things are the direct result of the hard work that the students the staff and families are doing and I'm excited to see all the different staff members families and students here to celebrate power ranch and the different people that we're going to honor today so like as introduced I'm the interim principal Brian Griggs and then this is the awesome assistant principal Michelle Koda and so coming up first we will have Lisa yamatsu come on [Applause] up all right so in the the very short time that I've I've known Miss matu she has already put in countless hours with house uh huddles celebrations steam day all of that and that's just in like eight weeks and so with that she's done a number of great things so uh Miss frell had written some great words so I'm actually going to quote Miss frell so um uh Miss uatu invest her time and energy into the students at Power Ranch if there's a volunteer opportunity she is the one of the first to sign up whether it be a house huddle steam day class celebration she is there to support the teachers and students so positive and kind to all students if the classroom needs anything at all Lisa always offers to help and provide materials needed I'm so thankful I've had the chance to work with her this year I Echo that as well and thank you for choosing power ranch missam Matsu thank you so who did you bring with you he doesn't want me to point him out but I brought my son Elliot so Elliot wave to your mom say I'm so proud of you there we go all right I have the honor of recognizing Victoria buwick this a or this [Applause] evening as you can tell by that Applause she is well-loved on our campus Miss bruck is an outstanding educator who cares about her students and the campus as a whole one of her colleagues writes she creates a structured environment that is also interesting and engaging when people want to learn more about writer Workshop or building thinking classrooms she is the class that teachers seek to observe we are thankful for Miss breuck as a teacher leader on campus and all of the extracurricular she does she she's one of our cheer coaches so she spends a lot of time with those students making sure that they're ready to compete for that um competition that just happened last week Victoria thank you for being you and thank you for being part of power ranch's family and who did you bring with you tonight oh I brought um well a bunch of friends and my co-workers and yeah that's it all right all right next up we've got Miss Galloway come on down Emily [Applause] [Music] Galloway you're own cheer squad so miss Galloway is our classified staff point of Pride um she is incredibly positive and she is incredibly about every single student and so I couldn't agree more I asked for you know so the two of us said hey give us names for points of Pride multiple folks super positive super about kids and so that is who we are at Power Ranch so thank you Miss Galloway so I'm gonna read some of those uh Miss Galloway is committed to Excellence for all students she encourages students to continuously learn and grow and stretch their abilities another staff member says Emily is always smiling even on her hardest days and checks in with students and staff and how she can be better for them too another staff member wrote Emily is such a positive light on our campus radiates positivity he sensing a trend here so positivity loves to help wherever she has needed when she started at Power Ranch last year she jumped right in it was natural in the position so kind patient helpful to all students not just the ones she is assigned to work with we are glad you are a power ranch Panther Miss [Applause] Galloway who did you bring with you I have my kids and my friends [Applause] and next we are honoring jasine [Applause] bottomfish demonstrates both academic care and a kindness towards others Jazzy has all the qualities of being a Power Ranch Panther she is responsible hardworking and a friend to all she consistently makes good choices and leads others to make good choices as well she's involved in many activities and keeps herself busy she loves to have fun at school but she knows when to take things seriously she can work well with her with any peers she and she does her best to include everyone inside and outside of the classroom she's a great student we are thankful that you are a power ranch Panther Jazzy who did you bring with you I bring uh my mom my dad and my [Applause] siblings if thank you everyone and congratulations for everyone that was recognized thank you for your service and dedication to our district if you would like to go home and get caught up on dinner homework what time it's dinner time Sports family you're welcome to leave president Anderson next we have our report of upcoming events and I'm pretty sure everybody in the school district knows what starts on March 11th white so funny you're welcome lots of love and happiness and Higgly for sure much to celebrate when we look at our upcoming events like I said most people know what starts on March 11th and goes through the 22nd and it's spring break that means no school next we want you to take note of our next job fair on Thursday March 28th here in the boardroom at 5 pm.

it allows those of us who work in the community to get here and be a voice for our neighbors thank you okay thank you um now we're going to move on to the cassin agenda I motion to approve the consent agenda from items 5.1 to 5 Z per second I'll give Amanda no no we all care stop it all those in favor I I I motion carries four to zero all right Dr Lindsay do you have some introductions to make after these approvals I do president Anderson and thank you so much tonight we have Mrs Michelle McNab who will be power ranch's principal next school year I want to recognize her and share a little bit about her with you and our community and it looks like she brought her family as well with her so Mrs McNab will be joining husd from her role as an assistant principal with Mesa Public Schools over her 20-year career in in in addition to being an AP she has also served as a title one Improvement special specialist and taught multiple grade levels specializing in math she earned her Masters in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and has been recognized for her mentoring co- teing and fostering collaborative environments thank you Mrs mcav for joining our team for being here tonight and we so look forward to having you start with us this [Applause] summer additionally we have another new administrator whose hire was just approved thank you very much Mrs Amy coaches our new early childhood development center director Mrs coaches will be replacing our beloved Mrs Gleason who is also here tonight she as she starts her well-deserved retirement at the end of this school year while Mrs coaches wasn't able to be here tonight it's her spring break and she already had plans this week I want to provide for you a quick highlight on who she is for you and our community Mrs coaches will be joining Higley from ASU Preparatory Academy and has 30 years of experience in education currently serving as the school's assistant principal she has also served as dean of students athletic director kindergarten teacher and preschool teacher she earned her Masters in elementary education and educational leadership from Na and we are very confident that her experience positivity and warmth and student first attitude will make her a great fit at our centers so thank you for allowing me to introduce those two tonight and thank you to all of the staff that par participated in the selection [Applause] process thank you and Welcome to our district okay next our our information items um we have the third review of the maintenance and operation budget by Mr Moore good evening president Anderson members of the board uh tonight I'm presenting the third review of the fiscal 2025 manance operations budget this this presentation is going to look um exactly the same as what I presented uh I'll wait a second to do know shocker they don't want to hear the budget presentation all right so as I was saying this is the third review of the M uh 2025 maintenance and operation budget again we're looking forward to uh to next fiscal year um and this is going to look exactly the same as what I presented at the last board meeting uh with the exception of one slide I added so kind of jumping into this um again just a reminder we we operate on a a fiscal year basis and so school districts fiscal years is July 1 through June 30 um in the budget cycle process we are currently working towards our May revision so that's our current year budget revision um but tonight we have on the agenda for tened approval for our 25 budget um so we can get started with hiring um our staff um um ensuring contracts are renewed uh so we can make sure Staffing is all set for July 1 looking at some of the highlights again not much has changed since the last presentation we still um in terms of legislative conversations um a is still on the table there's been no you know um confirmation as whether that'll be Exempted or not again I've expressed um uh I believe I firmly believe that there will be some sort of exemption in one of these bills um as as this K12 budget Bill gets pushed through um but that that has not come to fruition yet so um I just want to always point that out um while I while I anticipate that and I think the grander public anticipates that uh until that ink hits the paper you know that that is still a risk for Higgly Unified School District of about 16 to 17% of our budget that we'd have to cut so if that does not get Exempted so um it's a that's a dark cloud that always hangs over us um and unfortunately and that's um over the last couple years has been used in the legislative process as a bargaining tool um to get various bills passed so in addition um another area in the legislative process that I feel will affect K12 education as well as Higley um is the school facilities division um this it's no it's not new news that the state has a budget deficit and so one of the entities of the state is the school facilities division um they're annually obligated to appropriate uh $16 million to the school facilities Division and the past several years they've appropriated well above that appropriation so um we feel um some of the the conversation is that may be an area where the state goes to cut spending uh they may not appropriate additional dollars to that uh bucket of funding and as a reminder that school facilities division um provides another basically Grant resource for school district to submit capital u projects to um they have to meet a certain criteria in terms of um useful life uh life expect Etc um he UniFi has been great grateful that we just um received $1.2 million from that Grant fund to finish the rest of Higley High School uh we have several other projects teed up in there but uh I I fear those projects uh future and and whether they'll be funded or not going into next year some of the known budget implications that we do know um we are um including a 2% inflation adjustment um in this budget uh presentation um the legislator is obligated to increase by the minimum growth rate um and that calculation is utilized there's there's a statute with that but it takes in GDP and a bunch of formulas to come up with like does it does it meet that test and so right now it's trending above 2% so we feel very confident um and including that 2% increase in these estimates because we feel that the legislature will be appropriating that inflation adjustment um I also noted that this is the last year the fy2 next year uh of the fully funded emino override unless um it is renewed in November 2024 so I know we just had a public comment um we just had last night meeting number four of the citizens committee um and I feel yeah we have one more meeting and then we'll the April 3rd meeting we're going to bring forth a recommendation so um to put to for the board to put a the override on the November ballot so question president Anderson so sorry Mr Moore can you just remind us what uh happens the first year if it doesn't renew in November what that amount is what the second year is and so on I would appreciate it thank you yeah so um the m&o override while it's a seven-year authorization there's five years of fully funded um right now that funding is providing about $13 million um in additional M uh capacity um and so year six they call it the phase down so if we do not pass in November this election we'll be going into um year six of fiscal year 20126 uh that that starts a phase down of um 33% um so that equates about just about $3 to4 million that we'll have to cut from our budget that we'll have another opportunity if whatever happens in that case in the November 25 election um if that does not get renewed in 24 um but then year if that does not pass year seven uh is Phase down number two so that is a 66% reduction and funding and so that's about $8 to $9 million then we'll have again another opportunity looking at would be the 2026 election um and if that doesn't pass there then that preceding fiscal year it'll be fully um expired and so that'll be a total of $13 million at that point in time we'll have to cut from our budget so um we do have um an updated graphic on our website um that clearly shows like that basically it's a picture that kind of shows that um timeline um we've been working hard to kind of spread the word and and kind of be uh transparent in the fact that this is fully funded for five years but does have a fiscal cliff it is not renewed so thank you y thank you that last category there um is our budget transfer this has been a uh a tool that Higley has utilized uh over the last several years to support um our Middle School lease payments um as I've mentioned before um the we we do not own um San and Middle School that was a lease agreement uh that was done by previous administration so we have an obligation to pay that lease payment we do have to pay it from Capital funds uh and so that's why we transfer those dollars to Capital um to make that payment so um that highlighted we're still um looking at um potential transferring additional dollars to Major projects um uh none of that is being recommended tonight um if there is a recommendation we'd bring that forth in June when we officially propose and adopt the budget so um I just wanted to highlight that because again it is it is March um we're making a lot of estimates and uh for our next year's budget and so um we want to again bring back maybe potentially some additional transfers um in June but again that nothing is is being approved for additional transfers in this budget tonight so so looking uh as I as I mentioned before we have to do a May revision for this current Year's budget so it plays an important role in the budget conversation for next year as well um we have not uh revised their budget since June 28 uh statutorily we are obligated to revise our budget to the 100th day ADM Arizona uh school funding is is operated on current year funding um and so school districts are required prior to May to revise their budget and so um we have not revised it yet but we are year marking that May 8th board meeting and so um what I anticipating bringing to the the board on that May 8th board meeting is that second line there again that first line is what we adopted in June um it was a budget uh General budget limit of 124 million it included M transfer to Capital of 5.6 million um we did appropriate the onetime state aid supplement to Capital I don't anticipate that being renewed again to into next year that was a um it was almost like a a yard sale at the the legislature last year in which they were appropriating the $2.2 billion in excess cash so um K12 got a little bit of supplemental income from that budget the K2 budget bill so we appropriated that to Capital um looking at our revision um as I mentioned in previous presentations we we have been seeing some enrollment loss uh specifically at the elementaries um that ADM loss was 183 uh that is reflected in that budget revision number um as again it's still assumes the same transfer that we adopted back in June um an actual budget balance carry forward of 24 million and so with that revision the difference there is 288,000 um that mostly most of that difference is coming from the actualization of the carry forward which was above what we anticipated um that's making up the difference from the student loss looking forward to 25 again we're in March so we're taking a lot of assumptions here um we take our revised budget that's our new Baseline uh and we look at projecting our proposed budget for 25 and so some of the projections we're taking into consideration is um we believe we want to be prudent and kind of proactive and seeing that we've had a couple years of student loss uh we want to now uh plan for that um and include that into our budget estimates and so we're projecting 70 um and weighted student uh ADM decrease um again I mentioned earlier this includes the estimated 2% increase in inflation um that the state is mandated to fund again I wholeheartedly believe that's going to be appropriated this legislative cycle um Amo transfer to capital u this is down from prior years again we're just transferring right now in this uh presentation tonight the 3.55 that's obligated that we that we have to pay for our lease payment next year and then um we are um the board has worked um to do one-time stiens over previous fiscal years to bring down that budget balance Carri forward and you'll see some of that realized um as we look to end this fiscal year and so we're estimating ending the year about 22 million um and so that is included in that proposed budget so that total is125 m99 4,094 and you'll see a projected proposed budget has increased over last year uh again mainly due to two factors the uh reduction in transfer amount and then you get your 2% increase in the the base support level so looking at some of the estimated fixed cost increases so um some of the known that we do that we do know right now property Casualty Insurance we're we're going to see an increase there um we've had some claims but um the trust who are insur who's our property insur um um has also relayed us that they are pushing some some increases um down um the reason property values are increasing so it costs more money to replace items that are damaged in claims um so it just uh just not happens but this is just the reality um of when when property values go up there's typically an increase in replacing those items so utility increases I I've covered this before but 400,000 of that 500,000 that's projected um is is the phase two of the Gilbert town of Gilbert water increases um we saw 200,000 um increase in this year's budget and now phase two is the is basically double that U so that's 400,000 that we're anticipating next year the other 100,000 is with SRP and Southwest Gas um they are not uh alone and in in offsetting increases to um the consumers so um that's Tak into consideration this budget um in addition myself uh Miss Johnson uh in cabinet um we go through uh a rigorous process of evaluating every single one of our budgets our positions um and Staffing accordingly to our our board policy um this year as I've mentioned before we've seen a reduction in elementary students and so um with that and Miss Lindsay's guidance we've looked to um kind of um St stabiliz some of those class sizes in terms of um using reduction um some sections and areas where we've seen a greater loss um again I've reported earlier that all this was done through attrition um we did not have to uh riff or notify anybody or transfer anybody um through uh this contract process we've had resonations individuals leave the profession and so we've been able to satisfy those five sections through attrition on the flip side we are seeing increases on the secondary and so uh David um has uh we have a calculation for secondary it's calculated a little differently um than Elementary um because it's not not so much have a home grade you have various courses and the counselors work hard to staff those sections so um we're proposing increasing four full-time FTE uh three at williamsfield and one at higgle High to satisfy those growth numbers that we're seeing there the third bullet point there Esser 3 um we knew um when we budgeted these positions in Esser two three years ago now um that we were earmarking these to bring these back into the budget and so um that is taken into consideration into this proposal um those positions include the assistant director of counseling and three Elementary counselors that were previously or currently being funded by Esser and now going into fiscal 25 will be absorbed in the m&o budget the fourth bullet point there the reclassification of par professionals so um in this process of evaluating Staffing and looking at various um kind of needs and and issues across the district we've took a a great note looking with Miss Miller on our inability to fill paros par professional positions um we've contracted out several of these positions at two three times the dollar value um and so evaluating um their grade schedule on the classified uh Staffing schedule our salary schedule excuse me um we felt uh there was some opportunity there to increase or Mo move the grades and so the per one currently at a grade 105 would be moving to a grade 107 which is a starting a salary of 1662 an hour and then par twos uh would be moving from a 105a to a 110 which has a starting salary of1 1829 this puts us a lot more competitive with our neighboring districts um it doesn't beat Chandler or those larger districts but um we feel this move will help us fill some of those positions and keep and maintain some of the individuals that are currently in that role uh the the last bullet point there um part of the conversations with meet and confer is looking at we're looking at other opportunities to provide uh additional benefits to our classified staff and so um our school calendar is kind of misleading um that really represents a certified staff and calendar and so a lot of those breaks um classified staff those are working days and so um staff are working those days um we we that's how we basically manage and keep up up keep our buildings and so um looking at opportunities to provide additional um benefits to those individuals we look at winter break um that's an opportunity where there's a a little more downtime um and so we're looking at adding three days um of additional paid holiday between uh Christmas Day and New Year's Day and so uh that provides some some time for those classified staff to spend time with families provides paid time off for those individuals um and so uh our 10mon this also includes our 10-month and so those individuals would not be working those are non-paid days for 10 months so this does provide some holiday pay um in in compensation over the holiday period so this is aligns again with some of our neighboring districts um and I think is a is a just another benefit a way we can honor those staff um that would not to we have these days off so all those are included um into what we categorizing fixed costs um and then we've talked about uh compensation options um we've talked about two different options option one uh which includes a a flat m&o increase of 2% to our certified staff classified Administration and our supplemental schedule um that total dollar value for a 2% increase is 1.6 million um just over 1.6 million in addition I felt um this is really going to plan a factor to option number two but in evaluating our classroom site fund which we do annually with our meet and confer team um that fund has grown um substantially and so uh that bucket of money um as I've noted in the bottom can only be distributed to teachers only teachers are eligible for that bucket of money um it can include um different comp compens ation such as performance pay um but is utilized for Teacher development other classroom supported services and then we have an out it's outlined specifically in our paper performance plan and so um looking at that bucket of money um we felt um we can increase that that um portion going to teachers by a dollar amount so it's an increase of 1,750 and so that 1750 represents that that $1.4 million that you see represented there um we the some of the conversation too is moving that mostly to the base um there's a base supplemental in that plan um and so that provides additional compensation throughout the extent of the the pay um the teachers contract period so it's not just a one lump sometime it's it's additional pay throughout the entire contract period so um what I have a two and three 3% in there is because when you do a a flat dollar amount um your lower paid hourly staff are going to see on the high not hourly staff lower paid certified staff so your newer teachers are going to see a higher percentage increase um so that's what the 3% represents the teachers that have been on staff longer um will will be closer to a 2% um as that's just how math works when you do a base amount to a salary that's higher so um you can see the total percentages represented across the board um it would be 4 to 5% for certified staff and 2% to the rest of the staff represented so again meeting with meet and confer you heard tonight um Meer really really pushed this plan here and so um we have worked hard as a district over the last several years to honor all staff I think you heard that tonight um and that's exactly what option two represents is honoring all staff um and utilizing that bucket of money that is only for teachers um uh to its fullest capacity really it's really leveraging all our funds to to honor all staff and so um you'll see a larger proportion of the increased percentage coming from classroom site fund um in this plan um because they taking a smaller increase from the M um but that's what subsidizes the ne another percent to all classified staff Administration and the supplemental schedule so um you'll see the percentage across the board um again it's very Equitable uh for all staff that are categories on the PowerPoint there so the only slot I added was a new certified teacher um with some of these proposals so um excuse me with just option two uh which is what is recommended in a later agenda item um so the certified teacher a new certified teacher um would have a base salary again that base salaries are M obligation um you can see the net change there of 344 so that um is half of the 1.5% and the reason we do that is for compression issues right if um we have a new teacher today and they are getting 1.5% if we hire a new teacher tomorrow and providing the same 1% that onee teacher is now getting the same as a new year teacher this year so we have to do um on the salary schedule a percentage difference to create some compression and honor that individual that one-year teacher uh and so that's what that 344 represents the base salary would be salary schedule would receive a half of the 1.5% so 75 um the classroom site fund uh kind of bucket these are our three currently are three categories in that pay performance plan you have classroom site fund base um which currently is at 5610 uh retention pay at 2250 and performance pay at 2500 and so part of the conversation with me and confer was kind of um reallocating some of the funds as well as putting the additional 1750 that I talked about on top of the base and so um you'll see the CSF base uh supplemental now is 8110 that's an increase of $2,500 um the reason that's higher than the 1750 is because um part of the conversations were to reduce the retention pay and performance pay and put more money into the base which again provides resources now throughout the the contract period and not just in a lump sum either at the end end of the pay or uh the retention pay paid in December so um so a new starting teacher salary um if option two is approved tonight um would be at $583 120 um that is a new brand new teacher um starting at higgle Unified School District so um very competitive wage we we've done a lot of work the board has done a lot of work over the last couple years in improving increases and so um I feel like we've made great strides in in providing a competitive wage the other wins with option two would be um now having our classified minimum hour hourly rate over $15 an hour um I think that's a big wi when a lot of our fast food restaurants and and other chains have already been there um that 3% would now push us over U $15 an hour and so that I feel like that's another big win um with option two and so with that um again um later on the agenda the the recommendation from uh District administration is is option two um and April 3D um we'll kind of tonight we'll kind of wrap up the M budget presentation April 3rd we'll kind of uh wrap up capital and and the citizens committee has a recommendation coming and then in June we'll officially bring this back um again I will highlight if there is any um changes um and what I presented tonight uh when we officially propose an adopt in June so with that I'm happy to take any questions president Anderson Mr Moore so I I do have a lot of questions um because I want to understand how we are budgeting um our f Judiciary responsibility as board members is to understand the budget completely um and make decisions based on that understanding um versus making a decision just based on a PowerPoint um so I took the time to pull reports um to better understand what we spent last year compared to what we are budgeting for the following year um and my understanding is um as far as salaries are concerned last year our um our actuals were at 61 million um and going forward we're forecasting almost 81 million so I'd like to understand how we are forec investing almost $22 million over actuals um and how we we justify having such a high um forecast in salaries when even our calculations don't don't get us there can you do mind explaining where you got the 64 million from so the the 61 million I got off the AFR um from from last year's actuals and then the 80 um 80 million is based on the numbers of um option number one yeah so uh president Anderson Vice President Van Hook yeah 61 million so the numbers that I presented and I provided to you include also benefits um you can't just take salary and provide uh an increase on salary uh there's also incremental increase on benefits um when you increase a salary so 80 million represents um salaries and benefits um and I represent that number as a whole rather than Breaking that down um right so I do have um I I did add up salary and benefits and that came out to 78 million so we're still off by about $2 million over um over on that calculation um and based on the the um salaries and benefits last year as far as actuals um the benefits came in at about 22% of the salaries that were paid out um where our forecast is at about um 177% of benefits um versus the salaries that's forecasted um so my I just want to understand why are we so uh so over on on our forecast um I mean $2 million is a lot of money um especially when the proposed salaries aren't um hold on one second so yeah so our our forecast is is an increase of 36% based on the actuals of last year so um that's that's concerning to me also um when we look at when we look at increases a 2% increase for somebody in an administrative role who's making six figures is very different um than a 2% for for a teacher um so what I did was I I calculated it to to see what it would be if we took the base number that you provided of8 80 million and if we gave teachers and other certified staff a 3% raise classified 2% admin and supplemental uh 1% each and that would actually increase your recommendation as 1.6 and that would actually raise it to 2 um so but that's based on the 80 million so if we were to be forecasting closer to the actuals from last year um based on those percentages we would actually see a savings of almost $84,000 um and then I do have another question um do teachers who are who are on performance plans get a raise uh Vice President Van Hook uh teachers who are on performance Improvement plans do not get an increased uh they do not they are not eligible for the pay for performance if they're on a performance plan and anyone who has been on a performance plan this year H is either they're they're subject to whatever the case may be based on their performance plan so to answer your question would they get a raise um it's subject to the employee either completing the performance Improvement plan or it is subject to next steps so it's an individualized case okay so it's not depends on what has happened with the performance Improvement plan but I can tell you if someone's still on one they will not get paid for performance at least 70% of it this current year thank you um so with with the with our increase in chronic absenteeism um we had a reduction in our special education students which reduces the funding with reduced enrollment um I fear that if we choose to go with a straight 3% raise across the board that that would have a huge impact um on on our budget um and so I'm sorry I'm asking president Anderson should we have this conversation when we have the agenda item for the raises specific rather than I know but she's talking about the 3% for the ml so I'm just trying to understand if this is a conversation to be had now with ML or a conversation to be had when we do the the actual part of the agenda that has the salary increase well the this is a information item so I rather have the discussion Now versus when we're voting that's fair but we have to be specific to the agenda item so if if we're going to stick to the raises I understand that I mean having the conversation the minutes that we're going to do we all will live those minutes it's either now or later but if we're talking about the M specific that's fine I just feel like if we're going to stick to the the salary increase we should have that when it's the agenda item should we not on um so again I um I my recommendation um would be to do the the 3% for teachers and certified staff 2% for classified 1% for admin and 1% for supplemental and to then consider reducing our forecasted amount um in order to see some sort of saving there um and you know when we have conversations about doing an override um and as I mentioned at the last meeting we need to consider uh the money that we have in our in our budget um and and I know we've used Co money over the years which is why we've managed to carry over so much in our m&o um but at the same time I think that it's important to to know that that was onetime money um and we should always keep in mind how we're going to function when that money is gone and so if we hadn't received that money four years ago during covid how would we have functioned over the years knowing that that money wasn't there and that's how we should have moved forward um but I mean it's yes it's allowed us to have a pretty large chunk sitting in our M um but we need to consider all options before um any cuts are made to um to our staff and to any programs for our students um and I think that the financially um this option not only rewards our teachers and that is a big complaint not just in our state but Across the Nation pay the teachers um the biggest complaint is we are too topheavy with with admin pay um and I can't say I disagree I want to make sure our teachers are paid um and so um when a school can function if we have if we have our teachers in the classroom and our students um and yes as as much as I appreciate all the other staff our teachers are the ones that provide that service to our students and make sure sure that they're getting the education that they're coming here to get so can I ask I'm trying to follow and forgive me if I if I haven't kept up um Mr Moore with the with the both options brought forward and the amount of cost to the district it would take to to carry forward with or move forward with do you feel comfortable that our our district could sustain with the this spending and I'll follow that with since we talked about it and it was mentioned what if and the M override does not continue or or you know what I mean we go V and it doesn't would we still be able do you feel comfortable that we'd be able to sustain the spending yes president without making Cuts yeah without making Cuts I am I I think there's a lot to unpack there um I'll try to answer to the best of my ability um I guess I want to address first like the numbers that you presented Miss F hook I mean there's a lot of assumptions there when you look at actual expenditures from last fiscal year um yeah those are actual expenditures that took place when we budget we budget um and and to back of in a given year we may not fill positions we still budget for those positions because if we don't then we don't have the capacity we won't have the money to fill those positions so um when you see variances in our our projected budget numbers versus actual expenditures a lot of those come from vacancy savings um budgets when we budget we budget that we fill every single staff and I'm sure Mrs Johnson would be thrilled if we had no positions open under a job board um but that is not the reality and so we we do see relatively Savings in there and so that's uh where a lot uh when you see difference between budget versus actual expenditures a lot of times that's where it comes and into play um second to address Miss Anderson um I wouldn't present this budget if I didn't feel it was sustainable um I I I do in in Miss Richards and all cabinet I'm very conservative uh I I want I'm always I think I try to pride myself on on looking forward and looking not only next year but two three years down the line and I don't want to either whether I leave the position or stay the position I want um the district to be sustainable and have a continuity um not only with salaries but you know with with everything that we do and so I'm very conscious of that um and and we make hard decisions because of the um and so this recommendation I I feel it's sustainable um you bring in another conversation with M override that that additional money is was approved by voters for specific purpose and so um yes we do have a m contingency that's rather High I do feel if we were faced um with several failed elections to renew that we would be able to sustain that but uh 13 million is is a Hu it's 15% of our budget we cannot there's not enough Cuts in the world to to to to basically say uh we can absorb all that within our budget uh that's not the reality and so um but that that is two years down the road and so um hope that answers your question I do feel we would be able to sustain continuity um if we had multiple failed overrides for the next two years but ultimately when that if that fully sunsets and that 13 million comes to fruition um we'll need to be proactive and looking at ways to um basically either reduce Force um propose no increases because if you look at what that override was approved for it was approved for Teacher compensation specials arts and so that is what the voters approved and that is what we're using that funding for um and so that those are some of the areas we'd look to cut um because that that is what is funding so I hope that answers somewhat of your question president Anderson Mr Moore is it possible to do a position study um by an independent auditor um as far as our to be able to look at all our staff and determine based on our enrollment numbers and based on statute for specific positions that are required to have within the district um and from there if if we were to get to the point to where we need funding um to be able to do a position study um to determine whether some positions can be eliminated certainly I I think we are not there tonight though we we're looking at making increases and and we're bringing in s positions into the M budget I'm just right and and it's those increases that I want to be cautious about so that we never get there can I can I ask a question Mr van so your proposal that you provided um is is less than what we are recommending tonight so are you recommending that we increase our contingency or M carry forward no so my recommendation is that if we were to so if you look at the option um to the right that's based on the base salary of our actuals last year so if we were to utilize our actuals from last year and applied these percentages we would see about an $83,000 savings uh compared to what your recommendation is um but remind me again the 80 million includes benefits correct yeah okay so that's where my difference is is I did that 61 million is just just salary it is does not include the benefits When I calculated that um so sorry for one minute if I may um while you're looking um can I cannot recall I'm going to go off topic still on this item but off topic I cannot recall the number how many more years do we have to pay on the the leases uh so the leases were originally um approved in 2013 that was a 40-year lease um last year I brought forward a refinancing which basically just moved the leases under the district we were previously playing a third party um about $500,000 a year to manage those leases we refinance those under the district um saving 15 million but we still have 30 years left thank you and I only made it to two of those citizen committee meetings for the overriding bond um can you please remind me the survey how many people did they survey for that I mean all that information is on the the website but they they surveyed registered voters and 400 um it provides a a net standard deviation of at 5% but yeah all that information is up up on a website yeah thank you did you um I did um yeah so when I add the the taxes in there that definitely changes it from where I expected it to be and I'm not sure if it's calculating properly but considering I can't fully open my file are you are you looking for more information for Mr Moore or discussion I would like to be able to see um if if we're looking at can we go back to the option one oh got it never mind um if we are looking at Option One um and I didn't do this calculation as far as what it would be if if the 2% for admin and classified and supplementals were changed to 1% and how different that would look and I know we can't do that now but um but I'm guessing there would still be some sort of some savings there versus a 2% across across those two um okay um I do have a question on the CF um classroom site fund so when we look at the um a ADM numbers uh I know for um forecast we've got it's based on a $750 per ADM and based on my calculation it looks like we're Counting about 15,57 um when our actual ADM is 12,533 so we're 3,000 students over actuals president miss F hook um the calculation weighted ADM um so every student uh I often refer to ADM as as looking at like the 12,000 number that's our that's our actual 100 day numbers but um as a reminder um each student um who's identified either with uh disabilities or any one of the group b weights um we receive additional funding to help support that individual um and so that is called that is where you get a weighted add-on um and so that's where that difference comes from so um 15,000 represents our total weighted student ADM count uh and that is what is required to be used in statute um so you take that weighted student count times it by the 750 and that's what determines the classroom side fund amount okay but that is also impacted because of the reduction in special ed students yeah and and I did factor that into when uh we discussed that uh 1750 increase into that plan uh with meet and confer um we did run out several different scenarios and we do feel that is sustainable for at least 5 years even if that fund and state sales tax completely tanks um we did carry over 11 million um and the intention of that fund is to get that money into the teachers um into the teachers Pockets right um again but you know looking at the sustainability and continuity of continuing that allocation we're now north of $112,000 per teacher eligible teacher in that plan so we looked at various options to make sure that was sustainable for the next um at least 3 to 5 years and so um I feel very confident that the increases right now even if there was no um even if state sales tax went down drastically or that fund greatly was reduced that that would be sustainable that 12,000 um for the next 5 years and also the number that you um emailed today um 780 current eligible employees um but when you look at um the AFR we've got um employees higher in forecast than current it's actually lower 780 is is lower than right but that's where we're at today but if you look at the if you look at the budget um I believe it's the AFR lists 869.485 support staff so our counselors our SLR pts um our speech um our instructional AIDS um structal coaching excuse me um there's several certified support staff that are eligible to to be paid from that fund and so um a part of our pay performance plan our classroom siund plan includes those individuals um it helps us increase um pay for those individuals um and doesn't um again utilizes that money and that fund um to support students and and those individuals supporting teachers um who support our students those are all eligible um staff that can be included in that plan and our Mee and confer team and our district hasn't chosen to include those individuals in that plan okay so going forward we can expect to see that 780 be more closer to 870 or that's an if if we include if they're included 780 is with them included that's why you see it above with them included yeah so again so why are we forecasting almost 67 over if they're included in the 780 Miss man I'm confused where you're getting that number our current eligible employees are 780 but in our forecast we have 8699 so our variance in employees is almost 67 employees the number I provided you today was 780 and that includes all eligible staff in the plan that is what we're in going forward so I I still don't understand the variance that you're coming up with I'll I'll send you where I found the the 88869995099 our actuals are so much lower that's that's my concern um I would like to be able to see us forecast closer to our um our actuals um but sorry go ahead I I have to find where I found that s can we move on from the information item for this point and then we we'll come back to it at the action item okay all right thank you Mr Moore um actually president Anderson just so I I'd rather say it now because it's relevant based off of things that were just expressed so I don't forget because ADHD be strong um so I appreciate that um some things I would like to express uh Mr Mo again um I know I said at the last meeting but uh I respect how you present the information and the the things that you put forward um because there is so much in involved with finance and education that I think uh it is overwhelming confusing it is designed to be as such um and the fact that you you live in that fills me with anxiety um and I appreciate that you you do that and at least seemingly enjoy it um because I do not um there are so many laws that are in place there are so many things that are in place that are Antiquated that are designed to make schools hurt and are designed to make schools have to essentially beg the community to continue to support us um and it's frustrating especially as we see Across the Nation people are like pay the teachers pay the teachers which obviously I mean as a former teacher yes it's one of the reasons why I left because it's hard to stomach that um I say this as a teacher um administrators obviously there are times in which we get frustrated with them or you feel as if as a teacher they're not there when you need them uh admin are literally always always on campus always so when we talk about their salary and yes it is definitely greater than ours and as frustrating as that is the frustration is that teachers aren't paid enough not that admin are paid too much and that is important because again admin are the ones who have to deal with so many things that I pass on because I am not paid to deal with that I also don't have the time or the capacity or the space to do so they are at every event they are at every game they are there before I show up a good portion of the time and they are definitely there after I leave and that matters as far as salary and time and everything else they are also 12-month employees teachers are paid for 10 that's also part of the discrepancy and again as a teacher we work well above the 10 months but that is what we are salaried for And So It Matters as an individual who has spent time in classrooms and understand what that is like and have students in all of the things that are in place my par educators are vital to ensure that my students complete the work that they understand it because I may not know I may not know until I get that information and they are in a position to better educate me on what it is their student is struggling with or they need because they often have better relationships because they work with them way more than I do they sit next to them or they routinely go through that stuff that I do not bus drivers we have all had situations and if it's not in our district you at least know somebody who has when a bus driver doesn't show up it is chaos what do we do for our kids what do parents do who are already at work and your expectation is that the bus is going to be there so I can get on to my thing we need to understand that every single aspect of our staff from top to bottom help make sure that we can do what we need to do as a starting salary at Target is $21 an hour that is hard to compete with because being a Pera is tough it is tough you are dealing with emotionally stressed individuals to the nth degree because it is uncomfortable not understanding what's in front of you it is and so we need these individuals to help teachers be better teachers I have the utmost respect for all the individuals on meet and confer who sat in those meetings and say yes I would like that extra half a percent but I understand that that half a percent going to somebody else equates to a full percent for them which it bills that matter and at the end of the day makes my ability to be a teacher easier makes me a better teacher by having these individuals here I understand outwardly there are so many members of our community who only see when you drop your kid off when you show up at events and then when you pick your kid up later and that's it you don't see how the sausage gets made for lack of a better explanation and it is important and there is so much that go into it so sitting on the outside I understand I understand that you feel as if you think you know because when you went to school this is what you saw and this is what you experienced school is not the same in the 10 years that I taught it is not the same things are infinitely harder we are infinitely more stressed from students to parents and staff and everybody because the world is tough and so I understand that at the end of the day miss van hook that you care about finance and you wish to be financially responsible because that matters it does and it is important I don't believe or feel that the information that is presented in front of us is reckless or irresponsible at the end of the day if we're looking at inflation at 2% we're barely above that so the actual feel of what our staff is taking home is minimal and again some of our staff are making salaries that they could get better working at Target but they're here and we would like to continue for them to be here and as far as the keeping our budget inflated with the carry forward and everything else if we did not do that we would be Mesa who was letting off 400 staff and that's not us these things matter and the reason it matters is because teaching is a small field and you talk the second you meet somebody else from a different thing on my son's football team right now is a teacher from Chandler and they got 2% we talk about these things and the reason we do is because that 2% that 1% that half a percent could be a bill for me I understand and I think it is important and I recognize that we are looking at a situation in which our community may not vote for the ml they may not vote for the year after the year after that and everything else what routinely happens is that then they feel the pressure of that and they turn around and fix it because they get mad at 50 to a classroom they get mad that things were cut or they get mad that they have to send paper as part of their stuff the list of things the supplies have to start the year the complaints everyone feels it Our Hope and our effort is to get the community to understand preemptively when these things don't happen this is what we hurt with I respect the information that is brought forward but I think it is misguided to suggest that the information that Tyler is presenting us today Mr Mo sorry that was too informal is reckless it is both paying respect to the individuals who are here educating our kids making higgle the rating that it is making our schools show up on the rankings that they do which is remarkable because we have to compete with Charters and that is hard so I appreciate that effort and my hope as we move forward is that we understand that we have something here to continue to show staff that they matter and by extension our students that you matter because in point of order um I think we're getting off I think we're getting off topic if we're going to be disc discussing numbers that's great but I think that at this point it's off topic I understand that it hurts and I understand that you have a situation in which you wish to point of order it's not about hurting I just want to stay on topic and if a sentence could be completed then maybe you would understand where I'm going with ma'am my point is as we present information and we are on the outside with numbers a lot of the numbers you've presented today are inaccurate that's hard so you sit here and you make it seem as if these things just get to be said and that it's nothing when we have numbers that are put forth to us with the knowledge of the laws that are there that matter and so I am giving credit to what is in front of us because it matters before we go and make a vote on something that we clearly don't understand that's hard and that's dangerous and there are lives that depend on this salary and if they don't they leave and we see that happen point of order I'm going to interject thank you U both of you for your opinions um and I understand that you both have strong opinions as such on on these numbers what I want to refrain from are accusations of how people feel sure how they feel um I I do see your point Miss Wade um regarding you know respecting the people in place but I also want to I want to give us all the ability to have this time together the only time together to sit together and listen to each other and ask questions so I want to make sure that we're not misunderstanding question asking and verification of information and just try to understand versus hopefully not accusing U Mr Moore or any of our staff of misrepresenting information president Anderson and that's definitely not the case um and as far as my numbers I forgot to include taxes that was the only reason why my numbers are off otherwise they are very accurate um and I did figure out how I had calculated the $ 8699 and that was just based on the CSF number of 1.4 million um and divided it by the 1,700 that you mentioned um per employee estimated average per employee which brought me to $ 869 99 um but the but the forecasted amount is 6.97 um can I even that's a little you know that's quite off from the 780 can I address that though president member V hook in the email I presented I I I spelled the math out for it was 780 times the 1750 that we're increasing plus 8% in benefits um so that's the variance in which I now can I now we know where you own it that's the variance in which you're calculating you're not including benefits into that amount um even uh the the supplemental base pay we have to pay benefits on that it doesn't take uh the main medical benefits or the uh State retirement but we do have to pay federal and state taxes on that so that's in the email I presented that and I represent that as 8.4% I believe off top my head okay so the the 14 the 1.4 does not include benefits no it does include benefit it does include benefits I'm okay perfect um all right I think I'm good okay thank you oh sorry I'm sorry one more question um so last year our um CSF salaries were 6.6 million and benefits were 1.4 so the 1.4 that you're proposing so that 6 6 million would would go would increase by the 1.4 I believe it's 13 something and then um as I included in that email 88.4% of the 1.4 is benefits so okay so you see majority into this to salaries but there is a proportion of benefits that we are obligated to pay from that okay so we're already so we're paying so last year we paid out of that 6.6 Mill million and then so this would be on top of that so CSF in 20242 we'd expect to see that somewhere close to 8 million you're correct yeah okay thank you so much thank you everyone for taking the time to work through this I appreciate it next we're going to move on to action items um be 7.1 be school board meetings the second read are there any questions regarding the policy comments okay I motion to approve policy be school board meetings second right all those in favor I I I motion carries four to zero 7.2 B DB agenda or the agenda second read are there any questions or comments regarding this I I just wanted to add for the U regulation just a matter of typing can we capitalize governing board members it's I've looked through other policies it's capitalized so just be consistent thank you other than that any all right I move to approve policy BB the agenda second all those in favor I I motion carries four to zero 7.3 policy IH basic instructional program second read any questions comments I motion to approve policy Iha basic instructional program second okay all those in favor I I motion carries four to zero 7.4 policy ikf graduation requirements second read questions or comments I motion to approve policy ik KF graduation requirements second yeah all all those in favor I I motion carries four to zero 7.5 approval of the fiscal year 2000 or 2023 audit reports are there any questions or comments regarding this President Anderson do do you mind if I make a quick statement um so yeah this is a annual um obligation for the district to bring forth um our annual reports our reports are done by an independent auditor um we do have uh an expense to that auditor but we can reclaim that expense on our budget um uh so essentially it's a no cost to the district but um the auditor general um then receives these reports um and either takes action on them or basically files them in the basement um I do want to highlight I did bring a copy if any board member would like one um they're good reads I I do want to highlight on the single audit though we did have um two findings uh complete transparency um both were related to co relief funds um the influx of Co relief funds was a was a gift but also um required a lot more um requirements with procurement um and regulations um and so the two findings were um related to cover relief funds we have um and and in the single audit you will see our corrective action plan um where we've updated some procurement policies and some of our practices um to now um correct uh any future findings so um those and that that concludes my comments so thank you uh I did try reading I didn't try I started reading one of them um I recommend anybody out there watching her in the crowd to open up the first attachment which is the Higley USD acfr um and just the letter written by Sherry and Tyler that you put together it's really good information about our district um it's nice background in history um I just just want to put that out there um and that was it tried the rest of it okay um I motion to approve the fiscal year 2023 audit reports second all those in favor I I motion carries four to zero moving on to 7.6 the tenative approval of fiscal year 2025 maintenance and operations budget and with the recommendation for um the uh God what's the word I'm looking for the salary increases I'm trying to see it compensation options thank you and the the uh staff Administration recommend compensation option two are there any questions comments regarding this yeah Miss Anderson members of the board that that is option two is what is presented in the recommendation okay I motion to tentatively approve the fiscal year 2025 maintenance and operations budget including the fiscal year salary compensation option number two second all those in favor I I I all those that oppose nay and I'd like to explain my vote um as I said I think that um long-term to ensure that this is going to be sustainable and not having to make cuts at a later time and salary um I would prefer if we're picking between the two options I would prefer option one um because option two puts us far more deeper um in financial need um if long-term we don't get M overrides um and we can't be making decisions based on the hopes that an M override passes um we need to make decisions based on what we currently have um and so with that um my votes nay thank you and motion carries three to one just for a point of clarification president Anderson we have the budget for the option that we just approved so I just want to make sure that's clear that we have that currently thank you okay moving on to 7.7 salary schedule and rate adjustments are there open for discussion regarding this item I motion to approve the salary schedules and rate adjustments second all those in favor I I all those oppos I would assume that if I this would include option two correct the salary schedule and rate adjustments would be option two president Anderson member Vice President Van Hook yes okay um nay motion carries three to one okay 7.8 Consulting agreement between husd and Dr Carmen open for discussion I don't have any discussion it's important that he comes here for the you know so that we can he can get familiar and be ready to go for next year I will state that there were there was information discussed in executive session that we can't bring up here but um that is contradictory to what was discussed in executive SE executive session um which concerns me for um this agreement we did agree and then he's asking for more at this point so it it is different because he's asking for more time so that's that's what we're approving tonight is that because he wants additional correct Mr Johnson president Anderson and member Schultz yes um Dr Carmen is asking not only to be paid his daily rate but he's also included just hotel and airfare no mileage no food no prium of that he's asking for hotel and airfare to be paid for the three trips that he has planned to the valley um to support the district and so that is different than what what was talked about but it is part of normally if you're Consulting with somebody you are paying for travel president Anderson I'm sorry go ahead no no no go ahead I think I would cross the lines between executive session and what I was going to say so I'm G to not say it yeah so um there are some things that were discussed um that are included here um and so that was not agreed upon um and I have a big concern with that as well because it was clearly discussed um and so I would like to see a portion of this removed um and if that's not an option then um we'd have to go from there um I mean I I think that there was trying to find pick my words carefully um there was a dollar agreed dollar amount agreed too um and I feel like we are being put in a position to go over the agreed amount um and I don't like that um I think that um there's there's things on here that could be done over the phone um meetings with governing board members can be done over the phone um the review analysis of Staff contracts are going out contracts are going to be signed before he's here uh before he even comes to meet with anybody there's there's no changes he can make with staff um so I'm not sure you know purpose of that um determines says meet with District staff as he determines in his um discretion and shall review and provide guidance to the board regarding District's current Staffing levels and utilization of Staff um contracts are going to be signed there's no changes he can make even if he decides he wanted to make changes um Johnson did you have something uh president Anderson and member Ben hook um Dr KRON does need to make some decisions actually I spoke to him today in regards to Mrs Richard's position that is new to us um he we already have a plan for uh moving forward with the hiring process for that position if we are not um going to have him come here I feel that we would be at a disadvantage uh to hire somebody prior to July 1st as you said contracts are already out for for other districts too people are making decisions in the next 30 to 45 days as to where they're going to land if we don't move forward as a district I feel like we would not be fulfilling our obligation to the position that's going to be vacated through Mrs Richard's retirement maybe that's something you want to consider as you look at this contract and him coming here for basically 8 days which if you total that up it's around $6,000 I don't have my calculator but um I think there was an amount agreed to but it was not it was above that amount originally so what I propose is that we look at what this is and what we need in the next few months and getting here and getting these footing and getting ready for July 1 is very important to our students and to our facult our our teachers our staff here president Anderson Miss Johnson um I think that's also a conversation that the Board needs to have um to determine going forward um as far as the position and what options we have um for the district what are you referencing which position Dr car's position I'm sorry Dr Carmen's position no not Dr carman's um just in regards to Sherry Sherry's retirement um I would just I think that that's something that we should be able to um also discuss I know um but um I I don't know how how else to say it but I mean ultimately it's it's a you know it's a position that the board would approve right Miss Richard's position correct yeah um true if they brought it Forward it'd be one that would come on our Personnel action items I don't know what I don't know if we can discuss that right now um no you're just discussing I'm just I'm just saying for she brought it up because that's one reason why he wants to come um right so if that's something that could be done um after he's here remember Van Hook that will not we will be waiting another year for that position you have to understand the people who would be applying for that would could be external people who have signed a contract themselves and will not be an unprofessional and violate their contract and break that contract to come to our district it's by doing it now that is the best timing and best interest of the district and Dr Carmen as I spoke with him today agreed with that he understands the process and he would like to move forward with that process president Anderson uh I also that timeline it is appreciative for us as a district um as a board that Miss Richards notified us when she did to help give us the best foot forward when moving forward because she didn't have to um and in doing so she she essentially tried to you know help us going forward with that um I understand the the uncomfortability in that what was previously discussed in executive session and the differences I also understand the difficulty that we can't talk about some of the details in certain ways um we don't have a meeting for 3 weeks from today um and I think that's also part of the reason why doing it on the timeline that we have so these things can get going um I I recognize that frustration in my opinion I I think we want to do what is best for us overall in moving forward rather than pulling out the rug from underneath Dr Carmen before he even has a chance to start um so I appreciate you know that you put this forward in in that process I understand that it's not what was a previously discussed we don't really have the luxury of time given the nature of essentially what schools are and how those contracts work so I appreciate that I do not oppose him coming down for the eight days I think it's it's absolutely necessary and I would actually hope wish that he would come down more because it's a it's a big change for him it's not just coming from another school in Arizona it's coming from out of state um I I'm just struggling with one paragraph or one subparagraph I guess and and again it was what was discussed in an executive session so I would approve everything with the exception of that one part I have no problem C to C oh sorry to C only because and it just kills me that we're having this out in the open is that we can't have I feel like it's uncomfortable able or difficult to have discussion over this matter based on conversations that we had an executive session um if we can know we don't like meetings to have additional meetings but if it would behoove the the board to have a special executive session to discuss this this agreement I'm absolutely willing to do that and I would I would be open to us actually but my point of the matter is that when we close that executive session we had a final answer and and it's hard to to change that without having an open discussion and I just worry about treading over the confidential confidentiality part of executive session uh president Anderson I appreciate that I guess the way I view it in my head um is that I look at it as like staff travel for training right like I this is important I also understand and respect that he has to travel out here and that is clearly expensive if we're arguing about our desire to compensate that um I I I just view it as as training essentially right like that sometimes these things come up and how that that works I I guess where I stand or from my standpoint is in any other circumstance in any other business in any other world you're paying these people to come out to do these things and give perum for food and we're not even doing some of these things so like I I hear you because we are in education and everything is so vital with respect to money but this is necessary I think and I do think that some things are better to understand better to feel better to grasp in person rather than just Vias you know teams I think there's there's a lot to be desired when you only do it virtually and so I hear you and I think it is frustrating in the nature of how we can't talk about it and how we can't meet we can't ask some of these things really frustrating because it makes you feel as if you're in a box you don't necessarily want to be in sometimes um but at least for me I I view this as as training I mean in the same vein as what we do for other staff M Johnson do you think since this is a common practice it's Universal you know I I would never trans uh travel anywhere for a consultation or speaking without being paid um that he assumed this was already included or president Anderson member Schultz yes um he's he's only asking for the airfare and the hotel um given the proximity of where he's at that's not an unreasonable request um as we look at other Consultants that we have worked with this is totally allowable according to purchasing according to procurement rules travel is allowable I am sure as a consultant I'm sure he has consulted with other companies as well as a consultant he has been paid for his travel so sorry president Anderson so I just you know we keep talking about executive session and how this has changed so I'm just asking do you think it was his assumption or you know why didn't we discuss this I guess at the beginning I think it's any any Consultants assumption that they will be paid for travel okay thank you if that is your question yes it is it is his subsumption that he would be paid for travel absolutely I mean I would assume I guess too we left under the impression otherwise of the executive session so um and with being four members I would move to to either table this um and have a special meeting with all five members um or if we can amend this in some way um it's hard not having Christina here to have her input on it as well unless she gave you any input herself it is up to the board I it is up to the board what happened president Anderson I hear you I I think that is going to put us in a very difficult spot and I don't see how to get around it and because we don't have another board meeting for two weeks and to get one done considering how difficult it was for us to accomplish some of these meetings in the first place for some of these things um and I I I was chastised for not calling a special meeting whenever under's different circumstance so I'm I'm I would love to the ability for us to speak and have it you know open discussion I I don't want to turn this down I just want us to have a discussion about it where we can openly discuss it I mean I I guess that's fair in terms of feeling you can't say certain things I think ultimately it comes down to whether or not you're willing to pay for the the travel and that's really what it's going to be so I I'm I'm resistant to yet another meeting to have the same conversation in detail and I get that there are certain aspects of that detail like you we are either going to cover travel or we're not going to cover travel and I think that's really ultimately what it comes down to agreed president Anderson um I think that there was decisions made um that we didn't like initially and and H you know and then had to make decisions and and similar in this situation and I feel like it just the in you know asking for funding um I I don't know how to not cross that line um it's it's again very difficult but I think this is this is what we have today and this is the decision that needs to be made today um and I don't think that it needs to be postponed um and so we can make a motion to have that portion removed um and go from there um or we can take take a vote as is and go from there thank you m uh Miss Johnson whenever you discuss with him so if we were to vote to remove expenses let's say move forward without expenses would he still come down oh can you not hear me yes if if let's say the vote went forward removing the expenses would he still come down president Anderson I can't answer that I didn't know if you had that discussion with him I I did not I this I'm just bringing forward the contract that he has submitted for his travel and for his um time working here and Consulting with us prior to his contract starting I went ahead and went on Southwest Airlines and I I looked up hotels like moving like just yesterday to see what the cost would be you know the flights from El Paso depending on when you hit it could be $49 $59 it could be upwards of $12 $200 and the only in like the Double Tree down here by the mall depends on the days and how early out you get it and it came out to like a little over $2,000 for for all these days yes and president Anderson you'll remember that there was a number that was discussed yep so think about that number as well as board members and what you're telling me and what he's asking for please correct so with the the six like 64 I think with the the amount for him to be here and then the 2,000 we were you know coming up on an amount and only left like a wiggle room if he needed to come down more that's kind of where I'm worried if he needs to come down more days um president Anderson that is not what the contract is for it has specific days specific travel times he's coming three times that's it eight eight mulle days the there are multiple days at the time right president Anderson the only time he would come outside of this is if the board wanted him to be here for something specific and that would have to be an amended contract to this agreement this agreement is very specific as to the days and times when he will be here it it does not say anything p last those eight days and those three travel events this this is putting a heavy so not all's going to understand but we we we brought this up and we all left an agreement um from that meeting and so it's puts a lot of I I saying watch my words it's we're sitting here as if we didn't all have this discussion and all agree before and now all of a sudden it's like oh how dare you think that you know we're not going to do it I we ask uh president Anderson I hear you I it's important to know Dr Carmen was not in that discussion though so I think that also matters as to why it's in front of us I I think I hear what why our perspective is what it is but his perspective is different in that he went on an assumption because of the way things normally are done and so when this gets presented to us he was not part of it's not as if he himself has changed where he was at we had a discussion of what we were offering and now he is replying to that offer that's basically so I I do think that distinction matters though at least outwardly I appreciate it I I think I wish we would have had this in a an executive session so we could have had open discussion for sure make a motion um I'd like to make a motion to cross out section c out of the agreement to vote on the one that's on the table disc yeah so we have to vote on the new motion I'm sorry say it again I'm GNA write it I'd like to make a motion to remove section c or 2 C out of the agreement I second but what I'm he can bring this can be brought back to us correct president Anderson of course it can but we do not have a board meeting till April 3rd that will eliminate the three dates in March that he is to be here and to be um starting the search for the associate superintendent this will eliminate March days yes three March days yeah so if if it's those are the meetings with us is that his main that into go over the associate superintendent hiring president Anderson as of today um um yes the Monday and part of the Wednesday will be used for the superintendent H the associate superintendent hiring I I have um I have a concern being put in in this situation to begin with um this should have definitely been a conversation um for the motion on the table um motion to REM to approve everything with removing um 2 C all those in favor I based on the information I I I'm not going to lose I can't I can't lose these three days you know what I mean like I feel like we're being strong armed but I I is the problem I have a problem with being strong armed to make this decision that should have been brought to us and and this is an agreement this isn't any agreement would include negotiation and we should have G been given that opportunity to make to make those decisions and it's not fair to us that we were not given that opportunity and we can't fully discuss things from executive session and So based on that we have to make a decision based on what our previous discussion was as well and now we're being forced to increase expenses um and that I have a problem with President Anderson board member Van Hook again I I understand the frustration because I too feel it it is frustrating to be put in this position that is literally the nature of this position though because we cannot meet unless we notify the public and then have 24 hours afterwards before these things like the nature of our circumstance is frustrating it absolutely is fortunately for us this this specific circumstance is not a frequent thing again in our agreement was amongst the five of us without Dr Carmen present so for him to agree as the signing on that contract as well this is that negotiation this is that discussion and it comes down to whether or you agree that you're going to pay for him to come out here so he can do the best he can to get the best foot forward or not like that's that's what it is frustrating it is what it is this is the nature of the position that we're in right now yep yep it's not great okay and it's I mean it's three days I mean how much can he do in three days in reality we'll be discussion for the hiring of the next position um all right so we have a motion on the table it's been second and um let's vote on this motion all those in favor yours was the motion to remove section 2 C I thought we voted oh she voted I oh we did that's right so and um I voted sorry sorry to do this but I'm a nay I just I'm sorry I can't we've been put in a position for these three days and it's unfortunate that this was not given to us with more time and had a better I just want to make one point that as Miss Johnson said we are still in within our budget and the numbers we discussed so it's not like we're approving an additional money no nobody's arguing that right but we also discussed that we didn't have to go all the way to the to the Limit and I and I believe we're not correct he can take the red eye and sleep in a hostel is that what I don't know um keep in mind um also there's a what portion is it um 2B says that the agreement can be changed at any time meaning we can increase it but we can't decrease it so if the travel ends up costing the limit is it going to be brought back to us to incre to consider an increase or are we just going to say this is the limit and there's based on discussion this is the limit it's not going beyond that President Anderson uh member Van Hook you are approving a eight days at the rate that's stated in the document you're approving expenses for airfare and for hotel that's what you are approving tonight right but we don't know what that that's going to cost is the problem but again our previous agreement we had set a cap so this would be within that cap anything to go over that cap we would have to then meet again correct Miss Johnson That's So based on president Anderson's calculations of three round trips and a hotel of about 2,000 my estimate is that we are saying we are under the limit we need a motion to I'd like to make a motion that we approve 7.8 Consulting agreement between husd and Dr Carman s all those in favor I I uh all those oppose nay motion carries three to one okay future AG future agenda items anything we have a request or anything we need to put on the agenda for um yes I uh last time I asked for policy kdda and my understanding was it's on hold for Dr Carmen we can't keep holding stuff until July um I think that um bringing forward that policy um and having a discussion um is possible without Dr Carmen um I'd also like to find out if we could potentially have a presentation of the auditor General's spending analysis um and I don't know if we want to do that during a board meeting or if we can maybe have a um like a work session to be able to go over that what would you re recommend Mr Moore would that be would that require a special session some good amount of time I think a work study would be appropriate um I know we do have a second meeting in April I don't know how much we'll have on that agenda but that may be the perfect opportunity um as we already have that slated for a work study so thank you president Anderson I just wanted to clarify why we were recommending holding that policy because it came up during the communication protocols review so it felt like it was linked for us it was linked so we didn't want to change of policy and then you guys work with Dr Carmen and then the policy potentially needing to be revised again so that was the justification not to stall it but to potentially connect it I know I had sent a message about this but we had talked or about um the upstander program that we were going to get a presentation on that and I know um and I don't know where that is Mr Len Hauser or Mr Walker would you like to comment uh yes um members of the board um we did have a conversation about um the upstander uh information that's been discussed in in the community uh we met with some individuals and discuss some conversations over the phone um I guess there maybe was a misunderstanding of of where we're at with that we don't have a presentation per se because that's it's not quite a a Higgly Centric specific but it was more of a philosophy and how to approach um some sensitive areas and some ways to support our students um we can bring that back holistically to the board um it'd be hard to make a presentation based on somebody else's um foundational thoughts but we definitely have had some good conversations and how we can utilize some of that philosophy to support our students and Empower our students so I guess we could discuss this more and kind of shape this up specifically of what the board would like to see yeah I think sorry I just want to say thank you I just wanted to know because we know we voted to talk about it and then I didn't hear back on it so that's I just wanted to follow up on where we were at that if it's if it's nothing at this time then we can hold off on yeah I wouldn't say it's not quite nothing at this time there was a status report update uh I believe two weeks ago that kind of updated uh where we were at in our discussions and how we we pulled some good information and some suggestions on how we can overlay that to some of the things that we're already doing um if we want to expand that further we're we're happy to do that as well thank you okay I motion to adjourn this meeting all those in favor I I I motion carries for zero thank you have a great evening

[Music] a [Music] h welcome to round one of the IH seen postseason today our third seed cyber tiger team will play against the 14th seed Breman Senior High there are three rounds before the state finals April 27th and we have to win them all to compete in the championship winning tonight would put us against BDU who we beat last time or last week and or the njsp uh Gamers depending on who wins their game today all right so something different for the postseason play is that we are now competing in the best of three formats there are no ties as we have had during the regular season this should serve Bluff in well as our strength really lies in our strategies that playing playing which cyber tiger and their best character against our opponents we're good at deciding which character should go against which opponent um well as for the structure of the match we will still be doing a 4v4 crew battle players from opposing teams take turns fighting in 1V one matches with the winner of a match carrying their remaining stocks over to the opposing team coaches must disclose with one another in private for the fighter in private The Fighter for the first player on each team in the set after a player has lost a game they will be eliminated from that set after a player has won a game they must continue playing the same fighter until they lose within that set any stocks which are their lives a player has lost must be relinquished at the beginning of the next game they must do so by jumping off the edge of the map once a team has no remaining players which means all four have been eliminated like our King DDD over here uh sorry they just started once a team has no remaining players the opposing team will be considered the winner of that crew battle game our starting map for tonight is poking Stadium 2 or PS2 of course the loser of the first match gets to pick the stage for the second match So currently we are having Sonic versus King DDD now our team is going to be playing the king DDD and our opponents are playing the Sonic they're doing pretty well so far keeping it kind of even in terms of percentage it's pretty good it is pretty good and Sonic even parrying the stars that come out when King DD but slams The Stage that's pretty good and all the spot Dodges oh but Sonic back throwing him off the ledge pursuing him in the air hitting him with the spring oh boy up oh I missed okay Eli's down to one stock that's not good no but the Sonic is at a pretty high percentage so that should be well one good smash attack and Sonic's done for it of course oh oh oh all right I I would tell you a lot about what Sonic usually does but he just has a lot of spin dashes that are hard to do yeah but speaking of spins King DDD just spun with his hammer and hit Sonic and let made him lose his stock that's good and another Spin and another smash the spins and the smashes King D is the master of bashes wow poetic sending out gordos and well I did take a creative writing and poetry class my sophomore year I was I wasn't that good at it but I tried I mean clearly something paid off something o hitting in with the Gordo which Sonic pares this Sonic is pretty good at the parries oh goes for the smash which doesn't work Eli trying to end this battle quickly oh but it doesn't seem to be working out as this Sonic has been parrying a lot playing kind of defensively only going in when he knows it's okay let's see if he continues to use said strategy and be as strategic okay it's the last stock Eli has a very chaotic oh wow the Sonic wow so that puts us in the lead that's nice our other team has nine stocks and we have 10 Pat that belly King did you deserve it I'm a wink at King DDD there you go there you go all right well there you go now our opponents get to choose which character maybe they'll bring out a Ness that would be kind of cool if they brought out a Ness mhm oh wait oh no they're leaving their profile character is a Sonic picture by the looks of things so um I guess that was the only player they that was the only character that they're openly saying hey we have that okay so a pretty good first game is kind of unfortunate that King DDD only has one stock left um so that means he'll have to jump off the stage twice oh and it's a Diddy Kong up next okay not that not much of a Diddy Kong player but I do know his b his down be with in the form of his banana is going to be doing pretty well things from pretty good it's going to be pretty good so it's time for King to take the jump of shame or the fall of Shame don't jump off the edge fall off yeah he fall off he wants to get this done quickly Eli's probably got dinner plans after this oh wow what a pose what a pose oh all right oh man the banana to the down throw this this Diddy is really throwing out all the combos that banana is really useful cuz every time he throws it at them he just gets another free hit look at that he gets a free grabin and up there after the combos are so easy with Diddy it's fine Eli has such a chaotic playing style it genuinely just doesn't matter how many combos you hit he's just going to hit some random super heavy move that knocks you out of nowhere it yeah yeah probably but it makes you wonder why he they picked the Diddy Kong and this pick seems to be doing really well oh did I speak too soon it don't say anything we can't but we're commentators we have to no it's the commentators occurs it's been going around everywhere oh he was trying to eat the banana too bad that's just a peel oh and he slipped on it that's he still slipped maybe maybe if he did a dash ATT no Shield break that oh he didn't an air Dodge to get back to ledge and he does succeed Diddy Kong's got a banana on the ready hits him with it hits him right in the back oh he's trying to eat the peanuts this is not the circus sir oh you are providing the okay okay there we go evened up our stock so who are they going to bring out to take down the city Kong I think they're either going to bring out Jaden or Noah I think both are pretty good options both are pretty good options you are correct they usually end up carrying the team I don't know I don't know about bringing out Sam though paper sliding paper sliding paper sliding Jordan all right we're choosing our next opponent here and it appears to be it appears to be Noah look at that he brought out his snake let's see how many bombs he can throw out goodness gracious Noah is probably married his b button at this point he uses a lot of snake special attacks wo we no I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that my bad all right so both at 10.8% that's pretty cool uh one of them got hurt by a foot the other by a grenade look at that all right the percentages are no longer even Diddy Kong trying to get back to that range where snake has a higher percentage than him that's the key in this game you want to get your opponent's percentage high enough so that they'll get blasted off the ledge by your attacks you see if you were to kick them at 0% it wouldn't be as effectful as if you kick them when they had 100% that's how Smash Bros works that is how Smash Bros works yeah he grabs the banana he could potentially oh never mind he just threw it off the ledge oh well that means Diddy Kong can pull out another if he wanted oh oh no he didn't Noah gets the uptil while only taking 47% of damage that's really good for him okay A Down til but a down throw back air this Diddy Kong certainly knows how to use these Aerials wow he even picked up a grenade and threw it at him man I do like the Diddy Kong Aerials they're very they fit well they do fit well for the character they're very they have the right personality that's it m mhm oh shoot good hit box good time oh laying down a land mine on that platform this day Kong needs to be aware of all these landmines that snake is planting down I know it seems like they're doing a pretty good job of that though they are they have not been caught by it which is really good but then again Diddy Kong's a very fast character o got blown up by the grenade which interrupted his up smash I'm surprised he went for the up smash yeah I thought he would have gone for like a down a down throw into it like an aerial he's been doing that a lot forward smash from the other side of the stage but it's not going to kill yet but the back air is and he does a monkey flip under the stage and dies wow Diddy Kong that is a massive that's a massive pain oh boy all right so Diddy Kong throwing the banana to the side that's pretty sad and then Noah gang the banana himself but he's not doing anything which is even more sad all right so where what's what's this didy Kong going to do with this banana he's keeping it oh no he drops it Noah picks it up himself hits Diddy Kong with his own banana he's doing so well right now oh wow holy cow this guy Noah is this guy is just doing everything right oh he even recovered right wow oh no one of Noah's recoveries is exploding himself but upwards yes he doesn't die yeah he can just explode himself as much as he wants it's kind of weird sometimes I want to explode myself Jordan Jordan Jordan Jordan Jordan no no no exploting yourself no that's just not good it's just not good let's leave it to the professionals yeah like snake and apparently your Ness yeah yeah blowing yeah exploding myself with with specifically PK Thunder 2 it PK Thunder 2 does terrible things for my nest what where does the two come from there are two ways to use PK Thunder one as a projectile and two using yourself as the projectile that's they specific Ty Ally have numbers yeah it's only two it's only two though and there we go Noah wins that's pretty good so now it's six stocks to eight so I feel like we're doing really well oh okay there's an interesting thing over here we're not going to move the camera though you're just going to have to imagine who knows maybe Paul Adine just walked into the room who I'm just gonna ignore that comment I'm gonna ignore that comment she's one of she's one of my favorite cooking show hosts hey y'all how's it Ben going to add some butter to this let that butter be butter oh yeah oh yeah let that butter be butter oh let that inkling be an inkling he's come out wow they just brought out the inkling I'm pretty surprised about that I don't think they had an inkling last time we faced them but then again A lot has happened since since the last time we fa them like for instance me I started growing a mustache that's pretty cool anyways snake taking the fall of shame that would have been the perfect opportunity to explode himself in like a blaze of glory but no no it's not that kind anyways starting off with the aiel a lot of these guys have been using Aerials on getting pain all over the floor at least it's green pain so it'll probably wash off pretty easily I mean it kind of measures the stage too it does unless they paint over the Pokeball which I think they're going to do what spe just totally dropped I mean he dropped too he dropped a stock that is a shame um on the bright team's probably mad at him don't worry I've I've done that twice in the same match and they weren't mad at me they were just disappointed oh almost exploding himself with his own we also have like a really good team though we do have a really good team we got no supportive our players are uh-huh they're so supportive us of us now let's keep on supporting Noah as he fires a ton of side specials at as he fires a ton of side specials at this inkling and this inkling is throwing out bombs himself now I feel like NES would be a good player to play as a good character to play as oh gets him stuck in the paint you know what yeah oh no now snake is covered in paint oh no there's no way he could hide anywhere just the more paint snake has on his body the more damage he takes every hit I don't know how that works but it does U it just weakens you I guess I guess so maybe it just eats away at you like every character has some LEL armor nice job snake uh nice job Noah you're doing it sent that inkling Sky High higher than his recovery could ever hope to bring him I'm sorry you're you're good anyways up smash on the grenade not the best idea for him but you know what up smash on nothing that's an even worse idea or is it no I'd rather up smash nothing than up smash a grenade all right oh Noah blows himself up but it wasn't for Recovery that time planting a land mine on the floor in front of a grenade throwing grenades over the land mine inkling jumping over the land mine to get it oh oh gets him stuck oh and a forward smash that was kind of delayed but Noah still couldn't get out oh boy there's the uptil and the up smash which ultimately hit nothing and snakes going for the aerial and the side missile bouncing him off the stage Noah wins wow he good job Noah Noah is cly pulling his own weight and now it's I I think I think don't quote me on this I think it's our seven stocks versus their three we're doing this we're winning this we're showing these guys who the masterful players are now nothing against the other team I just want to say that we want to be nice to the other team there was something we had to do about the bracket though there was something we had to do about the bracket but that'll have to wait until the end of the game will it yeah this game this game at the end all right yeah cuz we are in a tournament right now this is actually the first round of the playoffs we already told you this at the beginning but if you weren't paying attention then we're in a tournament right now this is the first match of the playoffs and that's the that's the tournament bracket right there there it is yeah we got quite a few it's kind of stupid that Blackford is starting in the second round it's fine they get an extra chance although they don't necessarily need it they're a very well established team I guess so so they sent out the king K rules what's with the what's with their name Uno do Vibes Uno The Vibes Uno The Vibes The Vibes are strong with this team and bites the air eats the air H I really hope never mind I was going to say saying I was going to say a bad joke anyways I was going to say a bad joke at least say the bad joke I'm not going to say it we might get to monetized oh wait we don't make money please subscribe get let's get subscribe and like and hit the Bell do whatever you can please share share with with your buddies cuz I know everybody earn the school some extra Revenue earn the school some extra Reven help support the school we want to stop with the fundraisers are you for America help help support a government program government program the school is a government agency oh and the up air from the King K rule that Noggin knocks that no that Noggin KNX Noah Sky High I'm sorry I couldn't think of an nword it's all right sometimes it just doesn't work oh wait King K rules nogin knocks Noah nearly out of the atmosphere oh I like it good alliteration all right let's see what we got all right I have a feeling it's going to be Sam I have a feeling it's going to be Sam too can never resist the king K rule ditos oh and there he is bringing out a king K rule of his own I don't know about you but whenever someone else brings out a character I m I get really excited cuz I'm like yes a whole new perspective on this character that I've known for a long time let's see which g k roll will be better the one that's colored like coal or the one that's colored like a pineapple the inside of a pineapple anyways it also has the texture of a pineapple too pineapples aren't scaly oh that's super armor from that they like segment that was so cool oh my gosh King K Ru with the King K Cannonball he's doing so good and the King K combuster vacuum oh my gosh so many things doing good things oh my gosh I should stop labeling things as things you know you should you should specify what they are I should I should be better at that oh well oh and he counters The Cannonball that's pretty good and a Dash attack that's got super armor too wow this is like Battle of the Titans Godzilla's over here sending the cannonballs out but the other king K roll is also recovering he's just getting oh getting he trying to get hit by the Canon I don't know he could have air dodged he could have done like so many different things there KK ru's recovery is pretty good so he probably could have done like a fast fall or an air Dodge downwards or something could have done anything he could have done something they just let it hit he just let it hit actually no they were they were holding the control stick at least they were trying to get back to Stage that's something that's that is something oh oh all the Dodges missing the crown but hitting him in the back that sucks oh SM SM don't talk back wow look at that neutral vtil grab which missed all right hitting the cannonballs together now we should also mention the fact that King K rules SBE where he throws his crown has super armor oh wow it basically means that it can just ignore your attacks to a certain to a certain extent well in this this schools uh King K really likes using the down B uh counter he really does all the time he he look at that yeah he acts like the type of guy that found out counters were a thing and just use counters to that was me when I first picked up Little Mac while he was while his head was in a hole like that one episode of Veggie Tales oh sorry you guys don't get Veggie Tales references my bad oh speaking of my bad oh man this King K rule got kicked in the got kicked in the face I got you Jordan thank you I'm sorry for for the busted audio guys I did say very important stuff there um anyways all right so it's a king K rule versus a king K rule which is pretty good they're both using their Aerials and that's how it goes all right we're missing back airs left right and Center although we did technically tell Sam to try more back airs we did it's a risky thing but when it works it's too it's like too good it's too good it's way it's way better than it ever should be way better all right so forward forward special those are really going at him all right neutral air forward special again forward Smash Up air okay King Sam is just looking for all these kills and oh in almost a cool Twist of irony he almost got killed the same way he killed Sam that looked like it should have if he had just charged it a little bit more that would have kill oh Forward Air Forward Air that's a good one that's a good one from Sam he did really well look at that so that means we win round one so that's really good way to start off our tournament bracket yeah we're doing really well so far although the school now has two chances to be able to schedule themselves yeah Place their players into a different order maybe uh you know make themselves better maybe start Ming nest on the spot they could do that that'd be pretty cool all right Jordan okay um but they also get the chance to counter pick a stage also get a chance to counter pick a stage to any of our tournament legal stages I Nam them for you but I don't memorize them there's Battlefield small Battlefield Hollow Bastion town and City smashville that's all I know off the top of that's all I know off the top of my head Final Destination I think that's it well since we're in a tournament I guess it's time we look at some brackets heck yeah okay so there's our brackets um there are three rounds before the state finals which are on April 27th and we have to win them all to compete in the championship so winning tonight would pit us against either BDU who defeated La who we defeated last week or the njsp J Gamers depending on who wins their game today yeah good pretty cool stuff actually if you can't see us we're in the we're the second match from the bottom bhmsd ssbu versus BHS Varsity ssbu should be pretty fun actually so if we played just a little bit better we would have been in seeds one or two which would have probably put us um ahead of match which would be nice that would have been nice it would have but okay so they they're bringing out the Sonic and we're bringing out our Eli Sonic says yo DDD says nothing kind of rude but I mean it's DDD does DDD talk in the Kirby games never played a Kirby game you never played a Kirby except for Kirby's Avalanche I'm pretty good at that one Kirby's Avalanche it's like a PUO PUO ripoff all right well this Sonic is definitely using his speed to an absolute Advantage here oh wow I barely play Sonic I did play Dr eggman's mean bean machine which is all also a PUO PUO you play all the knockoffs in none of the actual games which is which is also a PUO PUO ripoff both of these franchises ripped off puyo puyo in their games which is kind of funny uh but anyways oh look at that King DDD taking the stock my bad I'm sorry I'm rambling here we got to talk about the actual match so King DD knocks him down but hits him back up goes for a smash attack which is really slow actually I'm surprised he's going for so many of those like it's got so much lag why is this like I don't get it why is he going for all those cuz half the time it works it does work I'm surprised it is working so it's cuz it's Sonic it is and his only move is spin well you're you got to narrow it down there's a lot of spinning he does he's like immune to motion he spin he's like immune to motion sickness at this point well I mean if he's a hedgehog that goes like 100 miles back air and now he's doing some Dash dancing trying to throw him off which apparently worked he hit King DDD with that that little move move but DDD hits back with his own little move in the form of a gordo which he spits right back because apparently gordos don't don't hurt King DD's golet oh and an up tilt but that hurt Sonic's second stock so now he only has one left look at that we're doing pretty well for ourselves okay let's see so there's the side special uptil uptil Sonic getting knocked down to the ledge okay so forward smash but Shield the spin dash for smash again but Sonic went right around it he apparently went through King didd I don't know how he did that but he's so fast I guess he moved his molecules through King DDD at the speed of lot I don't know this game doesn't make sense sometimes you just got to accept it just watch people punch each other it's more or hit each other with hammers or spin into them really violently or just violently throw their bodies into them yeah yeah like like that like son or violently throw other living creatures at them in in an attempt to do something different you know I mean you could always there's an unlimited amount of options have a 2-year-old that shoots out lightning from his skull yeah even though he's not two and it doesn't come from the skull yeah I think it comes from the white part on the top of his hat we're talking about NES when we should be a smash character oh look at that oh only losing one stock Eli setting the straight he got that up fast he did Pat your belly with pride King did you won congratulations I think I'm going to Pat my belly too it doesn't it doesn't have the same flare it doesn't it it doesn't have the same flare when I do it my bad ah trist I got a question what do you know what makes me look so handsome right now what is that it's my merch you can get some cyber Tigers merch with the link in the description below get some sweet merch we also got mouse pads and other stuff you can even get your name on the back it looks pretty cool it looks pretty cool you genuinely want to wear this anywhere people are going to flock to you they're going to flock to you like pigeons to breadcrumbs back to the game King DDD himself taking the fall of Shame all right all right so he does a taunt but Diddy Kong doesn't wait for the taunt you usually have to taunt at the start of the match after you jump off the ledge just to make sure hey dude we're ready to go it's good sportsmanship Diddy Kong did you learn nothing just not going to I don't think this Diddy Kong learns he's doing good though like he do he does have all the combos in the book He's The Little Mac equivalent of spray the banana right back at him so he didn't want to eat the banana he just wanted to use the banana Eli is thinking in four dimensions at this point he's not going to eat the food goodness gracious turn around your Hammer why don't you all right cool Eli you are just putting in the work I like this oh look at that oh he did oh barely I'm surprised he didn't get up that quick but like I said before this Diddy Kong is like the Little Mac equivalent of Diddy Kongs he's really good on the ground but when he's in the air trying to get back to ledge it can be kind of leaves a lot to be desired yeah yeah which is kind of shame I don't think tweak would approve of this Diddy Kon gameplay twe is a professional Diddy con player yes he is he also played youngling for a bit played Wario played a ton of people I think he played Sethro one time I don't know anyway one time one time I don't think I don't think he played NES and that's a crying shame all right up smash neutral special he threw it in his mouth why does he keep doing that I don't know he's not going to switch it up but why does Eli keep going for it oh oh he went for it though he actually hit him and DDD this time did not to Eli three stock this Diddy Kong yeah I would too that would be awesome to see I would really like to see it too oh he's going for it he's going oh Deon getting before the match he wanted to go for more down bees which is the thing where he holds the hammer waits for it to charge up and then oh that was a forward smash almost hit Diddy Kong's precious little fingers and his precious little finger sent just sent King DDD to the top of the stage hit boox making um making him only have one stock and this Diddy Kong is going to carry this momentum goodness gracious he's comboing him wow keeping it going oh is he going to he did they're both at one stock and a forward throw oh sends out a gordo does that thing he wanted to do but didn't end up hitting it got hit on the banana and that's it an up air and that's it congratulations to King DDD swing your Hammer with satisfaction good job DDD you did it good job D good job DD we're proud of you also what kind of name is DDD I don't know my little brother when he was younger had a blanket he called his uh I forget actually what he called it my bad you're all good Jordan I'm sorry I I'm sorry I I just thought of his blankie for some reason I don't know why my bad oh well off of the topic of blankets and on the topic of inkling let's get started with this next match we're going to see this inkling spray ink all over the stage do you think it's going to hit DDD 100% there's no way it doesn't there's no way it's a huge Target but he's already green so they're going to throw the exploding ink bombs yeah it kind of looks like King DDD is um already covered in ink himself I mean he is pretty green he is pretty green himself there's a lot of green here all right there we go I'm surprised he didn't pick inkling best costume which is his eighth one which is the H costume I really like the H [Music] costume they should have put in the F absorb all of those bombs as well as as well as um inklings neutral be yo what's up go back just a bit my apologies my apologies oh my Lord oh my I stole your line no I wouldn't have said oh my Lord I would have said oh my Pine sorry oh I still know who that is and that's a shame you'll learn in time Le you'll learn oh speaking of which this inkling didn't learn to dodge the hammer and got hit by it and he didn't learn again it hit him on the stage Eli taking us taking his hands off the control to clap for that good job Eli he's taking seven stalks already look at that this inkling is straight up break dancing on the court tonight wow oh wow that jab he is break dancing oh yeah all that bre Dan i' like to see another stock I would like to see Eli bre dance oh reverse commentator curse the curse has been L Eli he's going to three stock him at this point this is crazy he's going to three stock him at this point three stock another player no no no no well technically the other one wasn't three sted there goes the commentator's curse we did it it came back that's our fault it's our fault we shouldn't have said anything inkling spins his why did we have to say something little thing I don't know what is that thing he spins uh the hammer no no the inkling he he was spinning something oh I think it's the ink pack that he carries on his back okay just curious now I got a question I got another question for you trzy do you have a favorite nonprofit that could use an awesome fundraising idea auction in is an online and in-person auction platform that can help your nonprofit host the great Charity Auction find out more at auction .io that's auction.io thank you so much to auction for sponsoring this stream thank you for that that was was very good oh thank you I tried all right so looks like we have Jaden up going against the the inkling from before inkling takes off two of his stocks that must feel weird having to self-destruct especially by especially by choice when it comes to me I don't do it I wasn't I wasn't saying anything about that oh sorry um I did hear our coach screaming from the other room though yeah he's a he's a wild one if you saw our tetrio excited you saw if you saw our tetrio stream then um if you saw our tetrio stream then you could see how how weird he is when he comes creeping in behind the casters he just like walked up right behind us like it was nothing imagine if he's imagine if he comes and does that this time that'd be kind of cool all right so this slingshot doing very well things for Isel huh now he's going to do it cool he's a great guy I mean throwing pots off the ledge wow that's the second time he's done that on stream it's pretty cool all right sending up the Lloyd rocket mhm all right a Ford air that's pretty good sending them off to the side getting hit by the ball oh there it goes and they Shout with joy even more shouting and now Isabelle's going to go throw a Lloyd rocket at uh at us that's where she that's where she sent it she sent it away to our school uh I mean our Pokemon Stadium this is not a school Jordan This is Pokemon Stadium we actually we set up a table we set up a table in the middle of the uh in the middle of the the bleachers at the stadium yeah we we set up like a giant stand so we're outside of the people so we're not being constantly like don't worry stampeded don't worry about those people behind us all those people behind us like like those guys down there don't worry about them or those people over there but anyways but it is time to worry about King Kroll I worry for his safety in this match cuz I'm going to be real it smells good is our is really really good oh so good so an uptil and up there oh he hits her before she can plant the landmine it's the commentator's curse back again oh and he Pockets The Cannonball which is good and a forward tail s down the land mine so that I could reverse the uh down throw Forward Air up air down special which works the thing be like a pencil or something that's all that's all you really need a pencil you do have a pencil I got a pencil do you want to I got a pencil he's got more than one pencil anyways uh back to the game it's pretty fun I got another pencil they're doing pretty well in this game oh wow he punched it got another pencil Jordan sorry that was the last one or was it yeah that was the last one okay four pencils ultimately a shame you know what else is a shame this King K rule is down to one stock when did that happen we're so sorry Jaden we missed how awesome those stocks were you took we'll have to rewatch The Stream for that one since we were too busy watching Jordan pull out an infinite amount of pencils from his pocket my deepest apologies Jaden those were probably amazing stocks you took I really I really do wish the best for you and the best for this King K rule oh wow a counter well speak of the king K rule he's doing awesome I now summon pencils from the ethers can you I'm going to do it again do it again ha it works I'm up to fight oh my gosh anyways oh wow this King K rules in the triple digits and Isabelle is not too far from that especially when going against King Kroll cuz all his moves have very high damage and it just worked Isabelle is down to one stock he's just doing it he's just doing so well okay so he she he gets the Cannonball he's I have a gift for you what's up another pencil the rich get richer Merry Christmas oh thank you happy holidays oh thank you all right down air up air oh man sending down the ly rocket this is a last match this might be the last match for the it is and there it goes and there we go we end end up winning this time so congratulations to both our teams we're moving on and by the way there's a single elimination bracket there are all our players make sure to wave to them and there's Lucas back there and Jomo back there he isn't even looking at the camera but he does put up the thumbs up be like Jomo thumbs up be like Jomo so that means we get to move on in the tournament so congratulations to all our cyber tigers and congratulations to you trzy for being here here you're a great guy you know what I like about this what's up is that the Wells County Foundation gave us a computer to stream this on very special thanks to the Wells County foundation for a special grant that allowed us to purchase this computer the stream is currently running on no way without their support we wouldn't be able to provide the quality programming you are currently watching it's time for an interview we'll hold that oh oh my goodness it's Elijah oh El Li M colum none other than the one single person who took the most stocks this entire game it's also me oh yeah you too it's also jayen who did really well it is zo oh my gosh both of you did really well here's our Isabelle player and our King de de de In the Flesh de de In the Flesh don't worry about that get some chairs get some chairs maybe a drink I don't have one so you're going to have to figure that out on your own oh man yeah I know I know your lips are just parched you've been sweating I guess we've been going we've been sweating you've been sweating at this game so how do you feel about the match tonight pretty good hardest one we're really good at this hardest one yet but we we pulled it through let's go y we'll do it again next week yeah very very pressure full you know first round of the playoffs I was feeling it the whole day but we got at least like a month now to get better get ready for the next round of the playoffs and looking at the bracket I seriously think we can do it there's some incredible teams it's going to be a challenge but I think we can do it yeah this might be the year it's looking good mhm and you Eli how do you feel like this one here you go dang it um you took his response we did good today yeah did you did it you did it good job we won that one you won we did yeah we did This Guy's first Varsity Smash Bros game in a year and he won eight stocks in second round and he's a sub very good so cool thanks so cool so doing good he's doing amazing he's doing amazing he's doing it and we're doing it too so how do you feel about the future games that could potentially come across in the uh in the brackets all right future games we've got the winner of BDU versus the J Gamers uh next round then after that it's I believe Oregon Davis versus Southwood winner of that mhm um yeah it's going to be some great competition really great I don't know much of what else to say it's going to be great we're going to bring it we're going to bring it we're going to try our very best to win um to all the smash players at home who maybe want to get better you got any words for them words of encouragement or something like that um I would just say get the Reps in you know just play the game G learn new things watch some Pro gameplay and you'll get there you get to that level mhm yeah just like we have we've been grinding to get to this point that's why I think that this game I said the wrong word that's why I think that this year is going to be the year yeah it probably will be the year because not only do you have uh Eli over here you've got yourself you've got Noah and Sam all putting in all the hours they need to to make this team the best they can be oh for very yeah all four are very good players and this guy if you didn't know he plays on Varsity too but he subbed out this round yeah I signed up to shoutcast and that was my choice it was his choice it was fun pretty fun actually oh yeah um you got any more questions hey Eli hey how you doing I don't have any questions I don't think ah okay well Eli I do want to say this how well Eli I don't have any questions thank you for your time well Eli I do want to ask you this in over a year of not playing uh on Smash Bros does it feel good to finally get back into it you know um yeah I definitely missed the game yeah I would imagine I mean it's a fun game yeah kind of Addicting yeah I like winning I do too cool we all do everybody likes wi we hope we hope you bring us more wins in the future not just for for the sake of us cyber Tigers but for the entire bluon School imagine the mark that we put on ourselves when we say hey we won in Smash Bros it'd be pretty cool you know yeah being able to be like yo we won State we won State we won State we won we won State out of all the schools in the state in our division we won we were the best we were best how awesome that would be how awesome very cool I would like that chance and maybe in the future once Eli is done with high school he may get sponsored on his very own Esports team and get sponsored by Ramen exactly that's just ramen just ramen the entire industry it's not spicy just ramen it's just ramen that's good that's good all right y I think um one last thing that me personally I want to say um best of luck to Breman in their future seasons and J Gamers BDU whoever wins this we're both going to bring the Heat next round good luck boom yeah all righty do we have another sponsorship today actually we have one more uh there you go mysterious hand from the left I don't think we do actually no I think we're all clear no we don't yeah all righty well I guess it's time for the outro well thanks for joining us this evening this concludes the week of streams but you can join us again on Monday April 8th at 5:00 p.m.

get good evening everyone and welcome to the ashelin select board meeting for March 6 2024 um this uh this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live by waca TV and live streamed on Facebook remote participation is available using the zoom video conferencing platform any Interruption with our video conferencing platform will result in the platform being shut down uh me me will be continue to be broadcast on waca TV and live streamed on Facebook um so with that is there anyone else recording this meeting um that we should know about just to make the public aware that they're being recorded I'm seeing none okay um so with that I will start with our uh agenda which is um public citizen participation and in in line with our recent uh policy we will limit um each participant to three minutes so do I have anybody for citizen participation yes uh CC come up to the mic is there anyone else either here or online could you raise your hand using the raiseed hand function there he ises okay so he does okay go ahead CeCe hi CeCe duet fatama drive thank you again for helping to tune in to the biological risks of today's Wireless technology uh two meetings ago I loaned you all a radio frequency detection meter and I wondered if I could see a show of hands as to who actually took that home or used it in some capacity I did not get to take it home it was who who where is it now do we know uh I think I was I was on vacation last week okay so no nobody took advantage of that is my understanding okay um May I bring it back next time because seeing is believing this is an invisible toxin of radio frequency microwave radiation that we're exposing especially our children to in all of our scho bring it back CC I'll I'll attempt to take it home assuming and then thank you I see that you've returned the I have to I have a confession I left mine at home so I will make arrangements with you to return it that's fine um can I see a show of hands if the others actually looked at the New Hampshire commission report I looked through it but not in you know not in detail unfortunately so basically nobody has looked at it the reason why this is important is the Massachusetts joint committee on consumer protection has advanced a bill out of committee favorably to do what New Hampshire did and that's to investigate the wireless radiation issue and when you look at that report you'll see that one of their recommendations is to get wireless technology out of our schools it is a neurotoxin it causes all sorts of biological effects and most people simply have no idea because the wireless industry and our mainstream media have major conflicts of interest so you only get their benefits of Wireless technology and we don't want to take anybody's toys away all you have to do is run an ethernet cable with an adapter you will have safe technology that's much faster far more reliable all of the data and privacy concerns are far better protected with a wireless connection so again my ask is that we continue to learn together and Rob you suggested at an earlier meeting that maybe a first step is to do a formal presentation to you guys so we can teach you live and then give you the resources to go do your own deep died I'll take that under I think some part of the discussion was how to do something like that and have all scientific sides represented so and by all means one of things we're bring the industry invite them and past experiences they don't come to the table MH so invite them and let's just go for it um and we have other experts we can bring in as well Dr Kent Chamberlain is the uh chair ameritus of the University of New Hampshire's computer and electrical engineering he would be here with me in a heartbeat well thank you CeCe so we'll think about that okay so what I'm going to leave you with tonight is the bill that has been Advanced out of committee but we can't wait for higher authorities we've had bills for 10 years in Massachusetts and meanwhile we've just built a beautiful school and put a wireless access point in the ceiling of every classroom in mes what's the bill number that way you don't have to give us the paper and we can just go find it online the bill number is Senate resolve 155 and it is called res is there one from the house as well or is just from the Senate no this one's from the Senate and there's another one out there on Smart Meters okay that's Senate 2152 and we're waiting to see whether that will come out thanks C I think we've gone over three minutes so I appreciate your again I do free public education webinars every month I'll leave you each with a copy and seriously I hope you'll join us because we could be helping our kids today okay thanks CeCe great thank you thank you Cece right um Mark do you want to unmute yourself and I think I think somebody already did can you hear me barely you need to increase your volume a little Mark increase the volume how's that there you go now we can hear you okay uh good evening back 249 haon Road and um CeCe introduced me to what she had up there and I'm GNA just say quickly that um even though you're saying you will look at it you will see it half the board didn't take the meter home and stuff like that it's a serious problem that's going to need serious taken and the the select B the select on the State House bill is an important read yeah I think so that's basic what that I'm on her side still and she she's doing a great job getting and if you don't keep up with her she's going to put the town behind Okay Mark point9 haon Road as as the tell manager how'd the election go yesterday hi Mark um it went very very smoothly Cindy and her team um including Chris Sullivan and Jean delery and and all the pole workers they did a marvelous job because I tried looking up on the on the town website it said unofficial results and I Tred to look up on it and it didn't give any um any fol numbers yeah it should be fixed by now Mark we did have some technical difficulties but that should be good can you say out loud now what what what could have been I'm sorry can you say were oh she said that's 1% yeah Che is oh you asking the percentage I'm asking each each Precinct and and percentage of ashan's Voters that came out yeah I don't have that Mark I can get that to you though about 13 our total was about Mark on my way in I asked and it was about 133% turnout that included the mailin as well as the people who showed up at the ballot and we then whole state uh was was by byid and Trump and uh how was the town for that um Mark I'll have to pull it up for the exact exact answers okay you can do that you you have my email right I do have your email I think I've got a couple emails for you yeah yeah it should be it should all be up there by now Mark on the website so you should have all of your all of your answers but we'll send it to you as well how's that appreciate that and I'm all set thank you all right thank you Mark anyone else for uh citizen participation I don't see any okay um so we have about um six minutes before we start the dangerous dog hearing or or resume it I should say is there suggestion to do the consent agenda y I move that we approve the consent agenda as presented second any uh questions or discussion on the consent agenda all right so I'll um motion's been made and seconded to accept the consent agenda all those in favor say I I oppos no okay the consent agenda has been passed you want to run through the reminders nice to welcome Max performance back for their Triathlon oh yeah what's that want to go through the reminders oh yeah that's a good idea we uh know you have a few minutes we'll do the reminders uh that's okay with everyone so um the um select board Grant cycle is open and submissions are due by March 31st um nomination papers are available in town clerk's office anybody uh know offand how long they're available and when they're all due I believe they're due by April April 2nd is when they're due is when they're due okay so you need enough time to yep get them filled out before then right and um free covid tests are available at Town Hall and our wonderful volunteer breakfast has been scheduled for Saturday March 23rd at 9 to 11:00 a.m.

you may attend in person or via Zoom parties wishing to be heard this matter should appear at the time and place indicated above so uh I would ask for a motion motion to open the public hearing for the class two license I'll second that uh motion is made in second all those in favor say I I and motion to suspend until we finish this discussion I'll second that motion's been made in second to suspend until we finish this one all those in favor say I I I okay so gentlemen I think you're here for the other hearing we're suspending it for some time but we'll we'll get to you so I would just say to sustainability Committee just hold on these things sometimes take longer than expected so we'll have to take you after we do the class two license yes I'm going to drop off and back okay sure oh good good thinking okay all right thank you Claudia so um and I again I also appreciate every um all the you know this is a difficult decision um so you know my own feeling of this is that I I do agree that we can take these measures rather than euthanizing the dog um which I'm certainly cognizant of the the trauma that this is involved um and you know I'm sorry that it all happened um these are not an easy decisions so um is there so we've made the only thing I do have questions about not having the child I thought that was kind of an important um how do you see getting around that in the future if there's if say there's the dog is there with just a young child and that would seem to be kind of important I would see that they if you know if they're the respons responsble dog owners that they seem to be showing us that they are regarding the you know the the retraining of this dog and the willingness to put in a a muzzle that if they already have a small child in their home they're going to be cautious with that so that if other children come they would continue that cautiousness um and if we were to say that it you know it I mean the the the the actual thing is that as a dangerous dog Cooper shall not permit a child under the age of 17 to own or have the care or custody of such dog so obviously the dog the child is never you know not someone under 17 is not going to own the dog these are the dog owners and that um again that they would not leave the dog in the custody of or care of their young child but the way this is stated first of all it's not relevant because the dog they the dog is owned by these two adults so okay all right any other one didn't seem to make sense to me any other further discussion on this before we yes go ahead I just have one comment sure and Claire it's for your dad you're a victim here too you know you put you put I but you put your dog down you put your dog down man okay that goes that goes a long way okay I just want that on the record thank you okay all right are we are we uh ready to vote and motion's been made in second all right so others in favor of the motion as stated say I we don't need a roll call vote this is just I yeah uh any opposed I all right so we have one person opposed so the motion carries 41 All right so I believe that can I just make one only because I'm the one who made the motion um I want to thank you for your honesty and I can again I can relate to how difficult this is um on both sides certainly you know with Quinn being put down and Cooper almost did but didn't and the last thing I would say is to you Claire and Richard you have some serious responsibility here but I also think you have people who are going to support you um and and help you through this and just continue to support your neighbors and and I wish you the best of luck and as Claudia said should you no longer be able to do or keep Cooper the way we've expected you to that you'll know the right thing to do um it's never easy having to make that decision to let a dog go or let a pet go um but good luck with it thank you all right that concludes uh our hearing on this matter thank you all for coming yeah thanks okay thank you oh boy okay all right thank you guys thank you all right so um thank you Donna thanks Donna um so we need to unsuspend a hearing motion to unsuspend the public hearing for the class two license in favor unsuspending say I I I oppose that okay so gentlemen you can come up you're here for the class two license I presume and just a reminder everybody anyone who wants to speak come up to the microphone is there anyone is there anyone remote that is wants to speak on this matter raise their hand or make themselves known okay I think I've opened the hear hearing's been open so do we have a presentation by any the staff on this uh review or anything I don't think so um typically it's the do you guys have a pres a brief presentation you want to so this is a license transfer so we have the new owner here who's the new owner and who's the old owner I think and you're the old you come to the microphone yeah so why don't you come up here and yeah over here yeah right speak into into that microphone so Folks at home can hear you my name is Hector ibera I'm Jose padil uh we've been been we've been Partners here in Ashlin since um we started back in 2007 with JC Auto Sales we left there um we started New Beginnings on Nickerson Road about 11 12 years ago uh around 2010 2010 uh we've been leasing that place we been we've been up and running um and the opportunity came in the table we've been great friends with Ronney ree here for many years I I don't know the count but many years and um yeah the opportunity came on the table and we're looking to continue to grow the same way you guys gave us an opportunity when he was 20 and I was 30 not knowing what we were doing I think we got our feet on the ground now as young kids after following good steps you know and we just need to clean up the place and keep it going under the same pretty much Legacy that what have they done for 40 50 years we're trying to take over and keep it in good hands and keep setting cars okay questions thoughts any issues with the paperwork Susan it's all complete she's nodding yes um everything is complete but just for clarification this is not a transfer of a license this is a new license the current license for Middle sex Motors is going to be turned in and this will be a new license that'll be issued to them there it is he has he has it this is one of the hottest things I've ever done in my life 37 years right with you guys all you as you know you've been with me the whole time okay so it's so it's so we're we're closing a license and oh that's funny yes so we're closing we're we're canceling one license and and looking to create and offer a new license yes we're not cancelling Nickerson Road though right so you're going to have two Li thank yes please you're still standing that sense now you're looking to stay at that is correct on Main Street yeah on W Street good for you guys thank you thank you that's that's the idea to be on a main road back on a main road cuz for many years a lot of people said oh it doesn't matter where you are with the internet but um I feel like people are going back to the old school days stopping by the shop as long as it looks good looks presentable with the nice inventory I think we're going to be all right okay all right so yeah you just question I know all the paperwork is in I sawry everything I I don't see anything uh out of line with that you're looking to have a total of 18 vehicles on that site yes okay and I saw the map and how you had it all out there Ron how many cars did you have out there so I had 18 cars yeah when I got the 18 car license there was two businesses there okay so I only had the the east side of the lot which is that exact same drum y that was 18 cars and then DFC Auto Repair was in the garage and they had the remainder of the building okay and on the back on the back side there's a whole lot more room so now it's an opportunity now that I'm there's only going to be one person in there now it's going to be these guys okay okay so there's an opportunity for them to expand okay and and do what they're doing and he's they're doing they power washed the building they've done the office over it's on the bathrooms over I mean he's going to town yeah we he's really doing a great job it's going to look really good over there yeah nice I'm and he's letting me be a little bit involved with a little which keeps keep you engaged yeah we are he's let me hang around a little bit this that's making me happy too so it's making it easier for me you know what I mean yeah now I know on Nickerson Road uh you had somebody that was going to be doing the um mechanical work offsite what's what is there an an understanding that you'll be doing a mechanical work there or no I'm doing the whole shebang is theirs I'm done okay he's going to have the garage and everything's legit everything y everything so you be doing mechanical work on site so so pretty much I mean like the idea right now we we have is um to have more like like a showroom type of place you know I mean like um the the building I mean like it's right on Main Street you know so what we would like to do is pretty much I mean like instead of doing mechanic have more as a showroom nice Vehicles inside you know I mean like that people can actually go and see and vehicles ready to go pretty much because if we already have a facility that can do mechanic you know I mean like we're 5 minutes away from each location you know so we can just pretty much right get the whole cars ready on Nickerson Road and when it's ready bring it to uh Main Street we we're going after the the nicer stuff we're we're kind of done with the oil changes more mechanical stuff so we're we're planning on really cleaning up that location as far as you know even even some of the stuff around just clean it up make it look nice and see what we can kind of stay on the retail side nice clean not have to wear the boots anymore I remember how old I was when I kind of moved from that old stuff that needed a lot of work yeah you mean the duct tape yeah uh so it's very it's going to be similar to the uh setup that's on Route 126 right now uh used to be the old at uh no no this is the one further down that has a showroom itself okay JC yes be similar to that idea okay Mar yeah it used to be TR is Marina for us all folks yeah that's that's where we started so I do remember the marina yeah uh any further questions I know we're having a fun time here all right uh do I have a motion motion to close the hearing second all those in favor of closing the hearing say I I I oppos None hearing's closed uh motion to approve the new class last two license for a new beginning auto service at 73 Waverly Street with the hours so uh with the hours listed in your application yes cor second motion's been made in second to Grant the new license all those in favor say I I I oppos None okay congratulations you have a new license congratulations good luck thank you for thank you again these are positive things we like to be able to support you can give to be able to support and see a business grow like this in town that's great I got a copy of it we really thankful we my son took my science down do anything and he put a post on Facebook that I still can't read I still can't read it was it when was it in 2012 do you remember was it this time of year or was it later in the year janary okay then the only one sitting here would have been Joe it was me in January 2012 I remember going down there looking at the second going said fa very young that yeah yeah thank you very much good luck thank you the best of luck bye all right so we have um the next item is the um uh report from the sustainability committee did Ash make it back Ash has not made it back yet okay you ready Sam so we will um well I expect him back I expect him any minute should we discuss the town manager's evaluation process yeah I think that's a good of course I didn't I well don't we have a subcommittee working on it aren't they going to present or are you um I I thought you wanted to go through okay sorry go ahead this is this year's process oh we're just reviewing the just reviewing what we're going to do from now before before May yeah that's all go ahead okay got a lot of paper here today but I think it's it's the same one so what is it we want to discuss about this so I put together a proposed timeline oh for the board and I think it's just really kind of reviewing that and making sure that you're okay with it this is before the uh yeah so this uh we would still be using the evaluation form that we've currently been using the email um so you know what I'm proposing is that on March 22nd or by March second I provide the board with self evaluation um in between March 25th and March 29th um the board members would complete the individual evaluations uh sent to the town manager and then we'll take the week of April 1st through April 5th to um to meet individually and to go over those EV individual uh evaluations that would leave uh April 7th through April 10th time for the board to send their evaluation to the chair for compilation and then it gives the chair a little more than a week um ending on April 17th uh the chair gives him an opportunity to develop a composite evaluation and statement um which would then be released at the April 17th meeting so this uh keeps things in time for the current board um before there's any change over and again it would be the last meeting in April so um typically we don't have a first meeting in May it's typically done before town meeting yeah um so hopefully uh if you're okay with this um we move forward with that I think so okay I think so I'll make my my compilation Swift and So currently does is the evaluation all handwritten so in the past Susan has sent it to us so we can do it electronically yeah you should you should have received a copy with with the packet yeah but Susan in has been able to send it to us so we can do it all so it's a fillable PDF that you can then print out and save and send back yeah okay and then that's good so we could also do it as a I set it up as a Google form and we could do it and then it would apps you could tabulate it automatically and everything so who does maybe I could sit with I think it did no yeah we did have one we did have I remember doing it manually one I remember tabulating automatically really we last time I did it as chair I did it manually last year yeah so I mean the only thing is is it's going to change the whole thing is going to change again yeah I know so you know already if you were able to put it into the it's already there oh it's already there CLA you've already done it oh so how does that how would that work then Claudius so we would so here so you this is a a sharable document yeah so what I do is send it to you right and then it forces you for each of the categories right you choose one through five or na um and then it then it gives you a place to add comments and then you go down and it moves on to the next category same M right and then the very end and then it feeds into a um it feeds into a spreadsheet so you can tabulate I don't know if you did score by just total number if you did it by some kind of point value assigned to each no each it was total number and total number it looked like that when I looked at them and then it was be total and then divided so that you you know either doing an Aver an average so we can set it up to do that easily I mean I just thought great it looked like a lot of work for the chair thank you for being so consider I think I think in the past I thought I thought that Susan did the averaging but you you actually I did it three years ago whatever okay well I don't think Susan needs to do any extra work either right very good I think that's a great idea I so can Michael like Michael will need a copy of each of our evaluations before it goes to Rob right that's how it'll right but we should we should each be able to save our own yeah evaluation and then yeah how does that so is this one a single sharable like we're all like access in the same Google doc is that it's a form so everybody gets a copy of the form and fills it out and then um I can take that and create we can automate the creation of a a document that would be for each of us and how we responded great um with each respondent and then Michael could have those so that's great wonderful great thank you for doing that yeah I actually printed one to show all everybody but I forgot it at home oh jeez well that helps us yeah helpful right I do that a lot I print stuff and leave it leave it in the printer as chair I especially thank you so all right umh is here Ash Ash Ash is here yes all right sorry hi Ash come on up well us schedule yes um my daughter wanted to be part of the Civic process and then she decided she didn't yeah she she had enough of that she was she's saw part of it she absolutely enjoyed she got a good taste got the fun part so Ash what I know are you going to do a presentation are you set to do that that's available to you yes or I can hook up and I can make it available and just to kind of review and yoland you could add the my understanding of this is there's kind of a twofold purpose here one we have our program to interview uh committees and I think this is sustainability but also they are very active and are proposing uh a warrant article for town meeting so I think we also thought this was a good opportunity to yeah get into that so as we said we we want to have committees to start coming before us and a number of people thought sustainability was a good one to start with and then with the discussion of the tree bylaw and um there was another one that they're looking to have before town meeting I felt that it was good to bring them before us today I know my understanding is the tree law tree bylaw is not going to be coming before Springtown meeting it's not but I want to give you I think an update on what's going on and oh thank you so terms of pretty much it I think we're talking so we'll see how things go and um Ash has a long pres has a a lot of slides but I don't think he intends to spend much time I don't think it was that many slides 15 minutes that's why 15 15 minutes then we can get into discussion you uh already sh at all them right some of it's history so oh okay I but I think he understands it we I looked at yeah I looked at a first the first few I guess I was more interested in some of the other stuff in no no I I was a there's more content there more for your own reading than than anything else yeah okay for for you know nighttime reading there I promise you I'll try and make it as painless as possible it's all good stuff Micha okay we good yeah we're good chani chair of the sustainability committee attend to speak fast so tell me to slow down if I'm going too fast for you okay all right so uh the intent behind giving you this update was was uh twofold one there's been a lot of conversation about the trade bylaw um some of it was understood some of them there was a little bit of misinformation um there have been a lot of development so we wanted to give you a quick update on to where that stands there was a lot of interest in town around the tree BW um so uh we'll talk about that we also have as part of that we realized that there was still a little bit of a misunderstanding as to what the sustainability committee has been focused on and what the priorities of the sustainability committee are and why we even focused on a tree bylaw so as a starting point where I'd like to maybe start is you know just reminding folks that um our our focus is to achieve Net Zero by 2040 which is a chter that was given to us by by the town uh and since our last update we've given you a couple of updates on it um you know we've had Sam join us obviously uh she wasn't here when I when I last spoke to you uh which we're thrilled about um but you know Sam's been working with the MC to track progress we're not on track uh not even close uh but uh we also have helded a lot of open houses we participate with uh uh in in a lot of town forums um you know whether it's uh we don't do ashon day but but we do do like farmers markets and I think Brandy I've spoken to you a few times at at farmers markets we've we've been part of other events at Town um so that's that's part of our agenda to really educate people uh on the topic of sustainability and why it's important to Net Zero uh but we also have continue to engage you know whether it's in participating on Town Projects um you know we sponsored a number of Articles uh we have started run into a few challenges so I wanted you guys as as the board that's nominated each of us we are a volunteer board uh we've had a lot of churn um we've had a lot of people resign so a large portion of last year for me at least has been trying to rebuild the pace of the Comm committee and sort of pick back up on our agenda uh we've been slowed down on it a little bit uh and uh we do have we we have started uh reaching a point where we we might be needing a little bit more professional guidance since all of us are volunteers we all passionate about the topic we've educated oursel on the topic quite a bit but there are certain areas like when we start getting into building codes and things like that that we starting to feel that maybe having some engagement with an outside consultant might be useful so starting to think about that um but there are a few things that uh we wanted you as a select board to be conscious of uh that that there are actions that you can take so I'm just going to hit those up front just in case we run out of time a lot of the presentation then is going to be supporting this uh but um just in setting Direction and focus I think we've tried to engage on a regular basis I think we need to do better with engaging you as well with more forums like this uh but um this is what I was talking about getting some you explore ways to find some funds to get some subject matter expertise for example on the tree BW um Margie did an enormous amount of work to get it to a certain stage uh we worked with the planning board Our Hope was that between those engagements we'd be able to get the expertise but obviously we run into issues with how should we measure a tree or how should we cost something out where having input from someone who's done work in that space would have been probably better suited earlier on in the project uh and and that's something I'd like to maybe bring back in as we rethink what we ought to do with the tree bylaw that's going to require funding uh as a committee we've never really come to you for funding requests so I'm going to work with Michael and maybe Rob just to try and figure out what that should look like and maybe come back to you with a few proposals I'm not quite sure I'm ready to make that ask yet but that's something I'm going to start exploring ing um second we are going to put the opt-in code which did not pass down meeting last time there have been some material changes there a lot of updates there so I'm going to spend a few minutes today just talking about that but we are going to bring that warrant article back uh and then you as a select board have the ability to take action on something called the PACE program which allows businesses in Ashland to effectively get loans um that will allow them to make Energy Efficiency improvements but then pay for those loans uh out of the savings that they get get right out of the energy efficiencies they make so um how that works is by basically putting a lan on the on the business and for that the town has to one time opt in to the program itself Massachusetts runs it uh to the PACE program us as a select board and then the business owner then has the ability to even apply for a for a BCE loan um so I've got a little bit of detail about that in the presentation I'm not going to cover that or drain that a lot but that's more one of the reading material things that I left for you happy to come back and talk to you about that uh and then we uh have been talking about Brandy one of the suggestions you had made at the town for at the open Forum we held for the tree B was around education and maybe looking for ways to find um ways to expand you know the the tree canopy um so we've been investigating DCR has an urban forestry Grant uh in support of that though we'd like to maybe have the town formally apply for and get uh a Tre City USA certification from the Auber day it has a a basic level of requirement that that we can spend a little bit of time on what it does do is opens up funding opportunities with either Partnerships with corporate partners that Arbor has or with the state for example this DCR program around urban forestry does give preference to fre City USA designated cities so these are just some things that we've already sort of come back with as being constructive things that we can do that don't cost the town anything uh in a material and I believe we actually kind of already meeting some of those bars so we'll speak a little bit about that before we do though just remember why we're doing it this is you know for that goal of 2040 and we had done the the foundation of the plan really was focused on where do we get emissions from right in the town and so this was the survey we had done it's been reborn out by the mapc survey that was done after after the fact as well and the major thing to take away from here is the vast majority of our emissions come from transportation and from buildings uh and so when you think about Net Zero it as a concept is about one reducing the emissions that we have as a town from those buildings from Transportation um being the major sectors and then it's about expanding the absorption of carbon away from the atmosphere and which is why we talk about the tree BW for example because the only way we we know for sure to remove carbon is through ecosystems from trees wetlands and protecting those and expanding those right so as a town we're never going to get to a point where we can basically make our emissions zero that's not practical so what we have to do is find the balance between reducing emissions and then increasing the way that we capture carbon and that's why we kind of focus on both of those as being really important aspects of achieving n zero so the efforts that we take then are really focused on where can we reduce emissions how can we encourage people train them educate them have programs around it and then how do we have uh programs that will effectively absorb carbon away from our atmosphere so we can achieve that balance um so for now just in the next 12 to 24 months our major Focus areas again are going to be focused on one energy Supply so Michael you've done work around making our aggregation contract for example 100% renewable right and we've been having a conversation about how can we make that that's a great first step how can we move that to more local options you know um whether it's part of the aggregation program or it's expanding solar uh options within town right um so that basically allows us to Green up our energy Supply itself and then when you take that essential component of now you have a green energy Supply how can we switch the usage of energy then towards that Supply Source right so when we look at buildings and transportation then a big priority becomes electrification right so it's around expanding the use of heat pumps for example so we've done for example a a solar pump challenge in the past uh we now have a group called energized ashin so um I I'd say they're removed from the sustainability committee with a lot of support from the sustainability committee they'll probably want to come to you and and sort of Proclaim themselves a little bit uh but but the main goal there was to create a Grassroots effort to actually talk about uh Energy Efficiency create energy Champions folks that are not necessarily focused on a committee level but rather our you know residents that are sort of doing things at a Grassroots level and then this is where the adoption of the specialized code really becomes important because it basically allows that new buildings really start switching to Electric uh and and without that you know we'll never really achieve Net Zero at all right so so that becomes an important aspect of our of our next 12 to 24 months uh getting access then to a PACE program I think is an easy way for us to open up funding for businesses to start switching over to electrification and and doing Energy Efficiency again doesn't cost the down anything uh Michael it does require effort from town staff because you now have leans that you have to manage so there's a management component to it but you get a lot of support from the state um on both education as well as setting up that program right so once you opt into it uh you know you actually unlock a lot of support from the state to to to kind of set up the program properly in this in in the town uh and then we continue to do work around establishing uh whether it's newsletters whether it's the talks that we do around rebates that are available incentives that are available and we continue to do that I think Sam's doing an ex excellent job in in just doing a lot of Outreach there on the Sam do you want to come up here and because I think we all like to see you a little closer and if you have anything to add to um we're very happy that you're here and if you have anything to add a comment to this feel free okay yes I will I was gonna say I will let Ash finish his presentation and then I can sort of that's great great thank you use to change thought yeah uh so then if you go from buildings then Transportation you know again our focus is again on the specialized stretch code because it has aspects of it so my very next slide is just going to spend a little bit of time on the specialized stretch code uh but uh it's really around expanding EV charging infrastructure and then pushing for the greater use of EVS in the municipal Fleet which again I think some you've been doing a lot of work on so you can talk about it when we get to you and then the ecosystem side is where we focused on drafting and adopting a tree bylaw uh we are pausing it we're not going to bring it for this down meeting but I have a set of steps that I want to talk to you about uh that that we'll take you know in in in trying to sort of achieve that and what we've done so far um but also we're going to start looking at uh how we introduce uh and pursue sustainable development practices so when you're doing construction how can that be made more sustainable you know um so that we are effectively reducing the impact of the environment during that construction period itself um and as much as possible our goal is going to be that we try and follow the state on this I think we' made the statement at a town meeting as well that we don't believe as a as a town we necessarily have always the infrastructure to kind of go It Alone um but there's a lot of Engagement and lobbying at the state level to make sure that the right things get passed but then it's on us once those bylaws are passed or once uh an opt-in code becomes available for us to adopt it because if you don't then it's kind of wasted all right so in terms of this stretch code um last time when we spoke about it at town meeting uh there was a lot of confusion as to what it was that that the opt-in code included and what was the difference between between the stretch code and the opt-in code uh I presented this light then uh and I'd actually gotten confused myself uh candidly right uh so one of the first things that I want to kind of point out is we already have the stretch code and this is super important because as of July 2024 a lot of the efficiency gains and the requirements that were were a part of the opt-in code if you had adopted it then are now actually going to be part of the stretch code automatically so they already apply right um and and the second thing that I had confused people on was that uh and actually I'd done that at the select board meeting when I presented was I I suggested incorrectly that Renovations were were were under the aises of the oped code and they're actually part of the stretch code so candidly the state really really messed up how they rolled this out it was super confusing even for people who had actually gone through this line by line fortunately over time now that's been clarified quite a bit we've spent a lot of time with Doug uh we spent a lot of time with Trisha just trying to sort of take this thing apart and some of the important things that have happened one there are now 31 communities that have adopted this um unfortunately because ashin decided not to adopt it uh a few of our neighborhood towns used the justification that if ashin didn't find it good enough then we shouldn't find it good enough and really for no other reason basically rejected the optin court for just that reason so I'd like to correct that record we've been leaders usually I'd like not to be a leader in in not adopting something like this that's funny um but uh we have worked with the planning board the building inspector to clarify a lot of the confusion I think we've got a much better handle on sort of what this thing is well we've worked with Trisha not not technically a planning board right Trish has been representing that's right um uh there is better cost data and studies well I would be careful about that so make sure if you think you want to hear you should probably appear before the planning board yeah um there's also better cost data and studies that that are starting to emerge because obviously now with 31 States uh 31 cities you know adopting it uh about 25% of the state's population is already covered by uh you know and then as I said the most important change is that as of July 2024 um the stretch code and the specializ could really have a lot of parity on the performanc and efficiency standards with one exception of multif family houses that are greater than 15,000 squ feet uh where they have to go passive home which was that there are two Pathways in the in the stretch code one is me a higher rating and if you are going to be mixed fuel then you have to have an even higher efficiency rating in the case of buildings that are over 15,000 ft and they're multif family you really don't have the ability to use uh mix fuels you basically have to go down the passive home pathway um but apart from that one one uh change really the only thing that gets left out then what we effectively would be requiring by adopting the specialized code would be one pre-wiring for all buildings so whether you're if you're all electric you already are pre-wired but if you are choosing to go down the path of uh you know a fossil fuel based heating system um for a new building then the Builder has to pre-wire the building up front and the and the rational behind that is obviously while the buildings being built putting the wiring in is way cheaper than it is to try and do that as a retrofit so that's number one number two is if you're using mixed fuels then you have to account for a certain amount of solar PV capacity so if you think about the priorities that I laid out for you up front right expand solar local sonar electrif five buildings and then the third one is effectively a requirement for electric wage charging you know those the the specialized code really hits at all of those three things that we really have to do and State's already kind of done this we are already getting hit by or the builders here have to already adopt the stretch code because we already are part of it so all the efficiency standards are there you know addition of the specialized Cod just gets us these three additional things that I believe are are super critical and really are rightly done for new buildings um first and foremost um so I'll pause there that one was actually a a a big thing so this is what we'll be bringing to town meeting uh and I have presented this to the ABA as well um I think Michael you met with them today I I met with them a couple of weeks back it's they posted that on YouTube we had a great conversation I think they were expecting me to talk about the tree bog we ended up talking about this but we spent almost an hour talking about it uh and it was basically a Consortium of Builders real estate agents uh we got great questions and you know not sure I I've sold it to all of them but I didn't really get push back from all of them either so yeah I think it's helpful to have that kind of done so we'll hopefully save time and confusion at town meeting uh in the interest of time I've posted this uh cost and savings data you know this is again from the state um I've given you the link but you know with the incentives that are in place and if you take into account the sort of annual savings what this is showing is that you know the addition cost imposed by the by the requirements of the stretch code really are now you know at part they really make a $100 $200 difference right uh in in terms of um in in terms of the impact you know that that's created it's no longer in the hundreds of thousands of dollars right but again I won't Rin this just in the interest of time um happy to post these slides I think Sam we can probably post it post these slides up on our on our website all right as far as the tree bylaw is concerned we we we had a rationale that you know when you drive around town Ashland as a town obviously feels very green we've got Ashland State Park we've got hopin State cart we've got a great Town Forest um we've got we've got a pretty rich history of doing conservation but the reality is and I've got a little picture that that maybe brings this this was um this was a heat island survey I think uh Sam this was Framingham State did this and MPC had done this right so this is towns of ashin and and and uh Framingham and what you can start seeing is you know the urban effect you don't we don't think of our ourselves as a particularly urban town at least if you look at like downtown and you look at that Elliot Ste treat area you can start seeing that heat island effect starting to show up and this is really a result of a lot of development that's happened in town and and because we starting to lose that tree canopy um so our goal first and foremost was to start to preserve some of that tree canopy and then uh it's not just about trees it's about the ecosystem those trees live in right so whether it's Wetlands whether it's soil you know those are all carbon stores so if you think about the two-legged stool of net zero right we've got to sort of protect the things that actually take carbon out and if we if we keep getting rid of those ecosystems then then we really don't have a hope and heck uh to try and Achieve our goals uh in addition to that there is a pretty significant economic cost losing trees so we we heard a lot of feedback you know that oh my God this is going to make the cost of building so much more expensive guess what we're paying for it anyway it's just a social cost this is classic tragedy of Commons right where the cost is born by society which isn't particularly obvious but when it becomes obvious in a in a specific area now suddenly everybody's sort of worried about it uh whether it's because you know we have a loss of wetlands or or drainage issues or Wastewater issues right somewhere someone is paying for this anyway so it's it then becomes a question of balancing out how we we equitably introduce protections that don't necessarily penalize one or the other group but still provide those protections and and sort of bring bring back the character that the Town had uh and our goal always was really to try and sort of take that broader view not necessarily go after protecting one tree at a time you know from a net zero perspective you know yeah we we'd love to protect the historic trees but but that doesn't necessarily achieve the goal right it is about protecting the larger tracks of land that that are still sort of composite together I remember Michael um two years back you and me had a conversation where you were like ash don't go after the individual trees like look at those those un undeveloped tracks of and try and focus on on on trying to protect those right so that's been the goal um it was also never our goal to try and shut down development we were conscious of the F fact that the town in and of itself can't really uh afford that right so the challenges that we had and the feedback that we got really you know one we we' done a survey in 2023 that that did show overwhelming you know support for the program but you know getting support on do you want to protect trees is relatively easy actually turning that into a bylaw a little bit harder um but we we knew that it was important to do and we heard this pretty clearly right even on the open forums that we did including the much publicized uh one that we did in collaboration with the planning board we heard people come in very much in support of protecting trees and fighting climate change I had a number of people who came up and said we're not doing enough um I also had members of the planning board tell me that the that the current set of rules do not pro provide Clarity so while the planning board does do a standup job of trying to figure out how best to mitigate impact of development you know they don't feel like they have the right set of rules uh or or the right structure in place to to always achieve that goal um and you know if you don't do it now you know there aren't that many contigous areas of trees I I had John Ellsworth tell me that there's not that much left well to me that's actually why we should do it because there ain't that much left right um so uh but on the on the other side right there were some really important parts to this right uh one you know how much unnecessary regulation do we put in there uh the fact that the cost would be unfairly put on a small minor minority of developers I'm just trying to channel the actual feedback this is not in any way sort of my opinion uh but you know we tried to be as um impartial on the feedback that we received and sort of just projected as it was right um and so so given all of this feedback it was clear that we needed to continue to have a little bit of conversation we weren't quite ready you know uh on on this topic um so some of the things that we we are planning to do um April 6th we're going to have another open Forum uh which will talk both about actually this structure you know why we're doing what we're doing but have a really open conversation with residents on what it is that they would like to see uh from sustainability and and where they they want to focus what are their priorities uh but then specific to the tree bylaw you know really think about whether it is an individual tree bylaw do we want to consider what should be the area of impact uh should we maybe focus on low impact development rather than just a tree bylaw uh you know consider so the nuances behind specific Provisions uh you know and the kind of cost that that that might incur I have invited as many of the folks that are in the building Community to to come and join that that Forum as well and I'll I'll make that invitation to all of you as well as any residents that might be listening we will be posting more details on it I'm trying to work through the the logistics with Susan but we plan to do at least two more of these forums uh where we'll try and gather this additional data in addition to that um you know we we did hear loud in career that we need to find ways not just to protect what's left but also expand tree cover so this is where I'd like us to start thinking about the a recognition some of the programming from DCR for example you know is a 50/50 funding match right so if if we if we put your put a proposal together the town would have to actually agree to fund 50% of it but then we get 50% of the funds from DCR so so you know are we willing to do that do we have the budget to do it I think those are things that we have to sort of work through um that's the bulk of what I wanted to share with you I've got a little bit of detail which I've sent to this leport you know on what the PACE program is um including the links to mass development Michael again I'm happy to work with anyone on your staff on this um Tri City USA the the main requirements that that we need I think we kind of already meet this but but Becca would be able to guide us better we have a Town Forest committee so I think that qualifies uh we also have Becca you know U that that sort of represents the department um we do have again uh an urban forestry program I think we probably hit the two $2 per capita budget number on that uh and then you know you guys would have to basically say yep we're going to observe obser our day and and and do a proclamation Claudia I believe margu is already working on an unofficial Pro uh our Day celebration for this year which will be a little smaller uh but but we're hoping that next year we'll actually formally be able to do it then then that also then sets us up you know to really start looking at additional funding sources all the education we want to do our also gets a support on that education so you know it'll sort of help us hit some of those things that that weren't coming through in the tree by lot of talking in a lot of fast pace so I'll pause here see if you guys have questions and I'll also let you join me sure yeah Sam did you want to say anything well we're considering our question or thoughts about and certainly um happy to have you here happy to be here um I think Ash really went in depth with everything so nothing I will say I believe we already cover an Arbor Day celebration because the library does one and they hand out saplings because I know Becca has done a lot of work in looking to get us to Tree City so the Lions um and I I can't remember um I'm embarrassed that I can't remember her name right now who passed away and every year she would bring saplings um for the entire fourth grade class Ellie Ellie thank you yes oh greater that's why yep and she every year she brought a sapling per student now you know the one way to kind of expand upon that right is some of the things that Margie and I have talked a tiny bit about um but it it certainly you know is I think an important um role in that and I'm not suggesting that there we shouldn't be doing things now but you know the way to change the world is through our kids and and through mothers right and um so I you know I think that's really um important part of what we should be doing is trying to work with finding ways to um engage students with kids with that information right I fully agree yes I think you you've been having some great conversations with the school as well and you were trying to put together an art project with them as well on on on this yes I don't know if we're going to make my goal of um Earth month April but I've been working with the high school I've been working with all the principles at the schools but mainly at the high school um I recently learned through an Eagle Scout project that's going on that at the high school they go through about a thousand plastic water bottles a month which gave me nightmares um so trying to work with the environmental action Club to sort of I had an idea for an art installation out of water bottles to show like this is the impact um to educate because I think the youth is the ones to really capture yeah I would agree I know the high school a couple of years ago I forget which group was giving out birch trees so but that was at least that was a couple of years ago you could reach out to them that you know was in their announcements you can get a birch tree planted in your yard and so I think it's important for us to do as a town want to get a little closer sorry as a town to sort of make that Proclamation and and actually make it a a little bit more formal right so I'm I'm thrilled that we have a lot of Grassroots sort of observation but um you know I I think whenever we step up as a town uh and as Town leadership to to sort of formally recognize you know things like this I I think it has an impact right and I think we' we've started celebrating Earth Day now in a much more consistent format I think that makes a difference uh green up ashin makes a difference right um things like these actually matter so one of the things I wondered about um to is you know we have our select board uh grants coming up and I wondered if like the sustainability committee might be able to apply for one um in which then you could use those monies maybe for some education in the schools and and perhaps we could purchase um you know some prizes because one of the things that Margie had brought to me was um you know a contest I think a poster contest um you know so maybe they could be you all could be an applicant for one of our grants um candidly Claudia we have applied for for for one that that that we couldn't really get through and and the goal was education and I think this is where we run into the there's it's it's a fully much like any other Town group right it's a fully volunteer group and uh you know there there are there's a lot of passion around around different topics but when it gets to you know actually doing things like this it it requires a slightly different effort and mentality I'm great at doing this not that great at at setting setting things up so having now Sam here I think we we've managed to get get a little bit more progress there but I think this is where we also need to sort of maybe look at is the sustainability committee the right group or or you know places like energ ason are are are as a group I think we're good at ideation and maybe the the Strategic think on things not always the best executors right so so yeah just in response to that what I what I think we found with some groups is we have the upper Charles Trail committee but they also have the friends of the upper Charles Trails who is a 5013c who is doing some of the fundraising is doing some of the things like that because to Claudia point about a grant if we wanted to give money to the sustainability committee it wouldn't go through it if it goes through the baa Grant it couldn't be from our runnner money have to be from our select board gift account because they're not a 501 rece no I was referencing if you have another group that is looking to become a nonprofit to support what you're doing that's a different story and I think that's that's the goal with energized ashin is as a group I I I don't think they've they're quite at the stage where they've applied for things but they they're putting together Rob Mullen beak and and that team has done a ton of work so I'm not going to try and take credit for it right um that that's where the credit really lies right for now I was thinking the gift account because I didn't think that you'd be able to pull up in a 501c in time so but there's still what is it a thousand we could also make an exception if we want right so I'm I'm thrilled that like first of all thank you for your presentation tonight because this is this is great to have sort of a real kind of like formal update because obviously we've been kind of talking here and there and it's good to kind of see holistically what you guys have been working on so thank you for for that first um and thank you to Sam for all her work too um you know I had a question you know in my when I was like prepping for the meeting tonight I was like you know what does energize Ashlin do what are its goals um I'm glad to hear sort of like this education component because um I remember a few years ago we did like our citizen survey and sustainability was like I think our number two like priority that residents had but I think like I don't know if I've said this to you or if I said this to Margie or who I've said this to but I think sustainability is like one of those things that everyone kind of wants but people don't know how to get there MH and I think like for for a Net Zero goal you have to like build it has to be Grassroots it has to it has to be because you have to change Behavior you have to educate people and I'm a marketing and salesperson and I'm going to be the first to tell you it takes like six times to get a message across before people change Behavior like it's it's um it takes a while and so you know really to make a difference you know you were talking about like buildings and transportation for to make changes the the education component is has to be huge because like for instance like one of my neighbors who I adore cut all their trees down in their front yard I think because they didn't yeah I know the fa I know I that's like my face too um because they didn't want to deal with the leaves but it's like how do you educate people now you have to deal with the lawn right so so you know it's um like you know how how do you tell people about getting programmable thermostats so and what the what the rebates might be so people are more likely to change their behavior right so like that Grassroots stuff I think is going to be key because like I I love I love what you guys are doing but like if if you focus only on top down it's not going to be it's it's not going to be successful couldn't agree with you more so you know I I I feel like you know the you know I'm hopeful that the work that energized ashon is going to do in conjunction with the sustain like I I like I'm like hopefully that creates that that that sort of Grassroots effort and and you're right Brandy I think we consistently hear that it's a high priority but the the reality also is with the problem that we're facing it needs to be a marriage off the top Dr down and the grph trps right because something like making changes to uh to to building codes or or doing sustainable development that's not a Grassroots thing that has to be driven by by something like the sustainability committee which which is I think where we are best positioned to to make an impact right or whether it's a public safety building Joe when we work with you right that that's the stuff that has to be done in the ages of something like a Community Committee because you can of have to have that depth of knowledge and and and the time and the effort and you know you also are spending a lot of time you know with with sort of the legislative side of things right um because it sort of has to be done either at the state level or at the Town level but the Grassroots stuff is where I think we've been semi engaged right um you know I'm I'm consistently at at things like farmers markets and and earthy events and all that where I I I absolutely adore speaking to kids and and I get very excited but that takes you only so far right so that's where I do think that having a Grassroots organization like like energized as will will make a lot of difference but again i' I'd rather have them com talk about what their Char is and they should get and like CLA was talking about like they should get plugged into what's happening in our schools and and really I mean honestly like I keep thinking about like the the um the environmental action Club at the high school like those kids should be a huge part of what energized Ashland is and if they're not then it's a m opportunity and maybe like task them or another group or find a science teacher who would want to you know help us become a tree city right um that's an idea well the tree City thing again is something that we have to do as you you would have to do something with it PACE program something you would have to do something with it right but once you get that then actually putting the program together I just when you started talking about administrative help and town resources I mean you have Sam and yeah Becca's our tree Warden I mean and you know I'm looking at kind of Michael here but we do have staff that can help with this kind of I think starting to leverage that uh a little bit more the the kind of support that I was talking about early on is like when you were doing the comprehensive plan for example we actually do have a consultant for example helping you with that with the syain with the with the uh Net Zero plan we really didn't engage you know at that time with with with the with the consultant we have hindsight 2020 right maybe that would have been a good idea we spent a lot of time a whole year doing our own research and putting together the plan now we've now brought that plan and and mapc look at that plan in fact fram's actually been learning from us like we did okay but it took us a year plus to get there we probably could have shortened that I guess my point is so we we are undergoing there's a lot of budget issues I don't know how so I would say one of the things to look at you know what resources you have now and what you can do with it and maybe there's grants or things like that but I would just be careful about you know if if you need a additional administrative support or cost that that's going to be difficult I I appreciate that Rob which is why we haven't come back to we've actually been super conscious about it so as as a committee I don't think we've really come back to you with we need XYZ right if I come back to you this is just me being a little bit uh as as the chair of the committee being a little bit uh reflective on sort of where I think we have successes and where I think we have challenges you know again I'm just speaking truth to you I think that's an area that that we need to do something about if if you ask me right this second where would you want money I'm not ready for that conversation because I want to be a lot more thoughtful about that just quickly add another thing I'd say make sure you're reviewing the The Net Zero plan and and looking at the really significant things and I know that trees are important and I support that whole concept but are we are we doing the other stepbystep things um that are that we went through and have in the net zero plan so that I would just kind of the the the 12 to 24 thing that I showed you those are things that are coming right out of the Net Zero plan and in fact the activities that I showed you are a combination of things that we need to do you know across each one of these elements exist on the net zero plan so I just pulled out the things that are now newterm priority Focus versus things like you know um and I had just excuse me one other question occurred I read the newsletter uh and I remember whenever Source came out with this pilot program for heat pumps and neighborhood networks and we didn't get it the they were supposedly doing the framing are you saying now we actually have an ongoing project to do that yeah so I'm can talk to you yeah that'd be great I mean so we don't have which is the neighborhood I don't so that's the whole question when I applied for it a firm was like Main Street would be great I said don't touch Main Street we're not digging up Main Street for a network Z geothermal anytime soon um but I had just applied for uh feasibility study to see where in Ashland if we did a network geothermal where it could happen we unfortunately didn't get that but we received funding just to do community outreach and education about it um oh which we we just received so I haven't fully thought of how we're going to do how we're going to leverage that but um I think getting just community outreach and education towards it well that's an exciting possibility I think you know definitely and it allows people who can't afford it to have access to it which I think is huge thanks definitely work across departments because if you're looking to get education out obviously Michael puts out his Weekly Newsletter Beth Reynolds through the economic development department puts something out on a regular basis so this is one of those places where we don't want sustainability to work in a silo we want you to work across departments in especially if you're looking to do education it would be a recommendation uh question for one of you and and again this is just me so regarding the tree bylaw it's been discussed that okay it's great that you're looking at this but should we look at working on it as part of the comprehensive plan yeah right so rather than saying okay we're going to create this tree py law we're going to bring it to the town meeting in the fall obviously you've decided not to put it in the spring but as we're having the discussion with the public regarding the comprehensive plan and we'll then have an implementation phase of the comprehensive plan is part of that sust could that be partly sustainability and say okay as as part of our comprehensive plan we're looking at sustainability across all the factors of the comprehensive plan would then a tree bylaw or some other the electrification or things like that be part of the discussion and part of the implementation plan of the comprehensive plan rather than trying to do it now before the comprehensive plan is compl it's it's a it's an excellent question you learn and and and you know Chuck Chuck uh is is on on the comprehensive plan in fact we've got we've got actually a couple of members because Cara who's representing the forest committee also is a member of of my committee so so kind of feel like we've got some representation there um I think there are certain aspects that especially on our longer term road map that are absolutely have to be part of the comprehensive plan so when we think about green zones for example so when when we get into that zoning type of conversation you know I think there was an email today from Michael Kan as well suggesting about you know how should we develop the the rail Transit District right um talking about uh the kind of development that we want whether it's more cluster development or or you know whether it's you know situated around Main Street and and what does that nature look like I think all of those have heavy sustainability implications and I think sort of belong there the reason why the tree bylaw sort of went the direction that it did and I think probably there is some element of it that probably should still happen is um again because of timing more so than anything else we've got maybe we've got some very narrow Parcels left um one of our challenges Brandy very honestly is going to be I think one of our biggest Parcels is that rail Transit District right where where we're going to put the Y and this thing so there's a conversation that needs to happen as to what's more important and then how can we ensure that when we build the Y we reduce and I think aspirationally all of us are going to kind of aim at that and say when we build that thing it should be built in a very sustainable manner so that we reduce the impact right uh of of whether it's the trees or you know building in energy features into it right um frankly part of the goal of doing things like the bylaw is to ensure that that conversation keeps happening right so yes there's a Grassroots conversation that needs to happen sometimes having these conversations whether they go to town meeting or not the fact that we're having the conversation actually puts it back into your minds my mind someone else's mind that this is something important so sometimes we we you know we're going to make that call and kind of say yes this is an important enough discussion to have whether it makes the whether it makes it to the level of yes we have enough support the town meeting or not sometimes it's almost a you know side effect of of that conversation to me the conversation we having is worth it in and of itself right and certainly uh and then then whether we position it as part of the comprehensive plan when we do it I think those are all things that we can we can figure out okay all right good thank you sorry long winded answer but it's good yeah it's good and thanks for bringing them in I think that's timely and so hopefully got I certainly hope that I've answered questions on uh the opt-in code uh and and that that that we'll have an easier time with that yeah just do we anticipate um bringing them back again for the optin code specifically are we think we're probably good with that my my suggestion is like I know last year I think you were here about the same time last year when we had this discussion about the opt-in code and I think I know that there was confusion from our board I know that there was obviously confusion at town meeting um and I know you mentioned you're going to have a public public forum and you're going to just ask for General feedback on stuff but I would be very very clear like how you present that and make sure I think if I remember correctly Steve Mitchell a year ago basically said present like what it means to your average homeowner because because people need to actually get their brain around what that means so if there is no impact to your average homeowner be very clear about that because I think if the more clear you are in a public forum um before you go into town meeting and you hear the the questions that come from that public forum the better equipped you're going to be to to handle town meeting and I would just you know to follow up on that you laid out a very ambitious agenda for your public forums I I think you might want to think about focusing it a bit because you've got only so much time with people and opportunities so it's fair yeah I think but when it comes to the opt-in code this time around at least I don't have to sit there and been passive home and F and hers ratings which which I had to deal with the last time right even even ourselves trying to understand it 45 what 40 doesn't matter it it already applies to us there there three things that we get from the specializ code right now is those three things it's it's three points that's it right okay it's it's as clean as that great well thank you but I would to to be to to bry's point when you do your session on April 6 if you're going to talk about this be very and maybe have two different forms right it looks like you're doing one on a Saturday morning maybe offer one on an evening that's via Zoom that again work with Susan in regards to a zoom account and what you can do because there are a lot of people who might be interested but who may not either have the time or energy or willingness to come to a meeting on a Saturday morning that's good feedback I'll also say the ABA ABA was very kind enough to actually post the conversation I had with them on on YouTube as well so there's a recording available that's effectively talks a lot about this with the people that probably care the most about it so so with any luck I don't think we need to have them back yeah I'm telling you right now I intend to put this there I I we'll support it great all right Lely great thank you thank you everybody that's good of course all right so the next item on the agenda and I apologize this is running really we've been running late but this is I think we're putting these two together the Enterprise funds and the potential increase in the water sewer rates and I see Britney and Dan are here so if you folks just want to come up um when you're whenever you're ready clearing out um you guys wake upar so this is this is one of those things right you plan a certain amount of time for something and those dog hearings just are tricky yeah no I saw the dog hearing you were here for that so you knew I knew so yeah so um we're here to talk about the Enterprise funds and really I think focus on some of the infrastructure needs um associated with those Enterprise funds specifically Water and Sewer to a certain extent uh we're also here to talk about the trash uh Enterprise fund as well so as you know uh you're not unfamiliar with this um Ashland has had a history not just over the last few years but over Decades of really putting off Capital um expenditures Capital Improvements and unfortunately when you do that you have these situations where the bill eventually comes due and they all come due at once and so that is kind of partially some of the prospects that we're facing right now and uh so um Britney is you know taking into account some of those Capital needs has put together a a forecast and then also put together a rate suggestion um which looks at increasing rates um in some cases uh substantially just no shying away from it um so with that I would turn it over to Britney and and Dan Mau everybody I think everybody knows Britney but Dan Mau is our water sewer re Foreman from the DPW um just excellent uh excellent resource for us excellent a excellent member of our staff so right thank you I'm not sure if there's a particular fund you would like to start with or any one of them well maybe a pres I'm not sure you know I I personally am not didn't have much time to really review this and I don't know if people are specific but maybe kind of a general presentation to kind of prep us for uh you know further discussions about this does that make sense I would suggest the water fund because that is so um so comprehensive ensive and we have a tendency to lose steam as the night goes on so um I just I have a short memo to just pass out it's a revised memo just based upon revised from the February 16th one yes it's just based upon new information so okay oh yeah just give them all pass it be easier thanks look at our schedule here so I'm not sure if anyone had the time to read the original memo yes um so obviously in doing the forecast and the budgeting we take into account the usage over the last year we take into account Capital um inflation the developments as best as we can to forecast those in um we don't have the growth that we once had in the past and there's a few developments that are unpredictable we don't know when they're going to come online but we did the best we could with um those assumptions um so the the revised memo that I gave you the recommendation for water would be to increase the rate 21% and that would be a dollar increase to the tax bill of $50 for residents um we're looking at closing a deficit in water of around 4870 for FY 25 so that 21% increase in water would cover that deficit completely just for FY 25 now further on the first page of the memo you'll see that there are just a few options given as to if you increase the rate by 15% it will generate this much in Revenue we could tap into retained earnings this much and so forth there there's a host of different scenarios that we could look at um but just to give you an idea now a Big Driver of that increase is the fact that usage has been down over the last couple of years um we've had a few droughts in the last four or five years that I can remember major droughts um and then we've also had substantial rain in last year in the year before so either people couldn't use water because we had water bands or they didn't have to use water because it was raining so much um so I have noticed that usage has gone down over the last couple of years even with the developments that we've had come online so the usage is down and then also we have a big project that needs to get done which is the ozone project it is a $4 million project and the new information that was received is that hopkington would cover 25% of it probably over the next two years they were confident that they will get reimbursed by them and those two years so that would reduce the borrowing from 4 million to 3 million um then also we initially in the first um budget of water I tried lumping together the water main replacement so we just had to do maybe two big borrowings instead of a few borrowings but just for the rate sake and borrowing sake and timing and workload of the DPW it was best to to still phase them out um so if you have any information on the or questions on the ozone project the big project that's why I have my buddy Dan here to answer any questions you have on any of the capital projects that are in the original memo anyway so Brittney just a quick question I haven't had a chance to but your rate includes uh funding the capital project projects on some sort of schedule or or not yes so there are there are capital projects that are funded within the operating budget itself um on attachment a of the new memo on the FY 25 line the capital is funded at 375,000 and that covers multiple Capital items that's in the previous do cover the big one no so the big one would be a a borrowing so that would cover The Debt Service well that's what I mean so the rate includes the debt Serv yes it does yes that's what I that's what I was getting at yes so then The Debt Service would be factored into obviously the forecast okay and then so would the rate increase so I don't know what's this do do we want to hear from Dan now or do you guys want to talk more about I mean if you have questions on the ozone project I mean the information that we got was very detailed I would say that I wish we had seen the report when it came out in July I mean I think it was mentioned that you might have something um but now having to read that as well as all the other stuff as well as figure this out right um that's the only thing I would say is that had we seen it earlier it would have been good to be a little bit more aware I mean we've been discussing okay we might have to do these projects we might have to do these projects right and what I would say is look looking at your memo it does talk about the deficits going into the the the out years yes what I and I think I saw something about some capital outlay in the out years as well it would have been good to sort of see this again back in the summer as we were talking about last year's budget and even and then going into this year that's my only comment about that project but it looked very detailed about what was needed what the equipment was going to be how you were going to going to do it um I know it's been a while for me since I've been in the Water Treatment Plant part of me almost wants to say okay can we do another tour just to take a look and see and then I think that would be a better way for us to understand and then explain it to the public why this is needed right sure so my question interested in so my question to you is like reading your new attachment a um at the very bottom it's saying there's there's a deficit of 14,870 so that's so we're still running out of deficit that was fy20 I thought that's I thought that was what I was looking at was yeah that was F yeah that was FY 23 actual so we did run into a small deficit in 23 and that was where when usage was budgeted I thought usage was coming a lot more and unfortunately it just hasn't come in the way we thought usage is based so I run a bunch of reports consumption reports and it's based upon the previous year then I also look at a trend okay but it's hard to look at trends when you have droughts and substantial rain and you just have to do your best and hope that Revenue comes in okay so I'm looking at so I'm just a little confused because I'm looking at what was in our packet for Debt Service and there's a bar chart and yep um and I'm trying to reconcile what is for The Debt Service which I assume includes ozone and then the capital outlay is actually less so now for fy2 it's 375 is that so the capital outlay would be funded with cash so that wouldn't be included in The Debt Service chart okay and then also The Debt Service chart would have needed to be updated because that was the original okay Debt Service chart that I put together I didn't um redo the entire memo okay um I just redid it based upon the information that we got from hopkington okay that the IMA was going to be extended and and so because the because hopkinson's going to now be paying a million dollars that Debt Service would look different it would look different so it won't necessarily tie to yeah I just I didn't rerun all of the okay the graph and numbers and all that and just one other question so looking at sort of the trend of the the one was in our packet so obviously it would need to get redone but so is Ozone the only major Capital outl project that we're going to need to because it it's looking like The Debt Service goes up like new get Debt Service so you know I'm thinking you know I you know 21% this year but I'm trying to wrap my brain around like what right what is coming what is coming our way because any add yeah I just you know obviously if yes obviously we have we haven't invested in the in the infrastructure we you know we're also currently under like a um a sewer moratorium and I assume part of that is like looking at what the capacity is and all that other stuff and possibly making more recommendations down the road so I'm just trying to wrap my brain around like what's what's sort of like the immediate need and then what is what is like the longer term Outlook because so if you look at this last page of the new memo last page of new memo okay sorry I'm just it's okay no it's F it's a lot of data and late yeah okay all right so I'm looking at attachment attachment B okay so down below we've tried we were able to push out a few projects such as the um inspection and repainting of the seedar street tank at 1.7 million okay and 27 but that would be a major Capital project um The Pump Station upgrades at 500,000 okay the repainting of the Woodridge tank of 600,000 that we've pushed out for several years now okay um along with the CED distry tank okay the water mains we've been pushing out borrowing for yeah and the ozone is that just came up in the last year okay so the ozone is the priority that has to get done okay we don't have a choice the water mains they've been fixing as they come along yeah and we really should have a a plan a plan yeah and fund it so kind of going along those lines of planning you know kind of longer term more than just you know this year and I and this is great this is awesome like I'm glad like this is helpful um like I'm wondering you know the state and I know I know what the answer to this is going to be but you know the state knows that towns need to replace their infrastructure that we're probably not the only town that has to look at this stuff and I know massworks does like they do massworks grants for these types of projects correct um no Mass no Mass Works does fund infrastructure projects like this um for sure and one of the things that we talked about recently is you know combining some of these projects like water especially the water main Replacements or specifically the water main Replacements with Paving uh you know repaving roads sidewalks and putting it on the tip okay so the tip will not uh tip program that's great yeah it's not soon and it won't pay for the um all of the water stuff but it would pay for like the paving part of this component okay which uh would be a significant cost you know a couple hundred grand probably per if okay so okay I'm just trying to think of like ways that I think that there's grants out there DPW go for them they'll they'll go for for them um any funding source we can get our hands on we can will get okay um hopefully some of the developments move along a little bit faster and I can include them in the forecast okay uh so I don't have necessarily a three or fiveyear plan for the funds it's more so taking it a year at a time yeah kind of like a wait and see and and we are we are looking at different options so for example this ozone replacement we're throwing a Hail Mary pass and seeing if we can get that covered under some the P stuff yeah it's a POS yeah um but we're we've you know preparing that application we hear from Dan uh in terms of these questions I'm good thanks okay Dan I saw I saw I've seen the report and and I talked to Doug after some of the traffic meeting studies that we uh committee meetings we have and it's it's no different than the public safety building I'll compare it to that we've waited and waited and waited in time you you know Band-Aid it Band-Aid it and now it's time to be replaced you know if we did these things you know two or three years ago it wouldn't be half as half as expensive so the town people need to be aware of that it's no different than that public safety building you know so it's either pay me now or pay me later type of deal and I get and there's something that needs to be done we all need water and our ozone treatment uh facility is is vital so it it's it's is not something we can live without so um okay before we I just had some quick questions I'm just curious did you think that Hopkin and wouldn't pay for that for the like what what was that um so at first I was not that I was skeptical it's just that we didn't have I wasal I was pessimistic um we didn't have the I mean you're still using the water right yeah the agreement ended though literally in February of 24 okay and without a signed new agreement and something in writing but well and because they've talked about doing their own they talked about their own treatment you know or connecting with the so and then in their extension they do have um a provision where they can opt out with a six months notice but they have told Ashlin that they're not planning on doing that for about two to three years and this project would be done before then great okay that's good and so that agreement actually will come before this board okay um probably at your next meeting okay because Hopkinson has signed it and I believe Britney correct me if I'm wrong so Hopkinson is looking at going at their town meeting getting an appropriation to support their portion they are from what I know they're looking for to get authorization for um a $950,000 they would have to borrow the money the borrowing right yeah all right and just another quick question when was the last time we raised the water sewer fees I know we it was like two years ago was it last year I will tell you no it was last year but it's it's average over 1% uh a 1% increase over 7 years so you've only raised them twice in the last seven years and that's what it averages out to yeah the last seven years it averaged out to it was a 5% increase in 2023 and then uh so we 2 and a half% increase in 2017 so it averaged 1% over the last seven years and and I remember when we had the discussion last year there was discussion about well we really should be doing more because we have some Capital but we didn't have all the information that that obviously came out last summer we didn't have that last year to make some of these decisions so now having that information where we need to be doing these major capital projects and we just are not we're we're not we're not being being able to pay our bills based on what we're charging so we need to look at changing that you know what might be helpful just to hear from Dan what this ozone project is for people that are watching that haven't had all the the detail that we just I think it would be helpful no that's what I was if you wouldn't mind yeah thank you so so the ozone is is our like primary treatment process at the treatment plant that gets rid of all our iron and magines and it's our first line of defense against any you know bacterias or anything that's bad in the water so that starts the the process and it works very well we we have very clean water coming out of the plant which we didn't have years ago uh prior to the plant being here and the plants set at that 20e Mark where it's life expected is it it's it's reaching the end of its life expectancy and it's just kind of deteriorated um there is a backup process to it but it's not going to be as clean so uh we used to be able to shut the ozone off during the winter months we we could shut it down for a little bit but due to changes in the reservoir we can't do that I don't know if you remember a few years back right around Christmas time November we had a lot of water quality color complaints that was we'd shut the ozone system down for a couple of months like we typically did in the in the in the winter time um and just that little bit of color coming back in from you know the the iron and magines triggered all that because people are used to very clean clear water so our secondary system is a Ferro chloride um it's not as effective you know so so we do have a plan B if if the ozone was to fail completely we can still continue to run the treatment plant but it's not going to be to the level that we can run it with the ozone so and are there byproducts of the of the backup system that aren't there with the ozone system it's just not as effective as stripping everything out of the water that you know all the minerals and and the iron magnes that causes that color complain and iron magnes itself is um more of an aesthetic issue than it is a health issue right I I remember years ago when um when some would roll around and you'd fill your bathtub it would have definitely a very orange tint and at that time I had done research and so um it it it is more of an aesthetic issue than yeah it's required in everybody's diet to have iron and Magan it's not a harmful thing just you don't want it's just not you drink it when you fill up your tub and you get that I get it I remember what's going on yeah if you remember a couple years ago actually um when we actually needed to interject more ozone into the system um we had to turn the system back on we had to yeah excuse me turn the system on during like the winter time so typically in the winter time we were able to shut it off for two 3 months because the clarity because of the temperature right of in the winter time just the nature of the reservoir we didn't get as much iron magnes in our raw water so we were able we didn't have to strip it out but is that related to the temperature of that of the water it seems to me that I remember that it might be and that yes you know is that too a climate change thing there's been a lot of changes up by the treatment plant with you know the development that went up in there that that changed how the waters you know we've had a full reservoir for two years which the eight years that I've been here we haven't had right yeah right you know so a lot of things have changed up there so with that the chemical process we've seen change our raw water has changed we have a lot more iron and magnes in it um so we're going through a lot more chemicals to to get the water to the Quality that we had it before quick question with respect to that the projects that are being done now off of uh High Street house Street in hawton is that affecting uh water the the water supply with some of that runoff coming down into the reservoir okay is there any are you talking about Legacy Farms Legacy farmacy Farms so is there any way of trying to get some funding out of uh the owners of that property as a result of their runoff because yeah we we've looked at that it's you know we have we feel like there's a strong correlation between what's happened there and some of this but scientifically and legally proving that is is a little bit more difficult well in our conservation committee and our conservation agent has been working on this and we've done some orders of um you know conditions and entered into the board actually entered into a settlement agreement with hton with devel this the one over 55 development you're not talking about any others or well this is the the latest or last phase of which I think is I think that is over 5 my understanding from looking at it years ago there's one development right up Hill overlooking the pl the reservoir it's over 55 but there's not others I guess that's what I it's just this one that we're talking about whatever the ones are that are right the street that are right now there there's um some kind of water uh I don't know what you call it to absorb the water there now and redirect it well yes now they've made some run yeah like swes and and different well and those those green tubes that I think absorb water water that's that's just to catch the silk coming in but they've redesigned their detention basins up there to expand them to make them bigger so that they're capable of so the runoff isn't as bad in theory IDE in theory the other day I noticed when I drove down there it there's an area up there it looks like it's set up to just run right down to right I mean there's it's all rocked and everything it's gone from very small tributaries that we could get rain for a couple days and we didn't see anything we have a little tributary that runs underneath the driveway for the treatment plant and we could have rain for a few days we wouldn't see anything come through there now as soon as we get rainfall it it's it's running right well that's not how is that allowed um the the regulations are that you're not supposed to increase that kind of you're supposed to have detention and retention the way the D has has configured our our tier tiers of of uh protection um are are very interesting so they they kind of hug the the street line in one Direction and the other direction they go out like you would expect them to so how much of what we're talking about is due to this development I mean that's my are we are we increasing our rates or doing more capital investment because these guys built that thing there and we didn't control it properly the ozone effectively just in its nature it inherit nature it's eating itself up because it's it's doing its job so after 20 years of doing its job it's it's just we have a bunch of little pin holes and all the piping where the leaking out we've kind of put Band-Aid repairs on that's like a regular expected operations and maintenance it's just that's expected um though it though it sounds like what's going on in the winter where you can't turn the ozone off anymore correct that could be climate change additional water in this Reservoir things like that and like Michael had said that that's it's one thing we have our data that shows Everything's changed but try and prove that in a court I mean it's just well I think I think well at least for me I think it's important to know what we're considering that is potentially due to this development so we can at least understand and it's late now but I mean I've been concerned about this development and how it got allowed and how it's we're basically paying for it and asked the residents to pay for it and I think it'd be useful to know what of all this is potentially due to that and review our Avenues of action I I think we want to be careful though right I think the understanding that yes we're seeing some impact but my understanding is the ozone system is 20 years old well that's that's not part of that's not and that's the major part I mean I think in regards to I mean unless we're having to use more chemicals and that's why our price needs that's why that's why I think it'd be useful to have that in like what is what is potentially due to this and what is it I mean I think this is outrageous I think to your point Rob that the question really is longterm what's going to be the impact of that development and the runoff cuz we're asking people to pay for it I mean why are we in that position me the ozone we have to do anyways I think that's clear right but but in the long run what what is this runoff potentially going how it's going to impact our water all the capital work that we're proposing that's that has no effect this is this is stuff that has been getting kicked down the road for years this this is not a legacy Farm is so I just just to repeat I just think it'd be good to segregate what's kind of regular long-term capital and and what's cost potentially associated with this development well as Dan just said none of it none of thisone of these Capital see additional operations costs in chemicals and extended runtime with the filters and stuff like that so that'll creep up on us over a period of time but that's not the capital that we're okay well I'm not just talking I'm talking about costs in general that we're passing on and that's what I want want to see you know what what is the impact of this thing and what should action should we be taking that maybe we're not taking you know as a result of that because I think we have that responsibility so let me ask a question so are you like do you it sounds like this is something that's going to start in fy2 as soon as sort of the budget as soon as we get funding we're moving forward okay so from a timing perspective and a next steps for us um are we okay not voting on this tonight I think I would absolutely because because I think the conversation's good and I think but I'm I'm not comfortable yet like taking a vote yeah we're not asking for that not on the agenda but I just wanted to make sure like from from your perspective that that wasn't something that you guys it is a good point though what what is our kind of timeline for this so what do we thinking about in terms of future agendas and decision points I guess well um I I think you know what is the the pleasure of the board here I mean we could certainly 2026 no the first meeting in June Rob yeah that's a good so or second meeting in May um you know if you have your answers and everything and you feel I don't want to say comfortable because none of this is comfortable but feel like you're ready to make a decision we could do it as soon as the next meeting um I think we need to put out some I think we need to put out some some education Ed motion to go past 10 God yes second all those in favor of going past 10:00 is just a Grimace look all right so we're going past 10 yeah but um so Britney so you need to know before we send out the first you know the first bills for fy2 right and I mean we would I was need a decision before town meeting um yeah I I mean I think I think I think our next meeting we you know I what I would I mean I need to look at the updated memo that you've given us and if you could update some of the other attachments sure that you didn't get to do with this one and let us have those to look at and then to Rob's point if there's a way to look at what are the what are these long-term capital costs that are related to just general maintenance that we know we need to do and what are some of the other costs and expenses that we think could be attributed to the change in the input coming into the reservoir from Legacy Farms and how is that impact and then I mean I don't know where we're at with the the um IMA with Hopkinton but is there I don't know if we can go to them or to the developer and say our costs are increasing can we get additional funding or can you supplement something I don't know if that's possible something to work I'll have to go back and review it because uh Lisa did cover this extensively with the board a couple years ago when you entered into the settlement agreement right and um I'll to see what that covered I believe there was some chemical related costs associated with that Dan I'm not sure what the exact it would be good to but there was some mitigation that that they still haven't completed that correct if you could remind us what that was that we sure uh another final question for me anyway is Dan this ozone project Does it include updating the backup system I've already actually I've gone through the backup system this this past summer to make sure it's all up to Snuff it's everything's where exactly where it needs to be so if it has to go we're good going thank you appreciate that good so our next meet is March 20th in two weeks right um are we thinking going toil I think you're April 3rd maybe is that well as long as gives us enough time from a budget perspective and getting the budget out and approved oh you're right yeah pretty um I mean yeah March we're already a few weeks behind anyway so March 20th would probably be great if you need a little bit more time then April 3 I can hustle and get the document together um but April 3rd might be better but um if you need April 3rd if if you need April 3rd but we can give you we can work on getting the information I mean my my feeling is the sooner we can get this information and make this decision and talk to the public about it the better and then more information is the best educating the people they need to know how are you thinking of educating them well the other thing is if we just we can if we can have the new updated information for our next meeting and as part of that meeting have a little further discussion about what some of these costs mean to the public and then either not do a vote and wait to vote until April 3rd so we can talk about this and get some input from the public that might be a good way to handle it what do people think about that I think it's the right idea and Michael could put it in his newsletter about you know potential you know increases and he has the information to help you with and my other recommendation for you when you're working on the budget is plug in your recommendations and as as you're working on the budget that would be my you know yep yeah a couple just another thing I think actually would be helpful maybe for the board but certainly for the public at large is um you know put together a brief presentation with visuals like I noticed in some of the reports from Woodard and Curran and Weston Samson that they had some pictures of Our Own Zone um filter so you know a few pictures of that a few pictures of the water Ms I mean how many water main breaks do you average on a on a month you know got plenty of and a little history too about you know that there really has been a a um you know small very small minor increases in recent years I mean I do think when we talk about kicking the can down the road I mean that's on us and also you say it costs you more yeah it does well it's on but it's on us Joe I mean yeah we wait to do stuff but it's on it's on us if we're last just last year that was just last year but the years before that we didn't and and I would say too like not only like showing the um the increase in water rate which is you know obviously What the residents are paying but also what we've spent in Capital Improvements in the water infrastructure because it's needed it's needed yeah and drinking water you know you you don't you don't mess with you don't mess with drinking water you don't mess with public health so the other part that I found interesting in this there was a map that just showed and I'm I'm not finding it in the packet right now there was a map that showed I think sewage and stuff that had been worked on as well as water Ms and things that had been worked I mean the list was unbelievably detailed but yeah so there's these maps that were provided in our packets the sewer system map and I think it was the water sewer system map maybe they're all just sewer system Maps when you were talking about the sewer um and it I forget exactly what detail was on it but it's pretty intensive our sewer system and our water system and our pipes and and I think sometimes we don't consider that so I think to to Claudia's Point some history about how old some of our pipes are and why we're needing some of this capital and infrastructure and okay so for the next meeting do you want it more in like a presentation format this is this is a lot of data analysis that if you put in presentation it's not going to be it's going to be boring but maybe visuals and um some other stuff and give us and the public pictures as to to you know as as Brandy always says as a marketing person right you got to tell them the story okay and the fact that we did a a 5% increase last year but we hadn't done one before that for a a number of years and over the last seven years we've only been doing a 1% increase and as we know things have been going up and the the discussion that you had about we're not getting in as much because there's not as much usage and and development development SEL there's a lot there's a lot of factors so I think showing us and the public that picture is important I think there's a lot of research around pictures too and people M based on a picture versus yep one of and actually I think one of Britney's most impactful graphs is showing that the reason we've been able to keep rates so low and not raise them is because we've deferred our Capital expenses over the years um that would we've had a declining Debt Service we've had the developments over the past couple of years help us out so we've only had to it was on average that we increased rates 1% yeah I mean do you want to it all depends how you look at it do you want to raise rates 3% every year to pay for projects in the future that way it's not a massive jump like it is now or do do people want to wait and projects as they come do and I think that would be part of our discussion right that point too in terms of Enterprise funds um what do we have to we can only raise the amount that it costs to run whatever we're running via the Enterprise fund is that how that works no I mean you can raise you can raise rates more and generate more Revenue that so that at the end of the year you would have a balance that would then go back into what you call retained earnings so is there a cap on that or how's that what are you thinking about they recommend um they've changed it but they recommend to have at least 90 days worth of operating expenses in retained earnings but then say they also throw in well it also depends on your Capital plan right so they kind of protect themselves by saying cash for right if you have a lot of capital investment you need to do the more retain earnings you should have so they don't really tell you you know y wondering if if we have you know projects like the ozone right and you know that that that has to be done every 20 years and maybe that one's a little bit out there but you know maybe you know you start raising a little bit of money so that you know just like you save for something you want to buy right I mean you don't you're not always in the position to do that we've all probably known that from our personal Liv kind of kind of sneak up on your and and this doesn't seem like it would be the year to be looking to retain funds but maybe the future you know who know we may have a dry season this year and that means more people are going to use more water so mix you need a mix and then you need no water bands that's exactly it's like a no win up here you know either you're either in a water band or we have substantial rain damn if you do damn we still need to do trash too but this is this is just water there still sewer in trash all right you can thank you guys read I would say sewer can hold off as well maybe include it as part of the presentation okay next at our next meeting because I think they tie together to some extent okay now what do you want to do that make sense yeah I think we're I think trash trash you want pictures of trash talk trash we just did the trash bags that's how I know the unfortunate thing is that only covered one year and what I have noticed this year and obviously it hasn't been a full year is that the bag sales like I worried about are not coming in as expected so right now I'm projecting a $100,000 shortfall just in the bag sales now that could be due for a number of reasons we don't know if people hoarded the bags well thanks Dan apprciate you um yes what okay as long as okay so now I know that there'll be there'll be an influx of purchases the next year H right so there could be people could go out and buy a ton more bags next year and sales will be back up to where they should be I just don't have the data to analyze it yet right um so that's why I I did the hybrid approach again is to a flat fee and a um I'm not putting it solely on the flat fee what I would like to do it's reliable and we don't have hoarders that so I have a couple questions for you yes um so as we were looking at like the whole the whole trash um the way we we currently price it there's one fee for household another fee for seniors yes would it be possible because I know as I'm I'm like it pains me like literally pains me to raise the flat fee for everyone in the same manner yep and I get that the seniors are some of them are especially are on a fixed income but there are a lot of other people in our town that are also on fixed incomes and that are struggling it would it be possible instead of doing an age cut off for like levels payment to do something that's income based like is that like even a doable option because I feel like that that like a financial hardship it's a financial hardship I looked at I talked about that last year because again there are many seniors who can afford higher prices and I basically was shot down I just feel like if there's a way to do it where it's not necessarily to make seniors at the same rate as everyone else but to look at to look at some sort of income abatement versus Senior abatement I'm just I'm thinking it from a staffing level and into who would review all that who would obtain all the documentation I know I know that's why I'm asking that's why I'm asking I just what comes to mind what do you collect tax returns I mean I know that's no I know I know what do you collect know I just I just feel like certain things though right know I mean there are there are some of our programs that are financially related right some of the school stuff right you you get free and reduced or you get certain things because of your financial situation that that information is known by certain individuals and certain not not well free and reduced actually for families is is used for a lot of things in the schools it's used for um bus fees and other things as well so it might be something that you know what's the information Source um yeah but there's a you know significant staff I mean we have one staff person for it's a great idea there are standard ways of doing it but imp might a little bit I know that's why I'm asking the question might wind up being more expensive than we say or that we than you know and and the other thing then there is that means that how do you determine you know what's the income level that you give a discount to and then you have to figure out okay Above This income level we're going to be charging more and you got to figure that out and you have to have I mean I think there's I know it's it's it could be like opening up the most biggest can do you do it by assets you have yeah no I assets that are in there kids names now there's a whole I just can think about it I feel like there there may be other ways to kind of slice and dice it maybe but I don't I don't want it to be like this humongous project either where it yeah where it becomes like a nightmare to implement and a nightmare to manage but you know I'm looking at like the the discrepancy between what were potentially what the proposal was to like increase our trash fees for this next year for for like a standard household and then what it is for a senior and I'm like but I know there's lower income families that right you know that so there are argument last year was there's higher income seniors that can afford to pay it yeah right and they're getting the discount because of their age and yeah yeah there are different ways to generate the revenue that we need so I had um recommended the 15% for the I call them regular people and then a 10% for uh seniors yeah and then a 15% increase for the bag fee yeah but you could do 20% for the regular people and 5% for the seniors or there's so many different options to do it's Britney one of the things that I was thinking about when I was looking at it was um you know when we when we purchased bags right I I you know I actually do have somech them in bulk 30 33 cents know we don't B cases and we sell them at a little yeah um that's so my my children do come to our house get bags but they they get them for free the children now but um if if we um you know when we look at bags because there's a there's a cost associated with it right so every time I go out and buy a bag some of it does come back to the town so it's like 30 cents or 3 to see how much it is actually comes back to town it's the retailer keeps 33 so it's it's so that's a loss so you know part of me wondered if we're trying to make up $116,000 which is you know the number right that you were um for trash I think it for that was the bag number I think yeah I know it was it was it was $116 that would be yeah go ahead produced by yeah was 100,000 was the revenue for the bags okay the additional Revenue so that comes to like $19 in change if across 5,000 households so at some point you know if I'm going to pay the additional 30 cents 40 cents for the bag then I might be better off paying depending upon how many bags I'm buying right I might be better off paying an additional $20 in the in the flat rate or not $ you know I just wondered where's the yeah from I mean from a financial standpoint purely a the flat fee is just a more reliable and stable source of income yeah that's just that's my that's my opinion um part of it doesn't incentivize people to recyc and things like that but just from a revenue standpoint it's just a it's a little bit more reliable and we are already incentivized to some degree this would be an additional incentive these these raises but I just wondered if maybe we should kind of look at what the Tipping Point is there in terms of um you know if we if we looked at just adding the additional $20 to the flat rate leaving the bag prices the way they are I would love to do that I would love to just increase the flat rate and but you should love it okay but you know if it so because if you figure if it's 75 bags and you know I I can't I did actually do it out in terms of how many you know um at that increase at what point does it would it just be better off to take the 20 bucks and give it right to the flap yeah I mean I don't know well I'm I'm interested and and like I remember last year when when Doug was here talking about the whole trash situation and um one of the things that he was talking about and correct me because I don't know these things that well but I think there's like two components of of the fees from waste management there's like I think like a tonnage I don't know so there's like the amount of trash that people are throwing away and then there's I think it's like a tipping charge or whatever it is to send out the the trucks to the to the so that's that's like your hauling charge okay and then what you're talking about in terms of the actual cost of disposing the rubbish that's called a tipping fee okay all right so I was sort of right yeah okay so so I'm curious like the like the the less bags does that mean that people are throwing away less trash because I'm trying to I'm trying to understand what the behavior is yes so I had I had a feeling that someone would ask that tonight and I I wasn't able to get the data in time um that's where I'm not sure if people were holding the bags okay but the tonage has stayed the same okay or if tonage has actually gone down okay so I can request the information from waste management and and see if that be the tonage has gone down if if not then because because I think that's going to also Drive some of our decisions because like when we raised both the flat fee and the bags last year it part of you like you said it's like it's it's not s like it's not a depend the bag fee is not a dependable so maybe people like I asked I asked Sam today last night I actually I sent her an email as I was going through all the trash stuff I said how many households do we have composting because ideally not from a revenue standpoint but like from a holistic sustainability world persec to s that composts a discount on their TR right because that incentivizes people to do the right thing yep um if like Waste Management would work with us and charge us less for the tonnage or tipping fee whatever it is I would love to be able to do that obviously that's doesn't solve the revenue issue yeah we could look to see if I don't know if it's if we have this many less bags what that correlates to in the tonnage is it a dollar dollar for match there's a bunch of different so like I asked Sam I said so how many households compost in Ashlin today versus a year through Black Earth compared to a year ago because when we raised the fee like did did that incentivize people to to compost to compost and the numberb she gave me so a year ago it was 208 families in Ashland and um now we're at 292 which doesn't sound like a huge number jump but when we're talking percentage it's a big percentage so like I'm thinking okay you know Behavior might be shifting you know and Sam was talking about oh you know I'd love to be able to offer grants and like all this other stuff but there's other things that are kind of taking priority on those grants that we had offered through through through the inial just I do want to note but that's that's just people compost through that program correct right so I use less bags because I compost we put out a bag every two weeks I don't I'm not in that program we've been composting for 30 years in your backyard yeah which there must I would think a lot of people I'm sure there are other people that I mean I know people who compost in their I'm just saying discount but black Earth takes a lot more out of the the food stream than than because you can put meat you could put bones Dairy I know but it's still a lot I mean it's definitely like the way to it's the way but you verif okay here's my invoice from Earth $10 off of my does the town get any revenue from Black Earth no so so there's no savings to no I mean what we were able to negotiate as part of a a program a a pilot program was a reduced rate for residents to to join and be a part of the Black Earth Pro program but no we don't get fin to meet a certain number and now we've met that amount so it's at the lowest rate possible yeah yeah if we made some kind of money off of it then un hit 900 900 households between the combined Community to to to lower the price more okay and we're not there I I thought it was just the 500 was the mark okay no so but you know like I'm wondering like would we be able to I don't know negotiate negotiate with with Waste Management based on like the fees like that they charge for for tonnage like I I'm just trying to I'm trying to figure out like ways that we can look at this and kind of have a better picture of what's going on yeah I I mean I think certainly when the contract comes up again that's an part of the discussions that we can have we did try to get we did look at townwide composting as part of the last contract and it was just prohibitively expensive yeah um and you're talking about like the doubling of the costs well presume we're saving because they charge us Less on the the tonnage right I mean the more we yeah but the hauling and the specialized you dispos that's you need that anyway one other thing that I know that we kind of mentioned the last time around with this and I would kind of like to take another look at it too is we had mentioned if we went to a a um bi-weekly recycling so it wasn't every week you fill up the big bin but every other week um what what that would translate into to as far as possibly like stabilizing the the that's a good the trash c talk about that and then you know obviously we'd want to like make sure like if we would make some sort of change like that you know maybe we do a survey out into the public and just say hey if we move to every other week on a scale of like easy to excruciatingly painful how bad would it be for you and see what people I don't know like I'm just trying to think of some creative ways that we may not be able to yeah these new compost bins are very large I think for most people they could gole bins yeah yeah so most people can go to I think you know well I think the trash contract's up in June 30th of 2027 so we'll probably start negotiating that in late 2026 so that's certainly something we can bring up I think what we want to be concerned what we should be concerned about is that if that is going to discourage people from Recycling and then they start putting more of their recycling into the waist stream which then we have to pay for and end up paying more for so like if somebody fills up their recycling bin within week one you know at week two what are they doing are they actually taking their Recycling and putting it into well that information we can get from the you know waste folks now is is how much you know how much do people recycle so that we can because then maybe we could figure out well how much room is there in you bin every week you know everybody's most people's bin full or they most people have full or something I would think they're tracking on a week toe basis what they're hauling for us right yeah it's usually the invoices are done on a monthly basis right but they should but to do that they're still tracking it week by week what they're hauling so I would expect we can get a report from them on a week by- week basis as to what they're taking for recycle and what they're taking for trash we can ask and look at that and say okay okay through the month it's consistent or I mean I know for ourselves sometimes either we forget to put it out or it's like okay we're busy too busy or whatever we don't even put out the recycle or we don't put out the trash and then the next week our recycle bin is a little bit Fuller but yeah maybe there are other people or it would be good to see I have a teenager responsible for taking out the trash so we occasionally miss it sometimes I don't have that excuse but suppose family size really I guess start times of the year too come Christmas and we got of Amazon being Del to our house every day those boxes add up just christas depends whether not you have somebody that cuts the boes up into the right right that's definit that is not me yes go as do we I step on them that's I I guess what I'm hearing and maybe you too is that if we could have some kind of understanding of what our usage is from a trash perspective y the T like the tonnage and and how is that impacting Us in the charging and stuff like that yep yeah I'll see if the since the bag Revenue did go down quite a bit yeah see if it's impacting tonnage to go to Claudia's house yeah if it's not yeah you we did buy a lot ourselves all right so two out of five that's my yeah okay all right so for me personally just you know like when I saw the trash fee proposal literally I like was like yikes because we just went to this like you know the the the the two payment thing which is okay except that the the second trash fee like came at the exact same time excise tax you know just got them yeah came out and and it's I just paid my water bill like so it's it's all kind of you're getting hit every yeah so not I mean I I get it from a revenue standpoint we need to balance our budget and we need to to be able to pay for things like trash the twice a year was really just to give people a break to not do it all at once I wouldn't mind if it was all at once just because it gives people longer to actually pay the bill cuz it kind of trickles in I'm I'm wondering then based on what bry's saying right the the second bill came around the same size as time is excise tax and what you know so and it also looked like in your report that we hadn't gotten as much payment like we're not our our receivables are off based on the two Bill process yeah so the flat fee I I obviously don't really have a trend to look at and when I looked at the previous years it took people about six months or seven months to to pay the bill the first three to four months we collected everything right but people know they have all year to pay or they they take a little bit longer right so now that it's in two installments I don't know if people going to pay now in July or August which will throw off our cash flow now for that fiscal year and I just I don't have the data to to look at so that might be something to check with the public right okay we did two bills because we increased the amount was that helpful or not or should we even if we know we're going to increase a little bit again this year I'm expecting does it make more sense to just keep it as one bill yeah it's right I mean we can ask that question maybe that's a town manager yeah Pi a month of hits yeah I think it was it was summertime so people usually in a good mood in the summertime anyway so that's usually that's a good I mean I think people just look at the bill and pay it I mean you know yeah right right but okay it may be better to yeah okay anything else we need to cover at this time are we ready to move on I think we can move on if you want to unless you want to just endure keep talking about it yeah yeah so we're going to discuss some more next meeting and potentially take action the meeting after okay well thank you Britney and thank you Britney thanks thank you Dan thanks for hanging in there all right and so thanks for the water yes thanks for the water yeah all right the next is the uh discuss the MBTA zoning which I think we we do have a date for the um meeting with the planning board is uh and what's the time on that 8:30 8:30 we do because the consultant's coming in later or something all right Joe do you want to talk to us about it yes I guess I shouldn't have asked okay yeah actually nothing has changed yeah um the figures are there and the figures are is it in our packet I didn't see no no I the figures of what we presented at our last our last one okay at the same they they haven't changed so that that's basically it great so thank you for that work questions or thoughts on that um oh I was I have not had a chance to either watch The Forum or review the information so I'm hoping we'll because we haven't been sent anything formally yet right no regarding that okay but we will before Hope a week from we will before Thursday I would hope so okay okay and um yeah and we did have a discussion of that not too long ago and I don't know wpp up some stuff yeah is 8: or 830 80 8:30 so but the public forum was great like I just wanted to to to thank you guys for putting putting together a couple Forums on this because I think part of the part of the issue is really educating people um it's funny I listened just as an FYI I listened to an NP um broadcast um they were interviewing the person that was from Milton that was the head of the no for h no for a no for Milton um and you know just as an FYI for anyone that that is listening um the the no for Milton folks had always intended to comply with MBTA communities but it was the way that it was presented and put together that was the issue which is how it ended up a ballot issue so the other thing the other thing that I heard on so I was on mapc winter Council today and they were talking about housing and the MBTA zoning yeah and someone from Milton was on it and they said the issue is not necessarily the housing but the fact that we are being impacted by this but the transportation the trains that we're having to house for are not consistent and they're not providing the transportation that our community needs so people are still having to drive in from Milton so you're requiring us to do this Transit MBTA Zone Zing because of the trains but the trains do not provide they have two really old they're like we that's what the person said you know what but I just wanted to put that out there because I know some of the feedback that had happened at the Forum yeah and in general why they said no people are using it as sort of this rally and cry like oh we should be like Milton and we should say no and it's like well it's actually first of all it's complicated like everything else is um but you know I just wanted to say thank you to all the work that you guys have been doing because I think that what from what I saw at your last Forum um The Proposal really has minimal when I say minimal like zero additional impact from whatever has been currently built or currently permitted and so the impact that we are well like so you know being able to control what we can control I think is there and I think that the the public work that you guys have been doing has been great so I just want to say thank you well on behalf of uh trishan L and Peter you're welcome it's a it's it's been an experience and um you know we're just waiting for ugc to see what the heck's going to happen with that piece of property you know we put it in it's in the it's in the plan but do we have to take it out yeah we that's actually something I I want to take a little bit of a closer look at um and because if we're going to change the density of that lot I don't know if Peter brought this up my concern up to you but um at your last meeting but you know if we increase the dens the density outside of what is allowed in the development agreement does that basically Al derail at the rail Transit District um that ugc project okay so that's something I think we've got to be careful about the other the other thing is we got an some of us not all of us got an email from Mike Kane um after the ABA Forum that happened and he said if we're looking to create new housing and and different things let's try to work with the MBTA he said the parking lot at the MBTA could be a potential area for building right you put garage underneath you do so I I think part of what we need to do is get creative with this as well where Did We End well I wasn't I didn't see the form but I'm going to try where is it on wacka like you can just look it up so I'm going to try to look at it but I always like the idea of zoning around the TR close to the train station so that's not a bad idea the other the other thing too is that um if people uh aren't part of that resoning District we in on the Pleasant Street area they can always use the uh downtown uh overlay dist uh District as part of that because that allows commercial building and housing and housing so that's already there so we don't need to reinvent the wheel through special permit right through a special permit correct well the zoning though the MBTA zoning has to be by right exactly yes EXA okay all right so certain age too so if you don't have the acor that's that's important okay well thanks Joe and thanks all the other folks so next Thursday you know Michael I'm thinking maybe um in your newsletter send a link to those two forums they were very informative we did I would do it again's put them out there because they were very good forums and people could fast forward through actually yeah just at this next meeting we're going to actually vote right and finalize this or finalize is it going to town meeting right yes I I think you're going to get a recommendation so we're going to make a recommendation or clearance for and then and then the planning board probably has to hold a separate hearing anyway for because it's a bylaw change so they would have to go through the whole town meeting Z yeah zoning hearing process that's yeah I mean you might they have that laid out I mean you may choose to push that to um you know push this vote to the fall I mean that's a decision that you know you could certainly make as well I don't see yeah right that's the that's the other option what that that it's if we can do it in the spring and if for some reason it doesn't pass at Springtown meeting it would give us the opportunity to revisit it in Fall town meeting to make it happen I think we're a good position to go for spring yeah okay all right thank you um the next item I have is discuss and vote on determination of the useful life of the fire department Town truck and authorizing a clerk to sign on behalf of the board so is there anything we need to discuss here you have to have some so so so typically typically uh you know fire trucks you're only allowed to borrow over a period of five years and so what this does is would change that to be 20 years it has to be done by a vote of the board though and what is it but this is something we voted on two years ago at town meeting to purchase the truck correct have we not borrowed for it yet um it's under no we have not borrowed for it yet it's still under construction it takes about 2 years for them to okay to be built so they're building a truck and we haven't paid we haven't paid anything on it yet correct oh we're good for it you think so by taking by taking this vote we'll then uh we'll do borrowing for it but by allowing us to do this we can borrow for 20 years 20 years so we increase the depreciation in effect yeah in 20 years is a realistic time I guess 20 years is a very realistic time frame and so you just need well it would be Joe but you need to actually take a motion okay so I'm going to read read the whole thing no just that you can you want to read this make the motion okay um I move that we authorize that the maximum useful life of the first to the fire tower truck to be financed with the proceeds of the 1,435 N8 borrowing authorized by the vote of town meeting passed May 4th 2022 is hereby determined pursuant to General Law chapter 44 sub7 uh one to be 20 years I'll second that the motion's been made and second it all those in favor say I I oppos None motion passes unanimously the clerk will sign it very good you all right um okay so believe it or not we're just getting a town manager report oh yeah I got a long list tonight I know I see that you do so um so first I I'll start off with an update on the FY 25 budget I I don't have too much of an update except I did have an opportunity to sit down with superintendent Adams and just kind of talk about kind of the situation that we're facing with the deficit and just kind of get a feel of where the school committee and the superintendent is uh on their budget because they're also in negotiations at this point in time um with the number of their unions and uh so it was a good discussion they're planning on holding their um budget Workshop that believe' on the 16th um so they'll have more information after that and then once we have that figure from them we can really start working on whittling down that deficit um so that's the update on fy2 so if they're doing their budget workshop on March 16th then you and Jim will work stuff out and then we'll have a tri board meeting to discuss and review or I will suggest that we have a tri board meeting okay so for sure um but yeah I mean whether it's at a tri board meeting or whether you folks are reviewing it as individual boards and committees we'll have a plan you know that we would put together for you to review um the next item on the agenda is at technology efficiencies so if you recall um not to too long ago Paul Carpenter was able to secure a grant through the community compact program for $150,000 to pay for a new permitting system now this is going to be a comprehensive permitting system that we're going to be able to utilize across all different departments so not just building but also planning Health um even our liquor licenses and the licenses that happen out of our office DPW the clerk's office so we'll be able to um to do that we'll also be able to accept payments online as part of this which is something that we've been looking to do to increase the convenience for um for people permit for permits and stuff um so we uh we made a decision to go with a company called open gov and uh you've probably you might have seen advertisements for them around they're certainly expanding and and capturing market share here in Massachusetts um but um we're in the process of working out an implementation plan with with them and that should be done and completed by July 1st so looking forward to that and then also um we're looking at making some uh efficiency upgrades in our internal um internal technology if you will uh utilizing some of the HR mod modules available in munus so one is a time and attendance model employee um I forgot what they call the second one do you remember what the second one it's some Tyler cont Tyler content management that's what it is um so Katherine's been working with Paul and munus on that so um we're going to be making making some that was something that you reviewed during the budget Workshop that Katherine talked about so are we trying to implement it before the end of this year because we have some funds to do that or are you putting it into the budget for fiscal year 25 we'll put it into the budget for 25 and it'll be an ongoing cost as well right I knew that so okay so that'll have to be part of the budget okay correct um but it should save us um you know if it doesn't save US Dollars it should make us a lot more efficient in terms of the usage usage of our time okay um so there's that um next is a comprehensive Plan update so first I want to just you know let everybody know out there that there are three specific ways that you can provide input um one is a survey and another is a crowd map uh both of which you can find on The Envision Ashland website it's part of the the website has a pretty extensive address uh I did find if you just Google inv Vision Ashland it comes up as the first uh first one on Google um so that should help you uh we have our next meeting tomorrow uh tomorrow night the library it is at the library starting at 7 p.m.

[Music] ready to become a Disney character at any moment we're good Wendy okay um good evening everybody since it's 7 o'clock I'll go ahead and call to order this regular meeting of the Brookfield Board of Education uh tonight is Wednesday March 6 uh March 6 yes my gosh time is flying and it is uh 7:01 so um please join me in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to flag of the United States of America Republic for it stands one nation God indivisible liberty and justice for all okay so um for roll call we've got uh Ava Canton here we have halah harani Rob fetto Stephanie sakur Joy um Greenstein I'm Wendy Youngblood Rosa Fernandez and Sarah deine as well as the three members of our executive team welcome Casey Di Dr um John burill superintendent and Dr Anna man welcome everybody okay so let's go ahead and start with um public comment uh the Board of Ed welcomes public comment each speaker will have up to three minutes to provide input um at the end of the regular meeting time times allotted for comment on any item which is within the board's jurisdiction um but was not on the agenda so discussion of school Personnel individual students or of individual board members is prohibited and with that uh we'd like to uh welcome Mr Grimes to the podium please remember to state your name and address of course thank you good evening Board of Education members Matt Grimes 11 Orchard Street and as I've said every time I've addressed this board in the last 18 years recovering Board of Education member um couple of things I'd like to bring to the board's attention tonight and discuss uh first is uh legal bids uh just over two months ago rightly so the Board of Ed decided um to uh send the Legal Services out to RFP like our Board of Selectmen did and I think that uh I know that uh several in the public are interested in how this is going on and when this is going to be decided and I think that the Board of Ed needs to prioritize this now that the budget season um has moved on to the other boards next thing I want to uh address you is uh some constructive criticism uh the last meeting uh the last special meeting last week there were two areas that were not very desirable first was note passing by Board of Ed members one of the senior members was passing notes to another Board of Ed member during the meeting well when you do that that's subject to Freedom of Information Act whatever you passed in that note privately that you should have been saying in public is a public document and then anyone who destroys one of those notes is destroying a public document that's subject to foi not withstanding the legal issue it's unprofessional and Unbecoming to your fellow board members to be passing handwritten notes to other members during meetings that ties into another issue my second issue last Board of Ed meeting the special one was not run well at all I understand the sensitivity of the issue for some people on both sides of the issue that was discuss being discussed no barded is immune from sensitive issues they are one of the things that one of the many responsibilities that uh one signs up for when they choose to run and serve on the board of ed that said the interruptions out of the audience were very disruptive and out of control the chair did nothing meaningful to control them and the interactions between Board of bed members were less than civil and productive as well and the chair didn't readily control that either I respectfully suggest that the Board of Ed chair position is seldom if ever the place for a new board of ed member well I believe um current chair certainly makes a valuable popularly elected member uh of the board and is is advocating for children I don't think she's the right person to be the chairman of this board I strongly feel that the occupant of the chair should be a topic of your board of self-evaluation and I'll conclude by reiterating a couple of points I've heard made and made myself on previous occasions the selected board controls nearly two 2/3 of Brookfield taxpayers Money Two And every $3 that Brookfield taxpayers spend are entrusted here at this table it doesn't speak well to your priorities as a board that you spent more time in discussion on that book last week than you did on deliberating a $53 million budget that you basically rubber stamped and sent over to the first selectman now before the board of selectman was done over $300,000 of the 575,000 adjustment that he made has miraculously been found and absorbed enough with the feet dragging on the legal get those bids open interview the biders and make an informed decision as a board that's in the very best interest of the school district for the rest of this term thank you very much thank you for sharing your opinion Mr Grimes um I'm going to go ahead and say that we're we are already poised to take action on just about um all the points that you raised and so I uh hope that you and others who have similar comments we'll be pleased to know that the board is moving um in many of those directions so with that let's go to um item number five on the agenda that's for you Dr BR I believe yes so um thank you Dr Young I did want to take a moment to recognize the board it is board appreciation month today happens to actually be National Oreo cookie day too so I debated whether everybody's so healthy now I was going to bring Oreos for everyone but um thank you um for all you do on behalf of the children uh uh Brookfield uh this is um at as most of you know when you run for election of this board it is the most uh timeconsuming and demanding volunteer elected board in local communities at least here in Connecticut I can tell you that and um you jumped right into the arena and on the very first night exactly three months ago I presented a $53 million budget to you and you really wrestled with that for two full months um I think we have almost a 30 page question and answer document of uh I think all board members contributed questions to that and really dug in uh especially I thank the finance committee but there were some other board members who really asked some pointed questions really helped us vet the budget so thank you all for that and then of course uh as just mentioned in public comment um we've been dealing with uh the sensitive topic of uh of book challenges and things like that so you've had a lot on your plate in your first couple of months uh so I commend you for that I thank you for that and um let's have a great meeting tonight thank you okay so I what's turning into a highlight for everybody we're moving to uh the student report from Ava Canton hi I hope everyone's doing well tonight I have a bunch of Updates this week some events happening right now obviously it's a really busy time of the year for everyone and a lot of seniors have started to commit to college whether that's for athletics or just for academics um coming up we have the career fair on Tuesday March 26th and registration has started I'm going to talk more about that when I talk about the youth commission the BHS musical mam Mia is going to be taking place on March 14th through 17th and tickets are on sale for athletics I have a lot of updates and I met with Mr Baldwin to go over this yesterday at the boys basketball game all of the fall all state All State academic new all New England and All American athletes were recognized and they had their names put on the banners last night um the co-op ice hockey team with Brookfield bethl D and Immaculate the ice cats won their s swc Championship on February 29th and they just won their first round to States also on Monday they go to the second round tomorrow boys basketball won their states round yesterday and they're going on to the next round also tomorrow at vanel this past weekend she finished third place so second runner up at States and they're going to attend New England regionals for the first time ever in Brookfield High School history which is amazing on April 22nd is college signing day and we have a bunch of student athletes that are already committed to play their sport in College spring Sports just started up this month and the most current thing this past week is that the New England Association of schools and colleges the accredit accreditation committee um came to berkfield high school for an athletic evaluation just of the entire BHS Athletics program so part of part of that was that a student athlete focus group of 10 students including myself met with the officials from this board and we participated in this question and answer Forum type of meeting with them where they just learned all about the BHS athletics department from a students's perspective also this past week 70 of people attended the NCAA recruiting Workshop where they learned all about the college sports recruiting process from an official from Central Connecticut State University and they just learned all about how to commit to a sport if that's something they want to do last week Danny carosa and Olivia Walters competed in the New England regionals last last week for their Sports wrestling and track um currently the CIA is in discussion of allowing coaches to coach their teams also over the summer which that's something they currently can't do um so if that's approved then Mr baldom said that we should expect a busy summer here at Brookfield High School for all the athletes and finally there's currently a national official shortage um and so to show some apprec show some appreciation for our referees our officials Bal uh Mr Baldwin started printing out these thank you cards around 5 years ago um just with a bunch of pictures of BHS athletes as well as a nice message on the back I was supposed to bring the cards but I just realized that I forgot them and I'll bring them next time these really really nice cards um and over the summer Mr Baldwin was selected by the CIA for a summit in Indianapolis and at the summit he showed all of the other officials from schools all over the country these cards and kind of explained the import of showing appreciation for our officials um and the idea is caught on to a bunch of other schools over the country it's a great great way to show appreciation for the people that don't often get thanks but really do enable student athletes to pursue what they love and I'll have those cards next time they're really really nice um finally some of the clubs I'm in National Honor Society we've started our Mother's Day 5K planning with all of our different committees um that tutoring program still going on right now um currently the Jun candidates for NHS are in the process of applying and they'll be getting approved I think by next month finally youth commission we are deep into the planning of our career fair that's happening on March 26th like I said we have all of our presenters finalized and we've started with registration which we're doing in two waves we started with Juniors and seniors getting first priority because they're the first ones to be going into these careers so we wanted them to have the first choice because it is first come first serve and the sign up is is very a very very smooth process um where each ilt teacher signs up all of their kids to pick three presenters for each slot um also on the youth commission we've been working with Brookfield cares to discuss the public input and suggestions that they got from the community conversation that they held a little while ago um and this includes topics such as school safety what we can do to benefit youth in the town and overall Town development because at that conversation they re received a lot of input and suggestions so they wanted to just discuss that with students too to make sure that those align with this what the students think as well and that's it for tonight thank you all wonderful thanks very much oh Dr Young can I ask you a question please now this time of year we put all of our student Representatives on the spot do you have a sense of where you might be going to college or might you be sharing that with us soon yeah of course I have not committed yet but I think I'm leaning towards Clemson in South Carolina I already got accepted so the part over congratulations yeah I'm going to wait a little while but I think that's where I really want all right well we're going to keep tabs on you have to let us know when you commit yeah of course I will thanks AA and congratulations thank you have a a wonderful achievement okay with that um let's move to the next item on the agenda uh which is written correspondence okay the following people have sent emails to the Board of Education Irene Korea regarding District communication Deborah kakasi C case thank you uh for a foyer request and Kathleen bonello for uh regarding un the following people have sent emails in support of the book appeal asking that fun home be removed from the VHS Library since February 25th Melinda Lop Jennifer akerly Carolyn menini Beverly veronic the following people have sent emails against the book appeal and have asked that fun home remain in the BHS Library since February 21st Jessica hathorne Maryann gaffy Janice Beldon Jen leaden Alan walp Howard Lasser Joanne cafiero Raa Stefan Robin Montgomery Mike parin Lori Ambry Lynn parchinski the following people have sent emails to the board in regards to the special meeting that was on February 21st Joy Greenstein Debbie Brooks Jennifer Augusto Denise rice Aaron Scalera Trina cap own the Brookfield Children's Advocacy Council and Irene Korea great okay then um next item is you too we're going to um go to approval of board minutes I move that the board approve the minutes listed below as recommended the regular meeting on 22124 and the special meeting on 22724 do we have a second okay um so we have a motion before us that the board approved the minutes um from the regular and special meetings um all in favor hi hi any opposed okay so the um approval passes unanimously wonderful and with that let's move to um item number nine the superintendent's update Dr Brill all right thank you very much uh so not on the uh document that I shared I just there's two quick updates I'll give and then I'll get into the rest of the report um I did send the board an email today on the town's Economic Development um report and I think that's important as a reference point for all of us uh given the fact that um as I understand it 140 some OD uh units will be coming online within the next few months for occupancy and then in the next two years more um I haven't do Dove too deep into that but I was chatting with uh Greg dembowski earlier today at a Emergency Management response meeting that we were having with Town officials so thought that was important it just came out uh last month uh in addition to that I did want to let everybody know the RFP for Legal Services closes the middle of the next week I think it's March 13th so once we have uh all of the legal firms that have applied um I'll talk to Dr Youngblood about how the board wants to proceed uh certainly the board uh I think I've mentioned this to the board could um pursue this as a committee of the whole and have all the board members available in an evening where we interview uh potential firms or it could appoint a special committee uh to work uh you know with with myself and so forth and uh maybe Mr Roland as well cuz we're looking for special education services uh and sit through uh you know standardized interviews that we develop a protocol for so all of that is in the works and um our purchasing agent is uh managing all of the um rfps that come in uh getting to the document now just a really exciting celebration of of reading um and uh Candlewood Lake Elementary School read Across America a week essentially uh Dr man and I were um lucky enough to uh work with three of our fourth grade class classes on Friday to kind of kick things off and we had a blast reading all kinds of Dr Seuss material um and then this week at Candlewood Lake um all of the board itself was invited and uh as individuals to come in and read as well as all kinds of town officials and guests and parents and so forth to uh read to the kids throughout the week so we're excited about getting over there matter of fact is it tomorrow I you're going tomorrow I'm going Frid there you go all right so I'll be there tomorrow um uh school security just want to let everybody know that uh we do need to determine as a board uh we didn't determine when we first um uh got on the board about who is going to be on the security task force I think there was some conversation about uh certain folks who were interested um so that the board does need to make that determination of who's going to serve the meetings are typically um on a Thursday at 10: a.m.

we're hoping that that will attract a lot of people because it's hopefully after the work or the school day next we have another holiday on Friday March 29th that's the spring holiday and again no school Wednesday April 3rd we have our next board meeting here at 5:00 pm in the boardroom Friday April 5th there will be a school visit to Higley High School we hope you can all join us for that and we conclude with Saturday April 6 for our Fine Arts Festival at williamsfield high school from 9:00 a.m. to noon and that concludes the superintendent report a lot going on thank you Mrs Richards next we have our public comments we value input from our constituents this time on our agenda has been set aside for anyone from the audience who wishes to address the board those that wish to speak should have filled out a speaker card which which is due prior to the start of our meeting members of the board may not discuss comment or take action on matters raised that are not specifically identified on the agenda therefore pursuant to AR ARS 38-43 1.01 I actions taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff to study the matter responding to any criticism or scheduling the matter for further consideration and decision at a later date also we ask that the audience members practice proper public meeting decorum refraining from either negative or positive responses including clapping or verbal outbursts to ensure fairness to All Points of View those that refuse to follow these rules may be asked to leave in accordance with policy BH public participation at board meetings if considered necessary the governing board president shall set a time limit on the length of the comment period in order to ensure that each individual has an opportunity to address the board the president may also set a time limit for individual speakers thank you for your cooperation and first we'll be hearing from Heather Balch good evening I'm going to read an adapted poem to you tonight TW the day before break when all through the classroom each creature was stirring the teacher too I assume the students were antsy and moving here and there in hopes that the clock would move faster if they just stare the admin was nestled all snug in their offices with visions of having no calls about students from all of us and you in your Dr Seuss shirt and cap just want to settle your brain for a long spring break nap when out in the hall there arose such a clatter you sprang from your chair to see what was the matter away to the door you flew like a flash spun the door knob and open the door with the crash the fluorescent light glow and hallway gave off quite a glow you looked left and right to see what you could know when the noise that had traveled to your wondering ear helped you realize that it was the Bell you did hear the end of the day really did come so fast it's hard to believe all the days in third quarter had passed more rapid than Bobcats the students they came they hustled and shouted and you called them by name now Panthers now scorpions now Spartans and Hawks now Cardinals now cougars now Knights and Blackhawks by tigers coyotes sharks and Gator children do be careful as you're leaving this dear building to the top of the hall or to the top of the hallway to the top of the hall now dash away Dash away Dash away all as papers and dust in their happy wake fly when they meet with their bus they jump in not shy and back to their houses with the bus oh it flew with the B all of the girls and the boys and their energy too and then in a twinkling I heard you so true you're prancing and dancing to your door as you did shoe you got in your car without turning around down the parking lot you and your car were homebound the school in your rear view got smaller by sight have a great spring break to all and to all a good night happy spring break that was cute thank you uh next is June bla good evening governing board president Anderson board members cabinet members my name is June Blaine and I proudly serve as the president of the Higley Education Association for as long as I've been a teacher in The District 20 years now uh haa has had a memorandum of understanding with the district since 20 1 we have had a governing board policy in place supporting and securing our role in The District which is to Advocate on behalf of all staff over the years while people have come and gone the policies have remained haa not only sits on meet and confer but we also have Representatives on every District committee we make sure that all staff have a voice and a in excuse me I have a voice in decision making in the district whether someone pays dues or not does not decide the course of our action when taking and advocating for staff haa has been instrumental in uring bonds and overrides paths uh we have outstanding members as Educators some of whom are nominated as teachers of the year we are leaders both in the classroom and in the community and the relationship that we have been able to forge with the district only makes Higley stronger together we are stronger thank you thank you next is Jessica D Ambrosio good evening president Anderson governing board members intern superintendent Miss Richards into our husd cabinet my name is Jessica D Osio and I've been a teacher here in Arizona for 19 years 16 and a half years ago I attended a Job Fair held by hickley Unified School District in hopes of obtaining a teaching position in this upand cominging community in Gilbert Arizona that decision has been one of the best decisions of my life as I found a school district with leadership who values Student Success and teacher longevity moving my family into this area I found neighbors and a community and community members who actively engage and attend Town Council Schoolboard and HOA meetings enrolling my two two sons in husd schools I have watched them Thrive with the support of talented teachers supportive PA professionals caring nurses invested Administration and dedicated coaches tonight board members will be voting on a proposed raise for all husd staff members Mr Moore presented two options to the board at our February 21st meeting the first option proposed was a four to 5% raise for teachers and a 2% raise for classified employees in administration the second option proposed was drafted by the meet and confer team who advocated for all staff members to have a more proportional raise for all employees with teachers receiving a 3.5 to a 4.5 raise and classified staff members and administration receiving a 3% raise I come here this evening to ask you to vote in favor of the second option because as my shirt says our students first in order to put our students first we must first recognize that while all students have classroom teachers many students have additional husd employees helping them and their families to be successful par professionals work alongside students with special needs School psychologists support families through the IEP process counselors support students with social emotional needs and offer insights about Pathways following High School graduation bus drivers transport students safely to and from school each day lunch AIDS supervise and assist students in the cafeteria and at HTA even the plant foran knows the names of many students in their interest and works alongside teachers to motivate students to try their best and to act with character looking at the surrounding school districts and the recent tragedies regarding Stu student safety I feel it is necessary to highlight the unified efforts of our certified and classified members all husd employees P play a vital role in making all students successful in both the classroom and in life since 2018 pro-public education supporters and Educators have worn red to show solidarity I ask you to look around the room and recognize a representation here this evening tonight many teachers are still sitting in their classrooms holding parent teacher conferences all hoping your vote tonight will secure all current employees with with a position that reflects inflation and the cost of living here in Gilbert Arizona for next school year please recognize the efforts and dedication of all your husd employees by voting for a 4.5% raise for your certified classroom teachers and a 3% raise for your classified and administrative staff thank you for your time this evening thank you next we have Kathleen Richards good evening board and members of the cabinet I um wanted to quickly come here because of uh couple things primarily being the discussion around staff increases I have the honor of serving on the citizens committee that was formed to investigate um whether or not we will suggest to the board at the next meeting to put forward a bond uh as well as a a continuation of the M override and one of the things that the committee asked for was a survey to be done within our community to reflect not just what parents here within husd but the community as a whole sees as important in terms of the role of husd and the thing that struck me the most last night as we were listening to a presentation on those results was that the number one one thing that our community members and when I say community members I'm talking whether they have children or not in this District whether they have children in the home or don't whether they're retired age across the board the most important thing in terms of how the M money is spent was in terms of teacher pay and making sure that that was reflected in how we choose to Steward the money that we have at our disposal and as this is the topic primary topic of the C meeting I felt it was important to make sure this is all things that um folks can find out by reading the minutes these are all public meetings they're welcome to attend um but it was important for me to make sure that you guys were aware of the fact that that is something that's not just important to our teachers that are here representing tonight it's not just important to us parents and families who benefit from those amazing teachers that HD has managed to secure and hire and educate our kids but it's also reflective of what the community expects of our board and so I hope as the um haa has expressed that this will not just translate to our teachers but the reflection of the fact that it takes a village to educate our kids and within a school district that Village is certainly led by our teachers but those teachers cannot do the work that they do without the support of the staff around them and so whatever we whatever you all end up voting and deciding to do with that should be reflective of that of the desires of the community additionally I just wanted to reiterate and take a moment with the last few seconds that I have um I had sent an email to the board because at the last few board meetings there's been some discussion about wanting to start board meetings later and while I do understand that um there's a certain desire to have the meetings start later so that more people can speak given the fact that these meetings are available um publicly for people to plan I'm somebody who works at night so I have to make sure that I make special plans um and make arrangements to be here for something like that and when I look at the students and teachers that come for those uh the recognition of the different schools and things of that nature if we push everything back I just want to remind the board that when our meetings are taking anywhere from two to three hours on average that that would push everything much later that's a huge burden on a lot of Staff members our students that are recognized Etc thank you next we have Maryanne good evening board I come here representing many of the people in the community there was this very sad letter sent out to the williamsfield high school families last week regarding a very beloved administrator at that school for all the talk of student retention needed what is going on when a beloved administrator has given his notice we chose the school district we chose to move into it based on him our family moved from charter schools to the williamsfield high school because this particular administrator had his eye on the future and was ensuring career Readiness college readiness for our williamsfield students considering that the student retention for elementary is escaping our elementary schools and moving over to the charters and the only schools that are growing right now are high schools we really as a community of Educators and Leadership need to take a look at what would cause such a man to resign from that position furthermore I also sit here and as somebody who had to basically leave my job early and missed with my family in order to make this 5:00 p.m meeting I again move for these meetings to be moved to 6: p.m.