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I'm Zachariah Williamson and I'm the September student of the month I'm very involved in a lot of stuff Sports especially baseball I'm in Cross Country I've been on Varsity for several years and uh it's what I love to do the most I also am involved in music here I'm in concert band and marching band I'm a section leader in both and I also am in jazz band one thing I've Loved about weo is a lot of the different people I've been able to meet like teachers or students I love the diversity here and there's a lot different kinds of people here my baseball team is a lot different than the cross country team and a lot of my classes are very different from each other but it's really fun to have that all come together and make a great High School experience and I know that's going to help me down the road High School is all about finding a good balance so you want to make sure that you are getting involved that you're not just coming to school and going home but you also don't want to pack your schedule with 13-hour days every day I think it's really important to like really find the things that you enjoy the most and really leaned into those because High School is a great time to really immerse yourself in the things that you love After High School I am planning on going to for University hopefully I want to play some baseball in college and planning on studying international relations in Spanish and after that possibly Law School [Music]

[Music] kn we [Music] we can't [Music] [Applause] [Music] B we [Music] Rel [Music] show [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] live [Music] [Applause] [Music] r world [Music] sh [Music] [Applause] [Music] r [Music] what are we doing are [Music] guys ready all right let's go follow [Music] ladies and Gentlemen please rise for the playing of our national anthem [Music] [Applause] [Music] the [Music] ladies and gentlemen welcome to this evening's contest at Trish field with the visiting civille harm boys SOC team and your Carbondale Terriers now the starting lineup for the visiting Lions starting in goal number0 Camden Ward number six Davin Yokum number seven Keith L number nine Santiago alich number 10 attakus applebe number 12 Amin aladi number 19 Romero Sebastian number 22 Zack cond snow number 28 Camden Wright number 29 tager Morley number 30 Jose Mendes L for head coach chip l and now the starting lineup for your carrier starting in goal number0 senior Cody Miller number two Cliff Maguire Nukem number three Francis Buu number six senior Joy Maguire Nukem number eight senior Andrew Stevens number nine MoGo Kevon number 10 senior jacqulyn hickham number 15 Oliver Roy number 19 Raphael Jaa number 29 Jackson gray number 35 Henry Thomas your car coach by head coach Jeff H and assistant Cortez Davis also like to welcome Metro Alliance [Music] don't get [Music] my RO [Applause] [Music] car [Music] [Applause] Too Deep the see that play there behind [Music] that's where you're looking to help cam good [Applause] [Music] to the ball ke to the ball [Applause] [Music] ke get [Music] come on too easy there [Music] that [Music] on [Music] move move your line [Music] I want you playing higher about 10 yard higher don't sit with and Romo drop drop come on come on it underneath you oh yeah up come on keep Al right right wider wider WI [Music] [Applause] let's lift it to the back he's there for [Music] [Applause] you when you get fre you got to be when you get in that full back there for you keep it up keep it up good work keep putting your [Applause] ball why not [Applause] [Music] inward just two man just two two cam set [Applause] [Music] him step step [Music] keep keep keep dropping dropping dropping there you go you're good [Music] hey that's three in the 18 we [Applause] [Music] W higher higher the ball me put him under there come on good hey white WI a b the 18 c make it predictable give him CR outward out work come on come on get there come on come on come on come on come on move up move with him stay with [Applause] him ja in the hole ja in the hole too far Z too [Music] far good hey no no no no no watch your player Zach you got to be a little more Central call romiro to him call romiro to him Keith track that Runner track that Runner [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] up [Applause] [Music] [Applause] win a ball white one [Applause] [Music] into the L number three Olan Clark [Music] he [Music] [Applause] [Music] get get there come on [Music] we should be wider now should be wider on [Music] Joy you're fine it it right here checking in behind checking in behind when we win the ball come on come on me shoot to the [Applause] [Music] ball keep Joey good Joy you got in front run don't let Ball come through [Music] [Applause] [Music] there it higher higher higher higher there there you go that's good that's good Lions number n San Diego Al [Music] Jack [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jack let do this ha [Music] he will be play when the go ahead go ahead back Lions number three Olen Clark [Music] [Applause] [Music] the [Music] come on come on bud come on come on the keep keep front [Music] [Applause] mat number 26 senior Kevin [Music] [Applause] MAA come let [Music] getus be speculating the attus attus when we get out on this side start getting in underneath [Music] [Applause] me Comm double double keth pick up a ball am pick up a ball any second B am am get get a line on this [Music] guy checking for the LI number eight Mason re [Music] about ni [Applause] [Music] hit Jack again one let's win this good Mason I like your angle good [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] me look [Music] at [Music] [Applause] R we it it what's [Music] the we don't need the advantage if we don't have it I understand it's not an advantage [Applause] that's you for the carriers number 17 Dylan Howard number 11 senior Jordan Johnson [Music] come on come on D [Music] off on come on come on speculating come on come on you got no responsibilities there to one right [Music] now no you'll be ejected siring guys you [Music] [Applause] see see look look look so yeah so you want to be behind the ball anyway [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] higher higher you don't need to be that close right to sh in bit right help out good come on to me y for corter ball y for a corter ball [Music] go go come on come on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] minut Lions checking for the Terriers number 19 ra and number 18 senior Sam War [Music] got Dr got your Dr yeah Kevin [Applause] [Music] whist just go cover [Applause] higher sit higher look at sit higher higher for line number one Kaiser l number six y number seven ke L checking back in for the ter number 15 Oliver Rosy [Music] sry oh is it [Music] [Applause] really come on white the first ball [Music] [Applause] back back move your line move your line [Music] Dy higher higher higher higher let them handle that let them handle that so me let's Jo in join join him [Applause] [Music] sh stay on his back [Music] hey forward line we [Music] can't we can't all make forward runs Keith all three of you can't make forward runs anytime we get a sniff somebody's got to check the ball higher gav higher back now now now hey now shift now shift now shift now shift got to wait till we win shift inward shift inward got to wait till we win the ball now you're good corner corner [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] checking back into the Terriers number 35 Henry Thomas number two Maguire Nukem and number six senior Joey McGuire Nukem [Applause] [Music] [Applause] on come on all in [Applause] [Music] assist number 15 Oliver rosi [Music] hey so what are we doing here what are we doing let's go get forward get forward get forward get forward get forward get forward Justin get forward [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] double CLI Andrew is my neighbor though but hey it's live on the drop kin sze it's live on the drop live [Music] Lions number eight Mason ring number 10 adex TBE checking back into for the Terriers number nine moo Kong and number 29 Jackson Gray [Applause] [Music] [Applause] come on me come on me come on [Applause] me other side of the help that over there buddy [Applause] oh unlucky [Music] [Applause] [Music] with [Applause] [Music] he need you come on T come on Jak [Music] [Applause] [Music] connection [Music] [Applause] [Music] connection nice let's go [Applause] [Music] checking into the Lions number three Olen Clark [Music] there go there [Music] TIG go go oh [Music] oh numbers numbers just was numbers numbers to the corner [Music] [Applause] [Music] go go come on come on again [Music] [Applause] [Music] at the half a carriers lead one zero [Music] and yeah [Music] Andrew down Andrew [Music] woo [Music] look feel [Music] father be [Music] e [Music] back [Music] I [Music] to [Music] you [Music] around show you my heart I'm [Music] [Applause] [Music] alive she's the in my heart heart [Music] fell [Music] asleep ding my not my [Music] heart [Music] [Applause] [Music] heart she's a butcher with a smile cut me h [Music] I like scaming at you [Music] let's go [Music] W this she had a [Music] [Applause] great you [Music] [Applause] here ch [Applause] [Music] [Applause] up [Music] what [Music] [Applause] cover me come on man he should be picking it up free [Music] play [Music] all right here we go here we go here we go here we go go boy [Applause] well done well done [Music] boys him there good good good [Music] [Applause] reset good pressure black good pressure there we are good good Oliver [Music] good good press can we find you deck can we find you okay hey that lock him in lock in lock in find one can we find you out de can we find you out yes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] drop drop drop drop drop sh get offw you're good hey Keith you got drop [Music] [Applause] [Music] for how are you number three checking back the line [Music] there [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes let's go with the ball the [Music] theall good move your [Music] back yes good time [Music] good job Black come on let's get one now go get one hen come [Music] on let's win this let's [Applause] go get the marking get the marking reload reload you got time face [Applause] [Music] up back cover all right here we go here we go here we go all right let's go Carell [Music] [Applause] come on Jack come on Jack [Music] look at himy figure it out let's go Carell [Music] [Applause] [Music] around let's go come [Music] [Applause] on you good [Music] that yeah yeah get across come on get in there [Music] get drop drop Dr you 19 behind you 19 there [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] checking back with the Lions number 11 Walter holder 15 Justin Williams get there get there get there [Music] [Applause] [Music] go good Bo Jack Mar now come on make iten [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] let's go C [Music] [Applause] [Music] there this to ref so he can just turn one come on [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah where [Applause] go good job Carell [Music] over six senior Kevin MAA Lions number n Santiago [Music] Al so what are we doing here what are we doing here somebody what are we doing here [Music] Andrew good checking for the Lions number eight Mar goal was scored by number 10 senior Dean Hickam [Music] good good good well done well done Dro in the midle [Music] good one [Music] more with set yourself upo [Music] good go [Music] him play through Play Through [Music] It Go Andrew good job carale [Music] drop Justin Central Bud Central no what's here look at 19 just sit in front of this backline so's already out right [Music] yeah hey let's put a ball checking back into the terrier number 23 maxle let's go ma [Music] trul number two and number six [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah [Applause] baby let's go [Music] Terrier go by number 29 Jackson gray back lers number 30 Jose MZ [Music] me [Music] [Applause] and come on Cas make your run good job Andrew Z let's get up into the box Kevin let's get into the 18 [Music] yesel good there you go [Music] [Applause] W yeah another Terrier go for number 29 Jackson gray good job C coming in for the Terriers number 11 senior Jordan Johnson Senior Sam war and Senior Dylan show AKA Gary keep Cody come [Music] [Applause] [Music] let's go C down you ler good try guys good try R Sebastian checking back in for the Lions picking for the p number 34 Ash Maloney number 28 David Johnson [Music] heads up [Music] C Mar checking the lion [Music] go CL back in for the Lions number seven Keith L number 12 am elu [Music] your body [Music] up take a shot s squee midle one [Music] [Applause] [Music] one your go go [Music] pick up a player Mark him win the ball let's go C [Applause] [Music] got come on make r Jord [Music] what [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] long with it go joy let's go f Chase Nelson Oliver birds and Chris Banks all checking with the Lions r [Music] quick quick yes good C there [Applause] [Music] nice underneath not do that [Music] [Applause] Che line and they pack of terriers checking in for carbonel high school [Applause] yeah Sam Jordan Johnson Andrew ja Dylan and Cody Miller and Jo McGuire new [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] second what him Levi [Music] [Applause] here we go drop off [Music] lower DAV David [Music] wide open [Music] Le [Music] yes he do wa set it up [Music] good [Music] [Applause] [Music] good Levi hey Goodall [Music] nice ball there good run [Music] [Applause] [Music] go 4 fans don't forget regionals begin next Tuesday your Terriers will play at 6:00 pm next Tuesday right here at F Field Complex [Music] Jer J Manus real wa a minute [Music] I hear anything [Music] you to so hey what exactly does that mean CU I said on the 14th the contract got posted but not the crew ass so is it just the schedule and sign referee [Music] [Applause] G stay young and hard that should be youre thank you e we get oh yeah yeah I'll take I get in the bu no once I get in the bus over for l [Music] have [Music] you're on I

[Music] so we are here on Tech night of The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O'Brien and we have an amazing cast and uh we are building the set tonight to do our Tech night the shows are in October uh Thursday night the 24th Friday night the 25th Saturday night the 26th and Sunday mat at 400 p.m. uh get your tickets on Ashlin Community theater.com uh and uh if you can't make it out you can still go to the website and give us a little donation to keep us going because it costs a lot of money to do Musical and the talent that we have out here tonight is amazing you're going to love this show so those of you remember rockar from the 70s it's even better in the 20s so uh once again I'm Joe White ashon Community Theater uh Paul we call him Phantom number 7:32 we'll be interviewing cast members that will be in the show uh sit back relax and enjoy Joy behind the curtain episode number we'll insert that number later but thank you very much and thank you very much wacka TV for coming on out and filming this part of the community come on out and support it thank you Paul for filming and thank you Paul for interviewing and rolling hello hello welcome to act's production of Rocky Horror Picture Show I am Paul Warner AKA Phantom 732 and I am interviewing the cast and with me now I have our narrator Mike lifits have you been in an act show before I have I had a brief walk- on part at Ma law you may recognize me uh from wearing a giant cowboy hat I don't but I'm sure other people out there do yeah yeah oh let's get our Frank Frank and F it's all over all right so we are here with Tim he is our doctor from FR fur Tim how are you doing today I'm doing great all right now have you done theater before uh yeah I'm kind of new to theater this is my fourth um play fourth or fifth something to that effect but um my background is really pro wrestling so been a pro wrestler for a long time longer than most of these actors have been alive do you feel your history and pro wrestling um has prepared you to go on to Stage uh it has prepared me to do cart reels over boxes and back rolls off the stage so that that's uh that's what I have to offer if I didn't do that I wouldn't have gotten the part so yeah October 24th through the 27th and it is 311 I don't know the address but you know Marone Marone and it's at the uh Ashlin Community Theater look at thats together that'll be kind of [Music] fun hello phantom s hello come on in come on in stand stand next to each other in terms of the show what is your favorite moment quote quintessential memory about Rocky I get time warp I love doing time War we need the lights off oh my God people say why are you look into the camera why would I deprive the camera of this you get your Janet I just have to interview Sam for like 2 seconds okay so Sam is our choreographer with Rocky have you been a choreographer um in terms of running a show before um I have not sorry um from our perspective as the cast you've been doing great so thank you and do you feel like you fit into the role well I'm like me and my impostor syndrome all week um yeah I mean it's it's just you guys bring so much energy um but I I grew up watching Rocky Horror like so many of us did and so it's just music that choreographs itself basically so and just some of my favorite songs of all time in musical so it's just so fun to all the times I've danced in my kitchen and and pulling moves that I are my favorite and just Rocky as a whole what is your like favorite moment um favorite moment um I love it's like obviously the the narrator is great um but I love that part where he tells Rocky Horror you have peace of you need peace of mind it's just such a perfect part of the show more than I I'm nervous longer than Diane questions all right well thank you Sam it's been great getting to work with you and get to know you so uh come see her incredible choreography in action October 24th through 27th at the Marone VFW event center in Ashland you thank you [Music] oh [Music]

e e e B have found that here so I'm really excited see all off the cuff like so yeah I didn't even write that down so didn't you chat GPT I did not chat GPT any questions or comments from the board just want to welcome yeah I just want to say welcome um also and uh it's great to have some new energy in in this position and uh welcome and uh what what sport did you play at Bridgewater I was a cheerleader cheerleader all right yes well I guess that goes right along with what you're gonna do here so exactly yeah yes all right thank you so much Makita or Brandy no just uh just echoing welcomes here you're very much looking forward to having you on board so thank you yeah Randy I will also say welcome um Ashland is a great place so um you will uh hopefully love it as much as all the rest of us do um you are here in time for Fall Fest which is this upcoming weekend um I know seriously so um so you'll get the first taste of sort of what what events in ashin can can be um I was just curious are you going to be doing um just because I I kind of get pulled into some of the stuff to um events for like um different buildings in towns to like the library and the community center is that going to be sort of part of it or is it mostly townwide events that you're going to be focused on do you know so Beth and I have really been talking about taking a more collaborative approach to this position so I briefly met everyone at the community center uh last week and I'll be meeting with them individually this week and next and I'm also meeting with uh Public Schools next week to try to get some um like build a little Bridge little Taylor Swift right there um no idea a the live being been trying to fix it on YouTube oh that was that was your phone ringtone come on we um anyway to try to like build a bridge between the people that work in this bu building and the people that work in the other buildings so I'm really excited to hopefully bring some new ideas and work on the events that everyone here already knows and loves great thank you yeah that's that's great because I was looking at different things and it's like that it would be good if there's some coordination between what the library is doing and what the community center doing is and what some of our community groups are doing um I would too say like to welcome you so what was your interview process like for this job and and did that help or hurt your decision to come here so I feel like I haven't even I haven't even told Beth this yet but I when I was applying was very very selective in the places that I was applying I was attracted to Ashland because I grew up in westbo so I feel like the towns are really similar we had similar events um I truly don't even remember hitting submit for this application I feel like it was just like a fever dream I was like that's that's the one I want to apply for and very quickly got an interview I was late to my interview because of the trains when they were all when all the little stops were coming down and they weren't going back up I called them in a panic and was like I'm going to be late but the way like they were so welcoming when I came in and let me take a few deep breaths before I started my interview and it was just really easy to talk with them I knew when Beth dragged me into Michael's office that it was probably going well so I felt really good about it and was really excited to get an offer a few days later so do you still so you grew up in westbo you still live there I live in Franklin now actually when did you graduate from westbo high school 2017 okay we'll check because I know some people in westbo you might we might know some people yeah my sister still goes to whhs okay yeah you took it easy on me on the interview thing I know you're like holding back so he badgered me for 45 minutes I'm just kidding it was like the same question over and over again so well and I would also like to Echo with Joe I think you you are very fortunate to to be working with Beth we as a town have been very fortunate to have Beth in what she's done and creating her role and I think with her guidance I I expect you'll have a fabulous experience here and I know we as a community will definitely love anything extra you can give us so thank you I'm really excited to really get started great good well thank you very much thank you and good luck thanks and I'm I'm sure we'll all be stopping in at some point awesome great well thank you very much good we're a little bit oh no we're on according to my watch we're on time we're now going to jump into is rajit joining us or not no just Doug okay uh looking at the new blight bylaw and then update on our donation bin enforcement well we were on time so I didn't know about the donation bin enforcement oh oh okay but that's all right that's all right okay that's so do you want me to describe how how the the blight bylaw came about and everything sure so it it's it's been about a year in the making and it started because we the um my office was getting a lot of concerns and complaints um about uh people that weren't taking care of their yards that were um you know junk cars um trash all over the place and these were mostly people that had just moved to town they were SP you know spending a million dollars or more on a on a house uh their dream home and they were very upset and so I I had approached Jen and and Michael about a a b bylaw and uh and after many enumerations um we have the one that you have now uh which was vetted by uh Town Council so let me explain this isn't in my mind and in talking with Raj this isn't a uh a a what we're you know we're not going to go out and because we don't a we don't have the Manpower and and like the rest of the zoning ordinances and by Town bylaws it's primarily um complaint driven so you know we're not going to go and harass people I don't have the time uh Raj doesn't have the time we're we're you know people come in and and or email me or come in and talk to me and they complaint a complaint to me it gives us another tool in our tool chest to be able to help the town and clean the town up you have a large number of people spending substantial amounts of money on their homes and they want you know this isn't about somebody's yard or lawn being you know 8 in tall this is about real complaints this is uh we we're getting more and more uh Raj is getting more and more complaints about rats because they're moving out of Boston into this area we had one area that uh one not too far away had had over 21 rat holes in their backyard about two weeks ago I got a complaint from a woman who was in tears they just bought a home their neighbor couldn't let her little girl right play out go run outside and play the neighbors's backyard was just overgrown with weeds and old Limbs and little bits of trash and um and they could see mice and when you can see mice floating run around all over the place you know there's a rat and she was petrified her daughter was going to get bitten and so this is what this BW is for this this isn't for to for punishment again this is about Not Just Junk Cars and it's also for commercial uh situations where we have commercial uh Pro problems with the commercial buildings Raj routinely finds finds issue issues behind some of the commercial buildings um and they they those are the places that you're going to get a a lot of rats and if we can't control the r population it's going to grow and you're not going to get rid of it so um again we're not uh this is this is for both commercial and residential it's townwide it's only if somebody complains to me it if we have to go to court we can say to the judge we have a bylaw this is the bylaw and we have to enforce it and we Raj and I were in court uh over uh a building on Pawn Street not too long ago and the wer was in there with uh six or seven people uh of enforcement officers and fire department people and they are all in there for blight issues and and things like that and the judge would you know the judge was asking questions judge Sullivan is's a great jurist uh and uh and he was and the minute they said under our bylaw this and we can't have this this you fix it you take care of it or I'm going to find you um so it's really helpful for us um unfortunately we didn't have this when we had to take the pawn Street Building to court but that would have that would have lessened the amount of time it took us to take care of that issue by months had we had this if we had yeah if we had the byon yes correct correct any questions questions Makita go ahead hi Doug um couple of questions um in an observation I I live I live in downtown Ashland uh and so I have personally seen an increase in the rodent population rats and mice uh many folks attributed to many things I had a chance to take a a quick peek at this and and I'm just I have a a commented a couple concerns I think uh the first first thing is is that I think that you know whether you're you you're spending a million dollars on a home or if you've been here for ages I think we can safely say that all the residents here in Ashlin deserve to have a nice clean and uh wonderful uh town and Community uh so I think this benefits us all I think uh on the other hand I I and this has been a concern personal concern of mine uh so I'll I'll come out and say that but I'll also ask um I am concerned about enforcement so what I heard you say was that you know obviously you're not looking to you're you're making sure that this isn't going to be used to harass people I I'm not exactly sure how how we can ensure that that is the case so you know because we know how neighbors can get with each other so is there a formal kind of review or mechanism or or or where where you determine like you know if this if it's like a personal dispute or if there's actually something wrong here or you know etc etc and how does that how would that communication how would that process look and I guess the other concern I have is you know for folks who um sometimes when you see trash and and those sort of things accumulate on properties you know it's an indicator of something else sometimes it's the homeowner maybe not having the financial wherewithal to be able to clear it and they want to clear it or they need help or they just don't know sometimes it's the elderly people have been in their houses for a long time you know so what are we doing to make sure that those folks are at least getting pointed to the resources that they need to take care of their problem and or getting the assistance that they need well for the first one [Music] um I've had a I've been a Building Commissioner building inspector since 1995 off and on and Raj has been around in the Board of Health a long time uh the police and the fire department are are also part of this uh bylaw um not so much um that they would do the handson but they get called to situations like the second concern you had and gives them the ability to look into it and get in touch with us but I think I think what it comes down to is a judgment called by us um as to whether this is just a complaint or I mean we we we get a complaint we we go out and we investigate we look at it we we try to talk to the person that uh is having a problem um we also I also in Raj also belongs to the task force that we meets once a month with Courtney from the community center which helps people with having emotional and physical mental issues and concerns the hoarding task force the hoarding Tas yeah the hoarding task force so so you know if we notice this like we have I was called to the fire department to to a to a home a few weeks back and realizing that there was an issue it's a single mother uh with other grown sons all living in this house no nobody wanted to deal with the one son that has this issue I went and met with Courtney and we had a discussion about it um and we're trying to figure out a way to deal with it because it could become a serious situation down the road um so not every complaint is going to you know immediately turn into a citation uh you know our knowledge and our you know what we do uh for our for our living and our expertise is going to go a long way um to figure these things out you know if I can get if if Raj and I can talk to somebody you know that we get a complaint again against and they can they will Rectify it that's great um if if I can't get hold of somebody I send them a letter hope I'll get a reply and we can start a dialogue in section four number four in the B law gives somebody a chance to go before the Board of Health which is going to be the governing body uh to figure out and work if it's beyond what Raj and I or the police and fire can do um so you know this isn't again this isn't one of those it's true treat it I would say it's going to be treated like the other bylaws that I enforce um you know Makita there there's a couple specific um Avenues to address what you're talking about um so specifically if somebody is issued a citation they have the ability to appeal that to the Board of Health um who would be able to hear and review things actually the um and then the second one is as Doug mentioned um so a person who gets issued a citation has the ability to appeal to um one of the enforcement agents or the Board of Health to you know instead of like having to clean it up right away they can submit a plan um because I will be let's just be very very blunt probably one of the bigger uh offenders would be the Valentine property um and you know obviously I mean we would probably want that that same type of courtesy right uh given given you know what we face it's a little bit more complicated but again it would be under the bylaw so those are two particular Avenues um as Doug mentioned we already have a hoarding task force in place that involves our social services and quite frankly you're probably going to see some overlap between some of the violations of this law and then the final thing is that there is going to be some level of subjectivity to this that you know requires their judge judgement but we did try to Define it as as well as possible in the in the definitions where we could thank you you're welcome thank you both Edie you feel free to email me or come and see me if you have ever have any concerns Claudia yeah I just had um kind of a few general questions um is there anything we have in place now how do we approach these problems now we don't well well under the health code but it's very very yeah we really don't got it um and do you know how many how many complaints typically say do we currently receive in course of a year or that I don't know I probably two or three a month and they a month they go up in good weather they I get more you know when Lawns and you know grass is growing and people have putting a junk out and things like that uh when it gets cold we probably won't don't get that me that a larger any larger number and then how many towns um around here do most towns have these a blight VW uh yeah I would say most towns do you know it you like I'll give you an example in and this is because framing him is you know it's a much bigger Community than us us but they have two full-time people that that's their full-time job is is taking care of their BL bylaw but typically it is um what we do which is the Board of Health and the building department work together on it and Lisa uh me who helped write it I gave a a general outline and then she she put all the legal EAS into it um but um you know she you know she had it right there she says oh yeah yeah a lot of people have this a lot of communities have this you know and and again I didn't mean that you know that all not only the local towns people I was just you know when I was saying about the new people coming into town I was saying that only because they're more apt to see it from a different View and uh and I think that that's that that kind of is a bit of a wakeup call because you don't want to get sedentary and you don't want to let this grow because the community gets a bad reputation you know it just and I guess then another question that I had was it looks like you have four um specific enforcement officers and then the ability to appoint to designate someone right according to the B law like well like my the building Building Commissioner Raj fire fire department the chief yeah and then like if I had a local inspector I could designate I understand so then one thing I was thinking just to kind of maybe deal with the subjectivity piece of it and and that's that's really challenging right would be before maybe citations would be um uh you know given um would it be possible maybe that the that a couple of the enforcement offices would have to be in agreement or have some kind of conversation um prior to just going and and and uh yeah I I think Raj and I would definitely well I mean we talk now about what's happening and what's going on uh with our with what we're what our jobs are and what we're enforcing and and things like that uh but now we I'll be honest with you writing the letter in the citation is a pain in the butt so it's not something that you want to be doing constantly it's just it you'd rather you know talk it out and talk to other people and I and I'm and I'm sure that we would uh Raj and I would meet together to uh to uh discuss whatever we find yeah yeah I mean it's always a challenge when we have to uh you know judge really on some level um what someone chooses uh obviously I I hope we're really talking about things like to the point of it being dangerous because of fire or health issues or things like that I I hope it is enforced for that at that high of a level that's what I that's what I foresee yeah I but I do think it's an opportunity and I think we all know properties that um it it's clear that they're not being taken care of and it it it serves as a quality of life it becomes a quality of life issue and again in any of these situations the goal isn't necessarily to find or or raise revenue it's to gain compliance and so that'll be our you know that'll be our foremost goal going into any of these situations and I do think it would be very important too to offer you know sometimes some social service services and it sounds like you do that now so that would be an important piece too yeah I mean what we're running up against now is is just as Doug alluded to just kind of a Manpower issue so you know Doug is the Building Commissioner also the zoning enforcement officer also does some project management work like he's you know managing the stuff around town hall um and so when you when you only have one person you need those three roles and you only have one person person to do it each of those roles like you have to cut it back a little bit like you know what they can do for it so um so that's something that you know we'll be working on addressing but even on the social services angle just kind of the demand that just continues to escalate um is is becoming a challenge Joe I just have one I'd like to piggy back what um Claudia just asked you uh Doug with respect to um absentee landlords oh we have we have in there language about um several things uh one we go after absy absentee landlords because they have they believe it or not they they have care custody and control of that property correct and it's not necessarily the tenants our job isn't to go after the tenants our job just like under zoning uh I don't go after the tenants I go to the landlord and I say to the landlord hey you better fix this you better do do what you're supposed to do or I'm finding you I'm not finding the tenant I don't care about the tenant so that's how we deal that's how you know I deal with it and and I think Raj is the same way uh except I think except for a couple instances with that that he has to over you know take care of um but um and uh you know the other way is um we have written in here whether the property is rented or owner occupied um okay yeah so the other thing Joe and and I apologize we we haven't even touched upon this but this is a big piece so part of this bylaw is also if there is a vacant property vacant or closed property you have to register it with with the town uh and make sure that you have a you know upto-date contact information and everything there is a fee associated with that that every Community I've been involved with that that we've implemented this there there is a like an administrative fee associated with it um so that way we'll have a record at least and you'll have contact information exactly right and that's that's purpose of doing that to have the contact information yeah that is okay that is uh that is from the uh Attorney General's office they uh when we brought them in in another town I had worked in we we had they had belonged to that and we actually walked around with one of the attorney generals that rein that program uh to all of the vacant homes uh and properties so that they knew that what was on our list so in the the future what happens is we we we turn it over to the Attorney General's office and then they the ones that chase and deal with it so it's a the town's attorney doesn't have to get involved and you don't have to pay pay those expenses or the expenses for mailings and and you know and everything else we we went to court for the one on Pawn Street just because the Attorney General thought it was a smart thing to do but you know the the judge Sullivan asked us well uh who's here from the town and we raised our hands we stood there and he didn't even talk to us the rest of the time but uh but it's a it's a really good system it's a really I'm glad that it's this is part of that system we don't have a lot of Bandon homes we have a few but not a lot of them and it's mostly because it's an elderly person or you know right something innocuous like that that uh you know the fam's uh trying to deal with whatever they're trying to deal with but it all gets overgrown it becomes a mess and it it CES a mess for the whole neighborhood sooner or later well I can I can remember a few years back when we had a town meeting uh I think Craig Davis was the chief at the time you know where I'm going to go with this with the uh with the uh Vehicles commercial vehic commercial vehicles and non-commercial Vehicles yeah and uh that didn't go too well I just want was that the night Craig was that the night Craig had the infamous line am I missing something here yeah that might have the ice cream truck 35u 35 minutes on one question oh it took it was incredible it may have been longer but I remember looking at the clock at 35 minutes and going oh my word this is crazy Joe you all set with okay thank you we have a long night so Brandy I can make it long no that's okay I'm not that caffeinated I'm going to hold everybody that so A couple a couple quick questions one we were talking about vacant properties how long should a property be vacant before it has to be reported there isn't really a timeline I me if we notice like somebody calls me or somebody you know or I drive I'm driving around doing inspections um then and I see a vacant property what I'll do is I'll come back and I'll talk to Terry or June and the assessors and see who the owner is and you know that's going to give me an idea if are they out of state is it somebody local and then you know you you try to figure it out it's Yolanda said that it's in the bylaw and I just happened to miss it so my apologies I you know what I got so much going on um one other one other question I had is um because the Board of Health is sort of the the overseeing body of this would it be possible for like a periodic report to go to the Board of Health just to say how many how many blight cases have been reported just just as sort of a sense check as to like what is happening because I think I think from my perspective that would make me feel much more comfortable of having some sort of sense check as to what what is happening with it part of the um agent report maybe yeah yeah I mean it doesn't have to be I mean like on a quarterly basis or something like that just you know there were five reported incidents they were all investigated three were resulted in a warning and were cleaned up I mean it doesn't have to be a lot of in-depth things but it would be something that I think would would be would be good just put um and then I have two technical things that I wanted to just ask so in and this is probably more for Jen um in section 2665 we're references paragraph B this is in the administration this is in number three um I'm not sure what sub paragraph B is referencing the first citation may be warning I think is that is that what you're talking about it is it says after completing an investigation pursuant to sub paragraph B above if an enforcement officer discovers one or more violations but I'm just not sure what sub paragraph B is referring to because I was trying to find is that the a first citation show be a warning maybe it should be sub paragraph B below yeah May below okay yeah so I think it's what it's yes I think it's B below which I can make that change and it's really just saying that the first citation may be a warning and that way it's not must issue warning all right I was just y yeah I was just looking at it and it didn't quite totally make sense I wanted to just um check on that and then there was just one typo on on page 10 that at the top let me find it hold on um oh it's alien in yeah that's alen aen instead of alen so the town has the ability to to apply alen I know it looks like alien it looks like Al but when you it's alien when you read it a couple times you understand just a typo just a typo that's all I um it was on page 10 I'm just looking at se 2665 yeah 266 D5 perfect I find about halfway through number five yeah I'm just going to change it in the warrant yeah okay that's all I got you means four no it's in section five 266 point-5 and then it's so oh on my is in other places but in that particular place as Brandy pointed out it reads as Al alen yeah yeah and then a couple paragraphs couple sentences down it just says alien yeah it's just missing just just just a small Tapo but I wanted to do that before we close the warrant yeah so that is all I thank you thank you for all your work on this because I think it is I think it's important stuff and I'm I'm glad it's going to town meeting so thank yous the definition yep um think she's a teacher so so I just want I just want to say thank you for bringing this forward this a blight bya is something we've talked about on and off um for a couple years so it's nice to see I like the way it's presented I think the what I'm one question I had regarding the registration of the vacant properties you said you've seen that done in other communities with that how well is that m maintain I mean do people do it willingly voluntarily or do you have to say okay we've now found this vacant property and we need to enforce them to fill it out and to pay the annual fee so it works there's two different ways it works one is when we when we're a finally able to get hold of somebody that has care custody and control of the property uh they'll either say oh geez I'm sorry we we tied up in court or blah blah blah whatever it is and the other one is uh chase me and Catch Me If You Can okay yeah in 2011 did this in LEL obviously a much bigger city um and uh it was shortly after the you know financial and housing crisis when you know a lot of banks were foreclosing and stuff and I would say at that time it was probably half and half we we had half um what what we did was a lot of banks own the properties and so we sent out a letter to to the banks with I mean we went through and saw how many through the assessor records and saw how many were owned by Banks and we sent letters you know to the bank saying they they had to register it um yeah I would say it was about 5050 so 50% you know complied right away 50% we had to kind of Chase or like that so if this gets passed a town meeting then does it come become effective right away or it has to go through the AG's office first so we wouldn't see this enforcement of December 1st to December 31st until next year right or right so it would get pasted and and about how many how many vacant properties do we have right now in town I don't think there's very many of them maybe a half a dozen if that okay yeah I I don't foree that being a big concern you know it's more trash and in in in health issues and safety issues and things like that good okay any other questions or comments no just thank you um this has been really helpful and great and I think that ashin does need need this so um yeah this is good Michael are you planning on doing a town manager town meeting event where the C the public could review this and ask questions okay yeah I mean have a date set up no okay but just so that we make sure we do okay great anybody have anything else for Doug thank you Doug you're very welcome you did a good job dou oh yeah before you go yes donation bin enforcement we keep getting pictures from the one specifically under so I gonna I'm G to I apologize it's other things have been on my Doug so I just want to say like I don't think you need to apologize because the at the very beginning like I was sending Doug out there each each time and Doug would make him clean it up and like literally two days later Steve would send a picture well that's what we're seeing now right is we got a picture on I think end of last week it looks like it got cleaned up and then we got another picture again this week and so that particular spot I I I have the contact information for the guy that's in charge of that I'm going just tell him he's got to remove him that spot think uh I'll work with uh Jen on the letter because I don't I guess it could get a little dicey under certain State statutes and laws and I so we have to be careful how that letter would be written right so my my suggestion would be to um so I think under the bylaw it's it's the property owner assumes basically the responsibility for that and so I think you know addressing it with the property owner have the property owner tell the the B okay to to do that or at least try that first um and then that way that avoids any potential for the issue yeah no I don't have a problem I'm just thinking of how where it's located about which which property owner that property that's located on I know it's right near the gas station it's near the gas station I'm not sure if it's like I'll I'll talk to wouldn't the permit and on file have that information right have permit there should be permits for each of these bins we only have the information for the uh owners of the boxes uh we don't have the information of the the land property owner that allows it because typically they just somebody who come so I have a friend that owns a business that does this actually makes a ton of money selling stuff and wora get clothing and stuff like sends it to Africa stuff but he um but they they typically it's a handshake deal the guy says don't bother me I won't bother you I don't care put it where it's not going to get in the way of my business and they don't they don't know anything but I I'll talk to the uh I'll talk to the guy at the gas station yeah I think actually the permit will have or the application will have the address where it's located so how many do we have in town how many of these donation bins do uh six or seven seven or eight somewhere around the 68 not that many so I see on the bylaw that that we we have like it's a it's a one-year license on these do we know when the license expires on that particular problematic bin at the end of the year probably mean it says our the license period for each donation collection bin shall be January 1st through the December 31st of each year so we don't we can tell them we're not renewing it this year you know that might be a way out you know because we are coming up on and we can give notice we have enough time to give notice sure yeah so I would suggest maybe that's the okay a path of Le resistance I haven't seen any issues in any of the other uh boxes um in my wanderings around town um but yeah that's that one site does for some ungodly reason it and have we have we have we um done any citations for that bin because in our bylaw we're allowed to yeah you know what it's just I now I accept full responsibility of uh of of not uh doing a citation there okay okay so you can take back all your I think thanks sorry about that it's still a lot it's still a lot to maintain so okay anything else for Doug so send that letter and tell them we're not renewing that one okay thank you very much have a good evening everybody nice to see you all good seeing you okay moving on to our next scheduled appointment apologize we're a little bit late uh a presentation update on open space and wreck plan by the open space and wreck committee just have to call up the presentation yeah looks like we have one member in person and another member online that's nice thank you all for being here okay hey all right so I have to peer over these when I'm talking to you and then down when I'm reading just you know what bring the microphone a little bit closer to you there you go that way our friends at home can hear you as well okay do you want me to wait for No that's jump in okay so um for those of you who don't know me I'm Roberta sulman I'm the chair of the open space and Recreation committee and I have here um Greg WS who's also a member of the open space and Recreation committee and the chair of the Conservation Commission and online is Judith salad who's another member of the open space and Recreation plan committee I want to thank you for the invitation and for your time on today's agenda and um I have this presentation um that I've put together to talk about the status of the open space and Recreation plan where we're at what our timeline is and the assistance that we need from the select board and town staff in order to meet that timeline um based on some information that I received today there'll be some modifications in this and I'll just sort of talk through them as we as we get going so for briefly for those who um are at home and who are new to town and who might not know about the open space and Recreation committee it was established by the select board in 1989 and for those two purposes to Foster conservation Recreation and open space planning and to create a land trust or an equivalent vehicle under which the town can accept and maintain open space acquisition um as part of as part of open space planning um our committee is responsible for creating and updating the open space and Recreation plan so the open Recreation plan open space and Recreation plan is updated every 7even years and it's submitted to the state's executive office of energy and environmental Affairs and they are the ones who review it and make sure that it conforms to the state requirements and state statute and then they approve it once it's approved um it will qualify us to apply for state grants for open space um improvements Acquisitions Recreation improvements Acquisitions um there are a number of conservation land and water and park conservation grants that the state um has through the executive office of energy and environmental Affairs the other elements the other reasons the plan is really important to the town is that it promotes Equity among neighborhoods particularly environmental justice neighborhoods where there's often Less open space and fewer recreational facilities the planning process is is designed to get input especially from those neighborhoods and try to look at providing more equity in terms of open space natural areas and recreational facilities the plan requires rigorous and extensive uh resident participation so in the end the plan will reflect the will of the residents and it helps to set priorities for government officials to follow and incorporate when planning and making land use decisions that impact open space Recreation and historical assets it also includes historical sites and historical buildings um essentially it's the town's Touchstone you know it's it's the plan that you look at that has an action plan based on Resident um input and that's what you look at in terms of of making um decisions this is for those of you who've never seen it this is the plan um that our most recent plan and this is what we're planning to update um in the next couple of months so there's a difference between doing your your previous plan and doing an update and the update Builds on the previous plan and not all sections have to be revised for example the history of the town of Ashlin pretty much is going to stay the same we could add a little bit of narrative about the last couple of years anything significant that happened but the founding fathers when it was incorporated all the rest of it that's not that doesn't need to be revised so there are some sections and we we're going to go through them there are some sections that are are like that as well so according to the open space and Recreation plan workbook that is put out by the state to help guide you in doing this update you revise the sections that no longer accurately reflect the character the needs the goals of the community that that you receive through the vehicles for public input so if what was a priority before for the public is no longer a priority then the action plan and the goals and objectives and the narrative need to be revised so that's primarily what the update focuses on is the public input in in addition to any um of the required maps that would change like since we did the last one the flood plane has changed so that particular map is going to need to be different and we're going to need to update a lot of the maps um themselves so here's the required content and it has to be presented in the plane in this order there's no flexibility to this it has to be um contain the content and it has to be according to these sections the red stars indicate that there's going to need to be an update because it depends on input from the residence So the plan summary is going to be different if the priorities of the residents have changed the introduction and statement of purpose is going to be different if the priorities of the residents have changed we have to describe the current plan process and public participation that we engaged in in order to collect input the community setting our regional context will change um because our position within the five Metro West towns could change according to a change in our demographics a change in people's income um framing him becoming a city now which happened since the last plan was done so there are different things that could be different there are things that could be different the history again will probably stay the same demographics will definitely need to be updated according to the census as will growth and development patterns section four the environmental inventory and Analysis pieces of that may change um Water Resources may change based on water quality and quantity for the town um you know the emergency connection to the MW that's been a development since the last plan so some things will be different Scenic resources and unique environments we ask the residents to try to tag some places that are particularly um Scenic or favorites of theirs um in town and environmental changes will definitely need to be updated with sustainability initiatives and the importance of climate change that's exacerbated since the last um plan was done section five is an inventory of lands of conservation and Recreation interest there's a very specific grid that we have to fill out in order to um talk about the public Parcels the private and the nonprofit Parcels so that also um needs to be updated the Community Vision a description of the process and a statement of the goals that depends um entirely on public input so does section s with the analysis of needs a summary of the community needs the resource protection needs and management needs goals and objectives and the 7-year action plan obviously um need to be revised and the public comments section needs to include a copy of any surveys that we have done to solicit public input um notes from any public forums that we do to solicit public input and the responses from the public section 11 is references to any doc doents that we use during our research including the census and then there's a list of very specific maps in addition to some other um maps that we had the last time that we would like to keep there and just update those they encourage you to use maps as a way to illustrate different points that you make in different parts of the narrative so we have approximately 26 Maps um that we're planning on updating and doing and and um about seven of them can only be done after the public input because they require public um input in order to complete those so people may be wondering um we're doing an a survey to that's one of the mechanisms for us to get public input right now um from from the residents in town and people may be wondering well we just did the comprehensive plan survey we've done two comprehensive plan surveys we're doing all kinds of surveys around town why do we need another one so I thought I would just put up there a comparison between the open space and Recreation plan survey that was launched on September 21st and is going to remain open until October 27th and compare that to the comprehensive plan survey so you can see the number of questions varies the number of questions focusing and drilling down on specifics of open space Recreation and historic IAL assets um is different demographic questions and then both surveys have an open-ended question at the end where people can say whatever they would like to say to emphasize either some of their previous ratings or say something new or say something that wasn't asked of them um in the survey specifically additional state requirements are rigorous public participation as I've been saying over and over again um Ada assessments through there's a form that we have to use Ada assessments of Municipal Park and conservation areas facilities and programs and those assessments have to involve people with disabilities or an organization that represents people with disabilities so that's a more intensive um specialized sort of Resident and public input that is also required in order to complete the plan the plan needs to be reviewed not approved the state makes it very clear that they are the only ones who can approve this but that the select board chair or town manager needs to submit a letter of review saying they had the chance to look at it as does the regional planning agency which is for us as MPC and as does the planning board so from the um open space and Recreation plan workbook on page 49 it says that you may concurrently submit your draft to the state for review while the municipal boards are reviewing the report and then to get final approval you have to be sure to send those letters in so our original timeline for completing the plan was going to be the end of this fiscal year June of 2025 we were hoping to do a survey a c you know a survey we were doing a couple of public forums we were going to revise the action plan and the draft um have another public forum so that people could comment on the revised draft before we finalize it and then the last time we did the plan we had a draft at the public library and a town hall so that people could go look at a hard copy and you know take it and read it if they wanted to um right right now we're looking at accelerating a timeline um to try to get this done more quickly however this afternoon um it came to my attention that the grant that the town is looking to apply for has not been posted yet on the State website and has not been released so there is no we don't know right now what the deadline is for this we don't it we thought it was January 11th we I was told it was January 11th but it is unknown at this point in time because the grant has not come out it is not on the website it has not been posted and consequently there's no public deadline that's been posted either so while we're going to try to work this um as fast as we can to be done when the time comes when the grant is due um we should have more information by Friday or next week at at the latest as to what the exact um date is but we're committed to moving forward it's a heavy lift it's a big plan it's a lot of work and we are going to need help from the select board as well as from town staff in order to keep to the timeline it's going to be very tight um and I'm going to show you what that accelerated timeline is right now um action the major action items here and the the key group that's responsible we launched the survey on the 21st it's going to close on the 27th and we launched an English version but the state is really invested in the environmental justice neighborhoods with linguistic minorities they're really invested in finding out what the youth want what disabled people want and what people over 65 want what seniors want so we're doing an English version I have also um translated the survey into Portuguese and Spanish and I need to release that um and hopefully you know if we find out later that we have more time than January 11th we can let the Portuguese and Spanish versions be out there for a little bit longer past October 27th right now I think there were four Portuguese speaking people and like three Spanish-speaking people who filled out the survey out of right now as of this afternoon 266 responses so we're more than halfway to our goal of 500 but we really need to get a broader demographic of the Town represented we're revising narrative sections that are not dependent on public input so we can have those ready to go um I already talked about the Portuguese and Spanish versions we're updating the land inventory and we are going to need um information from the acting town accessor the property data and potentially access to the town's um GIS mapping in order to check information about properties that we have to be able to provide we can start creating maps that are not related to public input and I'll I have a list after this of the very specific things that we need from the the select board and from the town staff but creating Maps would be something that we would need help with we on this accelerated time line we don't have the time to learn how to use the gis for the maps that we need um analyzing the survey results and dra between the closing of the survey and the first public forum we're going to be drafting an action plan to present the survey results and the draft action plan at two public forums one is going to be on November 14th which is a Thursday at 7 p.m.

that's a thumbs up basically um good evening I'm going to call to order now the regular meeting of the bfield board of education for Wednesday October 16th would everybody please um rise if you're able and join me in saying the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all okay and in terms of roll call since we have so many people here and a new face or two I'm going to go ahead um around the table and just indicate who all everybody is here who all that means so uh Dr man is here and Dr burill this is Casey diot Stephanie Sakura Rosa Fernandez and Wendy Youngblood this is Joy Greenstein Sarah dine Rob fetto Ain Scalera and soon we will be introducing the newest member of our larger board um Melissa Baines so everyone's here and we're going to start this evening we have a fantastic uh student Spotlight from Candlewood Lake Elementary School so um who is here to uh help us through that hi Dr P sorry and you brought some friends awesome I do have to apologize I'm losing my voice rapidly but I needed to be here tonight to introduce to my climate coordinators J pink and Laura Miller and our CSS Watch The Wire is the microphone no like it's there's nothing on the screen thanks guys so I'm Laura Miller as mentioned before and we are here um as climate coordinators for uh CS and we are here to talk about Cubs clubs and what Cubs clubs are is kind of a new program that we started last year we had our first meeting last June so we wanted to share a little bit about what that is and then let two of our Cubs clubs members talk about um the club as well oh sorry um so essentially Dr P came to us with an idea he said hey um I've heard of this um is this crazy and we said yes let's do it um so Cubs Club is a vertical group of students so in our school knowing that we have prek 5 um we wanted to build a bigger sense of community so one of the ways that we do that is through Cubs club we take kids from kindergarten to fifth grade and we assign them into a club with an advisor and essentially what happens is you get about approximately two kids per grade level into these clubs um they meet once a month and then the club the idea is that the club will stay together for the duration of that child's stay at kandlewood Lake Elementary School so the kids that they meet in the club will they'll know all the way until they you know go to whis skiner in sixth grade um all right um so it's giving like we said it's giving an opportunity for the big kids to take on a leadership role with the younger kids um it's giving the little kids an opportunity to to meet some of the bigger kids uh we've seen and talked to a lot of the members of the Cubs clubs they see each other sometimes like in the library and passing or at dismissal at the end of the day so they're making these new friendships um and then eventually we have like the rest of the year mapped out mapped out with what we're going to be doing and we'll be um reinforcing some of our Behavior expectations during this time and working in a lot of Social and emotional learning as well like we said we're meeting once a month it's during our PLC Block it's going to be about 45 minutes during that time um and we're a lot of teachers have like decided to take pictures of their cubs Club every year to see how the kids are growing and the new kids joining us the new kindergartner is joining us this was our first meeting of the year we did an activity um a lot of teachers in the beginning of the year read the book to their class our class as a family about building relationships and community and then the author of that book just came out with a second um book in this series called our school as a family so every Cubs club uh read or listened to that book together and we talked about um how our school is like a bigger sense of a community outside the classroom yeah we let the kids um brainstorm and talk about like the ways in which school is a family and then we made all of their responses into like a little book um and the idea is that we'll put this in the library um some of the adorable ones were like our school is a family because there is love um our school is a family because we help each other our school is a family um because we're respectful and then like little you know kindergarten pictures that are Just Simply Adorable um but so that was kind of like our first meeting um and then as we build our club throughout the year we're kind of scaffold and grow upon you know those social emotional and build those relationships um we brought two friends with us today that have also without us telling them they had to wrote speeches so if you girls want to go ahead ready you want to go first so we have Lennon Lennon is a fifth grader hi my name is Lennon Lynch and I'm a fifth grader at kandlewood Lake Elementary School I love Cubs Club because it makes the school a better Community because all the fifth graders get to hang out with the kindergarteners first graders second graders and every and so on and it seems like the little kids really seem to enjoy hanging out with the older kids and that's why I think it's really [Applause] fun all right Emma and we have Emma who's also a fifth grader hi my name is Emma Hoffman and I'm a fifth grader at CES I think cubs Club has built a stronger and better Community within CS the thing I like most is you get to meet at least two kids in each grade and the younger students deel develop positive relationships with the older students I really enjoy being a positive Ro M for all students thank you so we're going to continue to meet once a month at CES and continue to build our school Community thank you girls thanks so much [Applause] thank you very much Miss Pink and Miss Miller and if you would like to bring your friends back to report later in the year we would love to see them so um now we're going to move to uh public comment um we have um uh we have not as long a list as I would think seeing all the number here um but I'll take you through the PES of if if you're new here about what public comment's about so the Board of Ed uh welcomes public comment speaker shall have up to three minutes to provide input to the board um at the start of the of each regular meeting a maximum of 20 minutes is allotted for comment on any items included on the agenda for that meeting at the end of each regular meeting time is allotted for comment on any item which is within the board's jurisdiction but uh didn't fit into the first amount of time um discussion of school Personnel individualized students or of individual members of the board is prohibit IED um and if that occurs then the speaker is called the speaker's comment is called out of order and they are um redirected toward the the um agenda item for which they signed up to speak all right so with that um Mrs Rice you are first and you um ask to speak on public comment yes hi Denise rice 3 old Hemlock Road for the past two years I've been speaking a public comment Main fighting for special ed but also for teachers and staff I've had to be very careful on how I phrase things when I'm up here because parents because as parents while it says public comment is welcome we've been shut down dead in our tracks even if we are in a gray area sometimes we have been shut down even if we're not in a gray area but it's interpreted as such I feel this is a good time to remind everyone of some of the highlights each Speaker gets 3 minutes we get chopped off right there discuss of school Personnel individual students or board members is prohibited even if you beat around the bush in addition a memo went out to employees entitled employee speech in first amendment that went around like wildfire there's a section I'm going to quote so it can't be said that I picked apart a section of the statement for my benefit the question was what are some ways a public employees personal speech might be disruptive and thus be subject to regulations or discipline every situation will need to be considered and possibly addressed based on the specific facts and circumstances it issue but when evaluating the effect of a public employees speech including speech on social media relevant factors can include whether and to what extent the speech interferes with the school district's operations or employees ability to perform job duties undermines a legitimate Mission or obligation of the school district or creates disharmony among colleagues or impedes relation ships with students parents or school and Community now while we all know the gray area to this is every situation needs to be considered leaving open the unfair subjective punishment or non-punishment depending on agreement with the forces above not fair but true public comment is more cut and dry there's an alternative to public comment if you need to go out of the boundary of the rules you can write to the board of that you can speak freely and not worry about any of the rules I'm really hoping cuz I knew this crowd was going to be here that the board and the district will honor both their email and their um rules regarding public comment and it affects everyone not just the parents that are constantly shut down thank you thank you Mrs Rice um next we have uh Bob Bon who is going to speak on um School Improvement and climate hello Bob Beldon seven Red Barn Lane and prior board chair um good evening uh good to see you all and uh tonight I'm speaking on climate surveys and if you're okay I'm going to read my thoughts so I'm clear and not just speak off the cuff you know there have been recent comments here at this meeting in emails and on social media regarding the climate survey at CES from last spring I've had a chance to read those results and the written comments from the CES staff some of the members of the public have been calling for heads to roll because of the survey despite roughly 2third of the survey being positive and onethird not so positive you know I spent 42 years in Industry 38 of them in management we did surveys like this every single year I've seen positive surveys I've seen negative surveys and I've seen all sorts in between the CLA survey is one that's in the in between category it's not I mean a negative survey would be 5% positive positive survey would be close to 100 first and foremost the most important thing with surveys is that you take all issues raised big or small and you treat them very seriously our staff wants to be heard when they take these surveys and they want to see actions being taken I've had a chance to meet with Dr P and with Dr Burell about this topic and it seems that they're doing just that they're uh I applaud them for being active in response to the survey and in dealing with the issues that were raised but I also know that as leadership you don't take AB abrupt and aggressive Personnel actions based on a single survey uh you support your management you coach your management you ask them to turn the ship around and then you survey again as a senior leader it is critical that both staff and man management here that you are supporting them on this journey and applaud progress when a survey is redone a year later I would urge you as a board to be vocal in your support of your team to both staff and administration they deserve your positivity in this sort of Journey I urge you to push back on calls to take aggressive and abrupt management action it is the worst thing you could do I would remind you that two-thirds of the staff is positive at CES and the goal is to be 100% positive so management needs to both reinforce the enforce the positivity for the staff that are happy and address the issues for those that are not and finally I'd urge you to remember that 2023 and 24 was very trying year for CES with construction still going on at the new school while working out the Kinks created by combining staff from three different schools it's a journey it takes time as a board utilize your voice help the team on this I've gotten to know the clas team a lot of them are here um they're a really great group thank you Mr Beldon I'm just one sentence they're uh um they're really great group staff and management alike great things lie ahead for clas I'm conf thank [Applause] you um Mrs cese um speaking on public comment actually um I planned on speaking on public comment and I'm going to go a little rogue here hold on hold on Miss so so what what is your topic then um I'm actually speaking on the same topic that Mr Beldon just spoke on so the the 9918 um School climate Okay thank you School climate so um Deborah C 21 medal View Drive thank you I was planning on speaking on policy but I'm going to go Rogue here so I have nothing planned I just find it very ironic um not last year the year before yeah last year the year before the school year before um the this new school was even um finished and the teachers were in the other school myself Mrs scare and a group of other parents Champion for specialed students and in doing so we oftentimes came up to speak about things um and some of the atrocities that were going on within special ed um things have now taken a little bit bit of a turn with Mr Rand here but at the time we spoke out we championed at that time for students it turned and evolved into teachers and pars reaching out to us we came before the board you were not here at the time a couple others this was the old board including Mr Beldon and we came up and we spoke with Mrs Scalera on pretty much verbatim quotes that teachers were sending to us messaging us on Facebook please keep up with the good work we were running a Facebook page at the time please let them listen to you please speak up for us this is what's going on here complete climate everything I'm like shaking right now because not one time did anybody from the board stop and say hey what is going on here let me see those quotes there were Pages we only get three minutes we had Parents lined up because we were exceeding our three minutes on quotes regarding climate this was before a survey so I find it just ironic that now we have to you know you know listen and everything else but the no one wanted to listen when two years ago we were talking about it so I just think it's time that we do listen to teachers we do listen to pars we do listen to what's going on in the schools I do know I'm personal friends with Miss glair she's a champion for teachers and students so I don't know what's going on here but when I see these signs it's very upsetting because I can tell you there's a lot of us here that have been doing that thank you thank you Mrs C um point to clarification how long have we been doing the climate surveys since I've been here we've been doing annual surveys as far as I you know I'd have to go back and look at the exact but it's been a long time all of us in Connecticut have been doing climate surveys by law and then different districts may have done that on their own conducted uh but it's been a good number of years we've been doing surveys thank you okay thank you um next uh Mr patrino um to speak on uh School Improvement plan and climate Mr Pino when you um get up we'll ask you to State your uh residence as well please Dennis patrino uh my residence is New Milford Connecticut is this on there we go New Milford Connecticut 20 Concord way as president of the Brookfield Education Association I'm proud to represent hundreds of professional Educators who go the extra m for our students every day our teachers bring a tremendous set of skills energy and experience to the work they do in their classrooms I recognize that importance of that work and the professionals who carry it out I ask this board to stand up and do the same the climate in our schools is a very important part of our education many of the discussions in this room have unfairly targeted our dedicated teachers setting a tone that disrespects them disin diminishes their contributions and make takes aim at their professional judgment this is unaccept acceptable not only does this kind of negative speech and behavior violate the spirit of the Connecticut association's Board of ethics for education but it also sets a poor example for our students Brookfield deserves much better we want a strong positive climate in our schools the community as well and our students we cannot have that without respectful productive dialogue comments by board members like I don't trust that an educator would respect that and do that in a non-judgmental way disrespect respects all Educators and their professionalism these board members who make these inappropriate comments and statements like this without being corrected is also unacceptable and it is hurtful to the school climate I I ask each member of this board to review the policies established by cab and follow them with Fidelity to better our school climate they include supporting and protecting School personnel as they perform their duties referring complaints through the appropriate chain of command within the system and never using a position on the board for personal gain or partisan political groups as Educators dedicated to fostering a positive and productive learning environment for our students we feel compelled to address our growing concerns regarding these ethics and professionalisms displayed by members of the board in recent meetings we have observed behaviors and decisions that undermine the trust and collaboration essential for school communities climate and success actions that lack transparency and disregard for stakeholders input can diminish morale among staff and erode the confidence parents and students place in our educational system in addition as a union we have rights to discuss information with our members that are private and actions taken in this past week by members of the board soliciting our private Union Communications regarding Union business from multiple members is unacceptable in every way and terrible for school climate we believe that ethical leadership is vital in setting a positive example for our students we urge the board to Prior prioritize Integrity accountability and open communication and by doing so we can work together to create an environment that supports both our Educators and our students we appreciate your attention to this matter and hope for constructive dialogue to address these concerns as you know positive climate needs to start at the top thank you Mr patrino next we have Mrs Korea Irene Korea U to speak on school climate and policies heing Korea 45 West whiner Road um tonight the board will be entering an executive session to discuss the role of the board and self- evaluation the role of the board is to enforce an update policy provide safe schools adequate buildings and a budget updating policy has been moving at a snail's pace a bullying policy took four years to update but the board updated a staff tuition policy in one reading to accommodate one to two staff members when several board members decided to tackle the policies and move move full steam ahead some other board members grumbled that it's too much work tonight you will hear a presentation on school climate I assume you have all read the Panorama surveys from last spring a lot of work needs to be done at CES the plan presented by administration at the last Boe meeting was nothing substantial to deal with the real issues it talked about the teacher evaluation plan smartphone protocols facility updates mostly items not dealing directly with the main issues I asked the board to sit back and reflect on how to move the district forward by creating a nurturing and productive environment for both students and staff stop going through the motions and ask the tough questions and tackle the real issues head on with Vigor and I would just like to had um I know Miss rice asked that all the speakers be treated fairly and Mr Beldon did mention two names and nobody stopped him from talking and that's unfair because we are we are stopped instantly if we do that thank you thank you very much Mrs Korea um finally for um public comment is um Logan celander to speak on budget um I wrote down for a budget but I did want to do a quick shout out if I can about the cell phone policy which is I just wanted to say a big thank you for that I think when we went to all of our open houses particularly BHS we heard from teacher after teacher what a difference it's made in the classroom so I just wanted to publicly thank the board the administration all the teachers for your support in making that happen because I think that was a very important [Music] change um oh sorry I never SE Logan cender 46 sub two Road South um but I did want to talk about the budget knowing budget season is coming too um I wanted to ask the board for more communication and Outreach about the budget process timeline and the budget itself and I think this needs to start soon this includes how when and what you communicate um with the community The Hope being that an engages the community more uh gives you the feedback that you need for the budget and ultimately prepares a budget that passes the first time and avoids a second vote the cost of a second vote um and then the ensuing budget cuts that end up happening from that so for example the how um I think there should be more opportunities for informal conversation these could be with board and admin or maybe through a network of Representatives that could feed up to the board um another example of what the round table that you guys guys do every year um I think it has great intentions I've been to it before when I can make it I am usually the only Community member there or one of two community members there and I think part of the reason is because people don't really know what the round table is the lurb that describes it is not entirely clear I think if people knew that you were literally sitting in this room with every administrator and every board member here and you can say I'd like to see this program happen I think this needs to change I'd like to see this happen in the budget you might get more people here because that is the chance and you need to hear those voices now not in April when it's too late to make those kind of changes to the budget and so the one starting now really um I was thinking you could sort of break the budget down into more digestible pieces maybe it could be something to parent square that once a week you can send out here's some information about the budget so here's some information about the state mandated costs and why we have to do it and what's included in it here's the information about other pieces that we have to include um contracted rates all those kind of things and break it down piece by piece so you can explain it a little bit better to people so they understand it more than just the the detailed line items that are there um so thank you for your time for your consideration and hopefully we can have some more communication around the budget going forward thank you Mrs Soler that was super valuable um thanks to everybody uh who participated in public comment this evening um I understand there's there there's one um comment at the end as well but let's we'll just jump right in now and we're going to start with meeting our um student representative um Melissa Baines do you have a report for us great um hello um so I'm going to share a little bit um in terms of Athletics first and then dive into student government and some other things that have been happening at the high school recently um so on October 2nd athletic advisory hosted Class Act night at Chick-fil-A where students could sign the pledge um basically promising good sportsmanship at any home games to receive free admission to home games and a t-shirt um and then for more things towards athletic advisory um they attended a field trip last week Tuesday um to the Michaels cup sportsmanship banquet where they received the Michaels cup award again um in addition to this Vanessa Greenstein a member of the cic student representative board and a senior here at Brookfield High School presented to the 800 kids in attendance um in terms of like the natural disasters that have been occurring um in the South athletic advisory student government and bethl high school are teaming together to collect donations for victims of of hurricane Helen and Melton in North Carolina and Florida were're specifically teaming with Asheville public schools in North Carolina working with their high school student government to facilitate these donation requests um the Executive Board of student government attended a field trip to the president Symposium Symposium in Hartford Connecticut uh where they learned about different Student Government associations around Connecticut and the different events that they tend to um I had the privilege of attending their meeting on September 27th where they discussed their upcoming events such as homecoming which occurred October 5th and it ended up being a huge success with over 400 students in attendance um and then in terms of just things this week uh freshman sophomores and juniors took the PSAT yesterday um and then also Student Government announced a fall senior field trip to Lake compounds next Friday for their Phantom Fest so yeah B do you have any questions for Melissa or exact team no no all right you're off the H thanks so much welcome a great job welcome okay so now let's move to written correspondence actually maybe maybe pause for a quick second someone we treat other way we at home so okay you're ready awesome let's do it the following people have emailed the Board of Education since the last meeting on September 18th Brian Buckman Elementary recess Juan El Coker BPS school security I'm sorry Stephanie can you wait once I can't I can barely hear you I'm sorry this side is kind of tough should I keep going can I keep going I don't y go I don't think that okay lyanna hanger comment concern on the Panorama school climate survey Denise rice spring survey and school budget Irene Korea BOE agenda and Exhibits and Cape subcommittee meeting class size Andy Korea student privacy concerns from CES staff survey District management failures CES climate remediation failure to respond to town press release October 2nd special meeting minutes and Cape subcommittee meeting class eyes Steve Dunn S&P Global raing letter and Report awesome thank you okay um so now we're going to move to item eight approval of board minutes I move that the board approve the minutes listed below as recommended regular meeting 9824 special meeting 10224 I'll second that is there any discussion um so I don't know if we want to look at it separately but um I'm willing to approve the regular meeting minutes on 9:18 but um I will not be voting to approve the special meeting on 102 um can you uh talk to us about your thinking there please sure so past practice um minutes have always have never been reported this way policy states that minutes are reported as what was done at the meting not specifically what was dated so these minutes are not reflective of that policy practice that we've had um if we all are in full agreement that this should be presented as a full narrative then let's upload the transcript or hear everybody's side um because it's clearly one-sided I don't think anybody everybody's talking points were equally represented I'll be happy to provide my notes of what I stated um happy to talk more about it if you want to engage in the conversation further so are you looking to um amend the motion are you looking to amend the um the special meeting minutes yeah amend the special meeting minutes uh is so is there are you going to move to amend the current motion what how do you want to amend it what do you want to say well that's going to be some undertaking it's nothing that why what like what do you disagree with because these are as so I'll repeat again it's clearly one-sided it's not do you why do hold on please don't please don't speak over sorry um there's a couple things I would request that Wendy's notes that she read from verbatim be attached um and I had notes also in writing that that could be attached also and I just feel like that's clearly one-sided it it was not a clear representation of what happened during the meeting and that's not past practice that's not what we do that's in the policy clearly states that it it's just supposed to say what was what was covered what was done at the meeting not specifically what was stated it's pretty much a narrative of what was talked about and that's not what we've done past practice and what is stated in policy um Stephanie would you like the floor um I just am curious to know where you think it is not accurate and if you've read my minutes from previous policy meetings you'll see that they are pretty similar I'm probably more detailed than need to be but it's never been a problem before well that's policy this was a special meeting but it's not a discussion that I can pinpoint because there's lots of things to pinpoint so at this time I'm not willing to approve the minute the special meeting minutes okay but if you brought if you have problems with them and you're not willing to discuss them I don't understand where the problems are I guess how can I we sorry go ahead Ros um our bylaw 9326 um specifically mentions uh item 10 that all motions and their resolutions and their disposition will be specifically mentioned apart from just listing all votes extensions and absentees that disposition part is important it means to provide the mood or the inclinations the contextual information regarding our board actions when we have our meetings recorded such as this one this is not as important but since this meeting was recorded procedure was Highly Questionable the topic was highly controversial recording this information regarding board members positions I think is vitally important so I don't understand why we are going or why you are uh advocating for reducing the transparency of that meeting and further I would urge the chair to direct Miss Greenstein to put a motion on the floor to amend or or just direct her to vote so I think um that I am willing to um certainly I can I can uh transfer to um the board secretary my notes um from that meeting I'm happy to have them attached although I do believe they're reflected in the narrative um yeah we have a a really packed um agenda this evening so I'm gonna um I'm going to ask you would you care to amend the motion um to make some change to the special meeting minutes or shall we just proceed with the vote I think just proceed with the vote all right um I just just one point go ahead um I'm not looking to take transparency away I was looking to add information just just to be clear put a motion on the floor the motion is on the floor yeah a motion is on the floor a motion to amend I said let's I said I'm willing to to I'll second enough no no no no no no no hold on hold on um I'm willing to vote on the motion as is okay let's let's do that I said all right so we have a motion on the floor that the board approved the minutes listed below as recommended um is there further discussion about this all right all in favor of approving the minutes listed as recommended say I I I all oppose say nay nay okay so the motion um the minutes are not approved all right next we're going to move to the uh next item superintendence update okay thank you Wendy excuse me um I broke it into a couple of sections teaching and learning engagement and notifications um in regards to teaching and learning uh some exciting things going on um the Historical Society has met with Mrs FAS and Dr Spencer along with our social studies coach Jen shush and they're looking at ways to integrate the resource of the Historical Society um into some of the the units uh in first third and eth grade uh areas of Veterans Day and diversity day can be used um uh among other ideas so we just want to let you know that that community resource is really being incorporated into the work we do um into the classroom and for a number of years now um the uh uh historic Society has been visiting and conducting assemblies and really uh making old Brookfield come alive for the kids so it's been really really nice um in terms of our newly hired k through eight classroom teachers Mrs FAS um is actually any of the brand new teachers uh to the district Mrs FAS is uh directly supervising and working with them coaching mentoring that kind of a thing um so she's got regular meeting scheduled with them and it's important for me to let the board know that that's going on um and again Mrs fies is our director of instruction uh on October 10th um the instructional coaches had professional development um with uh our uh liaison from Ed Advance um and they're working on an instructional Playbook and that's something we will be working on for the course of the year it's a it's a deliverable actually is one of the things I talk about my goals uh that you guys will look at later on tonight uh in terms of professional learning on the 14th we really had some great energy there um letters training uh occurred uh 17 of our K through 4 Teachers uh were working with um the science of reading training uh with the new uh CK La luster of Math training was going on and also the the push with our partnership with Boston College in reflective intelligence um we actually had Tim Klein our keynote uh was down here for training of the facilitators and then uh our participants got some uh uh inauguration into what training will look like down the road an and I were able to bounce around from school to school working with those folks uh to kind of kick off the morning so uh a lot of tremendous anecdotal feedback uh directly from teachers saying it's some of the that PD specifically was some of the best PD they've had in years so they were really excited about it it's great energy so um we'll keep that momentum going um next uh under engagement just to let everybody know we did conduct clees tours um on the 26th I think we had a little over 20 people come on September 26 and last week on October 10th uh around 40 plus people uh attended uh and I have to thank um uh Dr P Taran Mr Beldon Stephanie others who conducted tours really really appreciate that uh speaks met on also on October 10th uh that's the uh student parent uh educator advisory Council to uh superintendent uh focused on recycling efforts and the work Casey's doing with meeting with custodians and working with the parents and how we're going to do our especially our food recycling this year and really kicking planning now kicking off after the holiday break the winter break um and also getting feedback on parent square and feedback on uh the new website I actually in my weekend updated on Friday shared that with the board all of all the minutes from the speaks meeting and then the other thing we're working on um Anna and I um talked with our principles about doing uh kind of a concept called skip level meetings where as part of climate we actually sit in on the principal meetings that they're holding their instructional leadership meetings and their academic meetings uh uh academic Improvement planning meetings data team meetings and listen you know to the staff and exactly what's going on certainly offer our feedback if we can uh but really listen so we continue to have our our finger on the pulse making that extra effort as we talked about uh last month so that's important uh notifications just as a reminder um and this relates to security task force which is meeting tomorrow morning um the swatting uh episode uh from back on September 25th um we have a really uh incredible opportunity working with Eric and a Gentleman uh named Don Beal who has some uh anti- swatting technology uh he works with the um uh Center for school safety some of you have met Amry burnhard he's come to some of our um uh uh security task force meetings Amry uh put us in touch with him uh Don's like I said Don has some of the the only software um and relatable Hardware that uh this technology can work in the chief is quite interested Chief pesi uh so much so that we've actually um the folks at New Town you know as you know as Regional uh districts and police departments talk quite a bit the new town chief uh and their head of security is actually going to join us um at task force tomorrow the the um uh don is going to join us uh I think he's out of Florida so he's actually going to join us uh via VIA zoom and we're just excited to learn about this it's an opportunity um and what's uh works for us is our Capital money for security if we decide to go in this direction there is funds there that we can work on but we'll work that through the committee um and certainly talk with the finance committee eventually about that um and I believe I mentioned the finance committee last week uh the other advisory that went out it's it's a standard uh the annual winter weather advisory uh it's a little crisp this week uh nothing Us New England New englanders can't handle but making sure everybody's ready with especially with the younger kids with plans for uh if there's an early dismissal uh knowing uh how we're going to communicate we have parents Square so it's even quicker and easier and more convenient um and it really details things out it's posted on the website it was it was put out on uh parents Square so just a reminder for everybody there we have to have plans because especially at the elementary school um or the middle school where sometimes parents are really rushing to get coverage and daycare uh care off the bus or pick up at the school there's just not capacity at the schools to make all kinds of individual changes so you really want those plans in place uh before the winter weather hits um and then the last one it was actually referenced in public comment um based on feedback from uh parents uh and staff uh on kind of confusion and not knowing the rules of the road uh in terms of uh employee speech and how it fits in with freedom of speech and where are you an employee and where do you actually have you know free speech and how does it get regulated um it was important for me to bring that topic to policy committee uh a few weeks ago we actually had a uh a meeting before the September 18th board meeting where we talked with one of our new attorneys from Shipman and Goodwin gave us some really interesting uh advice on that uh we talked about considering a policy uh the attorney advised in a different way that perhaps a memo for me would be a better way to go and resultantly um together we produced that uh frequently asked questions document um and it was really in response to um uh personal display in classrooms that that were brought to uh administration's attention at the beginning of the year and in addition to that um in election season we're hitting a conclusion of election season and we know uh things could be very partisan um and you know whether it's clubs in school or teachers talking about controversial things um it's important for for folks to have guidelines and have some knowledge and uh we also put the legal references in there so that was the intention of it had nothing to do with stifling anybody's speech um although I understand some people are taking it that way it was more to help educate and provide some guidelines for for everyone um so that's uh the last piece on notification and then finally um I Heard SNP uh mentioned Stephanie the email from Mr Dunn really good news for the town uh still has its AAA rating and um the comment the the main comment was I wish there was a higher than AAA rating so that's really good for the town uh and a lot of mention of the Board of Education and what we're doing in terms of collaboration and you know our our financial backing here so you know kudos to everyone you know uh for for working hard on that and Casey and I were actually fortunate enough to um uh kind of be in this the summit the the summit of meeting there um and talk uh about how we do things and uh I think that was quite important so U uh and thanks to Marsha for all her work obviously and the board and board of finance and everyone else so can I make one mention just back to the uh reflective intelligence um we have just so just the kind of concrete numbers of people who are involved across the three schools we have 127 uh teachers or and/or administrators or par Educators who have signed up to either be facilitators or practitioners of that 12763 were trained as facilitators on Monday um so they worked directly with uh Tim Klein and his colleagues from Boston College um and so it's 57 at BHS 29 at WMS and 41 at CLE um and so and there are many people who particularly at CES who expressed a lot of interest in doing it but they also have letters training and IM and CA and all that so they have deferred for a year but we're really excited about the fact that more than half of our certified faculty are involved so that's really exciting and Anna thank you sometimes I you know I I want to exercise brevity given the length of our meetings so thank you for the extra detail on that does anybody have any questions I do um sure uh regarding the winter weather advisory you know I was looking through um Mrs Abo's um document that she put together about the multiple language Learners and families and how we're using parent Square parents Square to uh communicate with them have we what kind of feedback have you gotten from our um multilanguage or non-native English-speaking families is parent Square working out do do we know do we have a sense of that yet because I know that um we have a avilability For What 100 languages languages um what's that looking like in practice so far I think uh I I can't quote the number on that but what we could do is get those numbers for you on on how many parents have actually signed up for it and how that's going out in the translatable to your point we can definitely get that information but I don't I can't tell you that it was such a cool um feature right of the platform and there's obviously a need for it sure um you'll see that tonight with Katherine's uh report sure right right yeah okay thank you thank you we'll we'll dig in on that before you can get back to um did anybody else have a question I just had a comment kind of SL question for the uh employee speech and First Amendment memo I thought it was great it was really clear it was really helpful um I thought it was outlined perfectly was there any feedback or how was it received was it well received or you the only the honestly the only feedback I heard was from an elected official who said a few of his friends who happen to be on the receiving end of that said that I'm trying to stifle their speech that was how it was it was taken which was sad but certainly wasn't intended that way uh other than that I haven't had any good bad or ugly nothing at all and I haven't heard from the principles on you know if there was any feedback and we just had a meeting where we were talking about it but there was no direct feedback okay from anybody anything else okay let's go to subcommittee reports um first up is policy uh so Dr BR actually sort of covered um our last policy meeting on September 19th but oh um yeah um I think we're going to need to move to make that change do we have to like formally move to amend that or can we just Lisa can we just change that that's just a type okay thank you very much right okay so forgive me September 18th uh was a executive session um with attorney um Dorian tonetti from Shipman and Goodwin and the executive session was to discuss the attorney client privileged memorandum regarding legal advice concerning employee speech related to policy member uh matters and Dr brell as indicated in the Friday email update and here continued to collaborate with attorney anetti and um sent out that email to the staff um and then we had uh decided to put a new policy on the agenda for today's meeting um and that will be forthcoming okay so um then cap to meeting okay yep we had two meetings first one was on September 25th so we discussed at length um the high school class siiz report for this school year we identified some sections of courses that are above our Board of Ed guidelines um and are at Andor are at Max C capacity so those courses are algebra honors there's two sections because there were three last year um AP Calculus AP Computer Science honors Earth and energy Essentials there's three sections French three there's 32 students because French three and French honors combined um and span oh AP human Geo personal finance there six sections Spanish two honors there's three sections and Spanish three and four um it was expressed from the World Language Department that there's a prolonged need for additional teachers or sections specifically with French we currently have two sections of French in seventh grade and two in e8th grade and and um we're going to need to accommodate that for the eighth graders coming up it was also identified by the stem department chair that one physics teacher is not sustainable so we're increasing in numbers in physics and this has been a trend in five or more sections of physics so it's important to know that there also been has been an increase in math requests we thoroughly reviewed data from the spring 2024 final exams in the core content areas including number of student exemptions so 93 and above is your your exempt we identified the course grade breakdown uh 59.4 and below is an F 59.5 to 62.4 is a D minus 62.5 to 66.4 is a d and 66.5 to 69.4 is a D+ so we identified three main core content areas in which there were a lot of final exam failures math uh Algebra 1 Algebra 2 algebra two honors Algebra 2A and geometry and the second area was science biology chemistry chemistry honors Earth Energy and there's also foreign language Spanish 2 Spanish 3 Spanish 4 although we can't directly correlate the results from the spring final exams to the current class sizes um there will be a correlation between this year's class siiz data and midterm exams which all students are required to take so we can make that correlation when it comes um we also spent some time discussing possible improving possibly improving our exam policy um currently all students in grades 9 through 12 with a 93 or above are exempt for final exams so do we still support this what are the teachers expressing some teachers are expressing that they're not in favor of the exemption for underclass students it was noted that by adding final exams back in We'll add another lay of rigor we have an average of about 30 student opt outs um and for some it's motivation right they're excited to be able to opt out so it's motivation for them but for some um teachers have mentioned that it's leads to a decreased selfworth when many of their peers are out essentially out for the summer and done um so we expressed a need to kind of relook at this policy moving forward especially with colleges now requiring or more more requiring SAT scores to be um reported we engage engaged in a reflection on the initial um teacher feedback on cell phone Pro protocols including reclaimed instructional minutes the new cell phone policy has positively impacted teaching and learning classes students are more attentive engaged and less distracted they are more present and collaborating more although there were some concerns expressed and recommended recommendations for some changes to the policy overall has been well received by the staff so that was our one meeting and then we had another one on October 9th um we did get a presentation preview by Dr man and Miss farias which we she will do later on in the agenda when she gives a student achievement report so I won't um get into detail about that but she we will look at how our students performed on AP exams SATs Smarter Balance assessments and the Next Generation science standards and she'll talk about next steps and plans moving forward um but according to the data Trends are showing a need for more important in math so that's important for our board to to know we did have a World Language I asked for us to have a World Language discussion um Mr brao stated that there's like we said before an uptick in French it was bigger even before the French Exchange program because someone had to ask that um we have 49 students in e8th grade taking French so two sections one of 24 one of 25 so we're we're probably going to need to budget for maybe a point4 or 6 or ask a teacher to take an extra class for next year we did um have some initial discussions regarding the K8 World language program um it was made clear that there's no quantitative data for the early years we asked for many comebacks um for example what the schedule at each grade level looks like the outline of our model what's the scope and sequence of the curriculum at each grade level um number of students that receive sealed by literacy in high school what's the long-term impact and how many of our students are continuing with language in high school we also requested stamp data that's a test that the foreign Lang the students who take foreign language take um data in regards to the sealed by literacy maybe College trends for language and gathering information and maybe canvasing other neighborhood districts on their programs and models um and specifically speaking with ASAS to find out about their model and how proficient their students are when they transfer to our district I think Dr man mentioned made a really good point she said that as a board we really need to develop a goal for the world language program like what what is our goal is it to increase proficiency is it just exposure to culture or is it more of a Phil philosophical approach um Dr Manda mentioned that maybe this this exploration phase may take up to a year and also we have to work on creating a vision for sixth grade Spanish and look look take a deeper dive into social studies because that is kind of um we lose some instructional time with social studies to um to meet that World Language component so do the teachers have the ability to get through the social study standards especially in fourth fifth and sixth grade given the um world language program that we have in place so does anybody have any questions I know we went over a lot I have a quick question um regarding the exams when you say some teachers are expressing they're not in favor of exemption what's like some is that like a significant amount a few we don't have like an exact number but I it the definitely the tide is changing because colleges now are really requiring SATs we have to look at the ri the rigor of what we're expecting of our students we're just require them midterms and based on test scores we may need to look at that as being one component to help prepare our students to be better test takers and be more prepared for final exams and things like that and in college be College and Career ready yeah if I could just add to that um the the the teachers have been kind of watching closely as we came back with exams because remember the high school was not giving any exams for a couple years post pandemic so two years ago was the first year that they reinstituted uh exams for courses and they extended the exemption policy from senior year down through all classes um to again to kind of ease back into the idea of uh summi of you know comprehensive exams um and so that's been practice for the last two years but uh there there is kind of some question about whether that's kind of developmentally appropriate you know academically appropriate for younger kids you could conceivably based on that go through high school and never take a final exam um so really does that serve our students well um and you know is it kind of establishing that that comprehensive concept of seeing a uh class all the way through from Soup To Nuts from the beginning of this me of the Year through the end um so as as Joy mentioned all students have to take midterms um but some classes are only for you know like one semester so those classes they are able to be exempt so so would you keep the exemption policy for seniors that is yes that has not been necessarily part of the conversation but that this would really be you know this is really kind of a a high school um exploration and something that the teachers really have to you know the teachers and departments will be looking into this year they had come they had started talking about that last year so the administration is very well aware and they uh they're going to be working on that throughout this year okay um are there other questions or comments I do have a question so just looking at um some of the grades in science I know that um I had asked for data for um science and social studies specific at the high school level um because those are our two areas that are not co-taught in any grade um you know 9 through 12 so I was really curious as to see how many students really are struggling at the academic level and is there something that we can do to support them better on you know we're supporting them in math and English um but is there a need for more support in those academic classes especially social studies and science for grad so um I'm still kind of I'm waiting on that data but um I do know that those sections are not co-taught so you know if you have a student who is dyslexic and struggling reading right and they have a special reading support and they have a reading class and they're supported in math their reading doesn't go away in social studies and science so how are they fairing um in those classes without supports and you know classes size as big as they are so I'm just really kind of interested to seeing if you know our students need a little bit more supports in some of those areas okay so are you looking for final exam grades or I mean sorry final grades to overall or because we just looked at the exam grades we didn't look at course grades yeah at at kbo certainly I mean we get General I'll Circle back cuz I know I sent um an email like I thought we got those out to you but if there was something that was missing we talk that through and get yeah no it just um it didn't it didn't list like how many are students struggling and and at what level I mean if you have a student you know are we supporting a student who's you know flying in a d right could we better support them in a class could they be one section that's co-taught um so we can support students with a heavy need um for so I might invite uh Mr Bland up just to talk a little bit about the mtss process at the high school because um you know sometimes uh you know historically serby or now mtss um has been something that's been a tough nut to crack for high school folks but um at BHS I have to say I'm I'm really impressed with um now or yeah yeah no you you can you can talk now if you want just in terms of if you want to just address the the idea of co-taught versus um if there are individual uh uh needs for students you know those are definitely considered during like that would be something that would be an mtss process uh would be definitely part of that so I don't know if that's yeah I think my concern is that um co-taught like specifically you'll see it on a child's IEP especially at you know the Middle School level we don't offer those classes so are what are we doing with those students that benefited from a co-taught model in middle school and they benefit from a co-top model in English and math but we don't support them in their other classes and I'm just curious if there's a need um for that so actually we could also have Mr Roland come up just to kind of talk about the development of um how you know students can student needs can be addressed but um yeah I think that those are good questions but um in terms of meeting the needs of students if they had been in a co- talk class earlier um one of the expect expectations would be that we would continue to meet whatever the needs are on an I but um you know whether that is means that we need to add Co caught or not um could you just talk a little bit about the model for co- teing well and it's not necessarily an IEP right so a child on a 504 can also qualify for coau if their disability um impacts them so it just it's just something that I tossed around it's not specific to anything my children experien but I just I found it very interesting that we have no sections 9 through 12 in science or stud yeah I I I think the easiest way to start is make sure this is on all right e easiest way to start is to say uh that it is a sheer numbers game unfortunately uh when it comes to math and English those are the two classes or the courses or the areas that we connect we want to make sure that we push in because historically that's what it been was I inherited that when I came here 10 years ago it continues to be that way um for science and social studies um one of the lucky things we have is yes certainly we do have par professional support in those classes um it is not the same as a co- teer however I will say um for some of those courses in particularly science and soci studies the the core pairs that are in there are pretty fantastic um they've been doing this for a while they know the content really well um they're while they're not certified teachers sure I also don't want diminish their role and their role as a pair because they do a fantastic job with kids and what they so they're also there to support so we do offer adult support and the IPS are written as such knowing in the transition from 8th grade to the high school that in those two areas we do not have um uh special ed teachers that are co- teing with a regular ed teacher uh we did make the move a couple years ago um for some of the students that um may be struggling the most um in particular we do now uh we have a uh a co-taught applied class in science and social studies uh we did make that change because we thought that was really necessary to try to do that um but you know we're constantly working on differentiation you know to try to support all the needs of kids and we do have a pretty robust srbi RTI what like wherever you are you call it different things can I get us to call it something different uh now it's mtss is what we want to use now which includes social emotional Rob's laughing because he knows like everything it just we all know it just keeps changing right but the concept is we have these weekly meetings and and teachers are allowed to bring people up um and in those classes you're going to have you're right a mix of students that may have an IP that may have a 504 the combinations that may be related to their learning or may just be something other need that they have and then um students without services are also there so it's it's a mix um and when we schedule in the summer we look to see who those kids are not just the ones that have 504s and IPS but who might be the best mix and try to really it's a lot of massaging in the in the in the summer to get it ready but that's generally what we do but we do have some more certainly things other than getting more teachers like yeah you know like that it's kind of where we are for now thank you thank you for that explanation okay let's move to facilities then I'm sorry yes facilities thank you all right uh so we met on on October 7th um everybody was there myself Stephanie Sarah Dr Dr bril Casey and Dan cwell um as for school du reports uh there are a few there were a few that were on there that were 20 plus days open we did I did question him about that and they he did explain that they there were notes added to them that they are being worked on they're not being ignored the reason why they're open is because they just haven't been officially closed out but they are being attention is being shown to them as far as a capital projects update we have uh the boys locker room um um diversity is going to be return to address two remaining open items uh the BHS Library AC um fnf mechanical has been awarded the project uh the equipment has been ordered and should arrive after the new year uh danet said this should be uh completed by April 30th of 2025 um a sally port is being installed and we learned what that is can you Casey where is it being installed exactly I didn't add that part you oh thank you in the athletic L um we got an update of pricing from the gordian group 4 3,375 it'll be the BM BMP will be the general contractor on this project um a few days before construction we anticipate and work should be completed uh while school is in session it w it won't disrupt anything border repairs at BHS representatives from etton and all state construction have been on site for the repairs uh boilers for two boilers 2 and three uh Dan did reach out to uh this week to see if the quotes are available um there's a classroom door that need to be replaced in the science um it's been ordered and will be installed by Tom Schultz once it's received we had a water bottle Filling Station installed by Tom Schultz as well at the middle school um athletic storage room at WMS we have a contractor filling out a permit uh with the town so work can begin as soon as that is approved uh for the oil tank uh Dan reported that we have uh we have an estimate for the underground survey of $1,000 and Dan is to reach out to CCA for more project specs um the rep expectations at work will begin uh after school is out in June um the floor for for the Middle School uh the RPS be uh to released preit meeting is set for actually happen on the 14th did that meeting happen yes I believe so so right y uh demolition of Portables at WMS this project is uh managed by NBC 15 bids received will be reviewed by NBC at their next meeting um as for new business we had a solo presentation I don't know if there's anything Casey or Stephanie want to add for the solar presentation I know we're all gung-ho about the solar considering the price of electric so uh we're good on that as far as a miscellaneous discussion um uh Casey had shed a drafted the proposal for the capital request list for 2025 2026 and our Focus will be on the heating system at BHS which is outdated it's old we've walked the building we've checked it out and it's obviously something that we definitely need to uh upgrade um we also discussed moving the uh meeting up to get uh for the capital request list can be reviewed prior to the next presentation and uh we will also be getting uh which I forgot to add to notes we'll be getting an updated list on CES uh issues that are open that are not showing up on dude School dude reports but Dan assured us that we'll get the list of what needs to be done and um and we'll follow up to him on that report so we'll get that the next meeting we're supposed to anyway aw and Rob as a follow up on that Casey and I when we had our um last Monday meeting with uh Steve uh dun and Marsha we have our our weekly we talked about you know Steve having direct contact with the NBC and Mr czecho to you know secure that list from OMG um and do a compare you know what is OMG saying is done what is the NBC saying hey it's not done to our standard and and and let's get some clarification on that this is something you know we've been clamoring for for a long time to finish this project up and it's still in the contractor's hands from to to my so it's just a matter of getting them to fill it out finishing it and updating us when it's going to be finished and the NBC is is the body in charge of the actual physical construction of the the school so it's it's not the Board of Ed or or even the superintendent you know at this point it's it's with the NBC and we need them to do that there are things that have been handed off to building maintenance so and those things Dan Caldwell and his team are handling of course so um if I may um I had written to the facilities Committee in September um about this and because I'm in communication with of Finance who has now taken pretty big interest in this um and I I can't stress enough that I think that be it is true the MBC is still in charge of this project but we're occupying the building and anything that's not communicated perfectly it's going to fall through the cracks we're going to end up having to fix it out of our own budget so I think it's I really just really think you guys need like a joint meeting NBC Board of Ed you know um om you know like get everybody on the same page um the board of Finance has recently tasked us with reporting that comprehensive list of everything that's not yet done um and they're very supportive like they're they're willing to say Hey you know if we need to you know financially support this to speed it up like let's do it but let's do it right so the support is there but we need to make sure like as sort of shepherds of those you know potential dollars um that we're going to manage it well so I don't think we can like totally take a backseat I think we actually need to start taking a bigger role in making sure that those items are checked off big and small and Rose if I may just to add to that so um I believe it was last week OMG and the NBC sat down in a room I believe with legal counsel to talk to each other um and I believe Mr Dunn was present while I can't speak to the content of that meeting I don't know that it was that productive I can say that so that's happening um Mr Rooney reached out to me I think yesterday um or Monday um for the board of Finance to be able to take a tour of the building which they can take a tour anytime they want I offered individual tours if they would like that to take you know if that's more convenient or the whole group wants to go um so um we are taking I want you I didn't want I don't want my comments to be taken as we're we're taking a back seat we're being as proactive as we can but even with the NBC and OMG in the same room we're not getting agreement on this final list and it's very very frustrating as you can imagine um for someone who everybody looks to um as to when's the building going to be finished and you know also gets the blame for that you know and also gets the credit for nice things so I mean it's not a complaint when I say that but it's extreme it's excruciatingly frustrating this this like last 5% get done privie to some of those meetings and I totally appreciate the sentiments but um I think we just like you know it just it turns into like also because our you know Board of Ed staff are in the building their their information is not getting up to them because they're sort of like walled off in in their meetings yeah a couple things to that and so uh Mr czecho did put out there in my last conversation with him they meet on once a month on Tuesdays the the meetings are published the minutes are public any he he would love to see Board of Ed members Board of Finance members Board of Select members attend once in a while send a representative so they could see the the ongoings the other thing is we invited Mr czecho and he was gracious enough to accept for staff to understand the building you know there might there there's some some rationale to things that have probably have been communicated but not necessarily in an efficacious way for that particular you know sum as a particular audience so we already put together an and Dave put together a um a Google doc where now staff could start uploading some questions they have so Paul could have it in advance and on November 5th at 1:00 we've arranged for him to go in and answer the questions we actually uh invite Eric to be there too because a lot of this interface is with technology and there's some questions so we are doing that too so there is a lot of proactive going on I'll be it again excruciating in terms of the frustration why isn't this just done at this point I get it I get it um Rob two quick things one maybe you and I can connect together to to like Advance this I'm willing to go to the NBC meeting um and but I I'd like to talk with you to make that count you know what I mean um also I just wanted to say thank you to the members of the facilities committee for moving your meeting uh thank you because it would be great if we can get that report for our next meeting 30th so thanks a bunch guys just have a question yes the athletic storage room at the whiner is that like a new room or something that's being built is that space that regained or um it's actually a little section of a hallway that just goes to an exit that is not um a necessary egress there's still plenty of egress um Mr Caldwell has spoken with um Fire Marshall in the town where we the approval for all that it's essentially right outside of the um the gymnasium and um in the hallway is a door to a storage closet and then exterior doors so we're essentially going to re repurpose that door to the storage closet and build a wall so that that entire area can be storage um because right now either the equipment has to be stored well it's got to be stored in half of the gym and then the gymnasium can't be used for the it's int and purpose because it can't really be it can't be in the hallway as per fire code so um this will really um do a world of difference in that it's us the space that's being recover abely there we saw we saw the stretch yeah it's um we do have estimates it's it's it it will work in our budget okay absolutely yep um and kind of this kind of piggy piggy backs off what Rosa said but so the demolition of the portable so that's the NBC project right yep so who's kind of being the liais on with that so they had the the the 15 bids I think it was so that's being uh determined by the purchasing agent right now right and then like kind of seeing that through seeing that so so the bids the bids were received um the our purchasing agent sent them to both us and the MBC and the NBC said they will uh review the bids and and the proposals at their next meeting and make a determination to award award the contract and um but it is it is overseen by the MBC and they're communicating through with you or they will be yeah they will be once it starts yeah we haven't we haven't done it yet but we made it very clear that that um it it it shouldn't be a lengthy job right but it's getting you know the summer was the ideal time to do it when we didn't have a lot of kids in the building um is it something that could be done over a long weekend is it more of a winter break kind of a project it certainly is not going to be I won't permit it to be done while school is in session that's for sure um and to bring the equipment on site and you know get everything ready it it takes it takes some time so I I don't want to say this or be the harbinger of any kind of uh bad news but this may be something that takes all the way till the summer I don't know um or it's an April break project or a winter break project we'll see and to Ella elaborate on that a little bit more joy so there there have been some some um some some work that had to take place even before uh the rfps you know were were put together or the bids were put together such as environmental testing right we had to coordinate that and so that the way that worked was um biders came in they would ask uh request for information to our purchasing agent who was overseeing the RFP and um Mr kaidos would uh notify us and the NBC that these are some of the questions and even tekon who was part of part of all of this part of the building project they had put the plans together for the demolition um and so it's a coordination of yes Mr Caldwell we will will set up the Environmental Testing that needs to take place provided that we have the approval from the NBC who is overseeing it so it is it is um there is a lot of oversight by a lot of different entities we are working together to to make sure that everything um is is moving forward um so yeah and I know the status of the boys locker room those are two like yep so um items that have and actually believe I did speak with Mr Baldwin about one of the items was an electrical outlet for a a a TV unit above the lockers that's been um addressed so I believe it's just two locks on offices that need to um accurate lock we have the quotes they just need to come back and and swap out those I that's been long a while yep and again it it it goes too so now we are taking that like we're we're just we're going to address those issues um because at this point whether it was part of the scope of the project or not it has to get done and we're and that's what we're doing okay so okay let's move to finance uh reports okay uh we met on the 10th of October uh we reviewed the check registers and we didn't have any questions but um it is important to note that um there were a couple instances noted of um check fraud that were identified thankfully um this didn't do any harm uh to the district it was rectified quickly um but going forward the district's going to be more um we're going to further tighten the information that's released publicly such as check numbers and such um in the financial report you'll notice um there is quite a big month-to-month change uh in our budget overrun uh most of that is coming from in uh increased outof District transportation specifically related to the mckin vento ACT um which protects students that are experiencing home life uh displacement um we're required to provide displaced students with Transportation back to Brookfield schools um this is projected to cost us around $150,000 um but we are obviously hopeful that those situations improve um during the year which would bring that figure down um next we voted to approve uh budget transfers in several line items um that's going to help ensure that the current Year's budget is as accurate as possible um which will in turn improve the accuracy of the construction of next year's budget um and we also talked about perhaps maybe doing it again in January or February um in hopes that we can kind of really um you know kind of catch up and update the budget one last time before other Town approvals take place and we can really kind of maybe catch any areas that might need um Improvement so that was it similar to last year we yes okay the timing is just sooner this year so that we're doing it before the budget process starts y any questions there I just had a quick question for the BHS golf cart the club car is that like a replacement of that or it's to fix it uh no it was um it is a new purchase that was in the budget last year okay let's move to the consent agenda then I move that the board approve the items on the consent agenda as recommended new hires transfers res designations retiring September financials 2024 and budget transfers um all in favor any opposed okay so passes if I could just make a special note uh congratulate Deb bur you will be retiring at the end of the month many years of service so we congratulate Deb and we were able to you know connect with her at the start of the Year here and that's wonderful thank you Debbie Burch okay we're going to move to new business and um we're delighted to welcome uh Ron Jeffy to the Podium to talk about Brookfield cares attitudes and behavior survey well thank you for having me and thank you to the board of ed the schools the administration for the uh the years of support um we couldn't do this without that kind of support um I'm here to talk tonight about the attitude and behavior survey uh this is something we have done periodically with the schools with students um this is a survey uh developed by uh not by us individually uh but this is uh you know it's put together by search Institute which is a National Organization there are literally tens of thousands of school systems across the country that take advantage of this even within our little local region here I think there are 40 school districts who uh who do who do use use the attitude and behavior survey uh the first time we did it was 2009 uh we have done it 2011 2013 2016 2019 and most recently 20122 and so it is time for us to begin to talk about the next survey uh so I'm basically here to ask the board to begin to have discussions about when would be a good time uh we would you know welcome the opportunity to begin to talk to uh both the uh the high school and the middle school about the survey and how we can implement it most effectively uh it's it's certainly an incredibly valuable tool uh not just for for us but for the you know the students the staff the parents uh I can't tell you how how much uh what kind of response we've really gotten from parents who didn't know they needed this kind of information but we're glad than they got it one story that I I do tell is you know years ago making a presentation at Center School uh from Brookfield cares starting the presentation you know why am I here why am I talking to you about some of these issues and the real answer is uh your child may not be exposed to it now but not only is it coming down the pike but they're going over to friend's houses where some of these issues are in fact occurring and so you need to be aware and years later I was at another present at another event and a woman who I did not know comes up to me and says you don't know me but I was at one of your Center school presentations and I can't thank you enough and it's really it's the information you know that we get from the attitude and behavior survey that really helps us focus on what's what's what our students are really telling us is happening in their lives and the reason we think it's important uh to do it on a regular periodic basis is to really you know track what's happening track the changes track the progress we're making look for new things that are happening in the environment that we may not have seen coming but this will tell us so that's why I'm [Music] here um I have a question for you is there a uh time of year that you all have found particularly advantageous to administer um the survey instrument um you we've done it at different times of year sometime yeah I I think there are two trains of thought about when to do it you know one train of thought is uh let's do the the survey earlier in the year so that you know by time we get the information back we can actually you know use some of that during the year another train of thought is well let's do it towards the end of the year when you I I don't think there's a hard answer to that I think it's it's a discussion to have who TS to be the point uh persons within um their respective buildings like at the high school is it typically the guidance SL counseling departments well we we work we work with with guidance we work with uh with the principles we work with you know whoever the uh the schools want us to work with to coordinate thank you so yeah at this point we'll we'll just be initiating conversation about it um could you tell me just a little bit about um I believe it's a a specific Institute that has created this instrument search Institute the search in Institute um I'm not a uh I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of them uh you know I'd be happy to give you more information you can certainly go online and take a look um you know the uh the you know but what they have found over the years is that you know they they report you know certainly we get the Raw results of the surve but they also report it based on assets and they have found that the more assets a you know a child or a community has you know the less likely the child is to fall into troubled Behavior whatever that troubled Behavior may be um and so you know it's you know all I can tell you is this is uh it's it is probably the most accepted student survey in the country at least the one that I'm aware of thank you other questions folks I think one of the things we'll do as a as a district with with the the leadership team is initiate a conversation with Ron maybe Ron invite you in for a meeting because as we know two years ago there was some controversy and and concern from parents about some of the questions that were asked so we want to be very clear on that um the Educators actually run and this something we can not for tonight to talk about but just to mention to you talking with the search Institute is there a more truncated survey because of the length of it uh in the attention span 150 plus questions for younger students so there was some concern there I don't know if it can be changed but something just to talk about but the care survey does offers us a lot of valuable information as Ron talks we do have a new survey policy we want to make sure that it the this fits within the scope of the policy as well and um so we're as always ready to move forward with uh with learning as much as we can about our kids and the the periodic every couple of years um information we get on the assets um is really helpful you know one thing that that both the board and the administration be aware of should be aware of of is that if we have specific issues that we would like to have added to the survey they are more than happy to work with us on that for example a couple of years ago when vaping was just beginning to be an issue we asked for Vaping questions and so they added them specifically for us and so you know they're very they're very responsive in that way I would say I don't know if there's been discussions but Zen would be one to add to on absolutely good one it's a big thing social add something real quick is that okay hi um my name is carolan Murphy um just real quick too I think that something's really insightful about this survey is that it lets us know what the trends are going on in the schools and something we found out with the most recent survey in 2022 was that eating disordered behavior and symptoms have increased in the middle school and high school so it helped us focus on what our Target is as a coalition and also as Educators parents Etc of like what are we teaching our kids as far as diets and what's healthy what's not healthy so I think it's just really insightful across the board in general so I think that's important M well I'm I'm Sorry Miss Murphy yeah how are you connect to the I'm a volunteer as well we're with Brookfield car gotcha thank you so much okay really appreciate that okay awesome I think it's important to assure the folks that are watching in the board um one of the pieces to the survey policy was making sure we had enough lead time for parents to be communicated with and have time to review any surveys um but like I said two years ago specifically it was the care survey in question so um those are assurances that we've U documented now and we have articulated so um we'll keep that in mind but Ron maybe maybe within the month we could start getting together as a team here talk talk through some of this great okay thank you very much thank you thank you very much okay um now we're going to talk about the um baa uh contract and before before you um read the motion I just wanted to uh take a second because this was um recently organized and I wanted to uh give a shout out and a big thank you to the members of the baa headed by Mr Blanda um but also um with represented by a number of folks who are here um and to uh Jo Greenstein Sarah dine um the executive team here um who with me represented the boa Boe an um Kaiser who was from the BF um we all worked together to um try to reach uh mutually satisfying agreement here so anyway I just wanted to say thanks for that Stephanie sorry I lost my page I move that the board approve the successor contract between the Brookfield Board of Education and the Brookfield administrators Association um is there any discussion no but I will say I like this summary of supervision oh yes I'm sorry I'm supposed to be discuss I hope that was helpful we asked our new attorneys if they could do that for us and say can you put it in a chart and said absolutely we'll be happy to do that for you right I'm sorry I dropped the ball I was meant to to to inform everybody that was very nice of them to do yes thank you okay um so this is a just for everybody to know this is a three-year contract um with the um the administrators um Union it's got um Insurance Provisions it's got um salary upticks um it's got the the creation of um an annuity uh we clarified and simplified the language about leave and then clarified um some items having to do with uh the classification hierarchy uh connected to reduction in force classifications so um these were hammered out over a series of meetings um I think it was summer it's all a blur now summer to fall we didn't expect right right right um and then uh we finally reached an agreement so we have a motion on the table um all in favor of approving the successor contract between the um Boe and the baa uh please signify by saying I I any opposed all right so it passes unanimously great thanks guys okay so then we are going to move um to uh receiving a report about multilingual learners but I didn't see Mrs AO is she so Catherine is not able to make it tonight so Anna is going to pinch it um before Anna goes as we roll in um and that's her flexibility and dexterity so thank you Anna for doing that um the reports that like everything we present like everything it feeds in into the resource allocation eventually that we will need um whether we need to add reallocate um delete whatever it might be to that end we really start at this meeting and you'll see in the no the second October meeting and in the November meeting various reports bill goes after this with case load report these are straight reports data and numbers that are feeding into our greater perspective of how we're going to construct the budget that will be presented on December 4th so it's really important these next three meetings really a lot of that the Cadence of the year of all these reports so for example there's Aaron was talking about class size a little bit earli that report will be um at the next meeting right the formal class in the enrollment report and those kinds of things which obviously um there's cost to and we have to put our Resources with so I'll stop there and turn it over to Anna thank you well thanks um so hi everyone this is just a warmup for me for a couple more minutes um so just I mean this is fairly straightforward but I just want to point out some of the actual highlights as well as highlighted a few of the other pieces um and so as you can see at the top of the report uh we our current enrollment um is for K12 across the District of students who qualify as U MultiLing multilingual Learners is 122 this is a plus of eight from uh total students from last year um and so it's just kind of important to recognize that you know our the needs of our students are continue continue to be there um and there are a variety of different 12 different uh types of language other than other than English as you can see all the list on the right hand side um in that box um but just to draw your attention to um the you know the greatest areas of need are at CES in terms of bilingual program as a reminder um if any one school has a total number of 20 students or more that is considered um a cohort and that uh requires the district to have a bilingual program to serve the needs of those students we if you remember last year we put into the budget a 0.5 bi uh bilingual for Portuguese teacher um so Point halftime FTE we were unable to find um a a teacher in that area bilingual Portuguese is particularly difficult we do have members of our faculty and staff who do um speak uh Portuguese fluently they are and we actually repurpose that FTE that that portion of the budget to um have a full-time multilingual Portuguese speaking par educator and so that par educator is working directly with the bilingual Spanish program um and serving the needs of students there um so that's how we're and that is uh completely acceptable by the state as long as you provide that you you show that you've gone through all the appropriate steps to work to try to get um a certified educator in that position and then if you can't this is the uh the kind of backup if you you may remember that um the 22 23 year we had the same situ ation with Spanish language we could not find a bilingual Spanish language teacher when it was at Huckleberry that was where the need was at that point and so we um service the needs of those students through our Spanish speaking our Spanish teachers as well as uh par par Educators that year so this is kind of following in that same footsteps um we M we're maintaining last year we were at 20 students at CES who uh spoke Portuguese as their primary language we still have the same number um I don't know if it's the same actual kids but the same number in terms of students who speak Portuguese and our number um in Spanish has gone from 40 to 45 um so or maybe it was 42 last year but it's it is steadily increasing so CES is the only School in the district that based on the cohort requires a bilingual program or two bilingual programs um and as a reminder uh the students um in the who any of the multil language students across the district will continue to take the last links uh which is a test that essentially sort of you know addresses or assesses where their um language capacity is in in various modes So reading writing speaking listening um and then depending on the outcome of those of those surveys that's where or that that assessment that's will determine if they need to continue as a multilanguage learner or they can um graduate out so it's also one of the reasons that you see that you have fewer kids as they get older because they've had more instruction um and more experience and time here so um but just kind of going back to that parent Square question you know you can see that there clearly is a need in our community for um multiple different languages um including uh erdu and I'm pretty sure parents Square includes erdu um and so uh it's it's great that we have that tool where parents can um opt into that so and we'll certainly come back with how many of our um families are choosing to use those languages thank you Anna much appreciated than sure my pleasure you got on base with that nice well done well done you we'll see you again yeah so we're going to move now to um getting an update from Mr Roland um for watching home director of special services for special education talk to us about special services right now good evening everyone um as I came to you last year in October I come to you this year with uh numbers that you received last week about our our case loads across the district including our related Services um our total special education students in the district are 348 that's down from last year but I would caution to not necessarily look at a number from year to year because as you know referrals come in students graduate move on so it's it's kind of a different count than you might have otherwise um I'd like to go through the three schools and then go through the related services and then take any questions you might have so if we look at uh Candlewood Lake um we have three prek um with an average of 8 and a3d students in each making sure that um in K5 we are currently hiring for a a teacher so as you can see with the average case SL we based it both on five teachers and six teachers we're in the process of hiring um in that case with 81 students and the case loads you can see um our ELC programs at both uh Candlewood Lake and whiskin near uh including our social emotional are well staffed and have a low uh population so that we can have good onetoone services and and uh close closely monitored teaching and and instruction um so in terms of the the case loads at whiner six teachers 72 students with an average case load of 12 and as you're seeing the case loads are are relatively um stable but I'm going to have something to to speak to later on as we look into related Services um at the high school from grades 9 to 12 um seven teachers 104 averages out to 15 uh our life skills class has six and again as students move from one school to the other I would then say that you're going to see those numbers shift and as they move into transition you'll also see those numbers shift um in terms of speech language pathologists across the district um I would also like to say that when we're looking at speech language and when we're looking at OT later on we're looking at not only direct service but also consult so when we look at these numbers these are combinations of um direct Service as well as consult with teachers um at CES we have uh average case loads from K5 about 22 and a half prek about 24 be well average of 24 and that's that's a number that we're continuing to look at at sker the average is 192 and at BHS uh average is 29 and A3 and I would also say let's factor in the specialized programs when we're looking at these School psychologists now School psychologists are doing more evaluations then they aren't necessarily counseling uh some have a piece of a counseling load but you'll see that the social workers by and large do a lot of the counseling if not all the counseling so when we're looking at numbers from clas to WMS and BHS I would I'll ask you to look at the evaluations because that also rolls out as referrals come in as the triennials come in so that from year to year you might see different numbers and think why are they up why are they down it comes down to the number of students that are in those grades at that time with uh triennials um I'd like you to focus a bit on on school social workers and especially at CS um in conversations with Dr Pepsi and and Dr burill and Dr man we've looked at the need at CES for uh what the students need and if you look at the average case load of 29 a half there are no hard and fast mandates on what the actual case load should be but it starts to look a little high when we start talking about what students need and what the the role of a social worker is in a building especially a K5 so there is a uh FTE that is out there that we would like to propose to hire that and fill that as Within additional social worker at CES uh we feel that that would not only reduce the case load but would provide additional uh mental health and behavioral support within the building and that's based on conversations with our teachers with our mental health staff and Dr P and his team there Bill Bill if before we go on and not to to stop his presentation get into a conversation yet just to let everybody know there was a uh in looking at very low case loads at the middle school there was a special education teacher who resigned uh over the summer uh bill and the team were looking at do we do we really need to given the case loads need to backfill that position at whis skiner or look at needs at Sil yes that we we saw were growing we I've talked to the finance committee about this already we've held on hiring that FTE whether and and what we're exactly going to use that for we wanted the school year to get underway new students to move in students to move out and really settle in and now six seven weeks in uh bill and the team's recommendation at CS is we really could use that FTE that we have in the budget uh instead of for an additional special education teacher for a social worker what that would do was take our case loads from almost 30 for two social workers at the elementary school balancing you know uh three different grade levels uh upper and lower house to two um uh to 20 per uh uh 20 on a case load of three social workers taking two grades each so I just wanted to be clear on that that's where we're at and thinking about that uh bill and I talked about him mentioning that tonight given this presentation and talking about driving the budget but that's in this current budget certainly need to convene a meeting with Personnel negotiations committee talk about that a little further so we can get a recommendation and move forward with that but it's not a new it's not a new FTE it's already in the budget so if we we let's ask questions after but Bill continue thank you for that clarification Dr BR um and we we looked at at school psychologist and again we talked about evaluations and we talked about social workers and the where the case loads fall there and again I think you talk about different intensities of needs throughout all three schools um when we talk about bcbas which as you know are very specialized um unique and specific uh service that's provided by uh these board certified Behavior analysts um two at CES and one who floats between um WMS and BHS their average case Lo is about 16 and 2/3 close to 17 and again that is a combination of consult and direct service so when we're looking at this it's it's a combin of those two and then with the occupational therapist and physical therapists we have two at CES um and again consult and direct service the average case load is 34 um we have a a a halftime 0.5 OT with a Koda a certified occupational therapy assistant who works under the occupational therapist and the combination of those two between whis skiner and um BHS is 26 and we have A8 physical therapist who works throughout the district and her case load is 21 bill before we move forward to questions can you talk a little bit about because there's there's a high number there at the high school with the evaluations for the school psychologist correct talk to us a little bit about um our partnership with that advance and the services they're able to offer sure I and I may have mentioned this earlier in maybe my July presentation but I'd like to repeat it um Ed Advance has offered districts uh at no charge to districts uh school psychology to take in any overload or or or um spillover of evaluations that districts have and in some years you may have fewer than 52 at the high school but Ed Advance has reached out to all of our all the districts that they represent and we are one of them to offer uh free school psychologist evaluations for them to come in and do the testing um we have availed ourselves of that for both the fall and the spring as we look at what our numbers are and where we need them um and it's not that we are um asking for a bulk but we're making sure that if referrals come in and evaluations need to be done it may not be now but it might be later in November we might start to see as the marking period ends grades come in questions arise from from mtss and from parents and from teachers should we evaluate and for that we want to have um you know the the availability of extra school psychologist should we need them that's fantastic thank you Bill that's great thank you thanks everyone um I have a couple questions actually if you could stay there um I just want to understand the the CES social workers um so there's two there now and there is a position opened for a third no there is two two fdes assigned as social workers to CS we had two ready to go one decided they needed to move on so they resigned so we've had one social worker okay which that's where where you get that 59 for the case Lo they they've been managing for the first 6 weeks of school okay okay so we're about to fill as I understand corre we've got the timing on that get that second social worker what I was talking about is this extra FTE that we're moving we transfer from whiskin to CES it was in in the department of special education and use it as a social worker given the data um in the needs okay but so a third third okay that woulding that would bring the average instead of 60 um so when you're looking at sort of average case loads you know what kind of guidelines are you sort of basing off of or is it really just kind of like a well really depends because every student is so different I think underneath this as we're looking at averages we're also looking at service hours yeah so that if you're looking at at students in an average case load within that you're also looking at again there's no mandates there's no state they must there must be this case load but I think you look at um where the data was from a year ago from two years ago but you also have conversations with the staff where you're saying how heavy is the case hold right now looking talking to the supervisors talking to the principles and saying is there a need and in some cases the conversation becomes it might look like there's a need but there's really more consult maybe that's coming in versus direct service so in terms of data it might be more anecdotal in terms of what the need is and what the IEP and what the ppts bring up in terms of what a student might need a student might not need OT one year but it turns that they move from let's say Elementary to middle and the evaluations turn that it would it would benefit them so again it's difficult to quantify sometimes and I and I hate that because you want to give I want to give you and and and the public the data but there's also a fluidity to special education that shifts from year to year and shifts from student to student and their needs I think another piece rose on that question that's important as Dr corvo talked about with the c Audits and she came up and actually talked about looking at the IEPs and counting the hours the service hours that you talk about and then do you have enough staff to cover those service hours that you're assigning that many students to one person so that that's another that's a hard piece of that's the underpinning and it's it's hard to put that into like average service hours because it wouldn't be so but that is that is part of the the thought process that we have when we're talking about what we're going to do and who where we're going to put people and and how we're going to service the kids okay great so uh for BHS like evaluations for school psychologist so that's that's pretty clear they have to write 52 evaluations for the annuals that happens every year no the evaluations would be every three years the trianal the tri yes so but again that's where the numbers shift from year to year so if you have trienal or frankly if you're also looking at initials so the initials that are coming in that may come in at a high school level those plus trianal but you know you know who those students are so you can break it out by how so how many triennials are needed this year right you could break that out cuz that's a really high number but it would be more clear if that was broken out into I can certainly what that psychologist has to do this year right um and then I'm I'm not like totally I'm glad that we have that service for from C but like is that a guarantee I would imagine that all districts are reaching out to adavance sorry from adavance for that service I think every district has had it offer to them I think based on their Staffing and what the needs are and what the evaluations are in any given year right I guess the question maybe could break that down I go further with your question have we been denied when we've asked at Advance for any support no okay I think that you know I want to get that clear the other piece too is where it's lighter at another school the school psychologists don't have to be married to one school so the middle school psychologist School psychologist or the district school psychologist or the elementary can go and help out there yeah that's just tricky cuz they don't know the students AB oh no the advanced people don't either so no that's another layer yeah no there's there's all that and we're trying to be good stewards of the taxpayers money as well so there's there's a lot of balancing that goes into this for sure I have a question too just at whis skiner um with um the social worker I mean their case load is 38 I mean if we're looking at cutting it down I mean they're almost where we are at C offering another one so coulder we are we are having conversations about that Ono as well because that's pretty high I mean middle school historically um I think I think there's always and I mean to interrupt there's always that underpinning of service hours too what that looks like and there could be more check-ins there and again I can get you that information but I think the numbers do tell multiple stories based on what we're what we're looking at so but I'd be happy to to get more details for you and bring got back it was just a high number yeah nope and Fair Point well I think that's a valid concern especially at the middle school level that can be broken down I mean you know what the IP says as far as hours so what does that what does that Cas look like as far as hours I I guess we would want that broken down further as an area to look at we can we can certainly do that thank you and whisk nearer will stay now we we have two right but two schools psychologists but one is going out right so we'll still keep and that school psychologist is also part of our district wide and out of District as well I had no idea so that's yeah she is the sort of se but also Additionally the out of District the one at whiskin yeah the the the the one who's going out on two one of the two okay well I have to say I was one that had um an evaluation from one school to another cuz it just was and it was actually really neat for the school psychologist to be able to do it because she doesn't typically see them in three years right so she was able to see it again bringing great information Hasen okay do you have any feeling about the pool of applicants whether if we go out there we're going to get any people for which position any um social workers we've had spectacular candidates for social work oh great yep and I think the ones that we that we have hired this year are among the just in general in terms of of teachers have been terrific have we had any discussions about um what we can do proactively to retain the social workers this has been a high turnover no but we could I think that's that's a fair question okay um I just wanted to say um thank you for the care uh and um Precision you put into this this really was a useful um document to help me I don't want to speak for other people but help me understand um the apportionment of resources and where the pressure points are and um I really appreciated that so thank you and thank you Dr Youngblood and thank you to the members of the board Dr bur Dr man um it it again the fluidity of special ed makes it sometimes challenging to try to give hard numbers but I appreciate your feedback and we'll Endeavor to add those pieces to what we're working on awesome thank you Bill is scheduled to come back in November so yes and I know Aaron you're involved with strategic planning and all that so that that will be part of that presentation all right so um Dr man we're going to hear from you again about student achievement and I just like to make a couple of comments as Dr man gets herself ready on the laptop um I think uh just kind of setting this up the context for this evening um it's important to know that not only will you see this is this is a report on the actual achievement data it's followed immediately by it really could be one report the school Improvement plans what each principal is putting in place you know with input obviously from their staff and their their their teachers and and the whole gang um the a few of you were at the convocation um we talked a little bit uh about the uh professional development day on Monday you saw a lot of energy here tonight um they're really focused on finding meaning in their work our teachers and um what you'll see tonight is the alignment from the Strategic plan uh to the board priorities that were articulated to me at the end of of the year in terms of things the board asked Meda to make as high priority Focus areas um as well as kind of turning those into District goals principal goals the school Improvement plans all the way to the new teacher evaluation system it's all linked together climate is a lynchpin of that if people are finding meaning in their work and they're feeling good about their work and they're feeling supported I think it's pretty much common sense that they're going to uh do quite well well so that coherence has been brought through and you'll see that throughout tonight so Anna please thank you thank you and um I also just wanted to um well thank thank you all for uh allowing me this time to once again go through uh the this one dipstick measure of our student um of measuring our students achievement um I did have the opportunity last week as uh Miss Greenstein said about uh to present to Cape so a few members were able to give me some good feedback so I made some adjustments based on that feedback um and you know as has been mentioned in the past this this we have historically done this um the Sip presentations as part of this but given the um kind of the robustness of the Sip presentations we wanted to kind of tease them out a little bit so while this is a little bit um more concise this year uh you know I it is it still highlights this one uh Time One Moment In Time for um our students so this is the the student the spring student um assessment report essentially this data will be part of a more comprehensive uh report that I will give to you as soon as we get the information um from the state department the Next Generation accountability uh report which is a much more comprehensive uh larger three more threedimensional view of what of how our district is doing and how our individual schools are doing um so this data will be a part of that but uh it this one we always like to highlight kind of where we are just to use this as our um kind of consistent measure from year to year in this area yeah so tonight um I'll be going over um I think I I always go kind of you know we we tend to go elementary up so this time we're going to kind of go High School backwards um so we'll start off with the uh advanced placement uh results um and from college board and some information from college board some of which you have already heard about through uh Dr bur's Friday uh Communications to the board we'll also go over the evidence-based reading and writing and math sat results um um and then we'll move into the smarter balance results in ela and math uh for grades 3 through 8 and then um finish up with the Next Generation science standards which are assessed in grades 5 8 and 11 and then I'll talk briefly kind of again this is more of like a 10,000 foot view um about the plans moving forward and how those aligned to the um individual School Improvement plans that you're going to hear about after this presentation so once again just to kind of give us our context you know we continue to be grounded in purpose which is kind of evidenced or symbolized by our onepage strategic Planner on your left um and then inspired by Vision this is the you know the draft uh version of our portrait of a learner portrait of a graduate we're still working on the verbiage um for our school and it's really you know as a reminder this is really the vision for it's our North Star it's what we want our students starting in prek Ork whenever they join us all the way through post High School to really uh you know kind of strive to achieve so um that social change maker collaborator and Communicator caring citizen critical and creative thinker um and definitely some consistent themes but some adjustments based on um the work of the pathway last year so the first uh piece of data that I'd like to go through is the AP exam uh data so as a reminder our students uh can start taking AP AP uh classes or college level classes our BHS offers uh this level of class to starting freshman year depending on um the subject area I did a historical a four-year historical kind of look back because that kind of is post-pandemic information and uh kind of is the most you know most uh closely aligned to where we are now um and so I wanted to call your attention just to kind of explain the graph the green uh bar is the total number of tests taken in our um in our with in our school so in for example in 2021 we had 518 tests uh taken last year we had 594 those 594 tests last year are were taken by this blue graph which is the 305 total students um who took an AP class and took the exam so these 305 May took on average about 1.75 uh tests so anywhere between one to probably three or four depending on the number of AP classes that the students were were in and of those 305 students 240 of them achieved a three or better on any number of their tests so if I took three tests and I got a four on one of them and a two on the other I am still part of this graph because I I I achieved three or better on that one test so we don't really know it's hard to break down exactly of those 240 students how many of them got specific three four or five but I'm going to have some more data um more specific data on the next slide um but that's really that's really good news that our students of of those 305 um the majority of them achieved a three or better just for um everyone's edification three or better is what college board um kind of designates as what should earn college credit or what is college in college ready just as a caveat that's College board's um kind of expectation many school schools will only honor depending on the subject and it really is subject specific you know if you look at the at any given schools um list of the the uh um credit that they accept it might be a four in AP US History but it's a three in AP Government so it really depends on the school um and then still many other schools don't even kind of acknowledge the um AP uh uh process they may use it for course advancement so you may not have to start at the first level of an English course or a social studies course or a science course but you can't exempt yourself all together so it's very dependent on the school so we don't we're not worried about that so much but that's just information based on these results of this year in 2024 um BHS earned a commodation as an AP honor rooll school and that's because the number of students who took the number of tests they did that they did and earned a three or better on the total number of tests so that's really good news that our kids are doing so well this is a um graph that I kind of added based on the feedback from Cape last week so again that green bar that green graph of 594 student 594 tests the breakdown in terms of where the that data Falls is that of the three are better you know so we had 67 and 88 student uh tests respectively be in that lower level which is not considered College ready one or two um there were 139 tests that scored a three but 207 and then 108 respectively four and five so that's really good news that that that total of the 240 from the slide before the majority of them are four or fives so it's not just that they're kind of squeaking by we don't have you know 210 getting threes we have a lot of kids getting um you know getting those higher uh those higher scores so that's really impressive um especially considering that for example uh AP human geo geography is a freshman is a course taken during freshman year um so pretty impressive all right so the connection to the our our Connecticut new SAT day I feel like every time I'm up here I'm giving more information about the changes in sat um that's because they are constantly changing um based on whatever the needs are of the uh college board and the um post-secondary uh schools so up until last year two years ago they went online right sat were given online for the first time but they were still the same sat that we were kind of used to in years past there were three three parts to each side for the evidence-based reading and writing and the math they were the 4 and a half hour long to 5 and a half hour long test um depending on um you know what the what the need was um or if you know a student could actually be sitting there for the majority of a day if they had extended time um at this so then this year this past spring the um it stayed online but the difference this year is now it is adaptive so it um is only two modules per different subject so erw and math are now only two modules the first module for each of them determines the type of module that the second one is so students depending on how they do in the first module will get different in will get a whole different test you know one student to the next um and again because our kids are very invested and very very Savvy they have figured it out and um whether they are super scoring which means they're really focused on just one side of the of the assessment so they're just doing erw on one sitting and then just focusing on math in another um that was something we saw kind of a couple years ago um now the kids again we're talking a lot about kind of you know preparedness and uh kind of mental health um students know if they get an easier version in the second module h i just bombb the module because now things are too easy for me I'm flying through this that must mean that the adaptiveness is um giving me easier modules so that's it's again there's there's the jury's out on you know how relevant this data can be for college readiness um but as was mentioned earlier we have many more schools that are going back to for their again their admissions purposes lots of different reasons um this is an important test it's becoming more and more important you know we went through a dip there where it was less important um in terms of post col uh plans but it's becoming more and more important and so we're going to have to adapt to that no pun intended um with our SAT prep with our students because they're already worried about it and working on it so here's the historical data again um not complete Apples to Apples I would say more like an apples to pair kind of contrast um because this is the first year of adaptive um SAT but this is the erw uh results so um and again this is based on the um what college board considers meeting are exceeding as far as um their kind of cut score so this year and that also adjusts slightly each year this year meeting or exceeding for college board on the erw was uh a total score of 480 um so 71.2% of our students that's this column right here uh met that or exceeded that um and again these are this year's seniors versus 54.8 for the state um and historically you know that kind of ratio has been pretty consistent um with our students versus the versus the state the math um does not look as as good as that um but we also see that there's this so at this year 38.4% of our students uh our Juniors who are now seniors uh met or exceeded that range is 530 so remember erw was 480 this kind of cut score is 530 um and versus the state which was 29.5 I will draw your attention to the fact that um just as as BHS uh results have the Brookfield results have gone down so have the states um kind of precipitously uh a little bit more in fact all right so now we move on to our 3 through eight smarter balanced assessment uh smarter balance is also a uh Ela and math so not evidence-based reading and writing but um English language arts and math it's administered to all students in the springtime and 3 through eight I will also just mention that almost all of the well all of the uh State assessments at this point rather than having an actual day that is designated across the state or even a week now there's a range and it can be anywhere from mid-march to the middle or end of May um and so the different schools um you know depending on the the needs that they have and the way that they can you know all of these need Wi-Fi and need um you know tech technology so we need to kind of strategize across the district but most of them are um you know we we figure out the logistics uh based on those windows um same as in years past we have four levels of achievement meet or exceeded is a three or four um and that's what we're always kind of aiming for um so this is the ELA uh results and so again we we want the nice thing about the smarter balance is that we can do cohort we can look at cohorts across time right and so what we have here and I want to thank U Mrs Fus for putting together this chart because I think that the color uh alignment shows um some nice it's just easier to see so this is this year's this past sum past Spring's results so our third graders 50% of them met or exceeded um the SBA the fourth graders 62% met or exceeded the SBA and Ela fifth grade was at 60% sixth grade was at 69% 7th grade at 65% and our current freshmen last year's eighth graders were at 68% um and so as you can see and those cohorts are kind of you know being they're fairly consistent trending up slightly from the 2122 which was just the post pandemic so that's good news right that was the first year that we really assessed after the pandemic um but you know we're but these are not scores that we are happy with we still want to get our students to be um more consistently um many more of them um above meeting or exceeding and here are the math scores the same exact um kind of you know approach towards the towards this data and so 2324 is in the far right hand column and uh you can go down third graders were at 58% again at meteor meteor exceeding our fourth graders were at 65% last year was the first year that we 4th through 8th instituted um illustrative math so um was a transition year uh for that fifth grade was at 38% um which is of major concern um so you'll see that that cohort went from fourth grade at 61% down to 38% in fifth grade however the fifth graders went from from two years ago went from 47% up to 64% so there's some and we have some ideas about what's going on with that um our seventh graders were at 58% and then our current ninth graders who were eighth graders last year where 57% um met or exceeded so math is clearly an area that we need to um continue to focus on one of the things that we've spoken about with uh the uh CES folks um is the is in fifth grade uh there the standards are very very robust and um the time for instruction um is need there needs to be a little bit more time and in instruction the the State Department of Education suggests 60 to 90 minutes and we don't c l have quite that that amount of time in fifth grade um and with the adjustments to CES and the opportunities to really kind of as we've always kind of said right size the middle school and bring the um fifth grade into an appropriate fifth grade model those are some areas that we're really looking for and uh looking forward to kind of adjusting throughout this year in preparation for further changes but Dr P is going to talk a little bit about that our next Generation science standard is just kind of one Standalone uh because there we can't do cohort adjustments because it's only every 3 years um so but generally speaking fifth grade was at 61% 8th grade is 68% and 11th grade at 61% so you can see that that's you know we're kind of in that um ballpark for all three uh areas of um subject um but we need to think about what are the ways that we're going to push the bar move that bar further up so here are some of our uh General plans of action so as you know we have um brought in over the last two years some pretty heavy duty Tools in um these two areas at C at the elementary and um up through the Middle School for Math so this this year CK is being instituted so the um core core knowledge language arts in grades K through three with the plan right now for next year to incorporate it in grades four and five um as you may remember when we first uh introduced illustrative math our plan was a two-year roll out it's now taking a three-year roll out mainly because of the the um very heavy lift that the K through3 teachers are um doing K through2 teachers are um are doing CK this year third grade half of them last year did Implement a lot of the I of the illustrative math so this year all of third grade is doing illustrative math up through 8th grade and next year K2 will Implement illustrative math So the plan right now is for K through five to be doing cka and illustrative math next year we may have to make some adjustments based on where the fourth and fifth grade is particularly in that fifth grade math so if fifth grade math is still a real area and we're really really laser focused in on that CK may have to wait another year for fifth grade we'll have to kind of see um there the social stud studies standards have changed they have been readjusted um and so our uh social studies um instructional coach Jen shat has been worked really hard over the the summer to not only readjust the scope and sequence of our curriculum but also worked very intentionally with cohorts of teachers in the elementary school to make sure that they were prepared to weave in those new standards and they could really kind of have a vision for how they wanted to um to in include that in their instruction similarly with science standards those have been readjusted over the last couple years and um Rachel Cohen has worked hard uh readjusting uh those standards as well as well as working very very diligently with teachers particularly in the elementary school um and then as I mentioned we are really reflecting on and reviewing the instructional time um for you know the schedule in general for fourth and fifth grade um some instructional uh approaches and interventions as Dr burill U mentioned earlier you know the instructional coaches are focused in this year as a cohort creating an instructional Playbook and so that instructional Playbook is essentially kind of their um bag of tricks in terms of helping teachers with different uh approaches to instruction so whether it's for use of formative assessment or um differentiated instruction and within all of those areas those kind of larger areas there will be specifical specific instruction and assessment aspects broken down this is not something this is not a Playbook that you hand over to teachers and say have at it it is what the instructional coach uses to go through with the teacher as part of a coaching cycle um to say okay so based on what you're telling me and the needs of your students right now this might be a really good instructional approach to look at so let's dig into this do a little bit of research together and then we come up with a student learning plan together so um it is something that is deliverable we'll be able to give to you but it's not I just don't want there to be a misunderstanding that it's like something we just hand out um it's not a standalone kind of how-to book um we will continue to uh implement the instructional assessment blocks which are the state department released uh um assessment tools for math Ela and Science and then our continued use of benchmark assessments beginning of the year data um to and middle of the Year data and end of the year data to review present levels um specifically at CES for to make sure that we have an idea of not only with our multi-tiered systems of support at all three different schools but most importantly really what are those tier one instructional um goals that we really or instructional approaches that we need to hone in on so that all students in all classes are getting the highest level of instruction and um academic experience from from their classes um at BHS and again Mr bland is going to talk a little bit further about this um there have been adjustments to the to math preparation through an inhouse digital tool that the uh department chair is working on not only creating but rolling out um and and working on with his with his teachers um and in the humanities area for we also have um created you may remember last year Cape approved a new uh college algebra course which is kind of that interim course for juniors um who are not quite ready for pre-calculus but are um you know have gone through Algebra 2 and kind of need that extra re um reaffirmation of those skills and the SAT Math is all about particularly about algebra and specifically Algebra 2 skills um on the humanity side there will be there's formal there they did this last year but it was not they kind of have readjusted um and uh are going to give more time to this a little bit further lead time formal inclusion of sat strategies particularly given the fact that it is adaptive and it's so heavily based in Reading um and really some appropriate approaches to approaching the test um in English and social studies courses and also um prior to the SAT day which is going to be the beginning of April this year um and based on PSAT results and last year we did not assess the n9th and tth graders with PSAT but this year as you heard um from our student representative we did have uh all 9th 10th and 11th graders take the PSAT the PSAT is a is um you know again it is a practice SAT but for 11th graders it is that National Merit qualifier um so really historically the 11th graders are the ones who take the test because they get naturally entered into the National Merit um uh competition but as we have talked about this is a top priority it'll be highlighted through the sips um as Dr burill mentioned in the beginning this is um everything is co is kind of integrated together right so we um this this is one snapshot in time it's really important data it's data that our teachers and our department chairs and our administrators take and kind of really comprehensively review and then also monitor so that they can see how kids are doing throughout the year through the standardized assessments but also those in-house assessments and also as you heard from the beginning um you know from the student Spotlight we have to make sure that our kids feel like they are in a place where they're going to be successful where they are able to um perform to their highest level and they know that their teachers have done everything that they can to prepare them to be successful on the day of the assessment and and in their classes and for the next year and to become contributing citizens of society which is that portrait of The Graduate kind of thing so it's really important to look at this individually but then also kind of comprehensively in terms of how our academic focus is uh is laser focused on that but also our School climate our school culture um and all of the things that we've been talking about throughout the fall ties us back to that being that grounded in purpose we are constantly reflecting back on our our strategic plan that was adopted by the board in the spring of 2023 and making sure that we are working toward honoring those you know those guidance that guidance that we that was set forward for us um throughout all of this stuff so uh I've just I always you know want to just highlight a few of those things so the idea of the portrait of The Graduate those domains and descriptors um that will be the Cornerstone of everything that we are doing um rigorous alignment to standards based curriculum that is continues to be our focus in terms of that curricular aspect as you may remember that curriculum instruction and assessment Continuum is so important and then obviously our uh Brookfield p po uh main vision for our students and that is it for me but I'm happy to take any questions question I just have a quick question about um a possible action plan with with math um with the scores and all of this is there any thought of incorporating more fact fluency in addition to rolling out the UST of mass because I know it doesn't allow for much which is just some of that practice that rope practice that I think so I think that um the the main there there's definitely going to be you know an integration that's like last year what we did in terms of not throwing the baby out with the bath water um the main thing I think that we have to really dig into and yes there can certainly be that instructional level that we could get into um is the time on task the teaching time so really looking at our at our schedule and making sure that we have the time because right now we're struggling to get through an illustrative math um full lesson uh and so if we can Shore that up and then there's also I mean but certainly at those tier at that tier 2 level or even during the morning meeting time or those other things where there can be kind of found time 10 minutes 20 minutes here that's those are the kinds of things that we could certainly incorporate and and they're they're talking about that at the elementary level and at the middle school level on a regular basis through their instructional leadership teams and with the instructional coaches and those kinds of things do you know what the turnaround time for the PS results are that changes a a bunch okay it's not it's not the same when that comes out can we get that and kind of do like a mirror with the esack well we can look at fifth grade I mean e8th grade into nth grade right that and then look at um maybe also then looking at midterms once that rolls out looking at that data too we could certainly do that at at a at a cape level and then decide what we wanted to bring up to back I'm sorry is the is that testing back yet yeah that's what this that this was from the spring this is so esack is always in the spring we be put Oh you mean in terms of student reports we have not we have not gotten all that loaded up to yeah I was just curious as where our students were yeah so the student reports are going to be coming out by the end of the month um we'll be loading like we did last year we load them into docil loock um through power school and then we'll let teachers or uh parents know when that is coming that's forthcoming I just wanted to say I thought that that was really also well done and though the way that these are are working together I think helps us appreciate um if I can call this the micro which it isn't really but also with the macro so thanks a bunch my pleasure that was awesome okay so that means that we are moving uh to the school Improvement plan updates um did you guys already do rock paper scissors no they they have it already all loaded up here I'm pretty sure so um does that mean well for the folks at home you're about to see the The Traveling Show so I'm going to help Dave here excellent well he actually uh challenged me to a wrestling match to go first and no I I feel like I maybe would be able to read about three lines so Mr blend has agreed to read my class school Improvement plan for me all right so good thing I saw a part of this yesterday uh we prepped so I know a little bit about this which is a good thing um as you know that there's been obviously a lot of conversation about uh CLA School climate uh and so Dr pepas has outlined a bunch of these different things um you know first of all is the PBIS positive behavior intervention support system um you know that we've been a ruler district for some time now uh we continue to do that uh they have a great initiative called classy coins uh it's something that I saw in the office the other day I think you did you meet your goal they met their goal so it was nice to see I saw the line there's a debate like do they have to get to the line does it go over the line I heard that um and so it looked like they did meet their their Mark with Classy coins so uh the continue reinforcement of that positive uh behavior is fantastic um you heard tonight already about the Cubs clubs uh you great presentation about student Spotlight there's other things in terms of Buddy readers maker Space Buddies um these are peer mentorship programs we know that that connection between upper and lower grades is really key uh you'll hear about in my Pres a little bit about some of the things we're going to do at the high school and you also hear what they're already doing at the middle school as well so you'll see a lot of trends of uh connection from uh CES all the way through to the high school some new things we're doing some things they've already been doing so that's uh fantastic um we're visiting the pause lessons like explicitly teaching those you know you have a very large building with a whole lot of kids and a lot of different grades we always want to make sure at that level that you're teaching appropriate behavior right how to walk respectfully in the classrooms and hallways how to not trip over rocks um cafeteria bathrooms and buses right and getting that common language is really important so that it's the same for everybody so the expectations whether you're being talked to by a first grade teacher in One Wing or the fifth grade teacher somewhere else that common language is really huge so they're on the same level you can use those same words and it's help for the kids to understand uh also obviously continue to work the ruler approach approach excuse me um when we get to a point we talk about the blueprint um and also having students resolve their regulated motions and resolve conflict right so that ruler approach is embedded in there um administrator check-ins during grade level plc's I'm not entirely sure how often those happen to grade level plcs days once every six days those are once every six days and just while I'm still have some speaking voice uh staff climate surveys we're working with Ed Advance uh you know to to eron's point that you had made at a previous meeting teachers need a place where we they're guaranteed to feel comfortable expressing the opinions not wait till the end of the year uh so by working with Ed Advance we're going to do this class staff climate surveys throughout the year um climate team uh sponsoring staff bonding activities throughout the year I was very jealous we were at the high school uh for uh our professional learning day high school is at high school is at CS for the professional learning day and there was this potluck going on and now my teachers are jealous and so now we're talking about what we're going to do here right so it was it was a nice thing to see that they did that could I please make it clear that we did share what high school we didn't right go away this is our pilot let's be clear yes that we were allowed to partake um but it was it was it was a lot of food it was a ton of food um you're going you heard a lot already tonight and you'll continue to hear the work through all three of the presentations about the reflective intelligence work we're doing with Boston College um and Tim Klein who's been associated with every top-notch University I feel like across the country quite frankly um you know we had a great first day uh for all the um all the facil fa ators I couldn't think of the word I always get facilitators and practitioners that was a lot of the training on Monday Tuesday what day mon I don't know what day of the week it is um he's the one sick and I so it was on so we had full day training for all the facilitators um at CES uh and then the practitioners also got to start working on some of their goals and things they might work on and then we'll be looking at November 5th to actually spend some time with facilitators working with the practitioners for some of that reflective intelligence work which is just fantastic when you think about the number of teachers that have signed up to be a part of that um really they want to find purpose in their life and their work and it's it's really helpful uh and then there is uh CL CES connects which is Staff information document shared every six days it's based on that PLC rotation that Dave talked about before so it's shared after that to kind of coincide with here's the meeting and here's the the followup from there parent engagement um this makes me want to be an elementary principal organized familyfriendly School events such as family arts and crafts nights Gatherings classroom celebrations mystery readers I know one of my staff members is really was asking today how I she can get over to read to one of the teachers uh to one of the classes um band's and chorus concerts which I have to say last year for those of you at the board meeting when you heard they were fantastic um that was just amazing to listen to them um and I always love a good science fair and variety show uh art shows as well something I didn't even know you were doing um the other thing is PTO monthly meetings what they found is alternating between uh mornings and evenings allows for more participation for parents right that's a really important piece for for parent engagement to get everybody you possibly can so alternating every once in a while you get a different group different perspectives really looking to collect everything from everybody um presentation slides for parents on interpreting assessment data and supporting student learning at home I remember when my children were in elementary school which wasn't all that long ago and I thought I knew everything that I knew as an educator and then I got some I really didn't know what it all meant uh and even sometimes when we sit there and I during these board the presentations when uh we talk about data team stuff here at District level I often have questions right a lot of acronyms a lot of growth targets um you know and there's things I still don't know so it' be absolutely helpful for parents to be able to have that um I think you know conducting a survey to identify barriers to engagement in areas of Interest that's something you're going to see also I think in both of our presentations as well um we want to bring PE parents in and try to find a way it's a little harder at the high school level parents often times want to say you know we're going to take a step back and let you do it at the elementary it's a little bit different so with all the possible opportunities and everybody wants to be involved what's the best way to do that um the bi-weekly School newsletter that's every other week uh with uh updates and highlights and the 100% use of parent Square by all staff for communications sent home it's a great new tool and we're continuing to exploring all those different things that we're doing there um this is where you're going to start to lose me a little bit but K3 core knowledge language arts and 35 illustrative math programs uh that's CK I've heard a lot of that's how I've usually heard it and so when I see it spelled out oh I get that now cka I was kind of nodding a lot and understanding now core knowledge language arts and illustrative math which you've heard about implementing those programs um the mtss multi-tiered support services um for those of you that don't know and I think we've talked about that term a lot um it really well works out if you see literacy math and behavior right it's all those things typically RTI srbi was really focused on those academic things mtss actually brings in the behavior piece as well um you know looking at Benchmark assessment scores um you know previous Benchmark assessment scores and current Benchmark assessment scores uh you saw we do a lot of data analysis uh at every level and that continues at CES um I guess looking to implement more math time in grades four and five um that's something that Sarah was talking about a little bit too concerns of yeah and I I really want to drive that point in home that we do not have enough math instructional time right now and we're working with our teachers and our coaches and our instructional leadership team to get more math time so uh next time you hear from me and it would be nice if we came back and did an update uh on how our sips are going you're going to hear more math time in fourth and fifth grade yeah you know effectively using the iabs which with the interim assessment blocks those are through Smarter Balance those are things that we can use and we've been used them for a couple different years now um and seeing some success with that to continue to use that um the instructional coaches Partnerships um you know improve instruction at tier one and tier one plus you know that tier that basic level of instruction that all kids get you know often times uh there can be a misnomer a misunderstanding that um when you work at the tier one level there's a lot of flexibility and differentiation that has to happen at that level you don't automatically go right to that next level of tier two these um you know and sending kids out different places there's a lot of stuff that teachers can do in the classroom themselves um having a PLC meeting facilitated by instructional coaches is obviously very helpful uh and then monthly instructional leadership team meetings um to review Data Systems and structures uh obviously we all have professional learning goals as well um you're going to see a lot of familiarity and similarities across the three schools with this providing dedicated time on Wednesday meetings and schedule PD um you know we have the faculty are now in this embarking on this and started this week really developing their own growth personal growth plans which is something something that a lot of times it's been you you give it to me the administrator evaluator gives it to me and you know we just kind of do it sometimes they have ideas this is such a much more collaborative but really teachers are driving their own goals which is fantastic so they need the time to do that so whether whether it's scheduled PD time we had this past week on Monday uh some of the time it's going to happen on November 5th our Wednesday after school meeting some of those are leveraged to do some of that same work um and the classroom observations as well uh that's going to be different for us as evaluators we used to typically go in and watch a classroom and it was you know I'm going to come watch your third grade math lesson whatever it may be for Dave um and you take notes and you provide feedback on that lesson now we're orienting that and uh organizing our thoughts so we're going into to watch the third grade math lesson with a focus on what your goals actually are instead of just out of nowhere and just writing about things so there's this through line starts to emerge and we can actually support teachers better through their work um and then continue to share professional development opportunities um because they're going to there's a lot of different opportunities I know I have a couple people that have gone out already I'll talk about that myself but I know um they're going to continue to do that at CES as well if I could just as Dean is transitioning up um just kind of reiterate what uh Mark and and uh Dave were sharing you know the the integration when we were talking about the integration of all of these things um I'm not sure and I know that we have some Educators on here so you probably understand but I'm not sure um that the general public understands how impactful um EV valuation plan is on climate um not just for teachers but for the entire school for the administrators and for everybody else up until this past year we've had flexibility since the pandemic which has been nice except it's been a little nebulous and when it's nebulous it causes a little bit of consternation right people get a little uneasy what exactly does this mean am I going to get evaluated what what are they looking for um prior to that when it was a very um accountability driven kind of onerous heavy-handed approach it had a significant impact and it did not have the desired impact that the um state was looking for um but it really did set up this kind of um this compliance-driven uh situation and it did not it was not particularly efficacious and it certainly didn't help uh with how teachers felt like they were being fulfilled um one of the pieces of the climate survey that I was really interested in from last year was the professional learning uh feedback uh because we did this big very very big focus and preparation for what we knew was coming down the pike with teacher evaluation um on that on those Pathways where people had a little bit more voice and choice in what they were doing there was also consistency across the the whole year and there was that focus on K12 vertical articulation but still even despite those efforts people did not feel there were I think that our our um results were in the 60% range 65% 68% % of people felt like that was relevant professional learning for them which meant that over 30% did not feel like that um that's significant so having a new teacher valuation plan that again and the state very astutely um adjusted and pivoted so that this is really about teachers feeling like they can learn and grow based on the needs of their students who show up every day um but having a lot more voice and choice there um that has a huge impact on the fact that teachers feel not only like they have ownership but that they have investment and the work that they are doing is personally relevant to them and it happens to be that a big part of our teachers are focusing in on that personal relevance work with the Boston College work that we're doing so I just wanted to reiterate that it is certainly something that um all three of our principles have chosen that and it may or may not be their professional goal because it doesn't have to be their professional goal they can choose something else but all three of them were trained as facilitators the other day and um as I said it's just been hugely hugely positive the feedback that we're getting thank you for letting I ask a question really quick are you finding that teachers this year are using the instructional coaches more and are they become because we had talked at the end of last year about how only a small percentage of teachers had found it especially at CES sort of like how to use them with this new the way that you've laid out what they're in charge of have you found that more teachers are utilizing them in the way that you intended so um I'm gonna I'd like to table that question because uh we're going to get more information November where I can probably maybe the December meeting we'll have the uh survey results but we had talked at Cape about resurveying in November After People set their goals because that's where we'll see the kind of more concrete data um anecdotally they are continuing to be more and more integrated into the work um and it's K8 because those are that's where we have coaches we don't have coaches at the high school so um but yeah we are we um they have always been involved in a curriculum and um and kind of curriculum Specialists as well as that instructional piece but there is a lot more integration continuing to happen you know when that kid goes to the nurse right and realizes they got out of the test because they went to the nurse go back Dean has a stomach ache all of a sudden and so now no I'm kidding I told him he did such a great job I thought he would he would help me out too Dave you need to go home Dr Pips asked yeah good bye bye cuz you're kind of we love you but go ahead know that now it's my's turn far away from every and I and I am here to talk about have a good night um to talk about whis's school Improvement plan and before I start again you will see a through line in a lot of in in many of the slides we may have worded things differently um but again it's that whole idea is as we were working together like Mark said it was soting when he came up here like we knew each other's presentation pretty much because we were we were trying to work together obviously but to be able to plan and present uh for you today so same same uh types of slides we have the school climate some of the areas I just wanted to highlight is uh we have our WMS School climate committee we're going to have we have monthly meetings with with um with that group I did come to one of the last board meetings I spoke a little bit about um how I was excited about our web program it's uh where everyone belongs is our sixth grade orientation and the lessons that um our eighth grade students are delivering to our sixth graders has been a real a great success and with that we also started our unplugged hour which is for our seventh and eighth graders around it's a social tech-free activity um whether it's um playing games board games puzzles learning more about Taylor uh Swift's era uh or tour whatever you want to call it whatever it may be walking around the building whatever it may be again we're trying to really push home that that idea of we talked about our cell phones being put away and um enjoying some time with staff that they haven't had maybe or or even would have we have um seventh grade teachers that have eighth grade students who they didn't even have last year again kind of that that through line of from um from clees about kind of like an advisory in a sense so um not sure if it'll continue like they talked about every year the same group because we want to give some choice to the kids but again it's been a great start to that utilize the ruler like we talked about that approach when working with students and creating opportunities for obviously for any of their social emotional growth uh me principal meets with the WMS student council quarterly to encourage student voice uh conduct our annual I know Dave Dr Pepi spoke about our um annual student staff and fames climate surveys and getting the feedback from that analyzing our results and I did put on there also thought exchange and Ed advance to some of the the group that we're going to be working with as we uh move forward especially with all of the new legislation and updates that are coming forward increase participation engagement in after school clubs inter Scholastic Sports band indoor course I did speak to the number of students that are in our banded course program and again it's just it's just so great to see that because we all know when kids participate the more students that participate in after school clubs they feel um you know more it's more important to them to be at school and to feel part of um of the school so that's been a great uh success so far this year uh also highlight and celebrate student and staff uh success stories I do that at our faculty meetings but also in our newsletter again because when we have a lot of great things that are going on and we try to do our best to highlight those parent engagement uh utilizing parent Square as they said to communicate with families throughout the school year and that's not just me myself but I do put out the newsletter with events activities celebrate again student staff student and staff successes but also with our teachers utilizing that to uh communicate more with our with our parents so I that I think I've seen a a great um I just think of almost every day I I get everybody's that anyone that puts something out I get it on my feed and and I told uh Will Smith our sixth grade science teacher it's like almost every day do you at the gy it's like pictures of what they're doing today it's really awesome it's really great and just you know kind of it's a whole idea of having parents as part of the conversations with your students about what they're learning it's a great way to do that um also inviting parents to WMS for informative workshops things that again we've talked about these things in the past but more around social media or peer relationships organizational skills Etc we recently sent home a Google form uh to families about the interest in a speaker on raising healthy capable and resilient middle schoolers um also interest in future topics that that we would have and again you could see them up there about communication connection engagement technology use I just sent home something today an article tonight about being able to talk to your kids about social media when should you get it and how you should um talk to them about the use of it homework and academic support toxic achievement cultures mental health and emotional well-being I know that's always been you know as we continue to talk about that in school climate parent well-being and self-care interestingly a good handful parents have have clicked on that as interest I don't know if it's going to be one of the winners but um we all know we we talk about all the time even with our staff we have to be we ourselves as a as as parents have to be well in understanding how our feelings and what's going on in our life to be able to also model for our kids so I we thought that was a really um significant one and then one of them made me laugh was chores and household responsibilities what do people think about that um PTO monthly meetings alternating similar to what Dave uh what Mark had said about CS alternating between mornings and night time we've been doing that um for some years again just to be able to get more people there because if they're working during the day they can't make it they can make the night and vice versa we know because night's a little bit crazy too so if they can make it during the day that's even better for them student experiences and outcomes um again just as evaluators that we have and we were talking about the growth plans but just instructional strategies we continue to talk about if you haven't you've heard us say it in the past at some of the meetings about the gradual release of responsibility model it's just in how we we develop our lessons on a daily basis with our teachers with learning targets background knowledge so on and so forth modeling guided practice and then obviously giving feedback to students and discourse but then independent practice we do this I do we do you do right we need to get to the you do because they have to be able to do it independently right so that's uh something again we continue to uh and our instructional coaches continue to um do that or talk about those things in their department meetings utilize our instructional coaches and and also with Administration to help in creating and executing the certified staffs each of their uh individual growth plans through collaboration and obtaining resources which I'll talk a little bit later utilizing our reading and math tutors through our Title One Grant which is huge is helps us to create small groups based on our aadience Benchmark results um or even our formative assessments that we do for specific areas because that is important in helping us they're a part of um our mtss process and obviously students that are struggling in areas or standards or whatever it may be we have we have those also besides our regular intervention so that's a that's a huge Plus for us continue to incorporate we've done this for years uh the last few years with smarter balance and uh NGS has interm assessment blocks uh we're going to continue to do that and obviously we want to adjust instructional strategies and also also use it for our interventions based on certain standards or areas of challenge or weaknesses that we see in kids and I think I've said this before but when you when you have those types of questions uh excuse me um with these assessments there's all certain types of questions the way they ask them um you know when we tell the kids and we we laugh about every time I well I do I laugh every time I say it like you need to read the directions well I didn't know I need to put two things well what did it say in the directions oh yeah pick two of the following right math teacher I hear you over there um so again it's something so simp simple and we do talk about giving kids I always say I'm a baseball guy say you got to give them at bats you got to let them see it because it's silly when students would get a problem wrong when they actually know how to do it but they didn't read the directions right and again that's something simplistic I know but I think it's it's it's important to make sure we do consistent use of our mtss uh same thing as as Dr baski was talking about in there because obviously it helps us to guide our intervention decisions that we have and and you know for for future use I identifying students at the highest risk for needing additional support with a focus on academic emotional attendance issues which something I know Dr burilla talked about about how our attendants we had a big push for our attendants at at all the levels and our numbers have have helped tremendously but when I say that there and create an action plan through our atrisk monthly meeting is we have an atrisk monthly meeting with myself with the our mental health staff with our nurses with our uh school resource officer and administration and DEA students and we we talk about some of our students that are at the highest risk for needing this support based on obviously again like I said academics the emotional needs attendance issues and other things that uh anecdotal stuff that you know their their visits to the guidance counselor their visits to the nurse's office things like that and we try to put together an action plan based on the information that we know and also obviously making sure that we're we are meeting with the students but also reaching out to families that are in need create opport unities for our um obviously for all students but our M multilanguage Learners students to access support and Remediation during class time and elt we've done that before with during elt time and some of the pushing but this year we also have changed a little bit with our schedule where our um our teacher is also pulling students during a UNH time similar to what we do in math and reading where students may be pulled out of a special for a short period of time we are doing that also with our um M MLL teacher so to be able to have a longer period of time in a longer period of time meaning minutes but also a longer period of time going along that they're able to work um in small groups with students so that we're hoping that that will help to uh change a little bit portrait of a graduate I know we're uh Mark I'm sure we'll be talking about it but continue to incorporate opportunities in our lessons to plan for students to have these experiences we've talked about Dr man talked about you know with our strategic plan and Dr burill about being critical uh you know caring citizens critical and creative thinkers communicators and collaborators and social change makers what does that look like as we continue to as our staff continues to put together with our curriculum but also our daily lessons what can we do to make a make a change uh WS student showcase I thought was pretty cool to uh since we talked about the numbers in our music programs they um our music department is putting something together where students can register and sign up it's kind of like a talent show and that's going to be in November 8th at WS so students uh can register to get up and it could be any type of you know musical Thing it actually be reading poems whatever it may be that there's their talent in that aspect um they're going to we're going to try this is something new we're going to do um again to kind of showcase our students uh provide social emotional support for our students families with our WS mental health staff counselor classroom lessons providing resources and informative speakers and our new WS Wellness room uh we have put in a bef Grant similar to I think what the high school started to put together just an area where we um where students where we have we we haven't have it yet where it's going to be scheduled there's going to be someone in there every um class period I think but some schools try to do we don't have we can't do that right now but what we're doing is our mental health staff are using that utilizing that to run groups and have areas where students you know can kind of chill when when when they may need it so um that's something that we're excited about that's going we have a room we started it but it's not too pretty yet like I want I want it to look nice nice um so and and I have to I give a lot of credit and I should say I apologize to our counselors because they're they're the ones who put that that Grant in and the amount of work that they have done uh specifically I know Rachel jabber had reached out to some she was looking online she was looking online for schools that are doing it and she's like here Mr Dean come here come here look at this how cool is this one and she goes I'm calling this guy right now I'm like oh that's she got a hold of him he was tell he he called her back he show he told her how he got all these different things things from like a board that has where you go like this with your hands and it just the sensory aspect of it and different furniture that they have so it's it's it was really it's it's I have to say I give all the credit to our counselors and mental Mental Health social workers and school psychologists because they've been a big part of putting this together so I I can honestly say I can't take any of that credit um and lastly professional learning similar exactly to what uh Dr pipasi and you know Mark had spoke about it's being able to have that professional learning growth plan specific to what they that staff wants to wor work on we're giving them that dedicated time our observations and feedback obviously specific to that and like like Mark said it's going to be specific to whatever they choose we're not just going in you know on any hey I'll go in on Thursday to your core 3 class it's not going to be like that which is a good thing again providing resources and advertising workshops courses so on and so forth and just being able to to help them as they um as they go forward on the growth plan now Europe any questions anybody want to hang out the wellness room yes when it's done let me know no questions all right thank you very much all right so on to our school Improvement plan at Brookfield High School um really start by just going through a couple different School climate things this is broken up into two slides yeah there's two School climate slides um we do have monthly uh School climate committee meetings they're made up of um teach two students from each grade uh as well as teacher representatives and parent representative as well um and those School climate meetings so you know the structure of those they're really structured so that students can have a voice in the beginning of the meeting oftentimes there may be things that we want to discuss as a faculty um specific to uh certain situations that maybe privacy would be important for the kids not to know everything that's going on so they can speak in the first part of the meeting and they're there for the majority of it and they step out the one we had in in September as you can imagine was um unfortunately very it was shortly after um we had the swatting instant here on the 25th so that really kind of took the entire uh duration of the meeting kids were very concerned and wanted to talk about school safety and clim like that's what they felt so we're using the entire meeting to really have that conversation um you know we are going to be doing um you know a pre- and post climate survey you'll see further down there um we're working in conjunction with the we're going to become a no place for hate school uh which is uh it's not a a a thing that you just get to say oh we are and use the badge you actually have to go through a multi-step process to become a no place forid school and actually apply there's certain benchmarks of things you have to do um so they the the team that's working on this Dr Spencer and Mrs nelo who's one of our school counselors um and Dr Spencer is in charge of the humanities Department uh they've recruited a uh a a steering committee for lack of a better term and they're working on the different benchmarks they have to hit they want to hit throughout the year to actually officially make our application to become a no place for hate school so it's a pretty robust process there is a student survey that's part of that that's something that I've always uh we did them in drips and drabs and other times um you know we always do the staff and the uh family surveys every year um but it's really important to get the the feedback from the students right and so we're going to be doing that as well uh and we're going to coordinate that with the no place for hate survey and so we're going to leverage that work in school climate no place for hate there are two separate groups entities but they're going to work hand in hand with a lot of different things um there's a newly formed principal advisory Council which is going to be formed of students there is uh a student actually came to me um I was very proud a sophomore and said uh Mr Blanda I really don't like your no cell phone and ilt Rule and I said okay um what do you think of it she goes well out out of respect I want you to know that I'm create a a change.org survey and I'm putting it out and you know how do you feel about that and and I said you absolutely should do that and I support it 100% put it out there let's get the input from um the students we're going to come back uh and have another conversation um and then we started talking about how that next next leverage step is you know often times I hear from um there's only certain kids I hear from right so this is a student that I've never met with before who came up out of nowhere and wanted to have this conversation and so she's going to be my go-to as a sophomore to really try to collect other kids that could be part of a principal's advisory Council so I can hear uh more voices um from the different kids uh so that's one thing that you'll be seeing um you already heard about the Ed Advance um thought uh exchange uh that we'll be working on um student government and other clubs activities to promote engagement social interactions uh one of the big things that it was a club Fair this year again um which was just to get kids identified as to the different things that are going on in the building um and you'll hear more about some other social interactions that we're working on uh for the kids uh we're actually um you heard it from Melissa Baines a little bit and she shared about the fundraising piece that we're looking to do for Asheville and uh down in Florida um she didn't she left out the friendly bet that is existing between us and bethl high school um so the way we have a big uh we have a football game on Friday night it actually is Beth's homecoming game a little worried they're going to have a big crowd I'm sure cuz they're undefeated we're undefeated but whatever School raises more money on Friday night the oppos if let's say bethl wins well then myself Student Government adviser and Mr baldman will have to wear bethl gear which is not that hard for me cuz I live there but um my son will be happy but we're going to have to wear it to the Powderpuff football game and at school that one day so it was this little friendly bet we have between each other and vice versa we raise more money they'll be wearing Brookfield stuff um so those sorts of things and the kids are really excited about the different things that we can do to help raise money and engage in the community um the our yearbook adviser Mr Stein Biser came up to me and said you know we need to find a better way to get more um on demand pictures and um stuff for the yearbook and I really want to celebrate some positive so he created a shared drive that staff can upload inform like upload pictures to things like uh a club goes for a hike or the math team just competed last week like those sorts of pictures I don't often and you know I don't often get pictures of the math League of the math team competing right we don't share those but it' be great to be able to do that and I know they do take pictures so we have this repository so I'll be putting that some more stuff out in the coming weeks in our newsletters um the other part was uh staff advisory Council it kind of was it came out of the students that were saying we need to hear more voices and the same thing with the Bea who has a their PR reps that meet with me monthly um that really talk about contractual and Union issues there are more things that go on a building besides just contractual and Union issues so having the input of not just the teachers and the faculty but also of PA professionals and the secretaries custodians they're all feeling different things so we want to make sure we listen and address those uh parent Square um is what a communication tool it actually is as when we're barely dipping our toes in in some of the things that it is capable of doing um you know I know there was a reference to some of the two-way messaging um I think it was uh Dr Jung was talking about um the MLL piece right and so that you can work in this in their native in their home language which is fantastic find that very helpful uh it even translates post automatically in our former communication tool we'd have to hit a translate button and it would be based on it often didn't work all that well uh this just naturally does it which is fantastic um you know we'll be scheduling parent teacher conferences we're working on the subtleties of that it'll be through parent Square this year um which is happening at the middle and high school dean and I working on something weekly newsletters permission slips volunteer forms and the part I'm excited about is attendance reporting it's going to automate it a little bit for parents so parents would be able to um if a student is out for a particular day you'll get a notice in parents square and through that actual notification with a link that will expire you can submit the excuse note right through there so that sort of thing to really help parents you can get engaged with this and so um PTO meeting last night well I didn't see the final minutes because I was unfortunately not able to attend um but the uh my sister principal did go we're looking to host quarterly family engagement night so that was one of the things they're working on um you know by based on input from PTO and surveys uh you know obviously PTO and I know Mr baldum goes the all sports booster club meetings as well so really engagement from that perspective student experiences and outcomes there's a few things to talk about Port of grad is that big picture piece um I continue to be a part of that committee that's going to continue to work to look at our next steps um our plan this year is to conduct learning walks to really identify grade level learning progression so that means us going to different buildings in different places and seeing what going on so we can really pinpoint those sorts of actions connected to all the different attributes that we're really looking for that is the next step in the process we're going to we're going to do that this year uh dual enrollment articulations um that's something that we're always looking to do college board is an interesting group but we also have other options you don't always have to take AP courses we can also offer dual enrollment they're getting a little more tricky with some of their expectations for what they want their uh teachers to actually have master's degrees in certain levels um depending on where it goes there's even mention of a competency test for to give like the college wanted to give one of our teachers a competency test for a course that they've been teaching for however many years and clearly know it I was in a math class I'm looking at Sarah she knows um sometimes that can be but they're questioning so it's a great opportunity in a dual enrollment course for a student to be able to leave um that particular class with an actual College transcript right and credits which is fantastic AP doesn't always guarantee that um and Anna talked about that that a little bit so we're looking to continue to expand those articulations in fact Westcon is really coming around they've reached to us about more about pre-cal because they noticed that southern had we were looking we exploring Southern somebody must have said something now Westcon is like we want to be party so it's it's a competition but a good way that's going to benefit kids as we look to expand those opportunities um we also want to host um AP dual enrollment information sessions because as I'm explaining this to you we realize parents don't often know and kids don't often know exactly what this means what's the difference AP and dual enrollment uh what does it mean for you long term uh Mrs Usher when our college and career counselor is very helpful and can explain some of those things um she's done a lot of work she is also an admissions officer for a college out west somewhere um so she really understands what that looks like in an application there's a lot of kids are thinking about those things but we wanted kids kids and families to have a really good um perspective moving forward uh Joy asked a great question about when we're going to get those P results not soon enough I mean they just did it yesterday we tested and Kudos at this point should out to Rosa hopcroft who is the school counseling secretary organized really the PSAT with uh with uh my support we tested 591 students across three grades yesterday all with um devices the Wi-Fi maintained and stayed nothing fell out all those things that I was having nightmares about when I woke up at 2:00 in the morning um there's a really weird me like chasing kids down uh stairs telling them to get there it was it was very odd um but it all worked out well but you think about it that ends up being 96.25% of those 9th 10th and 11th grade students took the PSAT which is amazing um so that was fantastic we'll get that information and then use it right away as soon as it comes um and that's one of the things that I met with when I met with my Humanities and stem Department shairs in terms of English and and math really those two course areas and uh the PSAT and sat we talked about ownership of the process we can't just say yes the scores are low let's try to do the same thing we have to do some we have to do something different um and Mr Hill really in his digital um perspective as as Dr man talked about has already created these digital sat style and he's giving them to these core courses and kids are taking that and getting feedback and we're he's he's already working very hard on that um you also see that there's we're in corporating PSAT and sat style questions remember I did give this to all the teachers at the beginning of the school year they were really happy with me when I gave them their practice sat um and it's not always just about the styl and type of questions sometimes it's about uh the approach right and so approach taking a high stakes test like that um I this the response I got he's going to be so mad from my son who took the PSAT today how did it go okay English good math not so good that's what I got from him and I talked to him later on I said what does that mean he goes yeah after the first couple questions in math I was just really frust frustrated and yeah I said forget it like awesome so as much as you know we do this as adults and as parents and we try to coach our kids to do it they there is it's it's going to be an interesting Road um but uh we we can certainly do more in terms of how to having helping the kids understand the importance of this test I actually had a couple sophomores say do I really need to take this test what does it matter for me we don't really have any other sort of like standardized Benchmark across the board that gives us how kids are performing Rel to other students and it's a very helpful tool um you know uh I did want to share though too some results that just came out so just so you know um AP um you know that Dr man talked a lot about what that AP honor roll means they just shared some of the other additional informations to what that means so we're recognized as a as overall as a we are the silver level of the AP honor role um and we also got an AP All Access award so we scored subset over in College culture um that's 64% of our students um took at least one AP course so that was really cool um so across their four years it's at least 64% of our kids to get to gold level it's 65 which is one student we were one student away from reaching gold on that one we did get gold in college credit which means that um of the students that took AP at least um they got at least a three or higher on at least one AP test we're at 47 7% that puts us if we wanted to get to the Platinum level you know which is 50 we would need a flux of six students and then we're at the Platinum level for college optimization um which has to do with at least taking uh five total exams uh across their four-year career um so that was we just got that official that's what our actual rankings were from that perspective um then also you see provide social emotional support for students through student family support team School counseling ilt lessons Civic social worker in the wellness room Dean talked about it our school counseling department and our student support services are fantastic here at the high school they do a ton of work we realize that more than just having that serby M MTS serby conversation before really talking about mtss there was such real there's such needs emotionally for kids and behaviorally that we actually separated them out and we're looking at student family support team so the team decided we need who says this we need more meting but we needed them to talk about kids to get results right so we created the student family support team having the Civic uh group is amazing what they do in the wellness room I was looking at statistics they just did they do an infographic for me every year so there's a sign in when you go into the Wellness room downstairs not every kid always does sign in 1,724 signin last year to the wellness room and that's those kids that actually signed in some kids you can imagine Breeze right by it um you know and then just looking at the other things that they do like some of our counselors not on five the kids students that don't have a 504 plan or a um let's say an IEP that require counseling sometimes those have counseling goals 88 students they see informally right they have regular appointments on there so they are really focusing hard on supporting our kids at all different levels you heard about um uh Cubs right at what is it called Cubs yeah Cub Club at um CES you heard about web which is something that Dean applied for last year with the bef web's counterpart of the high school is link crew right so we're going to develop that I've actually signed I budgeted for it this year so I already paid for the training we have two teachers going out to be trained to be link crew leaders it's a three-day training where it's very intensive they'll come back we'll start recruiting link leaders and it'll be it'll help create a a formal High School transition program for incoming nth graders so they have that person that they meet one or two people in small groups when they start the high school those kids will run the orientation and then throughout the course of the year there's touch points of different events throughout the rest of the course of the year so they'll have that through line which is fantastic and then professional learning uh this is going to be a lot of the same stuff that you've heard already um you know that dedicated time has been great um you know the reviews of practice I'm excited to actually go in and have a real specific Focus um you know sometimes if you're either on the end of being observed or you're the Observer we were trained to initially at one point point to script and write every single thing anybody ever said walked around often times it wasn't that helpful for feedback we're excited as administrators to be able to connect things directly to growth um and then I have people going to workshops already people are like you see NCT and ncss that's the National Council of teachers of English and then the National Council of social studies those are conferences in Boston we have people presenting at both at these national conferences um or want to go to them uh we have teachers that are going to some co- teing workshops we have our newest co- teing Partnerships um you know we have a partnership that has our MLL teacher um for the uh for the middle and high school and our reading specialist are going to this co- teing training together that's offered by cir as well as one of our newest Partnerships for our new special education teacher that came on this year and the English teacher that he works with they're going as pairs to help improve that um co- teing piece and these are things that they want to do right so we're seeing the faculty are being more engaged I have 50 the training that we talked about on Monday where we had the the facilitator training they broke us up into two groups one group was the high school right we were just our own group because there's so many people that want to facilitate and then when Dr man and I met today to start looking at groups think of the certified staff I think there's 80 something 84 85 certified staff 52 have signed up to be a part of this purpose and reflective practitioner work so they're really excited about that it's it's I'm excited about it um and yeah that's what I have for you [Music] today questions for Mr blenda thank you very much sir I just have um yeah just one thing sure um I thought that was really comprehensive you know I appreciated a lot of the actionable items um I was just hoping at least for the parent engagement piece I think that's a challenge like you said um it just makes me sad like when I go to open house even the sports meeting parent teacher conferences like it's there's no one around you know it's it was yeah so although you know I respect the parents Square that's you know District sure initiative and the PTO meetings no one shows up to those either um and I worry that no one's going to come to the family engagement nights yeah you know I know in large drove so I'm hoping that we can have more of a like a more reflective or different mindset like shift what what can we really do to you know get parents involved and yeah be more active and it's it's a a fantastic point right and you saw that was one of the lightest slides that I had right because it's one of the things I think I struggle with frankly the most is what's how do I get more parents involved and it doesn't necessarily have to be them being here right physically in the space you know sometimes you can measure parent engagement by the engagement with with teachers right and I could say I think there's certain teachers in this building that do a really good job and have really high parent engagement right um so I think I also have to be mindful of that and think of different ways other than just hosting an event right um I felt that I went to parent when I went to parent conferences for my son at the high school it was it felt light and I said to the principal this seems like numbers are low and it's it was it was I don't know it was something that I'm it's almost like it feels like it's a trend they're tend to be stepping back from those in person like virtual is a world that we are living in now and given the option to do that I think people like to do that and the inperson just seems to be stepping back so what else can we do right or what what can I offer that'll get people more involved in their kids typically if it's something related to post-secondary at college right people want to know right um but we found that even hosting like some of those financial aid nights that we used to host in person people stopped coming to those and then we offer them virtually and then everybody comes because they can sit home and do those things so I think yeah absolutely Joy there's things that I that and I'm open to any ideas and thoughts I've got a couple High School parents here I'm at or former High School parents um current inform forer I'm open to any ideas absolutely if anybody has things and I'll continue to brainstorm and and try to figure out what else we can do to engage parents and get them in the building so um or just be engaged in their students learning I think that's the other part too it's may not always have to be in the building but engage them in their students path or growth good I think the parent engagement with the staff piece is important too like yeah for open house it's just so rushed it's so quick and then you're trying to navigate around the building and then for parent teacher conference is it's like you only get really 5 minutes to sit down with teacher so there's never really an opportunity to engage with the teachers and they have so many teachers and you really don't even get to meet with all of them right um so I mean I definitely have some ideas I think that given the opportunity to give and I gave a lot of those ideas in the survey when I filled it out um but or even opportunities to have like Gatherings mhm you know with parent and um their child student in the school like a back to school barbecue or something for a or like something that brings us together to fundraise for you know people down south or whatnot right um those kind of opportunities yeah I would say at the high school level it's it's alarming you know um I went into actually I think our biggest um class that we went into was three in English and the teacher was really excited that there was three parents so I mean and I've seen it just you know I go to whis skyer and there's nowhere to sit you know so I think when our kids are little right we're really excited to get there and meet the teacher and see the classroom and everybody's life is busy but I think you know especially at the high school level I mean I would love to see um just more parent involvement right um we think that our kids get older and they have their license and they don't need us and realistically um they need us more but to Joy's point you know the structure of you know you're walk through the hallways and it's 10 minutes and it's not about your kid and then when you do have time to talk about your kid it's seven minutes if you're lucky right in the transition so do we look at structure right do we look at something different an alternative to that yeah Absol I'm open to looking at some different ideas yeah thank you okay thank you that was awesome really appreciate the effort that went into that gentlemen um you guys are doing great stuff okay so we're moving to item G um in new business and this is this is something I I think I emailed you guys about this a couple of days ago we um potentially are scoring a coup getting uh Tom Mooney um for an hour to come and talk to us about um roles and responsibilities which we've identified as important for us um here's the thing that with consideration of we know we're going to have a pack schedule that evening and we also know that um you for one Robert drive from far away and it's hard to get here prior to 6:30 so um the board meetings regular meetings have to start at 7 um what I need to know is if you guys would agree to um scheduling a special meeting from 6:30 to 7:00 here um that would be filmed and um Tom Mooney has um an approach he's done a zillion trainings so he has a scenario based approach um that I think would be really helpful because it puts you in the weeds of like okay here's the scenario how do you how do you work through it um and then so we would do that till 7 then uh stop the special meeting transition to the regular meeting and continue for half an hour because we have an hour of his time um this would also let the public see um what we're paying for what the public is paying for because he is as um everybody says about this guy he is literally the person who wrote the book on Connecticut school law um so we couldn't get any better um so we have him for an hour and it's a little unorthodox but it would the training would basically run from 6:30 to 7:30 with that Interruption to start the regular meting meeting and then he would be here for half an hour and then we would continue with the regular meeting so um I think we would need to move to have a special meeting do you guys have questions about this I guess I'm just un sure I'm just not understanding the scenario like what's actually going to be happening ah okay so it's a training for board members um about roles and responsibilities and he described to me how he typically does them and I was like yeah that sounds awesome um the it's just the tricky thing he said initially could we do 7 to 8 o'clock but that seemed to me not ideal because we would be pushing back um not only the Public's viewing but everybody who's going to be presenting we'd be pushing everybody back to wait for us and I don't I I didn't think that this needed to be in executive session um we're not going to be reviewing our goals we're just going to be talking about and responsibilities so um it is a little bit of a curveball with timing but it's a wonderful opportunity for us and I really think we should jump on it um I talked to him about a number of dates and this is the one that he said he could make what's the cost associated with it ah it's part of our sng um yeah like provided we don't have to pay anything for it and um I feel like I don't know if those renew annually or if it's like a 10hour thing that we just sort of chip away at but this would be one of those hours so what does he do from 700 to 7:30 just don't continue to sit here I don't know if he would sit like we pull up an extra chair for him or he'd sit in the middle or whatever we um and he would continue to lead the the training for us so we're we're starting the meeting at 7:30 at 7 so it sounds like it would be in two parts right split by the beginning of the regular meeting is that correct right so the so the the first half hour of the regular meeting would be a continuation of our training and it would give the public an opportunity to see um to to see what we go through kind of like an inner look um and from one of the state's renowned experts so Wendy are just looking at the agenda would it be sort of like we would start the meeting go to like the student representative update and then the first agenda item would be this second half of the I I I think we would do I like I I've never done this before so I don't know if there's like a protocol but so like how how I would suggest doing it is call to order Pledge of Allegiance roll call then continue a training literally the very be 30 minutes it would be like 10 cuz that isn't 30 minutes now no that's like one minute yeah I mean right so like it wouldn't be that's what I'm trying to get clarity on so the continuation wouldn't necessarily be 7:30 because if we're depending on where we put it on the agenda it could be like it's the very first item right right after roll call oh right okay you the way you had said it was special meeting 6:30 to 7 then regular meeting 700 to 7:30 he would continue till 7:30 but he he'd be first he'd be the first essentially the first or second item on the agenda after to just keep keep it going so 1 hour total one hour training and then it's because it's roll into the standard pie of the this yeah this is just a way of of utilizing our time really I mean this is just like it's a half hour special meeting because sure we could make a 1H hour just make it all in special meeting but it would be difficult for Rob to get here so I'll make it don't worry if I have to call in or call well then I mean to to avoid to avoid the bump of it we could do a special meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 um and then then things would flow more smoothly I just didn't want to wall you out I'll make it by six okay and so if Mr Mooney can make it by 6 would that be okay with you guys that we can we move to have a special meeting from 6:00 to 7: to I don't even know if we need motion for it we had that meeting with um Mr Caruso and right so the name mrus and it was like set for two hours and after two hours there are still a lot of open items that we've never gone back to so if we just have an hour I just feel like we're going to be left hanging again ah um I can understand um what you're saying there um I think Mr Mooney um like literally I think he's done hundreds of these um training sessions um and they are for us to reflect on roles and responsibilities and like I said they're they're hemmed in by these scenarios that are really realistic that he's seen across the course of his practice so I don't know maybe we wouldn't get all six scenarios or something maybe we would only talk about four of them so um I think like the the I think we should that's fine if we want to do a special meeting 6:00 to 7: but then if he's not available at 6 then let's be okay with going 6:30 to 7:30 for his training half hour of that would be special meeting the the next half hour of that would be technically in the regular meeting right next day's Halloween yes as a teacher what is it the day after the day after is Halloween um well I I I feel like we could we could snip and trim a little bit this is a really good opportunity for us to like I can't um imagine why we would um have have the chance to see um I can't imagine why we would have the chance to to have Tom Mooney come and talk with us and then not jump at that opportunity so um I we motion okay need we don't okay all right right on so then um I'll so I'll schedule it for 6 if he's available and that will it'll just be cleaner that way okay great thanks everybody okay so let's move now to Old business um we've got the um approval of the calendar here and it's um I I what I'd like to say is it's already um pretty late so if we if we feel if we get a sense from each other like okay we're all ready to act on this this then awesome if not we could table it to uh a later meeting um so with that you want to before before you start talking can I just add one piece of information it doesn't change the calendar at all but just I I wanted to let you know that um Mr Roland and I have been working with the PD with the uh par Educators on PD time and um while we don't have to technically formally put it on the calendar we do we would like to add um an indication as to which day we would be adding for the par Educators the State Department of Education as of last year came out with a requirement that you um that districts have to provide 18 hours of professional development for par Educators and um our current regular calendar doesn't really reflect the time there we are working it in with early dismissals with you know kind of um back to school nights and those kinds of things or uh parent conferences but we would add the just along with the PD day on the 4th of November would would just have that language of ABA and Par educator so I just didn't want you folks to it's it's not substantive I just wanted to let you know PD day but we just put put in the language Educators also have PD the same exactly like the 28th and 29th of August says that's just what would also go on as the fourth need another color I don't know I it all I don't know if I can do the color I'm not the color late we don't want to ask for she's in chur so what I just wanted to mention again this is it might be a reason to table it it might just be something to inform you in my conversations with uh members of the public and friends and people who are affected by the calendar one of the things as much as the whether or not we should have the days off or not that came up was the first week of school being pushed there are no um programs there's like parks and wreck ends their programs 2 weeks before there's no summer schools because uh summer camps because other districts have already started so is that something that we as a district could look at maybe asking parks and wre to have something that week or love someone bringing that feedback to me thank you it's the first I've heard of that we love getting feedback I've gotten zero feedback in the month since I presented this love that idea I could talk with Laura Laura loves to build programs with Dan and perhaps they would build extra time in excellent so it was one of those like awesome idea to help we put the wants continue with the after Labor Day feedb we love that it starts after Labor Day we like the later start however there are parents who are bur Gap super feedback yeah great thank you for bringing that up I'll call Laura tomorrow so will you um do you want me to make the motion make the motion and then we can have discussion and see if we're going to move forward to table uh sure I move that the board approve the 2025 2026 school calendar calendar as recommended by the calendar committee and the superintendent Dr John brell second awesome so discussion folks all right if I may start um I I mentioned this before um I'm not going to like belabor the point but um I would prefer that we hold school on every day that's not permitted uh not prohibited by state or federal law which includes uh Columbus Day and rashash Shana on on this particular calendar um I would be prepared to equally recognize more religious holidays that more accurately reflect the population of our students um but I do understand that that's not practical um and there might not even be favor on this board so um I am appealing to my fellow board members tonight um to consider holding school on more days um not only because it provides an earlier release in June by a couple days um it provides more midyear instructional time fewer School weeks with instructional disruption um and it does clarify that the board is not selectively choosing religious holidays to observe um I understand I may be in the minority on this but that is my view and my suggestion so that your proposal is about um the September 23rd and the October October 13th and the second is and oer 23 Columbus Day so three three specific days Rosa on this specific calendar okay we so 13th is a PD day so we'd have to if the board I mean yeah if the board was favorable to this concept then we would have to rethink the PD day so i' have to come back with a version depending on what the cons if the board votes on what the proposal is or with modifications we'd have to work through that's not something then you'd have to just find another PD today somewhere else oh yeah but it's not something at 10:30 at night you do so we want to you know thoughtfully look at the but then it does I mean in that case like you're right it doesn't I thought it could have sworn on the last doesn't mean it can't be done whatever the board's consensus is it's more about like students in desks so whether it's on it's not on Columbus Day or it's on some other day doesn't that doesn't really matter so if if that's if that's the case if you know if col Columbus Day is the 13th of October then I'm fine with that as a PD day because there's Anna just mentioned February we already have it you know compared to the traditional week off in February we have a truncated kind of President's Day weekend that's a you know four days when you include Saturday and Sunday perhaps there's a day there where kids could have off that's kind of familyfriendly and we have a PD day there um but there's ideas that we need to you know on a good night's sleep probably go through before we bring a proposal to the board if that's where the board's going to go were you're fixed enough that you could vote on approving this calendar or not or would you like to table and um have more time I we have a motion on the floor to to approve this calendar I mean I'm okay with it okay with it I just think it's a long summer for our kids that receive Services um because they're only in summer school for you know a short period of time and it's a long summer and there's a lot of regression with our identifi so another thing if if that's it's more feedback right so it's been a month since I proposed that thank you for that feedback I look right over to Bill that's something we could consider there's a cost to that cuz we have to pay staff but perhaps we extend extended school year by a week if that's possible yeah because it used to be longer but it just I mean I just worry about you know our most vulnerable population um because you don't have camps readily available you know if if a parent of you know a severely um disabled child um needs to look at summer camp they're looking at providing a par you know there's not very many camps that these kids can go to and the regression when you have a child that is so below grade level I mean Days Make a Difference um so I also you know if it's going to be a long one is there something that we can do proactively to provide parents with instruction to try and mitigate you know um the summer slide also maybe besides the um parks and wreck partnering in the YMCA there might be some opportunity there I mean it was a long summer I mean mine don't go to camp and it's fine right and they came back fine but um there are some parents that had a very very tough time sum and that that is an important issue but I don't know that we can't we can't um solve that here can I say one more thing so in in um referring to what Rosa is talking about I in talking to some members of the public there is um mixed feedback and I'm curious what I know teachers were involved in the calendar committee do teachers feel like those two days off are disruptive to the work but to the um school week because I know a lot of parents that I had talked to feel like those two days off are difficult in the middle of a school week um and are also for equity and so one of the things that came up was well if we take those two days off and put them back at the end of the year then that creates a more Equitable for for anyone who celebrates anything um we're also in favor of the inclusion of the Muslim holidays in that same sort of vein but it came up that like well what about someone who celebrates like the Spring Equinox or just things it it becomes a question of like what are we actually going to consider um and so it became clear to me that in in the people that I spoke to it seems like taking the two days off is a a consideration of work week and we're interested in how the teachers feel about instruction time yeah so so the the feedback from the committee there there wasn't feedback on disruption to the week so I can tell you that certainly um as a parent my kids are in college now uh grad one graduated and one's in college you know I'm not living that anymore but certainly lived it for the 13 years they were in public school um watching my wife with her uh she's a teacher many of you know that and uh her district has 10 early dispens days and a host of these kind of holidays it's very challenging so I can imagine for parents I always say when she tells me she has another early dismissal with you know her meetings my God how are the parents you know tolerating this it's 10 plus days it's unbelievable um so I get it um I understand the equity piece certainly um uh use the word practical Rosa maybe that's something the Board needs to consider I need to consider uh the committee needs to consider um because we you know the continuity of weeks that's something we've talked about for forever uh in this District so again we we can if that's a consensus from the board and the board doesn't want to approve the calendar as is tonight we can go back and bring bring another version back based on your feedback for approval I don't know that we lack consensus I feel like um it seems like folks are ready to vote Yes No Okay do you feel like you want more time Mo on table so whatever the board would like would you I mean I I I've expressed how I will vote so okay um so uh all in favor of um of approving the um school calendar for next year as recommended by the calendar committee and the superintendent um say I I I um those oppose n okay so it passes 43 okay um now we're going to move to Old business I mean we're going to move to the next um item sorry uh which is public comment Mrs Korea okay um all right then with with that three main points I know maybe we should get the audience to vote on the three main points um just to en liven everybody's um so three main points uh so I have the um number one as the CES Cub Club student Spotlight number two as the student achievement report and number three as the school Improvement plan updates sounds awesome you guys agree what was to oh I am I can take it all right do we have upcoming events drop it off at the office it's very yeah um and we have no upcoming events as not reported on from the previous meeting okay right on so thank you very much for everyone um who has watched at home and who was here this evening thanks so much uh we are going to enter into executive session to um talk about superintendent's goals our evaluation and some privileged attorney client information have a motion so I move that the board enter into executive session to discuss and approve the superintendent goals and the board's evaluation and discussion of privileged attourney client information regarding Boe roles and responsibilities second all in favor all right thanks

order at 7:03 p.m. on October 16th I first want to thank you all for the flexibility and changing the schedule I suspect you all prefer doing it soon rather than being in person I had atite schedule today so help me out Mike that being said the of Saving Time let me turn it over to you we can started with that okay uh Ken do you have happen to have the uh reports handy if not I can pull them up we all have copies of oh you do okay yeah so we uh the last time we met we were focusing on the closing of June um and being that it is now October we would typically be reporting out on the end of September so rich you and I spoke after the last board meeting and I uh agreed with you that we should present the financial statements for this month as um as the end of September so that's what we're looking at we're looking at the financial statements for the period ending 930 24 which is the fiscal 25 year um just a quick note on the narrative you'll see um if you were to have looked back at at the prior two months you'll see that this month's expenses um jump quite a bit and and that's because in July and August we just have our full year staff so September is when we start seeing our um our full staff our full payroll uh come in um and that's that's also reflected in uh the first document the general summary uh you'll see that salaries jumped up for that period to uh 7.4 million which is um typically where our salaries fall at about 3 to three and a half million per pay period so for the month um ending 9:30 uh total expenses came in at 13.5 million um and that gives us a total year-to date number if we include July and and August of 18 million uh three and that's against an annual budget of 1675 and if uh if we remember back to the original appropriation the budget was 160 million and then we had received an extra 7.5 appropriation so that's where the 1675 comes from as opposed to the 160 million that that we um thought we were going to have at the close of last year um we do have uh incumbrances a year to date at at 121.5 that number uh incumbrances will typically go up throughout the year but can fluctuate down as well if we um uh if we close POS or if POS change so that number is uh constantly moving but um typically that number um will will go up as we add incumbrances and then decrease as we either close POS um and or uh those POs become payables and they act and then that expense winds up in the um in the actual year to date expense and a month to date expense uh and those numbers together uh lead us to a 27.6 million dollar favorable budget variance um we are still very early on in in the year um we're only reporting through September so um we do anticipate that number to to change in come down um and I think we said in the last board meeting in a perfect world that would come down to um to z0 C uh at the end of the school year um on 6:30 any questions there before I move on Mike can I ask a question I'm on the page that says the general fund summary yes and so um and I have to start out by saying thank you to you and Angela the report um was um something that I could digest and understand so thank you um the last line says undesignated yes and we have budgeted 500,000 for the um undesignated what is an example of what would go in there so I believe um at the end of the budget season last year there was still a um an unknown about the Academy's opening so um I think John put in 500,000 there and if you remember there was some also in the 24 budget um just in case we um incurred additional expense this year um it's kind of a placeholder I'm not really a fan of showing it that way um undesignated makes it seem like it's in no man's land but it's not really yeah so and and we don't want it well no this is uh for us um we don't want it to seem that we have access we don't it's going to be used in other words yeah I think undesignated is probably um a misnomer or it's okay a bad use of terms but the the word the reason it says undesignated that's just a system default we use um Tyler a Tyler Technologies product and that's just um the the title that they assigned to the code where we stuck that money but it's not necessarily um undesignated I guess I think what happened is when we were doing the budgets last year he worked his numbers out I think it was $7 million and when the actual number of 7.5 came he had completed the work and $500,000 he had not allocated so you can call it undesignated or unallocated okay um Mike I do have some some questions one um we're going to have to Bone up as we said in the last meeting don't take offense to my comments um but the the narratives have got to improve and be be a little bit more immediate when we get into the the current year in in describing And discussing variances um the the information on the three months and and the the three months actual and the difference between the SE this year and last year the $2 million basically a million dollars of that was attributed to salaries and the other million dollar or 775,000 was in a bracket called um enrollment inact uh equipment and I and I see in the budgets between the two periods this year we have $91 Million last year at the salaries we had 86 million so I could understand the increases in the expenses uh but in the enrollment impact we have 4 million 4 million 7 and last year we had 1.2 million so during the course of this year we're going to have to go through and understand basically what's in these particular numbers I I'm also terribly Disturbed and that's a polite word but show the budget at 167 500 that's not our budget that's our spending F our budget $160 million and I thought we had talked about presenting the budget at the $160 million and 7.5 separately in this case here we have no understanding of where that where that onetime money from the city is being spent we don't know where it's budgeted we don't know how much is being spent against it and that's going to go away at the end of this year so we go to prepare our budget this year it may even take confusions as we had in previous years as to what the increase is but neither here neither there we have to figure out where that $7.5 million that we got last year what we spent it on and what's going to be missing next year that we're going to have to account for so I'm really disappointed that it was done that way I I'm almost at a point where I'd rather you back out the numbers and show it separately or at least to be able to give us an accounting as to what makes up that $7.5 million and then as we go along to the expenditures against it what really bothers me is for three years in a row we've had financial statements that basically were worthless know the first couple of years there were problems the last year you know and I was part of it we're being told that the the end of the year may come out marginal forget the stuff in the beginning of the year with that ad hoc nonsense but in the last number of months we were talking about and holding our breath that the year in variance could be maybe negative but we were more you know more optimistic that are we positive and all of a sudden from June we have a positive number close to $5 million that's one hell of a swing from something that's telling us that we're going to be pretty pretty close now how how did he get the five he got 719 excess he got that $1.4 million which I'm questioning that and we'll discuss that privately in a different situation then he got that 2.5 Milli for the uh not incurred or yeah not reported but not incurred on the insurance so these are big numbers and I feel when we go to the the when we go to present our current budget this may just come back to to particularly bit us but we're going to have to get involved in explaining the particular uh particular variances that uh that we have yet this particular year it's uh it's not going to hold that we had in the past you know we had people that said the budget was made and that wasn't here didn't know where the the the account or the the accounting was done the only way we're going to know where we stand and and not get not get misled by what's in these variance is that $1.4 million came out of the blue came out of the blue in one conversation that we had at the finance meeting with that Aaron other than that there was never any mention to my knowledge during the course of the year that this number was in there and wasn't utilized and was making that you know wasn't even part of a discussion that we had so I I I think we're going to have to to you know sharpen our pencil in in terms of going through these numbers so we understand a little bit uh a little bit better Mr janelli uh Teresa has her hand up Teresa go ahead uh thank you folks um do we have the number of the uh out of District students um the money that we've uh get from them coming into the system do we have that figure not readily available now do we know how many students came in um not off the top of my head but um car I believe that Kelly could um run a report I believe that she has it is that correct are you are you referring to special education specifically or just in general I thought with the uh that program where we were out of District students come into the system and we get paid for for for AIS for the magnet yes oh yeah so that's yes we we can we can definitely put that together we have a the number of students that attend AIS and then there's a reimbursement for the number of students that we get um from the surrounding participating towns that's yes that's thank you yep I think picking up on that car too I think the official data is October 1st will it perhaps the next board meeting you release the official numbers tell us what the the enrollment is and the increase or decrease sure yep if you go to scheduled and you go to that's number but it's the uh it's the line number summary where you show the the variance by number looking at Mr Jay I'm sorry to interrupt before we get down to that can I ask Mike a quick question about the the your the summary at the top there sure um Mike thanks for for the report um I'm just looking for a little bit of clarification from my own knowledge you say in the report that as year progresses will anticipate additional items will become encumbered and drive the balance downward so are we referring to like maybe like hiring people and those positions then become like part of you know like part of the encumbrance for like a salary line or something like that yeah sure that that could be it um one that's very common that we see is um additional um people that are identified in special education that are not identified now um or perhaps even a settlement once we get that information we then encumber it drive make the encumbrance go higher and subsequently the balance go lower okay and then you follow up saying there will be additional expenses that the district incurs that won't be encumbered that'll lower the fund balance can you give a couple examples of that yeah sure so um the the uh famous example is like um referees for the high school game um that's not something that um we necessarily know ahead of time um another one is um at the end of the year the graduation amount um that remains unencumbered okay thank you sorry Mr Jay I'm all set mic I I look down at your summary and you and you're looking at The Irate encumbrance and I'm looking at the line numbers three4 the way down where it says people Transportation I see you've encumbered pretty much the entire budget you have where you only have a small balance that's left over but the line below it Transportation special ed got .7 million meting you got $2.7 million so have to be spend is there a variation in the way you sorry to interrupt rich but there's noise going on and I can't hear what you're asking yeah I can't hear either okay let me repeat you'll have to repeat in the schedule where you have the line numbers and you have pup transportation that an encumbrance of $6.4 million based on a variance that you have left it appears that at this point you've encumbered the entire budget which would makes perhaps make sense the line below it where you have transportation special ed you have a positive balance left of about $2.7 million is there a difference in the accounting of the encumbrance where one you would fully encumber the the budget amount or or I just don't understand the why one is so different than the other yes there there is um and Ju Just to um just can you show me where you are yeah the page is not number um it's the third page of the line item about 3qu quers of the way down thank you yeah Rich so the the regular Transportation um line that's listed as Pupil Transportation um that that's our sta contract so that's relatively um relatively known for the year whereas um the transportation for special education that actually happens um separately we we account for it separately those requisitions and and POS are determined by special ed and entered in and as we get them in um so okay all right that makes sense slightly different where you going understand mechanics if you go to the next page when you go down again you know pretty much three quarters down you look at the categories for fuel for buildings at this point here three months into the year you've got a negative $7,000 and then each of the the the utility cost you had you know wide variances you've got a negative 70 you've got a positive 162 you got a positive 600 and some odd thousand um and then for gas gasoline fuel if it looks like 34,000 is is if I read this and I I have one of if I read this I could suppose one or two things that if these are actual cost and liabilities you have currently and by the end of the year we're going to be blown out of the water or number two you've encumbered contracts you have and and it would make sense for some of these numbers that they they appear as they are but why would we have fluctuations like this yeah the uh the encumbrance uh that's entered in uh is entered in by accounts payable um and that is usually a reflection of the previous year so when they go to put that that encumbrance in they'll typically take that whatever the expense was at that particular time and increase it by a few few percentage points so it doesn't um necessarily always line up exactly with the budget the the budget itself um as it stands um can use some reallocation so in other words the 167 million and I know you you said it's 100 60 million the reason it it appears is as 1675 is because that's that report just comes out of the system so it's just pulling the total the total number we have out um but we can peel that 7.5 out um manually um moving forward um typically budgets you look at the previous year um and the expenses um by here we have by GL number and you would allocate that 167 million 167 half Million by previous usage and in in some cases what we're seeing is when the budget was created and uploaded that wasn't necessarily done so we're in the process of reallocating some of the accounts um to more accurately reflect um actual expenditures and how they appeared in the GL system last year and when you get down to Electric the start wood act and you got a positive 600,000 622,000 left or are you saying that you're anticip based on what you said and the mechanics of how you do things but you're saying that this year our budget was considered to be higher be cost of whatever the the Cy was and increased cost but last year's actual came in a little bit less I that are these is this the same theory that that you that prevailed yeah it's it's an estimate um uh electricity uh I don't know if you remember this this um was kind of the reverse situation that we had last year um electricity and um heating oil gasoline um are kind of the inverse so we see typically a higher amount of usage for uh like things that were are fossil fuels and things used for heating we typically see that starting to ramp up especially now you know we had the first Frost um today so we'll see those expenses going out but electricity is um usually for a large majority of it is for air conditioning which we're not going to see maybe until um May and June so we'll see electricity definitely will Spike but um for right now based upon what we're paying now um You Will relatively favorable um and and also another side to that is um timing is always an issue with our utilities um we we're on a cash basis so we report as we pay them out and sometimes they don't send bills um in time for us to get them in and paid to reflect in the financials so you'll see sometimes they'll be very low expense for utilities and then the next month it looks like we get walloped or uh double charged um and that's just a matter of timing yeah wouldn't for a better reporting in the way your system works I mean you don't do a curls but but in situations like that where you could have swing in different numbers would it be better to throw in a purchase order that would represent what perhaps that that you're you're missing so that the you don't have the large swings in these numbers from month to month I mean it just Foods the thought yeah I mean we we could certainly look at that I think that's you and I think along the same lines um in the in the fact that that's kind of like the acrel method right it's our it's our best exactly yeah um so that that would kind of be a way to move more toward in a acrel basis without actually acre things would be to manipulate the the POS um you know we could actually put the requisition in for the exact budget amount um but that might not necessarily be helpful because you're just going to show zero VAR yeah that that that doesn't make any sense you sort of caught between a rock and a hard place and when you do this stuff it's sort of a hodge podge as to what you're putting in for an encumber so I could understand that but the cleaner we make it I I think the better it is for us to understand yeah and and our um our AP system the person that works in AP is uh very diligent so as she's paying the uh say electric invoices she knows what she has in there for for a purchase order so she sees that purchase the the invoices are starting to Trend upward when she sees that she'll bring that into me we meet um once a week and she'll say I don't know if the acrel the um um encumbrance that we have in there is any longer appropriate it looks like we might need to increase it um so those encumbrances for those are not necessarily set in stone the the other thing in the interest of having more clarity and us being a little bit more enlightened to what was on you had mentioned earlier that you could back out that seven points I I don't be an opinion the ad but no no not at all to me to me it's important that we know what's going away car is going to have a problem coming up with justifying budget numbers you know again uh and we could look to the $7 million as to how we spent it this year uh and what we spent it on and the fact that we need it again next year so if you can do that that that would be that would be great um the the uh and perhaps you and I can get together go through certain budget items because if it's that 4 million dollar figure for the enrollment um whatever it's called the enrollment impact that's a big number that's like saying climate um you know I think we need a certain we the board needs a certain amount of Education as to what's in these numbers case so that we could at least understand them so that when we're looking at the numbers we could understand them and then talking other about this we don't have to go through every every line number or budget item that that P here um but it's it's for some of the large ones where they're sort of big and have big numbers um I I think it's important and maybe when you're back out at $7.5 million it may shrink you know some of the of classification Rich Wanita has a question and I have a question after her okay so my question is for Mike um Mike where it says the GL number can you um is that the same thing as the account string yeah uh GL just standing for um general ledger um and yeah that that's the account string so you'll see like the first four digits of these are one z0 two and that's signifying that it um represents funds in the general fund um and then the next two you'll see are all zeros and that's the Consolidated so each um each deck or each location has their own um two-digit code uh and when we add up all of the two digits we signify that with a double zero um and then the next ones are the actual um account string if you will so some start with 51 those are salaries 52s or benefits um where we're looking right right now um they actually follow right along with the um summary page so the 53 is personal Professional Services so on and so forth but um yeah that that is the account string that we use and So eventually that is that uh the required we would use that for the required reporting for the state yeah okay um at some point are we do we have anywhere in our budget reporting and maybe that's a bit you'll have to let me know if that's a bit detailed um that we can actually get down to where we can tell um the school the subject the you know that sort of thing um is that an additional breakdown of a line item yes so that's not um wasn't something that was typically um done before but right in conversations um with the rest of the cabinet one of the things we talked about is um not not only budgeting um but doing projections and and Reporting out by site so site specific so each site knows how they're doing and and I think that that would be um tremendously helpful to see how everyone's um allocation is and how they're spending their money um we're not too far away from it um I have some reports that I've already extracted and started working on um we're not quite there yet but I think that's probably going to be one of the the most valuable things that we do this year is um budget by location and then take each location into a Consolidated budget and then we can report out on Consolidated financial statements okay great thank you thanks Rich um so Mike a couple questions for you um I noticed that uh teaching D regular is on here in two separate line items um is that intentional and can you give me some understanding of of you know what function it serves it's on the first and second page of that of the line items so yeah so they are actually two um different accounts um one is 51016 and 51 106 so going back to that um idea of that being our string for whatever reason um Tyler has decided and we can we can change this but Tyler has decided by default to call that the same thing teacher- regular um the only difference I see is it looks like there's a space um which I'm I'm not sure I'm not sure why um they would use the the same one okay but it is for two distinct Paul yeah um a majority of our teachers uh $4.1 million for the month is sitting in this teacher regular the 51016 so when I do the um the budget allocation cleanup I would be very inclined to look at who is in that second one that's appearing uh and it looks like it's a very small amount and unless there is a good reason why they're separate I would be inclined to to um consolidate them into uh to one line okay great um and the same thing occurs for Professional Services but I assume that in that case that there might actually be two very distinct uh functions yeah there there may be um two different reasons it's uh 53023 and uh 53323 what was the second one 53323 ah Professional Services and Professional Services that's so yeah that is um that is the same thing the there are two separate strings um but for some reason they're they're named um the same thing I I don't necessarily uh love the descriptions that are given to these names but um I I live with them um but again um going back these are going to have to be um the budget as a whole um I'm going to have to to complete that exercise where I look at how the prior years expense was allocated and then reallocate the budget um one item I'll point out which was probably the most unsettling to me is on the first page there is a line called printing part-time uh and it appears that we are over budget $4.3 million in parttime printing um so this is exactly what you're talking about I had to dig down into that shrink and find out um who exactly made up those numbers and then I had to work backwards with payroll to find out okay of these people um why why are they there um and it was after a day or two that we realized that the the people that are in that have actually nothing to do with part-time printing um which I I think is originally designated for a position to high school um that was taken out those people um that are in that part-time printing um that are encumbered there were taken out of the sr3 so what happened is when sr3 went away um I guess John needed a place to stick them and said well let me put them all in one place in a code that we don't use and then I can reallocate them and I don't I just don't think that that step happened yet they never got reallocated okay yeah so some of these um line items do have to be um reallocated but I'm just hesitant to do it without knowing exactly what's in each line and why it's there sure um and I have one more qu quick question and that's um for line ATM 544 rentals um I see that we've got a a year- to-day budget of $642,000 of which we've already spent 166 what do the rentals cover I just want to make sure you know because it looks like we're supposed to have a you know some money left over in that account but if we're spending at that rate um I guess I'm wondering if it's something that's seasonal like tents or something like that yeah so rentals I think refers to um space that we rent out um and Cara you might be able to speak a little bit more about this but I believe this is um Rich jalbert's department where there there may be um a building or a room that's rented out and there are certain expenses that are associated with that so we created a separate account for example um perhaps we have to pay a janitorial overtime um to have someone clean up after an event so that's where um that expense would lay but there is offsetting revenues that we get from rentals and those sit in our um Student Activities is actually a separate bank account for um for rentals that that offsets that okay I'm just just to add to that I'm I'm looking through my emails now because I know earlier right when school started just before everybody came back there was an expense and I think those attributed to the high school there were some repair and um DHS is one of the primary places that gets rented out for all sorts of things um so I'll go back into my into my emails but it but I think that we did incur some costs um at the beginning of the year and I think it came out of the rental fund so I'll go back and look for that I know um Carol one of them um Rich had mentioned was that um I I believe it was the gym floor gets um quite a use um out of it and he's going to use some of the the rental funds to make repairs and things like that right so again based on the qu the type of questions you're hearing it it's going be us to go through this or or do have you go through it and clean it up so that big numbers or stuff that have generality in it we're a little bit more AB breast as as to what you know what it includes um the the other thing is getting back to the Varian is when you look at your health insurance and get down employee benefits there yeah I guess this is a function again of the process by wish you encumber the numbers right exactly it's that okay so again I understand okay that's basically you know for the first blush you know I I think for first three months we know there's not that much activity in the first two months and we start to gear up later on but I think if we nip these issues in the bud we you know to start out we have a better year that we could you know have an understanding as to what these uh as to what these numbers mean Cas yeah I I agree and I I typically use uh this process the the budget um to start uh rolling forecast and that's kind of what uh in my history I have used to build the the following Year's budget so we really look uh forward to having this kind of ironed out because that's how we're going to move forward in um and start creating that that Baseline budget all right um can I move on to the the anybody have any other questions on the operational budget I do okay uh the figures for salaries does that include the people that we hope to hire this year the budgeted numbers yes question okay so okay thank you Mike can I turn to the the the grant schedule yes that is another um topic of discussion at some point in time what I'd like to do sit down with you and perhaps organize this in the fashion basically perhaps a type of brand stuff like that or maybe having the dendon uh that explains a little bit not every Grant but the major grants is what it does but there's one up here it's the one two the fourth number seven it says not used and it's $1.6 million what is what kind of it okay I could assume something but I questions want to be to you what is it yeah so um and and um Angel if you want to chime in here I will I'll let you but so we have um each Grant has its own number um last year I don't think I displayed the numbers that you see to the left of the grant but this year um I decided to to include them um because very very commonly um internally we refer to Grants by their numbers um and this number uh seven uh prior uh to this year wasn't used um this is a new grant that was added um and kind of like the strings that we talked of before um where you have to go in and actually manipulate the in the system you'd have to manipulate the description to actually um change what this is um we can rename um any of these Brands this one in particular just has to be renamed but um the 1.875 is a a new Grant um that and added um I think it was this week yeah I think we called it redesign but we can you know adjust the name yeah I think probably when this was run it didn't uh pull out okay that that's fine but to give it a name is something that's good as opposed to not use because what I I what came to my mind was excess money from some grant that you had last year that you didn't spend it was a carry over what just uh that's the Federal grant the award that we got for um you know High School redesign so we did you know we did get a an award from that that was what we that's that $1 1.87 million for curriculum work Project work around second language Learners at curriculum access related to the academy um rich I do I do want to point out something um about this report that angel and I were discussing um Tyler is is interesting in in how reports out what the budget is um we're told that Tyler Rolls some of these numbers forward so when we start the year we don't necessarily know exactly um what the budget uh is going to be approved for so for example um the first one you see Alliance I think um Andrew and I were talking yesterday they need a little bit more information so it wasn't um it wasn't quite approved we put our best guess in here some of them um roll forward um and we have a ticket in with Tyler because that's um not how it should be um and one of the one of the um things that stuck out to me um that I wanted more explanation on from from Tyler is if you look maybe 15 down you'll see um number 37 says Esser 3 um and it's listed at a budget of 7.7 million with no expense and no encumbrance um and as we know there is no budget for sr3 so the system automatically rolls that forward and we need them to um un automatically roll those numbers forward as we start to plug in these um these grants numbers and in a similar way um Alliance is showing a budget of 4.236 out of Tyler and that's not the number that we entered uh not the number that Angela entered but that's the number that's appearing in thr for we're not sure why that's coming out on on these system reports but um we're working with Tyler to get them corrected and then as grants get approved um we manually um adjust these so for Alliance we should know what our alliance funding is going to be for this year at this point right yes so I mean the when you get the grants is it's based on not necessarily a cash receipt put it that way but based on what you're looking to get regardless of the installments that that you get is that the way you put it in yeah and and I think I think we need to work um when we work on the general budget I think you and I need to discuss how this report is built because I I think that um the grants budget could use um a little bit more uh description so for example some of these grants are are one-year grants some of them are two-year grants uh some of them have an end date of uh 6:30 some of them have an end date of 9:30 some of them have an end date of 12:31 that's not really reflected on these reports nor nor is um the carryover separately listed and and to me in my opinion I I think that the the way Tyler produces this report it can be um kind of misleading so I think we need to work on um the gr the grand fund summary report um and and kind of Bulletproof a little bit y I agree you know it's something that in the past never really looked at or discussed and you know to your point now having here a $7 million number which is really an erroneous number um you know it doesn't make just doesn't make for a very you know a good a good a reliable schedule one thing I want to point out is on the alliance I'm going to ask that for the alliance brand since it's such a significant significant brand and Alliance in the past you may know or may not know has usually been a catch all for us it's sort of been a Saving Grace for at least my feeling for us to to capture some of the costs that we underfunded on okay and that that carat that that the luxury is now pretty much closed and but make a long story short I'd like to see a breakout of the budget on the alliance I I think that's important when you look at the totals here know if that number is close I don't know if the number is 42 whatever the alliance number is if that's the correct number or not it represents a significant number relative to the total of the budget and I think we should have an understanding as a board as to what is in there and then acrost against it so that's something again we could work to to to modify and and to to open up a little bit so we are all knowledgeable as to what's you know what's in there for too long of a period of time you know we we never knew you know what we shuffling around so I I think that's something we're going to have to work on you know put on the agenda to to clean up as well as trying to organize the grants in some sort of a fashion as we talked previously you know whether we organize them by governmental agencies orever different form Rich Dr casemiro's got her hand up hi sorry I I've never had a little hand on my zoom I I've never I don't know if it's the version I'm using so I apologize um so what if in my um to to the group I did mention that I did want to start to bring that the alliance to the grant to the board um it it hasn't been one that we've done before but should and um so we were going to it was my hope that we would bring it to the board for you know kind of an approval to understand it um at this next board meeting but after I submitted it we did get um a request for some revisions they've inquired us to add a lot more budget task and code things very differently this year so it was a lot more labor intensive and then there was a few pieces on there that for example I I was hoping to get the copers um the rest of the copiers into the into alliance and they kicked that back so it's not eligible so going to go back to the drawing board so we're so I'm still revising it and uh and soon as it's revised um and we get that kind of the thumbs up then we'll put it in front of the board the board can see kind of what's in there and how that how that breaks out but that was one of my goals is to make sure that the that the that this group understood what what's in Alliance and what it looks like and car for for us to to to know when you talk about Alliance it's always been my understanding that it's not a free to complete it's not a blank check where they give it to you and you know willing to spend it you basically have to document um the the funding source what it's for and follow up with that can you explain a little bit about the the process I was going to say the headache involved yeah and this year is even more complicated um than ever when so it's it's quite a bit so every single dollar that you put in there has to be tracked and tagged to a strategy to a priority to a Smart goal to a percentage to a school and so for example in the past um you know I we have a list like we have all of our kindergarten teachers the mo majority of our kindergarten teachers are in Alliance For example so um we I would create a budget um Nar Nar around why it's important to have kindergarten teachers which sounds silly um and then we would uh you know we would we would submit that on a budget line item this year we have to we also have guides counselors uh not guides social workers we have um interventionists things like that and so this year they want us to break everything out by school so H so of all the alliance how much is danber high school allocated when it comes if you pull out all the staff what does DHS get if you pull out all the staff that are aligned like the kindergarten teachers for Pembrook the social worker for Pembrook anything that's related to the Pembrook bucket has to go into a new bucket and tag differently and so the state is now looking and I think you're going to start to see that in the reports coming down the state is now looking to track the ROI on all the Investments so rather than here's your $30 million here's your strategies we have our meetings a couple times a year and we have to write a lot of reports every single dollar now is is account accounted for and so what they're looking for is to get a truer picture of how align funding is used by school and by strategy across the state and how that dollar amount feeds into uh probably per people expenditures maybe a more realistic uh picture of the per people expenditure that's my guess but the requirements literally this year tripled in what we have to do to get that Ali Sprint in in shape to submit seems like they seems like they finally waking up after 15 years of funding you yeah asking for an accountability any your conversations with other superintend and District knowing that the the cap is coming soon on the The Alliance money that part is there any conversation that or have you heard anything where rum is to to advocate for for this to continue to to increase and and not just St be care yeah I mean that's the greatest concern it's a particular concern to districts like ours U urban districts who are heavily dependent and um you know I there is some discussion around and and this kind of came out at the state level that they were working on and there was groups approaching about you know uh the the concern around you know at least having Cola it factored into these these grants so that we can get at least a cost of living adjust adjustment or understanding you know the general wage adjustments across um things but you know that was my concern you know when we presented last year at the budget was that at some point right these grants top out and that we can't overly stuff if you will the alliance Grant with with more salaries than it can handle and then the next year you know that credit card is full and we're we're we're on the hook so um so that's in the approach to the to doing the grant this year you know that's taken into consideration is not is to you know have more one time trying to get some of the cost in which just why I was trying to get the copers in there right 6 or $700,000 worth of copers not to put salaries to try to get some onetime expenditures in there to leave a cushion for next year the next year Well POS the possibility of that extra 500,000 that we had there it you know you still get that at the floater yeah I mean I think we're going to be pulling out every stop yeah right you know it's not that we're FL yeah thank you yeah Mike that's pretty much it thums up oh one other thought is going ahead is part of the reporting in addition to what we've discussed would be the the reporting and the accounting we can talk about that on that new bank account that that whatever you want to call it slush fun okay but we'll you know we'll deal with that you know at a later date Rich uh rich I have one question go ahead uh do we know what the official um student count is as of October 1 I asked Cara if at the next meeting yeah I I'll get that I and I'll I'll get it to you before the next meeting I'll I'll get the update and I'll just put it in my board uh memo to you guys and I'll also bring it to the to the next board meeting as well thank you yep thank you any other on the financial statements any other questions committee members okay that being said move down to the next item where we have the discussion um Rich I'm so sorry to interrupt I'm sorry uh did we want to make a recommendation to the board uh for full acceptance of this or to the full board for acceptance of this report sure can save it to the end but fine we can do it at this point here we have to take a vote on it um I think we just need a motion to recommend the September financial report that the committee recommends to the full board the acceptance of the statement for the jury September 30 I make the motion somebody second I'll second thank so all in favor I I I thank you the second item discussion on the status of the 2425 budget book in the past we were presented with binders that had the budget laid out by line number and then it had it broken out by schools I I know Mike one the amount of work that you have relative to the audit and stuff like that I'm not forcing this but I just want to get an idea that it's on the agenda and that book will be provided yeah I um I recall that there was um a budget book handed out I don't know the detail that was inside of it but I know that there there was mention of it by line item it started with the line numbers as you beginning and then it broke it down a budget for each school by line number that was very detailed similar to what you were talking about before one of your conversations yeah I'll see if I can get my hands on an old one and then replicate it yeah as I said it's something that as far as I always been given but I'm not pushing for it at this point here knowing the the timetable that you have for the Audits and the consumption of time on that but it's something that U we we should have and be able to follow up on the uh the next item is something I've asked for before and I'd like to just put it to bed by our next board meeting what I'd like to have is our committee meetings our committee members send me an email as to the type of reporting that you'd like to see and then at the next board meeting uh if you could send me that so I could have it basically for the next meeting which I joted down was on the 23rd if I'm not mistaken um I will make an announcement that that meeting for other board members uh to see what kind of reporting they want then we could assemble all these ideas sit down with Mike and Cara and see what's practical and feasible to do um one of the things that you know comes to mind is the the Enterprise fund which is a rental fund that to me in the past had significant dollars U so it's stuff like that and there's Tedesco account too a cafeteria account as well but if you can give to the committee members that you send me some thoughts if you have no thoughts just send me an email it says no thought I don't have any thoughts so I I know at Le you gave it some consideration so rich um I sent one at the end of last school year do you want me to send that to you again just so you have it all in one place y That's fine okay I have a table here that's proud with papers so I'm not very organized I like papers I like to go through papers [Music] so I'm not an electronic person so the the next item on the the the agenda the update Mike on on the post closing entries for the last phical year you have any particular entries that you're aware of at this point that may materially affect the numbers or does that usually happen basically at the end would the audit is Comm in and audit so far uh there there are um none um the person that runs accounts payable um was on vacation um for two weeks and unfortunately um was Ill the following week so I just want to check and make sure that there were no um outstanding invoices that were large that came in um but as far as um audit related entries um we don't have any yet um just simply because they're not on the 2024 um audit yet um we're on the um we're auditing still 23 so there may be um when we get around to beginning the 24 audit which I think is going to be in the end of December beginning of January time frame um there there may be um some post closing entries but nothing as of right now getting back to the typal reporting last year before the end when there was the discussion on the audits John presented a a sheet I forget what it called it I call it a report card that sort of listed the request for number of requests to return I forget the name that that you had dashboard the dashboard okay perhaps it would be good on a monthly basis if you could update us on that bring that there I know it changes every day but rather than sporadically you know we could have it on the agenda so to say an update on the audit so it keeps everybody at rest yeah the um the dashboard you're talking about um is actually uh in RSM who's that the audit firm that's auditing us they have their own um proprietary software called Sur link or shur link I'm not sure how to say it um and inside that screen it lists out um how many requests are out there how many have been fulfilled how many are still outstanding how many perhaps were fulfilled in returned um and it kind of gives you a ballpark but you're right I mean it changes hour to hour but um I could take a snapshot and share that exactly that's all that is Snapshot so for conversational purposes it's just an update to the board the status is as follows stuff like that yeah I like that too yep perfect that pretty much concludes the agenda item is there any other conversations that any of the committee members or administrative people want to talk about I just wanted to mention rich on on the um 2% account the the non-aps account um it hasn't been set up yet so I spoke to uh Mr Aran at um Union Savings Bank he's ready to go um and Cara pompeno has reached out to him to find out exactly what he needs um in order to open that account um typically it's uh it would be the board minutes showing the approval of the board to open that account those aren't quite ready yet um but she's going to work with him to see if perhaps a draft letter is appropriate just to get it opened um so the the account as of right now um although it's been approved is not um technically open yet but um should be shortly yeah and again important to that would be the process as to how that account is going to work in the accounting I just I I'll just add one thing around the the the the counting stuff you know one of the one of our goals collectively is to you know create this you know a financial projection so that we can you know better advocate for where we're at and what we need and so I you know I do look forward to you know the the the I believe they're called the chart of accounts Mike all the line items right getting all the lingo down but uh the chart of accounts right has been challenging to you know on a every time I look at it you know it's like what what is in this what is in this line item here and and it's really does take a lot of work to try to um backward um you know dig into what's in each thing so it's not obvious which makes making projections um difficult and so the the I think the sooner that we're able to get our charts of account straightened out um and consolidate it a little bit because we have a lot of lines still I think um it would I think it's going to make it easier for us to make those projections and for us to be able to um monitor where we're at across the year so which is important so you know kind of like creating our own running dashboard so that in real time we know how we're going to close at the end of the year you know the the the budget lines the way they stand now and and the way that the charts have been set up it's um because it's not obvious and it's it's not super clear it does make predicting you know the close um a challenging task I think so looking forward to that yeah and with regard to that special account too that's something that the in could be done on the you know Sal spreadsheet where you just put in I mean it's not that you're going to have 180 different categories so you know just put yeah well I like the idea of by location um is is important and you know we have we have you know we're still working on you know budgeting things where they're supposed to be and all and all that stuff so you know there were some changes in the way that that those line items were reported and then adjusted in the last couple of couple of years and so I think they're still we're still cleaning that up but eventually we'll get there yes good Mike is on it yeah thank you very much are there any other points of interest comments for just want to thank everybody for their attendance and that being said can we have a motion to I make a motion second all favor I

e e e the Anaheim Union High School District the Board of Trustees meeting of October 2024 call to order at 3:4 5: p.m. the following members are present Ron hosi Brian O'Neal Jessica Guerrero Katherine H Smith and an Mar Randle tro staff has requested the following amendments to the agenda to replace exhibit ww to include signatures and then we are pulling item 1122 on page 31 of the agenda do I have a motion to adopt so moved second moved and seconded all in favor I by um no public comments seeing none the Board of Trustees will now hold a closed session to discuss items 4.1 through 4.4 on the agenda it is now 3:46 p.m. and we will move to close session

PM uh we have four of the five trustees um here in person uh today for close session we have um initiation of litigation pursuant to paragraph 4 subdivision D of government code section 54956.9 [Music] um conference with legal council anticipated litigation significant exposure to litigation pursuant to government Court section 54956 sign subdivision d sub subdivision 2 uh item C student discipline or other confidential student matters Education Code at code section 35146 and 48918 and 4890 48912 section B and 4960 and 20 USC section 232 G and item D we have conference with labor negotiators government code section 54957.6 and item e is Public Employee discipline dismissal release complaint government code section 54957 are there any public comments on the close session items today okay seeing none we'll adjourn to close session e e e all right we'll now reconvene the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees um we have all five trustees uh in the room right now so they will first start with the flag salute Miss Bak if you want to lead us please stand ready I pledge allegiance 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 and thank you for that um trusty himz if you want to read the district mission statement today Bara Union School District provides all students the the skills to become lifelong Learners and successful 21st century Global Citizens thank you for that and trusty how can you help us with the Norms of the Board of Trustees the Norms of the Board of Trustees the barasa Union School District Board of Trustees agree to focus on the best interests of students at all times be respectful listen openly address problems and process not persons keep each other informed maintain confidentiality work toward the future learn from the past equal participation from all members and stay on task thank you for that item D is disclosure of action taken in close session uh Dr F can you help me with that sure thank you uh during a closed session this evening the board voted to approve a settlement agreement resolving the complaint of a former employee filed with the California civil rights Department former employee number 8050 67 under the terms of the agreement um which was um approved unanimously by the board the former employee agrees to withdraw their civil rights Department complaint with the district and waves and releases the district from any and all legal and potential claims relating to or rising out of their civil rights Department complaint filed thank you thank you for that Dr fter item e adoption of agenda is there a motion to adopt the agenda today I move to adopt the agenda okay moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I I agenda is adopted unanimously there's nothing under recognition of ceremonial there any public comments on consent calendar agenda items today no seeing none we've moved to consent calendar um are there any questions if not there uh I appreciate a motion on the consent calendar for today I'm move to approve the consent calendar second it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I I motion carries 5 to Z consent calendar is adopted thank you you all right all right there we go hry oh there we are okay so at this time we'll have comments from the public on non-agenda items we have n all right okay all right uh before I bring up the speakers sorry about that uh let me quickly go through the speaker conduct give me just one second please uh for all those who wish to address the board during public comment periods speakers are requested to state your name and affiliation for the record each speaker will be given 3 minutes um to address the board five minutes per organization and a maximum of 20 minutes per topic speakers are reminded to communicate with respect fairness and courteousness to each other and to all present you're reminded not to use a name of any employee in your comments the board welcomes orderly communication from the public all right with that let's bring up um Mr Robin James igard for from csca okay hello members of the Board of Trustees superintendent Fuentes my name is Robin James igard the Labor Relations representative from California School Employees association's barsa 364 chapter I'm here today to express some serious concerns that csca has um um on a few different items the main issue that that we're here to talk about the main concern is not enough classroom support and special education classrooms um in this 2425 school year which many par Educators believe has been the most difficult uh one of the most if not the most difficult school year they've ever experienced um many classrooms that um in particular moderate to severe classrooms have par Educators they have been reduced from three par Educators to two par Educators um and even in some moderate to severe classrooms rooms CSA is hearing that there's only one par educator with one teacher in the classroom um there clearly is not enough support to meet the needs of the students and to provide a safe um learning environment for the students um what's another what is even more concerning is that CSA is hearing during this 2425 school year some parent Educators showed up to the first day of work and that that is the first time that they were notified that they were being transferred to a different School site or a different classroom the district's and to that is that they tried to notify all the par Educators during the summertime but some people maybe moved and had different addresses that is not what a CSA is hearing from our members some people stated to us that they have not moved and there was no advanced notice provided while we appreciate the district offering and we CSA agreed to increase par Educators that were less than six hours um to being increased to six hours per day for the 2425 school year um and all we understand is the district's managerial prerogative to make those administrative transfers we feel that the district was not careful enough that the with the way that those transfer those administrative transfers took place and certainly um union members should have known before the first day that they returned to work that they were being administratively transferred um there's not enough Paras in certain classrooms to support toileting of students where they would like to have two Paras to support the toileting and they're being um they're having to leave the classroom to help a student and then the classroom is the students in the classroom are not being supported and the student who needs to have assistance with toileting is not getting enough support the district has said they're hiring roving peras which are sometimes maybe being contracted out with agencies with which the district knows according to the Education Code of California can only happen in limited basis and you need to negotiate the impacts and effects of that with CA which has not happened the roving Pera uh uh solution is only a temporary solution they they are providing inconsistent support to student to the classrooms where the uh par educators are not able to take their lunch breaks at the same time on a regular basis every day and sometimes the roving pairs show up only to supervise students while they're eating lunch that is not enough support um we have asked the district for an injury report a couple of weeks ago we were told we would get the report uh this week on October 18th in some cases I'm hearing there's over 40 injuries already to our members in this school year um some of these classrooms especially moderate to classrooms We Believe need to have three pairs again so that at some point in the day they're they're overlapping and that there's three pairs to those moderate to severe classrooms csda is Al also hearing that there's parent volunteers um in certain uh schools we hope that is not occurring while CSA respects and appreciates the parents of the district that is unlawful if the district wants to bring in volunteers to the classrooms um that has to be negotiated with CCA and that the the parents cannot take away the work of CA unit members and it's not safe for the students because they haven't received the training but first and foremost it needs to be negotiated that's a mandatory subject of bargaining um so we hope the board will look into concerns about parent volunteers and make sure that that is not happening and if the district does have an interest in bringing volunteers into the classrooms bring that to csa's attention so we can consider negotiating something related to volunteers we asked the board to visit the moderate to severe classrooms in uh all of the work sites around the district all the school sites around the district visit those moderate toe classrooms and stay for more than five minutes and you'll see um how hard things are the last uh item I'm going to mention very quickly is we have an administrative secretary working in maintenance and for quite some time over a year uh the district has directed her to perform the member in that role has been directed to perform the work of a transportation dispatcher that is not csa's job that is Teamsters work I have talked to the business agent from teamers and we have told them CSA has never said that that's our work only in emergency circumstances should Our member who's the administrative secretary be helping out with Transportation dispatching she needs training on that it has to stop that's the Teamster's work thank you for this [Applause] comments good evening my name is shaku habibi I am the chapter president and I would like to request the board to it's okay uh I believe my cart is not there I did not tend in the cart but I wanted to you know I want to transfer my uh I I would like to request the board to give my time allow my time to we'll consider your position on csca and and uh I I will allow you to speak yes thank you I wanted I would like to give my time to edit Lucio if it's possible thank you hello my name is Edith Lucio and I am a paraprofessional currently working at brooktree elementary school and I think I've been employed with the district for a little over 10 years um I have lived at berasa Unified School District for over 30 years so this is my home this is my community this is my heartbeat um thank you for giving me me the opportunity to speak today sorry I want to address critical concerns regarding the removal of a par professional from our classrooms this school year this has had a significant consequence for both our students and the staff especially at my school at brooktree elementary school and by the support of our other Paras our other schools we are a family we are a unit um with the reduction of three Paras down to two we are finding it increasingly challenging to provide the quality of Education our students deserve the rise in staff injuries coupled with inadequate Staffing we are forced to make decisions based on student safety instead of educational benefits of the students in our school alone we have had 14 injury reports from October 15th I'm sorry August 15th to yesterday 14 compared to last year a total of 11 11 injuries for the whole school year and that's just our brick tree with our other Paras behind me from different schools they have had over 40 injuries reports that we have to file so we're begging you to please reconsider um I'm sorry um this has directly impacted our ability conduct essential daily living services as stated in our contract for example assisting students with medical feeding um needs um also bathroom needs such as diapers changing it has become increasingly difficult it has required so much more time and dedication with the lack of that one extra person it leaves our classroom helpless defenseless in situations that arise with escalations and you know um elopements so when students when student escalation occurs the lack of adequate staff support further complic her ability to respond effectively in an instance of an eloper a situation is particularly concerning when a student leaves the classroom it is often required that the removal of the remaining Pera in that classroom has to leave to assist the student to bring the student back to keep the student safe while our teacher or the or or you know vice versa where this teacher goes out and leaves us with the student it now the whole education of the IEP goal curriculum seizes it stops we cannot provide that service so now we're idling and for us you know we need to implement our IEP goals for our students to meet you know the needs of that student and to be successful for the future of our students while these may seem like manageable challenges they they they're compounded when it happens frequently throughout the school year um this is a direct impact to us and our students for the coming year so it just just because it's happening today it doesn't mean it ends today it means it's a lasting effect that affects us all from the parents to the students to us as a staff um so I just wanted to say um our district um and I'm sorry I'm going to give another example um there has been a rise in staff injuries um and when there are staff members injured and we need you know substitutes when we do receive our substitutes they're coming into our classroom really not knowing what to do they're coming into our classroom asking us for guidance so in essence we are now taking in another person who we're trying to teach them as we're trying to teach our students so to be successful we need to have the the proper staff who like Mr Robin said who knows or Miss Miss shaku said who knows our students we need somebody who's there permanently who has that relationship who has that Rapport we've been in this business for a long time and I can tell you that we have deep deep relationships with our students so thank you thank you for your comment [Applause] all [Applause] right all right all right okay so call the next uh speaker up um I think it says J J tang jangu tang is there it's me okay so neighbors and members of the board my name is Jang I'm a parent in the rusen elementary and seron middle school and I'm here to talk about the school consolidation committee's work inting which schools to close it is not a topic that is on the agenda today and it's not a topic that you guys want to hear I know and you guys might not might not be aware what's going on in that committee that's why I want to bring this up so what happened last time is that they have voted to close ceremon and now on the short list on top of the short list of elementary schools to close they've put Cherrywood and Ruskin now all three schools camont Cherrywood and roskin are right next to each other they're in the same Community serving the same neighborhood they're in the same neighborhood and they have decided to close all three schools in the same neighborhood I don't have to stress how d d is going to for that neighborhood if all schools all three schools in that neighborhood is going to be closed why are they doing that right why are they doing this they're doing is because some outside financial analyst com company said by closing these three schools you'll been saving some additional 50k or something that's why they have picked those three schools the thing is the board right the school board didn't tell them that you have to close three three schools you have to close the three schools that can save the most money the board simply said close any three schools and you'll be you'll be okay to balance the school budget right so in order to save some additional money which we don't even need just balance our balance our budget they're going to close all three schools in a community diving that Community they're going to close they're going to create a vacuum a vacuum of schools right in the center of our school district so to save some additional dollars which we don't even need to balance our budget they're going to close rusen a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School while keeping failing schools open to save some money which we don't even need to balance our budgets they're going to co Ruskin whose math program is so strong that it is ranked number two in the entire Bay Area in the National Math League number two behind only Harker a private school that has a 50 K annual tuition and we are a public school I mean talk about effective use of taxpayer dollars here if we want to save thank you for your comments thank you so much the next speaker I have on the card is um it just has KC on it um I need to post can you hear me all uh to all board member I'm Casey I'm uh parents of uh three kids in Raskin and seron middle school and yeah I'm our family chose to this neighborhoods because of the Tre school that is the nearby we can send our school uh kid by walking to school instead of driving so [Music] um we choose this uh okay today as a concern parents and Community member I request the board to intervene the consens process of the Consultants that in the school consolidation advisory community in their recommendation their consensus process to me is it's not up to standard I mean the way they try to do is based on predetermined criteria or whatever because what what we what we see there is that when the four subgroup of the school consolidation Community member make the recommendations and there is no consensus they try to like animate uh each of those uh school that short listed by arbitrary ranking process so those process are not ready transparent so we think that that consultant is not ready doing the job that given by the school district it is disturbing to see that uh because all the two school that my kids go to are at the high risk of the closure as a parent I'm really concerned on this matter and I also think of like The Bard member to think of other alternative yeah I know you guys have gone through the budgets uh go through the others spending in very detail but I would still see there are still way that you could save the expenditures because from what I see or what everyone see the enrollment is dro but our expedit is still going up I mean I know during the covid there are additional fundings but I want the board member to try to constrain the spending uh drastically at this stage and we should work together to ensure our school are protected and our children receive the best education they Reserve thank you thank you for those comments um next speaker I have is Nina set Nina thank you board members uh my name is Nina Seth and I've been a Community member here in beresa District for over 40 years I actually an alumni of Ruskin Elementary and pedmont hills and I am Gravely concerned that the school consolidation committee is looking to close Ruskin and seront which are located right next to each other it does not make sense to have a vacuum in that Community what is going to happen to this District we already know that parents are going to pull their kids out of school we know property values are going to go down and we know that people are not going to want to move to this area we have so many neighbors right now who have moved to this area in the last five years young couples people with young children people with no children that's going to go away and here's the other thing during my Outreach to my neighbors no seniors on my street knew about this zero my parents are in the 80s most of my neighbors are in their 70s and 80s no one knew there has been a lack of transparency I only found out about this on next door four weeks ago four weeks ago and I am very politically active in this community I get the local paper I get the local newsletters I had no includ that any of this was going on and I'm active but imagine my older neighbors they had no clue people like my parents have been voting to support the various schools for the last 40 years as have their neighbors I can only imagine that if their schools are closed that support might not be there so I think that's something to keep in mind is that it's not just the parents you have a vast majority of par uh community members who had students in these schools 10 years ago 15 years ago 20 years ago who have supported this District but that support is contingent on these schools being opened if these schools closed I can't guarantee that my parents or other sen seniors are going to be interested in supporting the school district and these are homeowners supporting Bond measures keep that in mind lastly I just think this entire process has been rushed it is flawed there are issues with the data there's issues with trans parency and I would ask that we don't rush this I mean there's absolutely no reason to rush this the community does not support this and you will need the community support beyond the you know the decision for these schools thank you thank you for those comments the next speaker is Luna next speaker is [Applause] Luna and thank you I want to say that I've been very emotional after I read the meeting minutes for the last committee meeting I try my best to calm down and finish my comments here good evening everyone my name is Luna and I'm here tonight to express my deep concern regarding the handling of the school school consolidation process particularly the role of the consulting firm hired to guide the consult consolidation advisory committee the repeated errors and a lack of transparency raised serious questions about the competency of the consulting firm leading this critical process first I'd like to highlight the reoccurring issue the despite receiving emails about the errors in the Middle School summary during the September 5th meeting the narrowed weighted score for the elementary school was again calculated incorrectly during the October 3rd meeting these reoccurring mistakes suggest an arbitrary approach to manage critical data raising significant concerns about the accuracy and consistency of the scoring process especially giving the complexity of the data involved in the scoring criteria in addition to the scoring Arrow the process lacks transparency and how the consulting firm arbitrarily adjust score during the meeting during the October 3rd meeting this projector was turned off while changes were made and it was turned back on no one explain what has been changed or why the lack of communication not only feel manipulative but also undermined the Integrity of the entire process moreover the criteria used to rank the schools were provided by the consulting firm not the committee members members were not informed that different criteria could be suggested or could be waited differently and when they re raised important concerns they were told these concerns could not be Quantified but is the firm was hired specifically to quantify and analyze this complex issues furthermore the voting methodology was flawed as well committee members were divided into small groups but stronger voice dominates some discussions skiing results to make a matter worse committee members were pushed to move a school they have ranked first from the final list the manipulation of the process is unacceptable I don't know how hard it is to collect the rankings for 20 with 30 members but the consulting firm struggled to manage it it demonstrated a clear lack of competence and and inability to ensure a fair and a balanced process so I understand the recommendation is from the committee but the discussion is facilitated by the consulting firm and they led the discussion to the results they want and the last to add the October 3rd me minutes didn't record what actually happened and is very misleading in conclusion I urge the board to carefully consider the role of the consulting firm and their recommendations their repeated error lack of transparency and flawed methodology or jeopardizing the integrity and the critical decision of our district the future of our schools and the education our children were too important to be left in hands of a firm that demonstrate incompetency in every step thank you for your time thank you for your comments the next speaker up is Janet U Janet hello good evening board members and um superintendents so my comment is actually in regards to the role of the superintendant after the proposed school closures um since there are plans to reduce the number of schools from 13 to 10 which decreases of responsibility um with less schools less principles teachers and students what is the plan to actually reduce the number of superintendents because we're decreasing by about a quarter we probably don't need oversight by about a quarter because there will be less teachers less students less superintendents um so with that said too uh with the declining enrollment and financial constraints that has been happening over the last few years um I want to know how the superintendents and the board members approved a 6.5% pay increase for you guys knowing that there has been teacher layoffs staff reductions especially after listening to them talk about their um their issues of lacking staff in their classrooms how is it that you guys were able to approve a 6.5 increase I can probably speak for most people in this room that we have never I have never in my life in my 15 years of working had more than anything over a 5% increase and that did not even happen at a yearly level so a 6.5% increase in a company or in a position that um apparently our financial um constraints is happening that we had given you guys a pay raise I don't understand how that happened um and I just want to know why why that is moving forward and if when schools close are we going to have some type of retroactive like pay decrease for this because your role has significantly decreased when these schools close so we can actually provide the resources for our teachers where they are actually needed and mind you this happened um this pay increase happened when the teachers were working without a contract either so I don't understand why they were working without contracts while you guys were taking pay increases and they're not getting the support we parents are bringing all the supplies into the classroom I probably myself donated over $500 to the school last year I can't say how much other people have donated but why is that happening that's all thank you thank you for those comments the last last question I have is um j j j j i hello uh good evening um good evening everyone and good evening thank you for your service and thank you for efforts and time uh dear uh superintendent and other members of the board so my name is jetto a parent of two students in this District I moved to this District 10 years ago attracted by the school quity here and uh as you can imagine I'm deeply concerned and disturbed by the fact that we are talking about school uh consolidation and also I'm quite concerned about the uh criteria that was proposed by the district and the uh consulting company I think as many other parents have voiced this evening that um the um the criteria somewhat arbitrary and it's deeply weighted by the consideration of the co saving side and I believe budget balancing in education is not just a one-dimensional issue while Co saving measures are very important uh they represent only one side of the coin and the other side which is arguably much more crucial is to keep our current revenue and even generating more Revenue so as we consider School conclusions uh school closures two very critical questions emerge the first is how can we retain our current students within the public school system and the second one is what strategies are we employee to attract more families to our district if we are closing some of our best schools I mean unfortunately I think this uh vital considerations were overlooked during the discussion of the school consolidation which is still ongoing but I don't see any data or research related to that has been provided to the school con uh consolidation committee and a typical response I got is that okay you cannot predict the future but uh we we right we don't have a crystal ball but just like study the demographic data to predict the enrollment Trend we can also study what are the top factors all the fam is considers according to National Center of Education statistics academic a achievements and the curriculum per performance ranked among the top four factors by closing our academically high performance schools we risk losing our Competitive Edge in ejecting future students and thereby jeopardizing future revenues streams and also we may risk losing our Cent students secondly I think why don't we just run survey to directly ask our curent families we still have time to collect this piece of data we can run survey in the fifth graders family um which middle school is the top choice and if this one uh is going to be Clos what would you do would you stay in our uh district and move to a different school or would you go to move out of District or even go to a private school and we should actually ask the same question to all of our current elementary school and the middle schoolers so what would you do so then by doing that yeah I think we still have time to do that thank you thank you for those comments that's all I have public comments thank you everybody for the for their engagement uh really appreciate it uh we'll move forward now with our next item on the agenda item 10 under reports and presentations we have uh quarterly report on Williams complaints Dr Fus thank you at this time I ask Dr mccu to please provide the update regarding our quarterly report no complaints were filed with any with any school in the district during the quarter July 1st through September 30th thank you thank you for that um this approval there report right uh next item we have is um on a mindful leaders project presentation Dr FES thank you uh this evening I have the pleasure of introducing a introducing to the board Dr Nikki Elliot she'll be coming forward uh today she will be sharing with you the progress that our school district has made as being a longtime partner now with mindful leaders project I know we've had several of our staff members teachers classified staff that have really gained a lot of benefit from the professional development training opportunity and now we're at a new stage where we have existing staff working with Dr Nikki to become our own um internal strategy Keepers and long-term staff developers themselves so this evening Dr Nikki will be providing you with an overview of the um range of skills we've been able to build capacity on these past few years that we've been in Partnership Dr Nikki welcome thank you Dr Fuentes and thank you to the board for this opportunity to connect with all of you today um is we are now in our third year um of Engagement together with the strategy Keepers but four years overall um with the district and um as as I'm very sensitive to all the concerns that you all are managing now um these skills that we're learning and teaching um are supportive for all of us both at the student level the teacher level as well as at the community level so I'm very excited to support the internal capacity that's being built to help you to achieve all of your goals and to model the kind of society that we want um to bring forward for all of our children um we were tasked um at the beginning of our work together with Dr frentes and I just want to acknowledge Dr Joe as well as Nicole pares for the exceptional leadership with coordinating our team it's been a wonderful partnership um initially we envisioned a full 75 hours of content so just to frame I am a clinical professor of education at the University of San Diego and the school of leadership and education Sciences when we first began I was at the University of leverne um where I ran the Center for neurodiversity Learning and wellness so what we did for you all in our first engagement was to adapt coursework that we delivered in our master's degree program in special ed as well as in our neurodiversity certificate so your staff and teachers received graduate level content um and we started that off split into three levels um and 75 hours worth of training and they did earn um continuing education units from the University for those who adopted that um in that first year those three levels were really helping us look at um a neuroscience what we call Applied educational Neuroscience so we're looking at how the brain and nervous system function for Learning and this has significant implications for helping support your general education teachers and being able to have the foundational knowledge that they need to provide more what we call neuro inclusive classrooms so the goal part of that was to address some of the significant disproportionality as well as some of the racialized marginalization that happens and so in this capacity building we we hope that um we would see over time a decrease in the numbers of children that are referred out unnecessarily for special ed or particularly for behaviors as well as increasing capacity within the staff for managing the stressors um that are involved particularly for those that have um special ed place ments um so that first level had a lot to do with the teachers learning themselves how their own brains and ner nervous systems are impacted by the stressors of of the classroom work level two took a look at interpersonal mindfulness which mindfulness means awareness in our Neuroscience context and that was where they became aware of the impact of implicit bias on their ability to connect and relate to students particularly those who have different identities and then in level three um this has a big part in our understanding of supporting students who are neurodiverse in the General Ed classroom is understanding how nervous system sensory challenges impact students ability to regulate Behavior so that piece was a significant part of the work and we wanted to um I definitely acknowledge you and thank you for the resources that were put into those teachers classrooms to make modifications and I'll be showing you what a few of that provided so this was our first group we started off at level one with um 40 particip participants um we are very proud that by the end of the first level we kept all 40 by the end of the level three year one we had 36 remain so we had a 90% retention rate of your faculty and staff and what I'm most proud of here um was your commitment what we stand firmly on in this work is that every adult who touches the life of a child has the capacity to either co-regulate meaning to provide conditions where that child can settle and come online for learning or potentially Co escalate which means to be a part of escalating behaviors and that can happen at the front desk when the child enters school it can happen in the library on the playground in the cafeteria and this group represents a beautiful mixture of both classified and certificated staff the only criteria was the commitment to complete um and even today in um who I'll be highlighting we still maintain that balance of certificated plus classified plus um uh counselors and ther therapists and sight leaders um leading the charge of this work which is a big unique proposition that most districts are now I have another County neighboring county is asking for the barasa treatment now so they're asking to model what we're doing here and to take it countywide so here I highlighted this because so many times people think mindfulness is just about breathing and what I want to assure you all because sometimes there's this thought that oh there's Dr Nikki she just wants to help you breathe so I just want to solidify I do want you to breathe but but the grounding point of this is what we call Applied educational Neuroscience so your strategy Keepers as well as everyone in the district your site leaders your cabinet have had a significant grounding in the science of these practices and and what they have led to is a significant increase in your teachers ability to support students particularly I'm very sensitive to the AIDS that were're just here speaking about the increase in injuries and the escalations of student Behavior this understanding if it can as it continues to spread with your in-house capacity can support your AIDS in being able to manage some of the stress as well as tools that we can continue to use to support those neurode Divergent Learners particularly those on the Spectrum and those who experience emotional disturbance so when you see these brains and you connect it to mindfulness I want you to be clear that we are consistently seeing improvements in the places where teachers are building capacity where everyone who comes into with a child has the same grounding on how to support those children and to deescalate those behaviors um so here I would I I leave this data here for you to read this was just just showing the definite commitment that your your every dollar you invested into this program was met with 100% attendance rates 99% Zoom followup rates um so the commitment and the work that was delivered was was very strong and what i' like to point out out here very briefly what we saw on transformation with your teachers um significant amounts of teachers that experience insomnia that experience high levels of stress that impact their ability to hold space for children especially when they're under Challenge and in their mindfulness journals many reported some I've stopped using my inhaler some I'm sleeping through the night now and that might sound like small things but that's very significant as it relates to the capacity that teachers bring into the classroom in their work in level two they were given a co-regulation challenge meaning to pick a student that they struggle with and to focus for 15 school days which was three School weeks on applying the Neuroscience strategies that we taught to make a difference with that child's behavior and this was one example a teacher saying now that a child that I thought was always shut down and disconnected now that child has taken his hoodie off he's seeking me out for help and looking me in the eye so this has definite consequences when teachers are assuming that students and shutdown behaviors just are apathetic and don't care about school another thing that was significant is that at the end of year one about 30% of the teachers that we as our close out survey um were considering mentioned that they were considering possibly leaving the profession before they started the work with us but they are now finding such a sense of meaning and leadership in the work that many people are saying I love my job again I'm committed to the district I'm committed to growing in leadership so we're very proud of that because it's better to keep and retain uh and support then to to then to keep the HR meal going as you all know um in the second year we did one-on-one I showed up monthly um and all of the remaining strategy Keepers in the program we wanted to implement and I wanted to see in each classroom that they were implementing the things that they were learning before they would start to present themselves as leaders for your District um we did coaching skills for an entire year and building their capacity to to support their peers um they had monthly coaching calls with me one-on-one site visits and then last year they did great breakout room facilitations with me as I showed up to lead in person um I got to see some amazing work um underway and transformations in the classroom I know that you got to hear a lot of the struggles that people face and the hard decisions that you all have to make as a board but I just wanted to give you a peek inside of some of the amazing things that the teachers are implementing in the classroom um this is missia Raman at Morel um she was really revamping and revisiting ways to get children more up and interactive in the math class space um we have Miss bubna um shrink hant she has autism class and she used some of the funds that were given to create this sensory tent for students on the Spectrum when they are overwhelmed we have we know this often have lighting sensitivity Sound Sensitivity they could name that they needed a break they could set a timer and tell her how long they needed to relax they could come in here even take work in there and the students were highly responsible to go into the sensory tent reset come back out and rejoin for learning so that has as as she reported made a significant difference in the climate of her classroom what I would say is one of the most complete implementations of the work that I witnessed was at Lane view with uh Isabelle Peters so every level level one intra personal she shows up twice a week for her own personal nervous system support we continue to meet twice a week many of the strategy Keepers here join me online twice a week um for all these years um interpersonal she has the students now able to name what nervous system state they're in they're able to put um their stag on to tell them whether they feel shut down or mobilized and if you see here they're able to um pick which type of mindbody practice will help them shift nervous system state so the children are being empowered which is um a significant shift in the classroom climate in level two she makes her anti-bias curriculum very clear for students respecting cultural differences in name and in relation building a much stronger cohesive classroom environment across differences um she has implemented differentiated instruction for her independent Learners and able to provide executive functions coaching where she stays with the students who need her support which was beautiful to witness um she used some of the funds to get flexible seating we understand the nervous system needs of students with ADHD and autism um and this is a student um on the Spectrum who is able to benefit from having that spinning chair because we know clockwise spinning activates the Vegas nerve and that student was able to stay fully engaged in learning so this is just an example of her daily leading the mindbody practices which she has shared has made a significant um difference as of last year in the quality of her classroom climate and it was awesome to watch the students particip ating um this is Elaine Schultz who splits between Lan View and Cherrywood so she's able to bring these practices one-on-one when students need pullouts for the work that is more intensive that one could be done in a group um so now we're down in year three uh so this is the year two I would like to let you read that on your own because I want to be sensitive to your time right now we're in year three and what I'm most excited about now and committed to is building internal capacity so in this room last week was the very first time that your strategy Keepers fully led the immersion program with me giving feedback so I just want to take a moment here to acknowledge um Maria froso and um and I want to acknowledge Sarah Ken and what I want to really highlight here is the fact that we have a classified Administrative Assistant teaching side by side with a certificated teacher which means that they together can partner and deliver this work to your front office staff throughout the district and really leveling the playing field they have given equal commitment to this work and it has been really beautiful to witness um and so this is their partnership teaching all of the brain science and and by the end of this year they will be ready to take on this work and so the the path forward here will be um a consolidation of this work from 75 hours to 25 we're recognizing it's hard with budget constraints to get people to do level one level two level three so we have condensed it at the University of San Diego to one two-day immersion and then seven Zoom sessions that will consolidate level one through three to make it more financially feasible for you to deliver this work also having built this in-house capacity by the end of the year you will also save money on external consultings but the work will live with my ongoing support so those Seven Pillars now of the Heart Center connections will continue to build the adults nervous system capacity we will continue to work on equity and co-regulation we'll continue to work on teaching sensory work to uh design neuro inclusive learning environments um we will teach with the brain and mind so explicit teaching on executive functions to support students with learning differences mindful communication skills to support deescalation elevating Hope Choice and agency for students who have experienced trauma um and then learning to survey the community to understand the degree to which we have successfully embodied Equity um so with that I just want to take this last moment to just ask if all the strategy Keepers who are in attendants could stand and just acknowledge of over a 100 hours worth of committed work to grow in this and Betty please and so all of cor Miss Corey Miss Wanita Miss uh Brenda and Miss Betty are all underneath coaching underneath Maria and Brenda and by the end of this year you will have 15 strategy Keepers who will be fully certified to facilitate and Lead this work and to save money and keep it inhouse thank you so much for your trust and your partnership thank you thank you Dr [Applause] n f first of all uh it's an honor for you for us to have you speak at our board meeting it's always great to see you um comments from the board like any I just have a quick comment Dr Nikki thank you so much for your work you know whenever I speak to folks in the district you know they're so excited about the work that you're doing and this is really the path forward the path that I see our district moving forward to help support our students our staff everyone involved and so just thank you so much for your work this is something that I'm really passionate about I love seeing the work I love all the strategy Keepers here and I really um envision our district really fully encapsulating this work and having this um be flourishing even with without it so thank you so much thank you it's been an honor appreciate that thank you thank you for those Miss Bo if you have anything to say thank you Dr Nikki for everything you've done for our for our wonderful and talented teachers here and where the students can truly benefit thank you and for themselves as well thank you so much thank you so much it's an honor for sure and I'll Echo the sentiments of my colleagues on the board and you know really appreciate the commitment and the dedication uh and you know it's uh personally it's a personal comment from me is it's an honor to hear you speak um I'm you know I like all um your content and things like that uh so it's always a pleasure I've heard you speak uh a couple of times before so it's always a pleasure to uh you know reint get reintroduced to those Concepts again and understand uh a little bit more each time uh what those things are and you know we really appreciate it thank you thank you so much I just want to confirm we are packaging this final version and so all of the strategy Keepers who are certified will have unrestricted access to teach from those fully packaged and licensed version of the work which will include instructional videos to build on in-person communities of practice so I want to honor all of you for taking the journey with me and to be sure that you know that the work will always be available to you um to continue thank you thank you so much thank you once again next item on the under reports and presentations we have measure U construction Bond program update Dr FES thank you at this time I'd like to introduce Mr Tony kisto our director of bond facilities and modernization for his monthly update report thank you hello everybody we'll start with so we had a new aerial done of pedmont so you can see the new gym on the campus again we'll go through through the updates we have and then the schedule so the first thing the first thing we've actually completed this month was the fire alarm for Brook Tree in sommerdale um projects out to bid we're going to receive bids for booktree and rusin next week sometime um things that are in progress the pedmont gy progress project the electrical site we have all the parts so we're going to bid that so hopefully we'll have that at the December board meeting to award oops sorry uh again the PA replacement at pedmont that'll be completed the the middle of November um the fire alarm at Majestic Way should be completed by the end of this month and then the security projects for Noble Summerdale on Toyon those are going to start in about two weeks and we hope to have done by the end of the year and then the HVAC replacement at 1376 the old district office the we're going to start receiving parts for the mechanical units in December and the remaining mechanical units will be March so that'll be done the end of March um the window replacement they're going to start installing Windows the February break um the exhaust fan project over the break they actually replaced about 60% of the fans at the four schools we working on the rest of them they'll do at Thanksgiving and then the holiday break uh Monument signs those are all actually installed they're going to actually start installing the lettering next week for all the schools and then the comprehensive infrastructural renewal and utilities assessment they actually installed all the lightings we're doing the punch list right now is was just basically walking through and making sure they installed everything and making sure it's correct things in design Warehouse project we're still working on that design for that that's actually into DSA um public address as soon as we get the numbers and we start moving on from Ruskin and pedmont we'll pick out we'll pick two more projects and move forward with those for bidding because again the idea is once we get the two done we'll go move to the next two and we'll just keep going until we're done um fire alarm replacement at Toyon Vincy Park in Northwood Vincy Park's at DSA right now Toyon and Northwood will go in the next few weeks we hope to have those done over the summer again security alarm projects kind of the same thing we're doing with the PA is as soon as those other three done we'll move on to the next three and then the compreh the remaining part of the comprehensive renewal and utility assessment projects the mechanical units they're going to we've receed some of the smaller units they're going to start putting them in during the breaks so for like the IDF rooms and things like that the MDF rooms they going to replace all their single units and then the bigger projects for the mechanical and the solar are expected to go to DSA in December with work being done this summer and being completed by the end of the summer um the fencing projects we're designing something fencing basically the perimeter fencing for Cherrywood Morel Toyon and Vincy Park and then Vincy Park we just started working on a design for replacing the exterior walls perimeter fencing um the exterior door and um frame replacement on all the exterior doors um office reconfiguration um pod reconfiguration basically cleaning up the Pod areas and then Ada scope and then this is just a graphic schedule of how we plan to get all this complete and again this is just another view of pedmont any questions any questions on the board I had a quick question on the just a couple of uh quick questions on the monument m uh do we have like a like a template or a sample on how the lettering will look like will it be unique to each school and the colors and things like that or everything going to be the same standard templ standard across all the schools can do that it's basically the name of the school and the address yeah okay and the same color will be the exactly um the other thing was about the fencing project you said the perameter fencing uh are we replacing the chain link kind of fence with like a which school so you let me go back you had Noble Cherrywood what did they have so at Cherrywood it's the front the front fencing so we're going to move it so that basically where the F the fence is right now when you walk in we're going to push it back so you can actually enter the admin without going through the fence and the so the fence will be pushed back so you have so it'll be be closed off so you can't walk into the school oh right now you have to walk into this right and the other other um Morel it's around basically where the Portables are and then we'll basically Wing B is accessible from the fields we're GNA fence that off so you can't do that Toyon is actually the whole Back Fence because it's only a five- foot fence we're going to make it a six foot fence and in Vincy park again it's where the the two right at the admin where the two Kinders or the two classrooms are we're going to fence that in so then all the classrooms will be within a fenced area I see because at viny those are the only two that aren't fenced in see oh that's interesting and they will be will they be like I mean so replace with similar ones or or yeah so like Vincy Park will put in a um RW iron fence thank you okay that's the word I was missing too um toyan will be a chain link fence Morel will be chain link and then Cherrywood will be the same thing it'll be the r fence that's what they have now exct okay good all right thank you thank you for those updates really appreciate it all right um moving forward we have the um superintendent's report Dr FAS thank you uh just a few items first um two weeks ago I had the opportunity Along with Dan Norris who's in our audience here to attend the safety Symposium that was held uh through the County Office of Education facilitated over at the social services um agency offices it was really a a great Symposium to be a part of there was quite a bit of safety areas of issue that were shared across the county but what we really learned was the extensive amount of Partnerships that exist across agency in case in the event that a school district ever did be faced with a very serious um emergency or crisis so we got to know who all of those partners are and the roles that they play and they also did uh quite a bit uh with us in terms of um just being thoughtful about different emergency procedures that we practice um you know different uh styles of doing threat assessment reviews and resources within the county that we can rely on for that support in terms of those protocols that we want to establish um also had the opportunity to moderate a panel that afternoon with lots of the leaders across the count um that are part of providing uh these supports and so I share that knowing that this week we will be celebrating California's um ShakeOut actually tomorrow that's at 10:17 so just a friendly reminder to our community and to all of our schools that will be engaged in that really important that we're mindful of earthquake procedures fire drills and everything else Under the Sun so that we continue to um keep our students safe and keep our community safe in addition um I know this year it's been new for us to have um our roving art teachers at the elementary level I was able to observe uh some of these art lessons uh this week that our teachers are doing with the students and our primary kiddos are enjoying the art and learning all about you know becoming illustrators and you know in these early years so definitely is a nice way to see our prop $28 being funded and supported and on this agenda this evening there were several items for new um instruments at our middle school so also using those dollars in that manner um I also just wanted to express my thanks again to Dr Nikki for her partnership and just the amazing leadership that she's been able to develop across the district with both our teachers and our classified staff um they're just doing tremendous work and when you see uh the implication of that in the classroom with our students it's pretty phenomenal and I had the opportunity last year to hear one of our schools just kind of share that full spectrum of benefit from um the support team on the site the social worker to the classroom teacher to the student to the parent who had also shared how they had learned some of these strategies that have been really helpful on how they've engaged with their children at home so really great to see you that that's the potential that can be expanded upon across the district so thank you so much again for that incredible work um also uh we have lots of Partnerships we have a strong partnership with YMCA one of their annual functions that they host each year is their annual Breakfast of Champions where they recognize a variety of um of school uh folks that support the after school programs as well as community members that volunteer and provide an rrange of services we've had lots of folks in Bessa get recognized from time to time and we have two this year that are going to get recognized this Friday Dr mccu and Dr rer over at Summerdale so they'll be um uh wanted to just make sure we give them their congratulations as breakfast of champions for this year in honor of our partnership with YMCA and then also again reminder of our next school consolidation committee meeting it's tomorrow it will be at 6 PM right across the way at our County Office of Education building thank you perfect thank you for the for the report Dr V uh when you're speaking just something uh one question came to my mind and he speaking about the um uh what Dan um did with the with the emergency prepared is it correct just just out of curiosity it doesn't include all Sites including the district office uh number one and uh our some of our school sites are shared uh you know sites with other organizations like sjb and sunshine school and things like that uh are they within the scope of that thing or or do we involve them in any way or do they we let them develop their own plans so first um every site every School site as well as our district office were required to have a comp comprehensive safety plan those are the ones that we bring in each year that the schools um work on at their site level in terms of identifying who their leaders are and on site to be part of that IC team that Incident Commander team that they have to put together so that's up for annual review each year and then those get submitted here to the district we bring them to the board we're required to have those in place Dan Works closely with our fire department and police department who also review those plans and sign off on those procedures because uh they do annual um audits with each School site as well as the district offices to do a check on are those earthquake drills happening are those fire drills happening to make sure um these uh safety plans aren't just idle plans but we are putting into practice what those safety procedures are we're responsible for those that are within our um walls so to speak right so those that lease on our site are not required to be part of those emergency procedures but can if they have interest in doing so because remember that their fence lines are also um different uh from from the site but I think many of the sites do tend to incorporate them into those procedures especially those that have had that are there during the day some are there after school only so they have a limited time frame that they're on campus yeah the only reason I I thought of that is because I think many of our students take advantage of those after school uh opportunities uh that are on site uh and it'll be good to either extend that invitation to them or maybe not extend invitation like share the plan with them saying that hey this is what uh we expect of our school sites within our boundary like you mentioned uh you know if you have any questions please feel free or please collaborate with us uh for the benefit of everybody because they're all they are our students at the end of the day anyway so okay thank you thank you for that uh report uh any comments and announce or announcements from the board today trusty H yeah I just want to quickly say that um I will not be present at our next board meeting and the public hearing study session that we are having because I'm traveling but I wanted to communicate to the public that I will be um taking the proper um you know studying and investigation for this process I am taking this very seriously and I'm happy to meet with folks as well if you email me at my various email so just letting folks know but enjoy the meeting without me we will miss miss you trusty hog there um any other comments from anybody else before I say my piece uh so I just wanted to bring up because this is U our next meeting is not until November 12th 13th right so I just wanted to mention that because because we have a a large presence of um um Hindu and Jane people in our um in our area I wanted to mention that November 1st actually October 31st and November 1st uh we we will be celebrating uh Diwali which is the Festival of Lights uh many of our school sites uh do put together some programs um uh for this purpose last year I think uh I want to say Majestic Way or somebody El one of those two somebody right they had a very nice program with uh with cultural dancing and I I I got a chance to read some books and things like that I hope we're able to bring that back and look forward to it uh but just to uh share with everybody uh Diwali it's called the Festival of Lights uh celebrated by um Hindus James and siks across uh the globe it symbolizes the victory of light over Darkness knowledge over ignorance and good over evil I know this by heart but I'm still reading it but during Diwali we also engage in Acts of Charity sharing our blessings with those in need the spirit of giving reinforces our bonds as a community reminds us of the importance of compassion um and there is a there is a short words in Sanskrit um want to share a couple of lines of that that uh uh makes sense during this time uh the Sanskrit words goes like this and the last part is not relevant but the two lines that it it means that lead me from ignorance to Enlightenment lead me from Darkness to light and may there be peace that's the message of Diwali I just wanted to share with everybody and I uh hope to get a chance to visit some of the school sites hopefully they're able to uh put together a a program this year to and if any of you are free and they are uh you know inviting us I hope you'll show up in your cultural costumes and participate freely uh I look forward to that uh thank you so much uh we'll move forward to uh we have public hearing so we have public hearing for disclosure of Teamsters Local 150 collector bargaining agreement and B USD Dr ftis it is recommended the board conduct a public hearing to receive comments from the public regarding disclosure of the Teamsters Local 150 collective bargaining agreement and varas a Union School District right all right we now open public hearing any comments from the public on this topic seeing none I'll close the public hearing we'll move on to review and action uh item a say superintendent Dr FES do you have anything under that no nothing under item a all right next is under uh Business Services uh item one is disclosure of teams's local 150 collective bargaining agreement and bu USD uh Dr fantis it is recommended the board accept the certified disclosure of the Teamsters Local 150 collective bargaining agreement from the Santa clar County Office of Education thank you with any comments if not I'll entertain a motion on this item I vote for acceptance second it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I I and the the disclosure has been the certified disclosure has been accepted correct I just want to make sure I got the right terminology there um next item is city of San Jose Emergency Management premise is premise use agreement or premisis Pua with the P USD for use of certain District facilities during emergency situations thank you it is recommended the board approve the city of San Jose's office of emergency management premise use agreement Pua for the use of various USD School sites during emergency situations um and this is specific to our middle school facilities perfect any comments if not I'll ask I'll entertain a motion on this item move to approve so second has been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries um 5 to zero thank you so much next item under Human Resources we have is that correct uh approval of agreement between Teamsters Union Local 150 and B Dr FAS it is recommended the board approve the contract language changes in the ten agreement with Teamsters Local 150 all right are there any comments uh entty in a motion on this move to approve the contract language okay it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to Z thank you so much next item is board policy 4111 Recruitment and selection Dr V uh just to share with the board for the next three items 411 421 1 and 4311 the updates um are similar and they're to reflect new guidance from the California Department of Education and the commission on teacher credentialling which uh now um encourages District staff to reflect the uh race and ethnicity of the students that they serve um and that that be noted in the selection process of candidates to ensure a diverse staff across our school dist District in addition there is another new law new law sb700 which also states that any applicants um an agency is not allowed to inquire uh regarding prior use of cannabis and so that is something new that is putting into the hiring process so at this point it is recommended the Board review and approve board policy 411 one Recruitment and selection for for a first reading uh can we approve all three uh and one you certainly can I'll entertain a motion on um item two three and four move to uh approve all it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to zero on um items 2 three and four for board policy changes all right under ed services we have board policy 5144 do1 suspension and expulsion due process Dr FES it is recommended the Board review and approve board policy 5144 point1 suspension and expulsion due process for a first reading um this uh policy is going to reflect a new law change SB 274 which extends the prohibition from suspending a student for disruption or willful defiance or any comments from the uh board questions if not I'll entertain a motion move to approve okay it's been moved and seconded um all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to zero all right there you go um next item is board policy 6159 do2 non-public schools uh Dr fentis it is recommended the Board review and approve board policy 6159 point2 nonpublic schools for a first reading this is also um a policy update to reflect a um a a lawsuit in the state of California Davis Joint Unified School District resolution agreement with the US Department of Ed office for civil rights which uh references seclusion and restraint protocols and procedures that must also be applied to non-public schools that we engage with all right is there any questions comments if not I'll entertain a motion move for approval second has been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to Zer next item is board policy 6164 do5 Student Success teams drus it is recommended the Board review and approve board policy 61 64.5 student Student Success teams for a first reading this is also to um update language based on current policy and best practice in the state of California um it incorporates uh the SST process is uh again reiterates it being a collaborative process amongst a team of Staff as well as um administrator and the parents and it also incorporates this as one of the strategies in uh mtss our multiple tier system of support um that that's Incorporated in all of that work and trying to ensure our students have what they what they need to be successful perfect thank you for that there any comments questions if not I entertain a motion move to approve it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to Z and next item is um Bond program progr and number one uh is B Roofing Company Inc change order number one for bid B1 2022 23 for the roof replacement project at Northwood Elementary School buildings 100 200 300 400 and 500 Dr FAS it is recommended the board uh approve this change order as stated it is a credit for $ 73,9 120 back to the district perfect we'll take that uh any comments or motion move to approve second moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to Z uh next item is JL Construction Inc change order number one for RFP 01 2022 23 design build new model of gymnasium building at pmon Middle School Dr fers it is recommended the board approve this change order as stated it is also a credit back to the district for $ 76,77 all right perfect um any questions comments or a motion on this item move to approve it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I hi motion carries 5 to zero faster than it be faster than just kidding next next item is gold close comic Services Inc ratification of ccca lumpsum agreement for patching and painting for the PA and security system equipment installations uh at pedmont Middle School Dr f it is recommended the board ratify this agreement as stated this is an additional cost for this project of $1,187 all right any comments or questions or a motion on this item move to approve second it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to Z all right next item is Kya Services LLC ratification of cupccaa lumpsum agreement for toilet partition replacement at Pinon Middle School it is recommended the board ratify um this project agreement it's related to the previous item and it's an additional cost of $29,500 all right thank you for that any questions or is that a motion on this move to approve second before I go for a vote what what is the toilet partition replacement on this was are we increasing this length of it or just replace so it's part of the window project we're required to do Ada upgrades to the school so that's what this is for okay I remember that all right thank you thank you for reminding me um thank you for that uh and then and we have a motion we have a second all those in favor say I I motion carries 5 to zero thank you um next item is Primal painting Inc ratification of a cupccaa lumsum agreement for the painting of The Monument signs at 10 elementary schools Dr f it is recommended the board ratify this agreement as stated it is an additional cost of [Music] $13,250 thank thank you any uh questions or comments or is there a motion on this item move to approve it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to zero the last item on this list is Silicon Valley Paving Inc change order number one for bid 12 uh bid B12 2023 24 outdoor basketball court renovation at pmon middle school.

e e e good evening I will call to order the regular Board of Education meeting for chica Unified School District it is October 16 2024 it is just after 5 p.m.

1% and start to Target the students and grow them to be able to succeed in math you'll see the same thing in the high school they're expanding math coaching um professional development has gotten very strong and the bilingual math program is expanding so all of these pieces are directly related to the conversation we're having because supervisors principles are looking at this um same thing with science science doesn't count so to speak right for 20 years the state has been saying the science state is going to count towards our you know performance report it doesn't so much but what it does show us is how we're doing again it's another place where we're being consistent right we have people less people not being proficient we have again three increase it's not as Grand as we'd want it to be but it's ping in the right direction um same thing here we have increase in materials for lbs we have teaching schoolwide stem enrichment activities you'll notice stem is happening everywhere from Lamont all the way to the high school right that infusion is helping us address things so those three-year gains for Science and English we saw a small increase that's positive right we have to have the conversation that our consistent proficient level is ranging between 37 and 40% of our students that is something we need to change and that's why we need the 3% growth in proficiency level over the next three years if we get that we can look at a 10% increase of students passing being proficient that's the essential goal for me and as I said to the committee we get three years at three that's 10% right I like to add one I round up and then we end up with a baker dozen right so that's 12 13% so that's our goal really is to set up 3% well what are we doing we're having to address not only learning style but our subgroups right and our subgroups break it down break it down by our programs break it down by race ethnicity so we want to look at that and say well what are we doing in relationship to that concern so here we're looking at English language arts by race right ultimately we see multiple races what are the places where you wanted where we're successful we want to look at okay our major population here is Hispanic so we need to sit down and have a conversation about what do we do to help our Hispanic population what do we do to help our black population be at a level where we want them to be especially we're working on multilingual programs especially we're working on our dual literacy or by literacy process that's going to help us out so what else will help us intention we need to have intention with how we address these numbers so it's called standards driven teaching where we're focusing on skills expand things like writing across the curriculum so that students will be able to do better with that now we look at mathematics by race again the numbers are similar and this is where we're consistent right we see the same consistent with our subgroups by race right and multiple are a 10 to 15% higher percentage than and sometimes 20% higher than Hispanic in Black populations something we need to have a conversation about what is it that we can do what does it look like for standards driven skills Based Teaching for all of our students no matter what race what gender what program so let's move to race with this science you can see is um a place where we need to work on it the most we have some lowest passing but that is one of those things where we need to change the culture of understanding Science Matters right so I think part of that is what we're doing right now with making the testing more important for students I think that will also impact our goals here um when we look at gender as a district and I said this last year our gender is we have a gender parity here both our young women and our young men are doing very well and they do equally they do have some of the standard Fair of young boys men doing better in math and English uh is for the girls uh women we'll look at that but so for me what we need to start to do is recognizing the Precision of the artists and the creativity of the scientist what do I mean by that girls are scientists just as much as boys are we should we're in the 21st century Beyond those sexist stereotypes I hope but but part of what we're doing is promoting a way of understanding how people think of themselves right young women taking math tests often waste 20% of their brain thinking about the other people in the room young men don't do that why because you're told you're good at math so statistics like that are real for the psychology of what we're doing something we'll want to address because again when we look at mathematics we're still pretty e right it's not bad but we want to make sure we're getting more people who are proficient same thing with science we have a pretty good balance here that I think speaks to the fact that we're treating our genders somewhat equally now for me by program this is where we understand we want to make sure we're supporting and I believe we are doing what you saw things to address these numbers right our special ed is at a 10% and our El is at 6% proficiency meeting and exceeding right so those are areas where the new programs are changing the teaching practices that are going on you've heard about over the past year programs that are just beginning now time to show their you know outcomes so that's an imperative We've Just Begun this year the with the biliteracy we've just begun a new special ed restructure Str and that's imperative for us to understand same thing with mathematics again our major area is special ed and elll that is a standard when we look at the state number it's a standard process those are areas where a lot of students struggle because those are the areas where students need the more targeted supports and we're putting in programs to do that um science again is the same scenario where we really need to make sure we're supporting that subgroup U our special ed programs are strong and then the other piece that I didn't mention that I do want to mention is go back to look at um free reduced lunch so our you know economically struggling student also is something that we want to pay attention to as well so when we're teaching we have to think about not only what we're doing in the classroom but how we're helping out our families and how we're making sure that we're supporting and sourcing them that way so that's key so the last bit I'm going view of US versus the state this is the more how can I say this is the one where we have to work on our growth model this is the one where we're noticing we aren't making the gains that we want and we have to be open about that to have the real conversation of how we go about amending it so these are where we're seeing the numbers I'll also show you I'll drill down into what teachers would use for say looking at The Benchmark diving into it and how it would impact their teaching so that will be now so here is for me our concern the red box where we're at 42% in level one and the state average is 20 right that's why I need 7% gains a year on that over the next three four years I we need to have a higher gain meaning we want to decrease that 42 however we do see if you look at this cohort the 42% here they were 32 so they made a 10% leap right because less of them were at level one that's the right direction right but now what we need to do is consistency with a growth mindset right now our consistency lies in our final numbers of overall growth but if we look from year to year we see disparity so we need to be more consistent with our vertical articulation with our programs and that's something that all the interventions are doing and again here you can even see look there's a growth again where there were 20% who were at level two but that same group in seventh grade were 10% which is a good thing because ultimately six to seventh is a leap year a year where it can be more difficult to grow so that decrease is actually a sign of growth and then we look here this is where we want our 7% growth more with level four right so it can be done this group here is here so we had 11% in the third grade those people as fourth graders are at 21% of proficiency that's imperative so it can be done we just have to do it intentionally if that makes sense so that's our goal same thing here we see in growth from the fifth grade to the sixth grade that can be done we see growth here from Seventh to e8th grade that's what we're looking to intentionally do what does it look like it looks like us focusing on that same thing with level five you can see fourth grade to fifth grade we increased almost 3% so what it's showing us is we need to not only look at the things that students aren't doing but we need to go and look at this and what was it that students UND stod so that we can teach to you other areas so we also have to praise ourselves and what are we doing well here what's going on in this program that we need to reinforce and that's imperative so here's something that teachers are going to be doing and that the principles and that the supervisors are already doing so this is a report that we get on the evidence statements for the various standards so what you're looking at here is the chart the blue or purple is the state and then the green dots are our schore down below this all the standards and the skills that they're being measured on so teachers can break it down to say okay here's eight which might be one of the bigger struggles for us and nine which are the bigger struggles for us because we don't do as well so we can then pull those up and we can see seven and eight here reading informational text and reading science and Technical subjects are areas where we would want to work with our students what would that then look like so what they could do is evidence statements and there's released items so a teacher can take this release test item which shows the questions and break it down and then they turn that into a lesson plan that makes sense for you so folks who are not teachers here's the the way that it goes for us we're looking at the data at this level to understand here's all the standards that are being tested in this test how are our students doing what are the ones where we're finding the biggest struggle from there we start to isolate them informational text science technical subjects then we go to and we pull out evidence wa we pull out things that are out there for us to utilize so we look at the test and then we can say to them what is it on this test that you're trying to learn that was a struggle and then that becomes a lesson for your student that's the key so I'm just showing you that drill down of how this data from njsla is actually changing what teachers are doing in the classroom so that's the goal for me all of this stuff only matters if it empowers teachers to do something more with their students so same thing here with our math levels right we are you know again we're higher than the state when it comes to level one and two and that's what we want to decrease we want to make sure that we're focusing on it like we can see that it's very much possible from fifth to sixth grade this group went down 5% that's a good thing level twos right A lot of them went down here but we don't you know we go here so this is a good step it's important for us to focus on what is going right as much as we focus on where people are struggling um again for me this is the proficiency levels and we can see here in sixth grade seventh grade that group increasing and moving forward so that's the strategy for us looking at this data figuring out where we made gains looking at across the board where 30 and 23 okay it's good we went down here 20 and 28 it's good we went up here so that speaks to our programs right it said there's the two lines we're looking at so just to finalize this for you this is a good line looking at our third grade program and saying okay what's going on in there that we can reinforce how do we support them versus we look here and we go 14 to 20% how's that cohort doing right that group of sixth graders who are now seventh graders um same thing with our fives we want to make sure we're always supporting everybody and seeing our our proficient students also move to advance um same thing with our science level um we again are higher than the state but you know we are moving up when it comes to relationships of level threes and our level fours are where we need to really focus so this for me is the idea of we're looking to get 7% growth here 30% growth there and we can get things so what does this data show us we're consistent we do see minor gains our students are not passing at the rate that we want it to be so in order to get them to grow we have to do what I showed you with the data of looking the evidence have students review you know these questions have them critically think and then have the lessons reflect and support them and this is where we end started with Emerson with a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little Minds we kind of end with unless you try to do something beyond what you've already mastered you'll never grow so that's what the data is showing us it's showing us that one um we have interventions in place that we need to continue we have programs that we've just started we have to look for those numbers coming up next year and the year after this is probably a three-year model like I said the 3% growth is year to year ideally 10% over three years would be a tremendous growth for us to see and that's where we're looking to go questions concerns maor malfunctions so again there's a lot of data there were 88 slides to begin with we paired it downers did a great job in sharing the ongoing pieces that are happening I think that's where I want to leave us so any questions and I'll hold up these things so that they can address them thank you Mr Ross So anybody have any questions or comments to sh I have a question um how much of this is do we feel is um students anxiety over test taking or their relative you know what I mean like relationship to test taking like you know that impct out of a lot and I believe that's part of what we're doing and working to create a more comfortable and a more um prepared student so yes like I was saying before there is that statistic stord did a study where they put a woman in with other men and Tak a math test she would score a lot lower than if she was sitting in with all women so that you know utilizing 20% of your brain to think about the fact that you're around other people and there's this gender stereotype that you have to fight wastes your math brain so yes we we do deal with test taking anxieties and I think part of our setting it up last year we had a test prep rally pep rally people to get them comfortable with it to tell them to believe in themselves to empower them um helping teachers and again this is something I said at committee teachers with the Kindest Heart say to students yeah we don't like the tests we're over test yes we are but we we have to say to students I believe in you and you are to manage this test the other part we need to just think so I think it's a culture shift for us that we're also making because I don't blame teachers for that it's just one of those things where the you know path to the you know fiery place should be paid with good intentions yeah I also think uh if we talk about test anxiety it is very real but it's not a Bound Brook issue and therefore comparing us to the rest of the state kind of takes that out of the equation because every kid has anxiety right so I don't know that our kids have any more test anxiety than a kid from Bridgewater is what I'm saying I I'd be asking that question of us as as a as a district as a community do our kids have any any situational needs where test taking isn't as easy do kids in Bridgewater feel more confident than kids in B it's just a question I don't know that's a component it's a variable and it's one that we consider absolutely is why when we set up our testing now we're doing it in a much more intentional way right and that's something that Dr Freeman has LED and pushed the initiative on for me and I'm very interested in it I know Miss anello and I know all principles are looking at the test to say hey wait a second we're going to set it up where you're most comfortable yeah where you walk into the environment and you know what's going on you're fed well because we really focus in on just having a breakfast getting kids settled making sure that they go in so it is a very important factor because I know for me as a test taker with dyslexia ADHD it was a bad thing and all I could hear was pencils so my brain would be dis completely distracted by everybody else's taking the test that on the paper so that is something that's very real and something that we address can we address it in this data um yeah in the sense that we are looking at setting up testing to let people know the hard work they've done is going to help them and then also that internal belief seen if a kid does well in a test right their confidence grows and then maybe they perform better the next test they take so you know is there a way to pull data that shows kids that have just incrementally done better on the tests through Services provided like you know environment getting a nice breakfast feeling relaxed you know the environment around them while they're taking the test we want to look at how those things are actually I again I would so for me the NJ GPA data speaks to that most loudly because we haven't had that much time to change the program the NJ GPA has only been around three years and we made a 10% gr leap in English the year before we made a 17% leap this year and it really does have something I think to do with the aura that was created around the testing whole team setting it up the administration you know talking to kids about it and more Dynamic way um those gains over two years I would say quantitatively can't just be the program right if it is then we need to take that program and sell it because we're going to be millionaires but I think part of it was creating a good environment thank you and I'm also looking at um you know one of our district goals is to look at data and to use data and to have that really be part of the process now with everybody so that you're going to be looking at the scores I I like looking at the standard which ones need to be addressed just I mean it breaks it down into what needs to be done to just um it's going to take time and like you said this is a three-year goal ultimately but it's a very strong goal and um needed and what you're saying this helps the teacher reflect on the standards that they're teaching and helps reinforce it because it's not always easy as a teacher to constantly be thinking about every standard you're teaching so us having the conversation about the data helps to reinforce and give them that common language I think part of our Improvement plan is establishing a more common language around standards like that's a word that just wasn't bandied about in the way it is now standard the skill what is the skill so now the teachers are having a conversation about what does it mean to read a science and Technical piece what does the domain specific science article do differently than reading an article about a business or an econ an economy article so I think those things are out there and also having the um the coaches available and going into into the classrooms and modeling what what those lessons will look like so it'll all come together thank you to all those people who are establishing those programs yes so um so Mr R uh first I want to start off by saying thank you for the presentation thank you to the administration everybody else as you mentioned putting together 88 slides into this was not easy yeah I mean even just looking at the mountains of data that's on here it's like brain overload yes um hypothetical question for you with the intervention that we currently have today with the all the assess um assist programs the coaching the professional development everything that we've been doing this year do you feel that the numbers that are where You' shown us today would they have dropped Would we not have would that consistency not not be shown if we didn't have what we have today I think we have been over the past three years discovering all the systems that need repair and starting so over the past three years we've I think to uncover the things that were necessary that took so then once you get to the things that are necessary it's starting to implement it so I think we had a three-year buildup to starting what's going to now say that if we didn't do that would the numbers have continued to go down I could have seemed Absolut yeah hypothetically speaking if we didn't start to have these conversations students would be struggling more because it's harder I think things are becoming more so as a parent I do want to thank you guys and the administration for for a lot of um programs and that you put in so thank youone for doing that and it translates the bottom line for me to teachers like for me the big theme that I hope I'm reinforcing is teacher practices and them being able to be more the teachers being more resourced in the classroom to support so that being in the bilingual programs and the the multilingual the biliteracy that and the interventions that having a coach in the room um for me to have somebody to talk to is is a great yes yes and I agree 100% with you on that one question I do have when you mention the consistency of a 1% or 2% what is that in terms of numbers in students well it's it's a hodge podge of a mess so in the grand scheme of things all grades are making just a little bit of a gain and so that's a number that you know am I really hanging my hat on that not really because I can still see here that this group did have a over the three years we did see it go down in so much as we have 9% more level on and twos so that's something where for me the fourth grade what are we doing to address that program because that would be when I talked about it there's two levels there's the year so that's studying the program so that's a conversation we need to have out loud what is going on in the fourth grade program that's working well where are areas that we can grow it why did this happen just even that conversation of why is this going on allows teachers to reflect on their practices and allows everybody to grow right so that's that's a key so Based On My Level understanding and help me my masters while here we're saying there was hypothetically speaking there was 100 kids in first grade and that dropped there was 100 kids in first so fourth grade is 100 kids there we had more people not of those hundreds there is a 10 almost 10% more who did not meet the expectations and he weren't even approaching so that's a conversation that we have then what we can do is what I showed you with the drill down is we look at our Benchmark tests that we're giving with EXL and I ready we look at our classroom assessments and we compare the three of those together and we say if a student's doing well on this test and doing you know but not doing well here what's the issue we often see where students perform well in class but then don't do well on the test kind of what you're talking about could it be test taking anxiety or does the student need support or is our work that we're giving not rigorous enough to make sure that the students can succeed on the assessment all those are valid questions about that I think one of the things you talked about committee was the idea of how overwhelming this whole journey might be to someone who looks at it and says wow we are double digit percentages off of just the state average let alone you know excelling and how does that get translated to our teachers how does it get translated to our students I think Danny actually picked up on something really important for me at least which is I know the hypothetical was 100 kids but what was our moment it's more like 150 160 kids per per grade y really we're talking about 1% of the population being somewhere between one and two kids per grade so when you break it down to that level if we're talking about somewhere between a three and s% increase it's moving a just a small number of things and the reality is that that investment and that Focus can have dramatic impact and that actually explain when you break it down that way if you think about it if each teacher in each grade moves one kid right one kid up a level that's there's your three% more than 3% and and that's the goal with I think for me the teaching practice is changing because then you're supporting the students and that's the bottom line I keep repeating it and I will be redundant and I would say to go back like as a teacher if you told me you got to move one kid as opposed to showing me you know we got to move 50% if you said move one kid this year and then next next year move another kid to me then I'm like oh that's not overwhelming I can move a kid keep everybody else where they are and move one kid up I can do that you move that kid and then that kid maybe inspires another kid to move and then you inspire somebody El so for me it is this is doable curious if um if you have any feedback do we is our gut sense or do we have data that supports um an opinion about do we feel that the data we get from I ready from I Exel is it predictive of how a child does on njsla are we seeing a discrepancy there or do we have a lot of confence I haven't drilled into as much over what we're doing but yes tend to see that yeah so we did notice in the data that we were getting in the past it was a huge discrepancy so our students were performing better in District and know we did the state exams um the results were were you know shocking because it wasn't matching so we did notice I mean it's only been one year so we only have one year to look at you know so it could be fluke I don't know but we did notice that the information that we got from IR andl last year does match how the students did on the state test so it is we believe it should be a better predictor of how our students are performing so we'll see this year if if it matches and I think that's for me where we go State information Benchmark and that those two comparing can change what teachers are doing so when we look at course grades that's what needs to shift because I think the course grade is where we're not the only District in the world where great inflation is a thing where you know it's it's a matter right it's one of those things where for me I've seen it I've been in teaching since 1998 I was you know I was more of a bell curve human being and then when I stopped teaching at recers three years ago I was handing out all a I don't know what happened you know I softened up I I don't know I felt bad for but it's one of those things where I think that is going to be a key for us because those two bench mark and state and then really help inform what we're doing with our courses and our programs and our teachers to say hey look why is it this kid got a 100 but they only scored at level three and that's again another good conversation to have any final comments or questions I will just Echo the thoughts of my fellow board members and saying thank you for a fantastic presentation you know the work is not easy yes not only to get to the where you have everything compiled but presented in the way and so team thank you here thank you much folks appreciate it thank you and if you ever want to we I'll take that fun if you ever want to read a good one read Emerson nature good stuff all right we are now up to our stute board member for 4 so short report today so to start sports teams boys soccer here 107 with next game tomorrow against B here next Tuesday at 6m which decides if they win the Skyland 11 Division girl soccer is currently 591 with the next home game9 Central Jersey college Charter at 4M football is currently one and5 with their next game this Friday at 7.m against New Providence this game is also their senior night and their homecoming game uh BR T is currently 4 and 13 with their next home game being next Tuesday against Philipsburg at 4 girl volleyball is currently 6 and9 with their next home game next Tuesday at 4M against Tom S energy Charter they also had a tournament last weekend with I believe three other teams and uh they earned second place uh and last of the girls basketball is hosting an apple Beast breakfast on Sunday at the location bridgew water with ad Mission being $14 and all proceeds going to the team under School related our homecoming dance is October 19th with sorry with the theme being the Night in Paris PSAT and sat testing will take place on both the 22nd and 23d respectively for all grades the high school had a Hispanic recognition assembly yesterday with representatives of each country by the students and a performance from award winning Paraguay and dancers and performers which is why the enjoyed by students from all the grades and the high school hosted a college fa on October 9th which had a great turn up with more than 20 colleges presy and it was a great way for students to learn about their auction After High School that's it awesome that wasn't a short report at all that was a very short report thank you any questions right great work we are now up to our committee reports the first one up is education Mr Dawson if it's okay I will just uh let everybody know that we spent the ponderance of our time with Mr Ross and Mrs Griffin going through the presentation you just received um so again job well done uh up to governance Mr back okay A few items uh first we took a look at our draft of the Strategic plan um there are three sections of theic plan one was just we have all the goals and objectives that we formed they have now um Mr Ross and his team have included now action plans for each of those goals so they have actionable items over a fiveyear span so um they they can track actively what is what they're doing to meet those goals and then lastly they added which I think is really valuable um a section where it shows the role of each administrator from superintendent all the way down to uh content coaches exactly how they will contribute to each of those goals and what their responsibility will be to help meet those goals so we went through all of that it was well explained to us um so that you guys know we also want to uh and expect to have uh open honest conversations at we haven't decided what interval yet whether it's yearly or twice a year or quarterly we don't know but um regularly to assess the progress on this strategic plan because those of you in education know that they tend to kind of go by the wayside and sit on a shelf and we really don't want that to happen in there so we want to make sure that we're keeping up with the progress on that and making sure progress is met and if it's not why not and how can we adjust as we go along so it's not five years from now and then we say oh wait a minute we forgot goal two so we want to just make sure we're we're moving along and things are broken down from the plan by year one and two year three and four year five so it is broke it's not as though it says here's five years wor of stuff do it all at your leisure it says here's what you do now here's what you do next and so on and so on so I don't know exactly when but we should all be getting that plan relatively soon because it looks like it's it's pretty close to complete at this point um next oh any questions on I guess we should do one at a time any questions on strategic plan the only thing that I would add is we discussed uh the potential socialization and so not necessarily just to publish it for theity commity and expect everybody to come read but really to go back to the group that contributed to it primarily and affirm that we understood and we heard and we incorporated all the feedback that we possibly could so levels of socialization as we start to spread the word around yeah so not just having those updates here but actually maybe holding a meeting personally reaching out to the stakeholders who showed up to the to create the plan and say Here's Where We Are maybe yearly and let them know and of course invite everybody else you know every St whoever wants to come but those who actually created the plan would probably want to see you know how it's going all right uh second we talked a little bit more about um hopefully you remember last month we talked about the PE extension for athletes we looked at two different plans one was Point Pleasant burrow and one was I forget the other one long range okay go long range uh they were very different for sure but we kind of said here's what we like about this one here's what we like about that one Dr Freeman took it upon himself to say I'm going to go ahead and try to draft something that would work for our district some of some of the like one of them have logs for students that where they would have to log their physical activity but then it brings up points like who's checking those logs and where does that happen um are we burdening people with extra extra work so there's a lot of logistics that have to be worked out but on its face the idea of the exemption is something that we like as a committee obviously we have to flesh out the the the details and see how it's going to work in our district which Dr Freeman is going to do for us and then we'll be able to bring you a little bit better idea of the exact plan that we'll be going with um the next one is an interesting one uh I don't know if you saw the did you send that email to everyone about Playfield s it to govern okay so planfield recently their Board of Ed passed a resolution and that resolution said basically we want to go to municipality we want to go to well through I guess through njsba we want to go to municipalities and we want to seat at the table when we're discussing pilots in town as I hope most of us are aware now the pilots that we have here in our town don't give the school board any additional tax money um and and legally they don't have to that's the way the law is structured so not that we have any official how we don't vote at the at the burrow Council of course but we would like to sit and have an honest conversation with them about how it's impacting us in a variety of ways financially and you know student numbers and and many different ways and so planfield actually pass this resolution so as a committee we have asked Mr Gorski to draft a resolution for us as well that we will present in November obviously we hope that you'll support it as a committee we felt that it was something that deserved um support but it will be in hopefully November's uh meeting agenda so that you can for yourself if I could add two points to that uh the first one I think for our part especially with new Administration and significant different uh composition of the board we've had good productive conversations with our pro administra team with our Council Mr Lopez thank you again for attending our meeting um and so I think probably our most dire need for this type of an intervention could likely be passed not that we've gotten to a place where we're satisfied was resolve but certainly we have an open dialogue with our Council and if we felt like we needed to have a conversation at do open to us uh really I think what the playing field board of education is asking is legislatively across the board for the entirey Jersey should this be an expectation or should it be something that's left up to the level of cooperation between Global school boards and municipalities and I think in that way it makes a lot of sense for us to support it um part of my reason for bringing it to the governance committee is because this will go to uh njsda delegate assembly in December and uh B Brook like any of the other uh districts that are part of that Association we have an opportunity to vote on it so really this is me asking the board when it comes time to go to assembly which way do we want to vote how can I represent okay and lastly we look like we are ready to move forward with the committee we spoke about a few months ago with South South boundbrook the um joint committee they would like to meet the first week of December I actually emailed really late today I apologize I think it was 3 P.M by the time I got the email out to you guys about it at committee Joanna Su and I all volunteered as a said in the email anybody feels really strongly that you would like to be included we can maneuver things to make that happen but as of now the three of us have all volunteered to do it so we have the three that we need unless somebody else really wants it and just a comment on the number of delegates that we are sending um we're restricted obviously we want to do this short of a forum and our Forum requirement is five sou on because they have less Board of Education members can only bring three people to me before they reach that maximum so just to make sure that we start everybody off on foot and we thought that it was a good idea that both groups brought the same number of people and I'm one of the MERS do you have anything to add for that no no I mean we're looking forward to it okay any and that's all I have for governance any questions on any of those items yes so Mr zco is not here tonight I will endeavor to do an operations report but Mr gorsy I ask that you pay attention to keep me honest um I think one of the biggest items that we discussed during operations committee really was the results of a water test at Lafayette School uh if you remember subsequent to the construction project we felt that there was an excessive amount of water infiltrated the basement area there have been a number of different U remedial measures that have been taken first by the contractor and then exploration through our Architects office most recently we had a specific study designed to determine if and how water was getting into the building uh that was conducted at the end of last week and as you probably saw in the weekend report um the results were not very good so we had significant water infiltration um so we are intending to take next steps on that um it likely will require us to do more exploration potential excavation um and Remediation uh so there is more work involved but we finally conclusively have replicated the infiltration issue and that Mr Gori did I cover that well is there anything you would add the item to add is I believe that's going to be a close session discussion tonight because of potential litigation that was gon to be my question okay uh Mr Mr gki was there anything else that we covered maybe just a quick comment that we are wrapping up the audit at this point um I don't believe we had the audit on this month that was the previous but we did have a discussion about the consideration of a modular addition at Lamont Annex yes pleas and um the district is required by the state of New Jersey to extend our pea preschool education grant program to allow more for students and right now we're really contained by the amount of space that we have in our building so initially we looked at a contracted service with a vendor who provides um and hosts service for students and we talked about potential lease um details and then Administration came up with an idea of a modular addition to the school and how that could compare as opposed to renting space to build on the building are are that we already own and we would have equity in the future use of it is whatever we wanted to be as it turns out the cost of the modular expansion is very favorable compared to the overall lease cost and it can be erected and a fix to the school in about time we toured today um South River School District who has a new Early Childhood Center and we were very impressed with what we saw there today and we're very appreciative of the administration at South Rivers uh board of education for allowing us to meet with them for over an hour today toward the facility we're we're still exploring that option but I I think there was a lot of attraction to what that offers the fact that we can do it without a bond refer them right out a capital reserve and we could extend and meet the state's requirement for enrollment in the program which right now we're doing a waiver each year and then the the third item on the agenda was an update on the bleachers and the high school gym um we had a structural engineer review the gymnasium and determined that significant cracking um along the structural areas of the gym was caused by the seismic activity that we've had the earthquake a few months ago we've submitted an insurance claim and we're going to put together bit specifications for construction enhancement of of the gym Itself by adding a little bit of backbone and spine with rebar that is going to be inserted in the blocks from the top all the way down into the slab every three or four feet to to firm up that facility the question that's on the table now is what about the bleachers they they seem to be in an area of cracking and are they safe the structural engineer has written a report he said they are safe but he did put some disclaimers in the report that made the board uncomfortable so what the committee had decided was we are going to and Mr correct me my wording is wrong here we are going to limit occupancy of the main bleachers in the gym until the construction is finished and that includes a enhancement your connection to the wall that right thank you Mr G um before we get to open session for questions I'm going to look down this end of the table because uh thankfully we had two of our board members who were actually able to attend and participate in the tour at South River so sue or Don do you have any uh anything you'd like to add I'll tell you the the visitation today was just wonderful we walk in really not knowing what to expect um they're doing a lot at in that District um but we walked in and and I just think we were so pleasantly surprised with what we saw um the rooms were in large they were welcoming the the they started the process in February started building in April and were able to have students in for the opening of school in September that timeline was just incredible that they actually met that timeline um they have a few things that they're still working on um but overall it's so doable you know it just was so nice to see that this is a solution and would really meet our needs of housing the students in the classrooms that we need um kid say it was really was very very positive I'd say that that the size of their complex was about 25,000 s and they had it done in six months we need roughly I think 5,500 what Mr gors said so it be done very quickly the same architect that we're using now is the architect that did that so he's got the experience he's got the hands on and when you think of modular you know the the perception is like a a trailer that you see in a mobile home mobile park uh this is just a it's a a freestanding permanent building this they I think they said 35 year old 35 year expectancy 35 year expectancy but they he was very confident saying this could last like 70 80 years with proper upkeep so it would be a permanent building really it was very impressive very nice well thank you both for your assessment and for questions yeah um I don't know how far along we are in that process but first how many classrooms are we talking about adding to lont and also where on the grounds does it go so I think the answer to that is four and it would be if you're if the church is to your left and you're in the parking lot it will be to the extreme right of the property Mr G can you confir that is correct it would be at least four maybe five or something determining you know the future need and it would be on the park of and as Dr Freeman has brought up concerns about traffic and parking we're we're looking to address those but don't they don't seem to be inter other comments or questions thank you for being patient with my report and Mr BR thank you for filling in uh Su count sorry point of order go back to HR okay we can do human Human Resources so um the first thing we always do every month is just look at the spreadsheet with new hires and new designations transfers Etc um one thing that is new and on the agenda tonight is called H1B it's a vis Visa sponsorship um it's a three-year visa and candidates who come into this have to have bachelor's degree or hire in the field that they're going to be working in and we're looking at how this is going to be advantageous to us in areas such as bilingual and for World languages um our responsibilities District W um require um just keeping track of dates the the things that we have do the fingerprinting for the background checks Etc observations evaluations Etc there is a fee with that and that is for the attorney attorneys and they have to get all the necessary documents and they um just deal with professional fees this is something that there is a job that's coming up the the description is um brought to to light and and riew and just um looking at data coord ation uh positions on the agenda and attendance coordinator um one of the other things that we discussed was having a substitute grounds worker so that when you know if somebody is out that there is somebody who can come in and fill for that day or however long they um they need to be in that position and looking to find you know somebody hopefully locally who um and to have a um a salary that really will want to keep you know to have them stay and you know keep up with being EMA Dr um the last thing that we discussed was the Neu and that's a mental health program and this it was the update it was very well received this program was initiated um through a grant after covid and presently we have 18 who are subscribing in therapy program and for who are in the coaching program the rant period for this is over and we're just looking at ways that we can transition this as a budget item um it's a wi scope of care and it it helps with goal setting and really working with um individual mental health and uh Mike is there Mr gy is going to contact them just for proposal just to look at funding opportunities so that we can continue with this program and I think other than that that's it [Music] questions but I'm I'm going to continue now so um with the Somerset County with um ESC there was a lot that's happened in the last um really two months they do their reorganization meeting like in August and September and one of the things they it really was uh the new meeting dates the review of the organizational chart um just a directory which updates all admin teachers schools contact numbers Etc they had um the the district goals there were four and I'm not going to go into everything that's in them but I will tell you what the four are it's student enrollment and programs uh marketing with websites and social media building is grounds technology just to improve the the building as it is and they're looking at some major improvements in projects that going on in the 2425 and actually go into the 26 uh school year and the other thing is the special ed Transportation they only do the routing now for special ed they um got rid of all those buses Etc so that they're moving on with that there was a a a smooth transition a success transition to the opening of the school year they are relocating the transportation from the central office into an adjacent building um because they too are expending and they need more classrooms so um part of that is moving a multi-purpose room making three classrooms upstairs and also adding more space with the transportation change um the present enrollment they started in September uh with 138 students they're now 146 so they two are uh they're just they're growing and I think that that is it that will cover purs on either HR or SC right hearing done we 4.6 our southbound BR this car so I only have two things this week um our strategic planning our first meeting is October 29th I'll make sure letters up to you guys um we'll be meeting also in November and December I apologize I left my so have those dates um the only other thing nothing exciting is still early in the year we did um just approv tonight the paving of the Elizabeth Street parking lot which is in really bad shape um so they'll be doing that in a couple of weeks and they'll also be Paving the Madison Street parking lot as well that's it very good thank you m any questions for South rep I just want to say hooray for that parking lot because that was like a a mind field that's really I'm glad the school yeah the school just took it over took ownership of it over I think two months ago oh so good good good all right that closes our committee reports we are up to item number five open to the public for agenda items any comments from Mr call anybody online there's no responses online thank you sir moving on we are up to item 6.1 VI resolve of the B Board of Education upon recommendation of the superintendent approves the minutes for the following meetings regular and executive meeting minut for September 25th 2024 can have motion motion thank you Mr B second second thank you m any discussion right heing Mr gy a roll call please Mr B yes Mr Dawson yes M cazino yes M Carlton Yes except I abstain on 7.29 to 7.44 on six you're good oh six I'm sorry yes jump it m Carlton any exensions no I yes I accept than approve Mr Min yes Miss High yes Mr yes Mr Jan yes motion pass thank you item 7.1 be resolve that the superintendent recommends for approval the resolution has outlin the district Personnel resolutions this is item 7.

Monday Tuesday and Thursday following teachers have expressed interest in Tut after school you have your high school teachers list there elementary teachers JM teachers recommend the approval of the above tutoring stiens for the corresponding teachers I have [Music] discuss all in favor say I I all opposed say no approved 5 Z okay next up is the reading intervention schedule Mr President members of the board reading intervention teacher a K12 special competing our doctorate in special education will focus on providing targeted literacy support across all grade levels with the district's emphasis on mowr move onwi reading her schedule will prioritizes students and grade bands that need the most intervention her expertise will be key to helping students reach critical reading Milestones no board action necessary this is an informational item only turn over to miss Adam who introduce just a quick one reading intervention schedule as what Dr sh has mentioned um she's going to be providing Services cost so um we um put her schedule by detail by period um each teacher needs their planning time so that's going to be her period one and then for primary team um she's going to be attending period to um 20 minutes for kindergarten and 20 minutes for first grade we're hoping it's going to be a plugin approach then periods three and four would be Library specials period five would be intensive on English language um arts for grades 9 to 12 period six would be for our third graders and then period seven will be for second graders and then on the next slide would show what different resources we have available at our districts um the two and the three interventions we have the rest blast the ISL Amplified an n-class intervention and all of these um resources um our primary teachers from kindergarten to sixth grade they have access to this and these are the same access of Lo that we as well and she certified secondary English uh language arts Elementary and I think she has a so she's got the whole kitten where she at now she's on her way from her home country she had to go back because she was on day one but she's now coming over from she was a former teacher here and then she went home and so she has she's a really good teer I believe the last year he was here there's for in reading and Ma I'm sorry for professional development we just turned in our Mo on reading literacy plan October 1st so we said for the coming the teachers are coming back this year we're going to provide refresher for those resources then for the new ones that definitely going to training how to access and as a tier two and three intervention the only thing that worries me about these resources is that three of the four of them are computer-based they're not teacher direct explicit instruction that I think is important because I mean we see the mclass intervention that will dig deep into dri awareness I want to see more um science of reading strategies I want see those big five being hit daily with this intervention because nothing beats That explicit teacher instruction especially when it comes time you know because this all will be fine your phic awareness the teacher needs to start scaffolding fluency you know um phonics the comprehension piece vocab that doesn't come from these computer based intervention strategies plus intervention then the very detailed lesson plan they do but it's very specific for like the needs of each student your awareness right but a teacher needs to scaffold on top of that to get our fluent readers we know that and 20 minutes for your little ones is not a lot of time so I think you need to get most of your B here by not using these computer-based things because when I look at this I'm thinking are the kids coming in for intervention sitting on a computer and doing these programs I want to see a student coming in and working directly with the teacher Running Records guided reading guided writing yes and that's what okay I'm just saying it's great and I love these programs I use some of these programs nothing beats teacher directed instruction which three of the four of these are not M M plus intervention is what we discussed that the intervention te but it's pieces yeah right it's pieces it's not that whole big five science of reading correct because it's intervention and I I do intervention daily and I hit those big five every day so it's it this is great the intervention for M class is fine but it's only one piece of five different pieces that need to be hit daily right so you know it just just know to just not too that um we are in the process of evaluating more resources I just emailed you the 995 because you mean these reading resources can be used during class time when teachers pulling small groups this is not what I want to see as tier two and tier three intervention for our students especially when we saw the dibles data last month or two months ago where we have one group of students and now we've identified because we took those students scores out we know these are the lowest scoring students I want to see those scores improving I want to see those students receiving that intensive intervention that's not just computer-based and I agree and it shouldn't be it shouldn't be absolutely that's it's supposed to be intensive direct explicit instruction instru absolutely that's how it's supposed to be not in front of a computer that's why you know when you see three of these four I'm like it's making me panic because when you have three of four tier two and tier three intervention strategies as being computer-based it's scary but I know the teachers are doing their small group that's the explicit instruction that they do and then while they're doing the small group instruction then when they go back they also have those extra resources the online resour absolutely that's that's why pull out pull plug in tier two and three shouldn't be that are we talking the entire kid are we talking just no I think it was those group of kids that were taken out of the devil's data so many kids those are our e students it look like um a number of them are Els some of them are Nels but they been identified by M plus um in the report it has the all those kids that were in that red so that tells us that that's the one that we have to focus for for three so what a teacher the student ratio of the of these interventions I mean is that one teacher and 20 kids one teacher and five kids no it a small group um I'm not sure if we have the numbers just a guess where she I don't care this post Ball Park um I know kindergarten has 21 kids so if she's going a divide her group she's going to group it according to data so it could be one is to six it depends but it can't be more than six I'm hoping it's just five but this is flexible grouping it changes depending on the needs and we are this week when you know since Monday we have been meeting with with teachers individually because they have just different data and we are doing data you know the data talk with them and discussing our next steps we're documenting it and you know those kinds of of things that's entire Index this week and next week is her Dibbles account already set up so she can start with progress monitoring also not yet she um one she doesn't have access to her out schools at or and for some reason it's block there we try to create her an account while she's still there so she she can have access to all these things it's being blocked would she be the one doing progress monitoring as well she should be she's the intervention teacher just make that you yeah so she's going to be doing that we just want to make sure that her Devil's account is set up and ready to go I'm the one that creates the account it's just that we create the account using you know her her school email and right now it's not active because she has to activate it on her side and it's not making so that's why we stopped Mr Hopkin M Rodriguez so if I hear you correctly do you want a more handson guided reading site word reading fluency meic awareness fluency comprehension and you want you want tier two and tier three to be more handson versus absolutely interactive writing handson Ed reading and writing absolutely absolutely because they're not going to get that in a computer program no no and I agree I I mean just the the the heart and the pulse of a literacy block program is guided reading absolutely because that's where you're teaching them small group three to five students the skills of meaning structure and meeting their deficits right that's a good I guess that's good resources but as she goes for confident in her in here and looking at the data and regularly looking at the children she could you know gr more into looking at different areas and use different materials I know one time you used guided readers um that has all try to remember if she was trained on that she knows the execution from the start until the end of the intervention that she has reading effec was we know we know right end engaging all the senses absolutely and and just scaffolding right when you see it or corre Running Records is my go-to I mean I do it daily then you find out exactly where they're they're finding or running into problem high frequency words is it like blending is it your bow sounds you know I mean those Running Records intervention has all those R monitoring to at the same time and it's not computer it's it's basically you know and tangible they're all doing the I don't know what they you know those chips oh yeah Al con boxes the AL con boxes yeah Y and it can be do with be done with sounds it can be done with letters you know I mean so there's it's so powerful just using an El box % yes it's big would it be possible maybe once the teacher gets here and gets established that we can before the board and speak to us about what yeah thing I want to say GL the that understands all this understand it so I'm glad you're here long story short right Mr is Mr Hopkins our running record is as a students reading if feel like at an emergent level every word that they're reading say she's reading and I'm the teacher working with her I have the text in front of me and as the students reading I'm checking off if they get it right if they're not getting it right making a code of what is what are they having trouble with they're trained and how to put is it an M for meaning s for structure but that's why it's it's so is it's what she's talking about you're right there you're figuring out okay well this student has a hard time with it's very detailed you start looking at patterns where are they is queing but what's happening then you know that's where my instruction needs to come from so it's so powerful it also builds that fluency because each day they go back and reread this text and each day they increase their word count and they increase their accuracy which is so important for comprehension and yeah so very powerful that is a an item that does not have a vote attached to it so there's no more on to next item which is the first business item approval of the pre tuition Mr President the board um the 3K flooding Source first things first grant is reducing the number of students flooded from 13 to six a breath down of the cost per student compared to the funding for student is below the administration is requesting increasing the looking tuition from 275 to other option number 1 325 or option 2475 per month her request the last increase for PRK was in May 2016 from 00 to $275 cost per month was 500 in 20 2016 agenda item and backup for the May 2016 me are attached in consultation with Consultants this recommended tuition increases to help cover the cost of inflation which is almost 24% increases 2016 seven possible families will be paying tuition PRK is not funded by the state formula ADM Grant in tuition based funding supports the program otherwise all supplemental funding comes from ml if the prease to has an i there is some State funding to support that student cost of services not tuition there you have the chart and for your discussion okay before we have any discussion I'd like to make a motion on this i' like to make the motion of we do the increase number one to with any child that is already enrolled in prek be grandfathered in at their current rate of tuition with no increase so basically any child that's enrolled after we make this approval either way wouldn't would have to pay the higher rate but those already enrolled would be paying the current rate okay and with the public knowledge of that this will have to probably be visited again next year for an additional increase that's my motion I will second that yeah I think so the three that are sort of coming in November are they already enrolled okay okay but yeah I think um as I've said before this hadn't increased in like eight years and it had been increasing just as much as $25 each year we'd be funded at at not even the level I'm here be funding at that highest L suggested so I think we have to do it with the understanding that next year because we we need to catch up minimum wage has gone up PR drastically in the last eight years here so all the wages have the cost so I understand we don't want to have a barrier for any of our students especially the students that's such an important part of started right at the same time we need to we need to try to catch up with the expenses as they've increased can we make this a regular like June or July I would like it to be June or July and not in August yeah I would say June and that would give people does year actually I have a question that motate when does enroll start for the next year because I know it's before June or July and the past scholarship would relased your applications in April but this last year they released it sometime in May actually it's almost the end of May and they released your application packets for so we should probably discuss this before April so people know coming in when they enroll for the following year no it's going to be this much i' like I'd like to see that like a February March at the latest yeah yeah we don't want to Blindside people oh you signed up and now we're increasing after you signed up so I I think March sounds like it would be an adequate amount of time before en starts people start schol opportunity to have a conversation with some of the parents to talk with about this and the consensus that I got was to them is more than um child care if it was just child care then that would be a different story and we would be subsidizing child care right this cotat runs such a great program over there that they all feel that it's a big benefit to their children to be in that program and so part of this issue is because she does want a great program that you know parents want want their kids in there right they want their kids to get ahead and so I I feel like you guys do that this is something that we should support I do support this motion so I'm glad you brought it up a good discuss okay if there's no further discussion on this we'll call for the vote favor say I I any oppos no approve 5 to zero thank next item up is the second reading of the yo Unified School District's governing board policy adoption 801 807 yes Mr Hopkins M of the board most of the following policy advisories are updated to align with language and statute and our Arizona Administrative Code policies baa and igig IGA removed language that was not statutorily required policy DJ and regulation DJ included language regarding documentation of evidence for verifications to assist districts with their processes we have the policies and titles below um the attached policies are recommended for approving upon the second reading what I will do in the in alignment with Monday you have uh you can see in your attachments I will read the summary from page one and two that will count as the second read okay so I just do the same thing as Monday advisory number 801 baa evaluation of school board evaluation here most of the following policy advisors up to align with language and statute and Arizon Administrative Code policies baa and IG remove language that was not statut required poliy DJ regard documentation of evidence forication to processes policy advisory discussion 801 vaa evaluation of school board self- evaluation language noting an annual meeting by October 30 for the purpose of a board self- evaluation was removed as it is not statutorily required language allowing for board discretion was included instead advisory number 802 policy DJ bidding purchasing procedures and regulation djer language is added to ensure districts are purposefully documented evidence for their verification process RIS number 803 policy gcfc professional staff certification and credential requirements and exhibit gcfc policy and exhibit were updated to include statutory language and ars1 15- 509 advisory number 804 policy tdfa support staff quations and requirements and exhibit gpfa policy and exhibit were updated to include statutory language and ars1 15509 advisory number 805 policy IGA curriculum development language requiring certified Personnel to serve on curriculum committees was removed due to a lack of statutory basis advisory number 806 policy IMG at animals in schools and regulation ingr language is updated and clarified based on the Americans with Disabilities at Ada and ARS 111-104 AAC r133 d104 and in closing advisory number 807 regulation jcdr medicines administering medicines to students Arizona State Board education updated r 7-2 d811 on seizure Management training this rule clarifies the application of Senate Bill 1654 regarding implementation of correct timelines for school compliance required maintenance of and completed training and appropriate publication of applicable resources District president discuss all in favor say I I any oppos say no approve 5 okay next item up we have anybody have any agenda items like to see on Mee um I do actually um um but I think it needs to probably be in an executive session um I would like a detailed um report report on school safety with Mr tibit and I would like Deputy Richardson and Lieutenant Wilson there also in that sense can we do that in executive session I'd have to look at Mr have to check well there's certain things that that I don't want discussed like I don't think the public needs to know certain things but um let me look into requirements what qualif concession mainly personel matter okay I look thank you next upse discuss you off but up okay next we will be ready okay now we were going to be recessing into an executive session and reques V to do have ask sorry thank you just wait okay all persons present are hereby reminded that is UN to every Monday start have a good night okay all persons present are hereby reminded that is unlawful to disclose or otherwise Toge to any person who is not now present other than a current board member or pursuant to a specific statutory exception anything that has transpired or has been discussed during this executive session failure to comply is a violation of ARS 38-43 [Music] 1.03 M Rodriguez here Mr G Mr hkin here I am here misss here Dr here sorry I'm moving us back not everybody's G get into theame what's up with your computer I don't know it um well it send a signal instead of screen happens let me see if the

the other is going to be November 16th which is a Saturday and that will be at 900 a.m. they're both at the community center and we have been told I think Jen knows this already from Kelly that we need to have a member of the select board open it up for US Open the building stay with us when we're there and close the building up afterwards in order for us to use the building um after after hours after we get input from the residents as to the draft action plan we're going to revise it again and um create the maps based on their input and then send the Conta content to the graphic designer um at the beginning of um December if we had more time what we would additionally do is again extend the Outreach to to linguistic minorities in town extend the Outreach to renters because most of the people who filled out the survey so far are Property Owners they own their homes extend the Outreach to disabled adults so that they can give us some significant input into um the Ada need needs and requirements and we would have that second set of forums so that the public could review the changes that we made to the draft based on their input from the first Forum if we have more time but if we don't those are the corners that we have to cut and it it's unknown what impact that would have on the on the plan's approval whoops hang on one second I need to go back okay so these are the Outreach activities we've done so far to promote the survey um we've sent email to the open space and Recreation committee's email list and our individual friends member list we've sent it to 15 Town committees and ask them to ask their members to not only respond but have their friends respond we sent it to the ashin high school families through the ashin High School principal's office and we sent it to all six of the youth sports leagues in Ashland we have Flyers all over town I hope you've seen them we've left some at Town Hall we're putting putting them around there's a QR code in the URL there um and we're putting out some additional Flyers now that tell people when the survey is going to be closing we're going to send a reminder again to the open space list and possibly also to those those Town committees again um it's been in the town manager newsletters um since the the survey launched and will be in the town manager newsletter until the survey closes it's been on at least three different Facebook pages it's on our committee's page on the town website and thank you Makita I was on her um inaugural podcast that will be I think aired starting on Thursday to starting tomorrow the show is not new but the format is okay okay so this is the assistance that we going to need if we're going to meet this timeline um help publicizing the survey so that we can reach our goal of 500 as I said um when I left the house this afternoon to come over here we had 266 people so we are more than halfway there but we still need to get a much more robust response connect to any Portuguese or English-speaking staff to request make three requests help reaching out to limited English-speaking residents perhaps they could if they felt comfortable reviewing the Portuguese and Spanish versions of the survey to make sure that Google translate um is correct and also interpreting at public forums if we're going to encourage um linguistic minorities to participate and come to the Forum they're going to need some way of understanding the conversation and what happens at the floor we're going to need some help publicizing the forums and as I said we're going to need a select board person there to open it up um stay for the the two hours and then um Help Us close up we're going to need help creating all the GIS maps even the ones that can be done with public input and the ones that can be done without I've talked to um Steve Greenberg about getting the property data information we need from the assessor's office um and anything that town staff can do to help with that um the interim Town assessor if the town has an ADA coordinator who has Ada evaluations information or assessments about the different properties that we're going to have to look at that would save us having to go and do a site visit for each one of the properties to update them we also need to be able to um say who the Ada coordinator is and what the grievance procedure is for the town if someone with a disability has a grievance about against the town for um lack of accessibility of a facility or Recreation or open space programming we could use help facilitating the open space plan review with mapc just to get it done in a relatively timely way and then a letter of review from the select board chair or the town manager only one or the other is required if you want to do both that's wonderful that would be great as well so um before I take questions if you have any I just want to remind people this is the the survey and the QR code and these you'll see these around town um please fill it out uh we're planning on the current timeline to close it by October 27th if we have more time we'll leave it open longer and we'll let people know about that but um it's it's a a great way to make sure your voice is heard um in this particular plan and some things related but not totally on point that I just want to make sure I do now so I don't forget the open space and Recreation committee the historical commission and the Historical Society are co-sponsoring um a guided walking tour of the 12 historical sites in downtown ashin so that is this Saturday October 19th right after the farmers market from 1:30 to 3:30 we're going to be meeting in the Town Hall Parking Lot doing the guided walk and then um have light Refreshments back at Ocean House at the Historical Society I understand we set a rain date but I understand the weather's supposed to be glorious on the weekend so um yeah so enjoy and come with us please join join us for the walk okay that's it any questions great thank you for that uh I'm G to open it up to questions and or comments from the board first any questions concerns or comments Randy so just a quick question so the open space plan that you that you were referencing before that that has expired and and when when did it expire it expired in April of 2024 all plans expire after seven years okay that's just the way that's normal procedure that's the way it goes and in an email exchange years ago that I had with Melissa cryan at the state she said it's perfectly okay if towns let it expire it's totally up to them and at last check there were about 134 towns with expired plants so some towns never get another one they never do another one and other towns do an update so that they can um because they feel it's important to the residents in town and because they might also be looking at Grant funds right we would still need to be doing all of this work whether expired or it didn't it doesn't matter it doesn't matter that's still the previous plan that's the one that's going to be updated those are the sections and the content that we're going to be basing the new plan on making changes according to resident input okay all right thank you I think um I mean we'll talk about why we're thinking about doing this accelerated process I'm sure yeah um but you know you guys are still in the very beginning stages of this right so this hasn't been something you've been working on since the last plan expired we have been working on it since the spring but we set we set since early spring but we had set a different timeline you know we had given ourselves more time um and now we're trying to accommodate the town's need to apply for a grant whenever that is we don't know what that deadline is right now okay great thank you actually can I ask a follow on question is is it typical to allow it to expire or do is it more typical that you know it's about to expire that you might start the work a year beforehand so that as it expires you already have your next one in in the works we've done it both ways okay we have we've done it both ways and as I said a minute ago 134 communities a third of them in the state let it expire and just didn't do anything else right so you know IND each town does it differently y okay no I guess if you're going to talk some more I guess thank you first of all sure um it's certainly a big undertaking and I appreciate the work that the committee does um I think the most important thing at this point in time right is getting this done in a fashion that we can make sure that we qualify for the grant um I don't know if the report at that point has to you know you if there are some things that don't have to be done to perfection to help aid getting meeting that those deadlines and um I guess do we even we don't know what any of these deadlines are at this point we have some idea okay so I think that's the key right and then making sure that we work that you get the resources you need and that the town uh maybe makes sure that that we don't miss out a grand opportunity no nobody wants that to happen Makita any thank you very much sure yeah I just uh hello Roberta I just wanted to um piggyback on what Claudia just said so so yeah I think um you know one thing that you you had said uh that you know there were certain things that you were concerned about cutting Corners so that you could make a deadline but I guess my question is I also heard and correct me if I didn't hear correctly was um that the those items could diminish our chances for having the plan approved or um so I don't know if we want to you know cut Corners like you said though it's important to get we we do need to get the plan done as quickly as possible even though we don't know the exact deadline it's probably within the ballpark of whenever whatever it usually happens but um you know I think that at this point it's it's it's about getting the plan done but also getting it done in a way that it's going to be accepted and a way that we can use it for Grant opportunity so I I I guess my concern would be like not sacrificing any parts that could could be a deciding factor whether the plan is accepted or not so with your request for for staff help Michael and I have already chatted some so I'm going to let Michael jump in and sort of say where he feels that staff can help I think um I I I applaud you know first of all thank you for coming and giving us this update and I saw your request for staff I think there are places where it says open space and wreck committee members that I think staff might be able to jump in so Michael want you go ahead yeah I think um so I think if our primary concern is is the grant right now um and I think to your point Roberta by the way thank you for the presentation and all your work on this but um so if typically that Grant announcement comes out in November right we we would only have a little time to to get ready for a January submission date and I do think last year it was sometime in November when it was released and the due date was I believe January 11 um you know some of the staff requests I think um you know I did I did talk to Becca uh about the maps and um you know she had some thoughts about some other stuff and I think we can help um with that the assessor makes me a little bit nervous just because we do have um a you you know basically a consultant working on that and and his Focus really needs to be on getting helping get the tax rate set and getting things ready so we could send out the third quarter tax bills after after that so I I'm happy to check with him I think though just kind of looking at the list I'm a little with so much on the line I'm a little uncomfortable with having staff play like so much of a role but yet not necessarily having the responsibility for it um you know I I don't want it to be in a situation where like our staff get blamed for you know not being able to submit a grant in time when they don't necessarily have the responsibility for it um so that's that's like my major concern um I I think I I just I want to say a couple of things about that one is is that the committee is working really hard and taking a really heavy load to get it across the Finish Line to benefit the town to be able to apply for this Grant and so there are areas where we are either going [Music] to not be able to do it or not be able to do it very well and it's mainly the GIS mapping which they helped with before which was for them not a big deal and the property data that I understood that rich Ball gave us before was just you know a set of Excel spreadsheets that he downloaded from his system and handed it over none of these items here um requires a lot of time or responsibility for the plan what we need to know as a committee is if we're going to be pushed to get this done on time and we're saying we need help is that help going be available to us and how do we go about putting that in place like whom should we be in touch with about getting help from the board whom should we be in touch with about getting help from staff what do we do if that help isn't coming in a timely way and it's holding us up because we're not going to be responsible for holdups that have nothing to do with us that are coming from other places for people who are supposed to be helping us carry this ball so we're saying the same thing right we don't want to be responsible for something if um if we don't have responsibility for it right and so I think you know what I'm saying is that you know if we're going to have staff take on you know a role which which we're happy to do I I would I would like to make sure that we have the actual responsibility I guess question my question to you Roberto would be this right obviously you're a volunteer committee we're expecting a lot if if we said okay if we put the committee in a supporting role and allowed staff to take the lead on getting this completed and rather than the committee going crazy staff has looked at it and said they have a little bit more time to help maybe with some of the review of the survey information with some of the writing um I'd like to sort of take not take the complete responsibility away from the open space and wreck committee but to say look we know you guys have been working we know but and we're as a board and as a town we're sort of putting some extra pressure on you to get this done sooner than what you had planned I think that the requests from the staff are very they're important for us for information but they're minimal in terms of the amount of the time someone's going to have to put in no now now that's that's okay if for someone to give us an Excel spreadshe that they already have on their computer is not a a Time sucker Roberta I'm sorry but you have no idea what the staff have to do then if they're that busy how are they going to take it over I'm just saying you don't have any idea how it's not I how it worked I know how it worked before when we made request Roberto you go ahead and do it well you know what hold on Michael let's let's not let's all take it down a section A little bit the goal here is to get this plan completed and I know you've said that we're not sure of the timing of the grant but we're using historical data right historically last year it was announced in November and the Grant had to be applied for in January the reason we're looking for this grant is we have a large parcel of property that we're looking to purchase and we're try to finding a way where it's not just coming from the town where we can get these grants so what I am asking and we have three of your members here you know yourself and two others the as you have said this is a heavy lift this is a lot for your committee to do between now and November what I am asking and and seeing your feedback on is Staff yes they have a lot to do but this is that it's their fulltime it's their job right so we can say for this project because of the importance of getting this done we'd like to recommend and support the open space and recck committee by saying okay instead of that list that had osrc next to everything except for a few things what if we work with the staff and they're doing the they're doing more of the work and you're more of an advisory right so that some of the writing that's having to be done some of the updates some of the review of the survey data and or the analysis of the survey data rather than having it be done initially by the OS at RC group the staff can do the initial review of that survey data and then speak to this committee about it again not trying to take away anything but as a as a support we have staff and there is urgency in getting this done yeah I I understand what you're saying I think it does take away our sense of ownership as a committee and I'd need to talk to the rest of the committee to see if that's okay with them and it does sort of confuse me that Michael is saying that the staff is very busy and doesn't have the time and you're saying that the staff could take on more stuff to do I'm not sure where what I think it's a it's a sense of responsibility right so sometime and sometimes it's semantics so we have staff who are willing to take this on right they report to other staff they report to Jen they so the concern is they report to other staff they don't necessarily report to the open space and wreck committee so a sense of trying to work together but the understanding that the staff will ask questions and work with you but they may not necessarily it they wouldn't report to the open space and wck Committee in regards to getting this done they would take it on as a responsibility and ask for the open space and W Moore to advise because you're then not doing as much of the the leg work and the writing and things like that and staff would do that yeah I I think Roberto what what I was referring to like when you when you don't understand it's like some of these processes that you think are are very easy sometimes they're a little more complicated than what people understand and that's fine I wouldn't expect people to understand again my concern is again you know seeing staff up there a lot and knowing kind of what's on the line I don't want to put them in a position where if something goes wrong vice versa to kind of what you were saying like we don't want to be in a position where we would be looking to you for like feedback or or or something on on something that we had put together and like it doesn't get turned around in time and things like that without you know without having like the ownership or the responsibility of it does that I I don't I don't think that's a an unreasonable thought it it's disappointing because in the past when we've done multiple other plans in 2007 2010 2014 17 and this revision the open space and Recreation committee had that responsibility we did the plan and when we needed help from town hall we just went to the respective staff or the town manager asked for help it was no big deal we got the the task or the help that we needed and we moved on and and I would say the the one difference here is we are working with an expired plan doesn't matter it if it expired or didn't expire you working with the same we are we are then we are under a gun for potential grants right if we were not looking to purchase this property and potential apply for these grants we would have let probably let open space just go with their plan right but now that this grant has become visible and there's the need for a An approved open space and wreck plan that's the urgency and I would almost say it's taking some of the weight off of your committee to say okay we're going to we're going to take it inhouse let the staff do more with your guidance with your review but the actual some of the writing I mean I don't have all the specifics as to what the staff can do Michael is looking at that but again the idea is that you got most of you have jobs we understand that right it's not that we don't want you we want you to be we want your input we want you to support this but it's the idea that if we're just just this time around right sometimes things have to change and that's how I'm looking at this right there are times that as select board members we don't have as much time and there's an urgent need to do something we rep we rely on our town staff so that's what we're looking at here is how can we shift more of the burden to staff have them re respond you know reporting to their managers and use open space and recck committee members more as guidance rather than you saying I need this and them getting it to you more shared burden I don't want to take up more any more time I just have three things left to say one is that um if you look at the open space and Recreation plan workbook that's published by the state that is supposed to be the guide for how you do this it's supposed to be driven by the public and by the committee by a committee and not by a couple of people in staff who are going to write this on behalf of the rest of the town so that's one thing the other thing is I'm not going to make that decision right now I'm going to have to convene a a meeting of the open space and Recreation committee and we'll get back to you with with our thoughts and third of all I still see this cognitive dissonance here that I can't get about it's complicated I don't understand it and the staff has too much to do to comply with what seem to be a couple of relatively straightforward requests yet they're going to have time to write the whole plan and use us as advisers and just do the plan by themselves I don't get that it seems to me they either have time or they don't have the time and I don't understand how both things can be what anybody here is saying I think what you're you're saying is not what we're saying yeah I don't I don't think when Michael was saying that things takes more time than you think that doesn't mean that the staff doesn't have time to do those things for you I think it's more that we have we we can you know sometimes you shift priorities and what we're looking to the staff to do for the next two or three months to get this done is to shift their priorities and their priorities would be shifting to help work on this plan and yes you're right and and I'd be actually interested if you could email the link to the workbook or where we could find that workbook on the open space you know from the state um because it's not like we're not looking to take out the public process right we're still going to use the information from the survey the difference is that we're going to take some of the burden off of the open space and wreck committees that's all and and again it's not that we're taking it all from you it's that we're looking to help have the staff shift priorities for this short period of time to help get the plan completed I I have an idea Roberto why don't so our next meeting October 30th October 30th so why don't you and I try to work like a a plan out um that you know you would feel comfortable with I'd feel comfortable with we're trying to do something on the Fly here um and then come back and we can present something if on October 30th because that wastes a few more weeks I mean would you be able to have a meeting between now and the 30th with your committee I don't I forget what your schedule it's it's the second Tuesday of the month so we would have to schedule a specific meeting and which we could certainly do with 48 hours notice I just have to Canvas everyone and see when they're available um and and but but maybe we can do something quicker after you do that and we could send it to the board so I'll wait to hear from you we before you go Madame chair if I may yep go ahead Joe you know the bottom line of this whole conversation ation is that the fact that yes we have put some undue pressure on on your committee but it was it's for the intent and purpose for the betterment of the community as a whole and I think that's what we fail to achieve here is that this grant is going to allow an opportunity for this town to expand open space we we understand that I I I know very clear on that know you do I I was a little disappointed in the conversations that had had taken place about 5 to 10 minutes ago um no one's trying to do un undo what you've already done or or take over that's not it I think that the town putting that burden on you wants to support and help in any way possible um and I don't think anybody is pulling the rug on the on the anybody's feet with respect to that you have things that you would like to see done by the M by the by the town by the town staff you have a list already maybe that's the starting point where you sit down with Michael and going over that you mentioned something about Maps well I know Alvaro was great with maps because when we were doing the NBTA zoning bylaw he was he was the map expert he whatever you need I'm sure he could do for you had asked Michael at the beginning of October for Alvaro to help okay and I'm it hasn't moved anywhere well well that doesn't mean we haven't had conversations I started out my I I I don't know what those I don't know anything about what's going on so I just well I think I think it's best that you sit down with Michael and go over what your needs are and and just work together with this and and hopefully your committee will work jointly because that's what this is this is all about it's about the town it's not about individ indviduals it's well all of us making something better for Ashland down the road especially with open space and and the potential use of recreation as well so mean that's the bottom line guys if this grant wasn't in play like this conversation wouldn't be happening we we wouldn't but but it's such it it is an important opportunity um and Roberto I I did start off by saying I did have some conversations with people I don't know if Alvaro is the right person on this one it might be Becca it might um Sophia and and Sophia Sophia's got and um yeah okay so I I think I think we have a a somewhat of a path forward obviously the the survey is still out there we will continue talking about it we will continue sending it out um Michael and Roberto will have a conversation about how we can have staff work together if you need me to sit in on the meeting please let me know um my goal is to two things one obviously to get the the plan done so we it when we go to apply for that Grant we can have it completed um and also to let this open space and Rec committee no you've been working on this we see that and this is a very special circumstance right I've attend you know years ago I attended some of those forums about the open space plan and and we had time to get it completed this is a different situation this is a different a different timing and event and sometimes we got to adjust how we do things to support that and that's it that's what we're looking at thank you for your time just one before you go just one thing about in terms of um maybe helping to get some increasing participation you know I think it was a great idea having go out to the high school families um I was thinking maybe you could talk to the principal and see if um students could be given the opportunity in some of some class to maybe take the survey surve and then you get that popular you might be able to capture some kids there I don't know how many but you might be able to get some I'll I'll write to her and see because Mike carer he's the one who connected me with Kelly and then the other person I think in the school department that might be able to help out is um the el director I'm not sure exactly what her what her tile is um but um she might be able to push it out to families that she communicates with on a regular basis who English isn't their first language so I'd really tap into um the schools a little bit I'll get back to get back to her and see if she can help in those two ways I was I I was also going to recommend that there's clubs and organizations around towns that we that you should reach out to as well I I'm just thinking of a whole bunch of them but you know I think we talked a little bit yeah um just getting that link out to them like and there are folks that you know but we can definitely help with that okay Roberto Just One Last technical question so the assessor data you're looking for is just property ownership Property Data um William child who's a former member of our committee who was the master of the inventory for a lot of years um was going to get me the exact information he needs so that we can make another reest to the assessor's office I was going to get it to Steve Greenberg actually is it is it like a table in the existing plan is it just listed as a table we took his information and we had to re do it in a different table because the state requires different information I guess one last question is there an electronic copy of the current plan that we can go take a look at I've sent it out to the board three times yeah you guys have yeah I think it's in like three three separate parts like I apologize if I missed that through my email like when Joe was chair I sent it out twice once in like October of his final year then may of his final year and the inventories were separate because it was too big to go all together so there was the plan and then each of the inventories it may be good for you to resend it because we have two new members of our of our board or is there a link is it posted I can I'll just resend it but it'll it's going to come in like four different pieces is there a link on the o Open Space website to it no okay it's not up I don't think it's up there and if it is the inventory is aren't up there okay so I think it's more just to let you know the new newer members sort of take a look as to what an open space and wreck plan looks like so but it's so but you're saying it's the the one that you have right there in paper is not currently up on your website no I don't think so I don't think it is okay but even if it is like I said the land the inventories are not right so I need to send those out but I'll I'll just send it out again to everybody okay is there a feel safe on that survey so somebody's already Tak it are you asking about yourself no I'm not asking about myself I'm just asking in general um I think we allowed more than one survey per device because we wanted to encourage families if they only had like one computer to have a whole family Do It um we didn't want them to feel like they had to summarize all their thoughts in one survey okay and that's where we going to okay yeah so and thank you Joe because I know you did fill it out thank you very much I IED great thank you thank you Judith for being here and thank you Greg Greg for being here appreciate that okay moving on in our agenda first item is review the special town meeting warrant articles Jen we received this as a separate item yes so you should have received a draft and and then um in the final agenda just a couple sort of small um small typos that I changed over the last couple days so the final should have been in that last final um upload from Diane um so town meeting is obviously um on November 19th um at the high school at 7 pm um we will have a child's care for anybody who uh wants to attend that has young children so Ashlin uh Recreation will be there um and can keep uh kids entertained having fun um while town meeting is going on um we have a couple you know we have our normal sort of uh special town meeting articles so free cash appropriation um and that always goes to the general stabilization fund um OPB and capital and other onetime expenses um this year we may have some that we'll put into the capital stabilization account um so our free cash came in at 1 Point s 2.7 I mean 2.7 I me sorry 2.7 um and so um we'll be meeting with h Comico over our Capital plan but right now now there's about1 $1 million $1.1 million scheduled in capital um projects um the second article um is a budget amendment and this is just really to um adjust our budget from um estimates that were made for the Opera funds and Mike you probably can explain a little bit better than I can yeah so um and it actually ties in a little bit to the free cash believe it or not being so high and kind in the overall Financial picture so um when we developed the FY 25 budget or excuse me the um FY no it was FY 24 that we got the free cash number for yes right so we ended up getting significantly more like $700,000 more in motor vehicle excise taxes um than we had anticipated and we ended up getting about $300,000 more in investment income than we had we had anticipated um so that's one of the reasons why free cash is so high so how does that lead into uh the fy2 appropriation well what we because those numbers did come in so high we did feel comfortable um basically bumping up our Revenue estimates for FY 25 um not by like a million bucks but like by you know 700 ,000 um actually I'll have to check it might have it might have been a total of around a million bucks but what we what that meant is that when we developed the fy2 budget we had planned on using to cover the deficit uh mixture of funds like stabilization funds um or sped stabilization funds um the overlay account uh but then also a good chunk of arpa funds so it doesn't look like we're going to need to use the arpa funds so also what we did in fy2 is we appropriated the remainder of arpa funds that we thought we would have less through capital and we basically did that under the revenue replacement clause in arpa that allows us to use it for that and so ultimately what would happen is that stuff would fall to free cash but we wouldn't have the deadlines attached to it that we currently have with arpa so now that we're not using as much in arpa funds you know just for to actually make up the deficit we actually need to increase our appropriation of arpa funds under Capital that will then fall to free cash again so this is actually all good news um complicated way of saying it's good stuff but um anyway so everybody following along yeah so so quick question so when we say we're going to use our arpa funds to cover what you know take those arpa onetime fee onetime income mhm to cover something in our budget right and then we you we use those funds but now we're not using general funds and that's how it winds up in free cash so the arpa funds are used but our budget then but then the end of the year we have free cash that's no longer arpa funds that have no no restrictions anymore correct I lost you there somewhere so for for our fiscal year 25 we had a million I know it was a little bit different a million dollar M difference right we were short a million dollars yeah let's keep it even so you said okay we're going to take a million dollars from arpa and apply it to the fiscal 255 budget corre correct what you're saying now is we are going to we're still going to use those arpa funds for the million dollars but we expect that our excise income and our interest income is potentially going to be higher so we're not going to adjust those incomes or are we we are so we're going to adjust those incomes but we're still using the arpa funds to cover the expenses per se right so think of think of it as um almost two different processes so there's the revenue side of things and then the the capital the treatment of it being appropriated for Capital so that was that was done as a way to go ahead and utilize those revenues in the budget m for those capital projects which we've already identified um but then we wouldn't necessarily use it this year but that money so that money would fall to free cash right and then you know we could basically redo it again um as other Capital when we do free cash but but the the the point being the Restriction of when we have to use those funds by has been met exactly okay exactly so that's that's that does that sense me just by saying that we're going to use it even though we know we're not going to use it yeah so we're we're appropriating it as part of Revenue replacement and so and so just think you know it gets spent um it it goes up into the cloud somewhere imaginary cloud and then it rains down free cash now you can't we wish right it's not free and it's not cash but Myck so so basically we're we're budgeting knowing that we're not going to use everything that we've budgeted exactly exactly right but knowing that we're going to have free cash at the end exactly because when free cash falls from the sky um it's uh so is it really that the Opera funds are getting used and the free cash is what's falling and well that's the thing when it goes up into the cloud with every other general fund revenue and it remains free cash you can't really put that free cash in a bucket oh it came from here it came from here it went to the bucket we've never had we haven't had this before yes but then so the reason we'll have extra to rain down is because we don't need that money to actually replace some of the revenue that we had anticipated we weren't going to receive so for this article are we increasing the expected income as so we're looking at the fiscal 25 budget and we're saying okay we're increasing the revenue number the projected the budgeted Revenue number but we're not increasing the expenses to those Revenue numbers right we're not increasing our exp we're not we're not are we increasing our expenses for fiscal year 25 ultimately that's what it's going to look like yeah with those number that with that additional expense falling to free cash because that's because the other thing has already been all set right we already had the budget and that so and using the arpa funds and so now when we get this additional money that that all of a sudden you know pays for some of this stuff so then the the what was originally arer Falls to free cash it changes it name yeah yeah which yeah on some level you don't even have to even I don't know think of it like that you can just okay does everybody have a decent idea yeah so I have a question now okay so now when next year rolls around right as we plan for next year what what does this mean to our future I mean it it changes things we still end up with a you know at least from the forecast perspective um you know we still have a deficit for FY 26 and it's still sub substantial but not as much so what's substantial when you say substantial um I think when we looked at it it was like 700k yeah because we were like 1.7 this year maybe 1 point two 1.2.4 I think okay okay so and that's if everything else holds out you know so let me ask a question how are we going to explain this attemp town meeting yeah that was going to be my next question too cuz because we are more I mean it's 9:00 my brain is only half mashed potatoes right now but yeah um but well the good news is it'll be 7:15 no but will you have like like a flowchart or something I'm thinking flowchart I don't even know if if we necessarily we we be getting into that level of detail um just I think the more transparent we can be with it is I would agree with that yeah just because I think like I said you know we're kind of In The Weeds on this because we know more than your average bear on this but the people at town meeting will not and if they don't understand it they won't vote for it or they'll think that we're hiding something and it's not that we're hiding anything not good look that's the concern think one of the things that's going to come to mind right away or we're going to hear about right away is trash stuff I mean that that's such a source B for people yeah I I what do you mean people will be asking increases in trash trash fees oh okay yeah right so you've raised these you've raised prices on things Bas what our expectation based on what our expectation was and okay and now it's raining cash now I mean trash we definitely don't want to so that's the that's what we're concern those things haven't aren't right you know that prediction of trash and the cost associated with trash isn't changing well and it's also separate because it's an Enterprise F right it's not it's not part of our general fund so I think that's where it has to be there's some clarity needs to happen that this is this is coming from our general fund yes and these are and this is based on I mean and the other thing is this could be completely wrong right we're basing this on an increase in excise tax that we collected in fiscal year 24 right who knows why that happened and the projection that you're doing now for fiscal year 25 is a projection is a budget for increased income in excise tax based on 24 yeah it may not h i mean it it may not happen it I'm just that's the other thing that's you know I'm thinking about like you know the whole transparency aspect and I think also what probably would be the takeaway and what would look worse is if you know it's a it's an explanation that is just too difficult for people to comprehend and they think you're trying to make it so complicated that we need to figure out I think that's much more likely we need to figure out a simple way to say look we we had this we had this free cash from fiscal year 24 because we received more excise tax than we expected so we've now adjusted I mean basically we're just adjusting our budget right we're we're adjusting our Revenue budget and that's all we're adjusting yeah but like revenue is not voted on at town meeting so that's you know I don't want that to be right like confused I think a more succinct um sort of way to explain it will come through of like we'll meet with fincom once we have motions next week and I think they ask a lot of questions and we always do the town manager Forum that I think we get some questions and it like helps sort of hone how you present it in a way that's this actually this this makes me ask a question right if we're just adjusting our revenue and we're not changing our complete bottom line of the budget no we are no we are we are increasing expenditures I said that ear yeah I think we also have to give some background on arpa funding yeah I think I I think that's like a component of it because I don't think average people understand what our arpa allocation was what we have to use it for and when we have to use it by yeah no I I think I mean remember we already had one appropriation under this model and um you know it it it seemed to to car I mean you know we could we could go to town meeting and we can present it and it could go there could be no questions and it could be something very simple but I think we have to be prepared to be able to outline exactly what is happening with this in a way that is as simple as humanly possible okay that's just my my I know Britney will try to put put something together but I mean we're having a hard time at this table kind I I was going to say and I and I did want to say that I do agree with you Michael like you know we have to be careful when we are making that explanation that you know if it's so complex it might seem like we're trying to hide something I heard that and I agree with you 100% on that so I think that's something we have to be very very careful about and it's not that's not to say that people aren't intelligent no no just a lot of things in government especially Massachusetts Finance sometimes aren't logical it's like why why are you doing like why does this Mak sense right um and so like because people approach it from a logical standpoint point and and looking at looking at the way finances have been this past year or so and the way interest rates have gone up you may not see that increase in excise tax well for for new vehicles so you you know you have to prepare for that well so Joe it's kind of it's kind of like good point and you could apply it differently now the interest rates have gone down we're definitely not planning on the investment income that as high as as was yeah yeah so and those all that all comes into play at at some point when it comes into play we don't know we have we don't have that crystal ball right okay so we're good with that okay anything else on article two no just just one quick thing uh Jen you said something about uh the uh fincom when will they when were you guys going to meet with them to go over these yeah next Tuesday work to get all the Motions done next Tuesday all so I'll be there for the first part and then I'll run over to comp plan okay thank you right yep okay keep going yeah so article three is um the senior um property tax exemptions that we do every fall um and the board of assessors is meeting to get us our percentage before we meet hopefully um with fincom next week um article four is actually just a correction so there was a typo in um our um warrant um for the annual town meeting so the parcels of land that we um were authorized to accept as a gift from the um hington area land trust the wrong map so we just carried the the same map number 18 for all four parcels and the map was supposed to be 27 and we accepted the wrong parcel and so this is just a redo just a yes and so we kept it exactly the same and that way it's a cross off so that there is um there is um there'll be minutes of the wrong number so that we didn't actually accept map 18 lot 100 um and so that will just be a clarification um we've been in contact with Hall to let them know as well okay um Article Five is asking for authorization up up to a million dollars uh for a borrowing for the water main replacement project which I believe um Dan Mau and Becca presented when you guys were talking about the water rates that was built into that y um article six is a CPA funding um this is really just to conduct a feasibility study in conjunction with the city of Framingham for the W compond so this is really to look at the Cino bacteria that's been happening you know at this point almost uh annually um to see if there's any remedy that they can do together so um we agreed to pay 25% um of the study and that's the cost for that okay um article seven is the blight by bylaw that we already discussed with um Doug Scott now will that need to have a hearing or no it's just general it's not zoning okay so our discussion here is helpful and they had they had one conversation at the Board of Health um they had to cancel last night and so hopefully they'll have another one okay and then if we can do a t manager Forum or something you had a specific question for Lisa there was something in there uh yeah so I just didn't know if we had to explicitly state if we needed to be able to charge um Municipal charges but it's referenced with the Mass General law so she took care of that all right thank you um MH and then um article 8 is accept the new um zoning by law which is MBTA communities has that had its Hearing in front of the planning board I believe the hearing is I thought it was like October 10th they had a meeting um I think they moved it to the next I think it might be next week I'll have to look I can get back to you though so the 20 4th or okay next Thursday next Thursday okay okay and then the last article is to authorize um purchase of open space land for the Town Forest which is the land parcel that we have been discussing with open space I did add that did it get in okay okay and we're going to make sure that the correct language so that there's not restrictions that we don't want on the property so would it no it will definitely have restrictions I I know it will have restrictions I just want to make sure it's the restrictions that we want yes okay could could we just um for the for the greater good of folks just we didn't really discuss what this actual purchase is about um and who we're purchasing it from and that type of thing are we at a point where we can discuss that now yeah I mean it's on the warrant so okay it's so um yeah turn yeah it's probably help um so yeah so the town um has been in discussions with um United Church of Christ uh it's the Southern Conference of United Church of Christ churches are you know the technical name um to acquire a portion of their large property which runs along Myrtle Street and Winter Street um and um it's a that total is 50 acres so it's five Parcels totals 50 acres we've been having a discussion with them about purchasing that property um and uh Rob St Germaine from the Town Forest committee um has been uh the the project manager on this the Project Lead uh because it's going to be part of the Town Forest ultimately so we would be purchasing purchasing it to be part of the Town Forest um and so after a period of negotiations with a couple of different parties uh we've arrived on a purchase price of 1.4 million um and so what we how we would be looking at funding that acquisition um would be partially with Grant funds uh ultimately hopefully up to half at at some point um it could be a little bit less depending on grants that we receive and that we're eligible for um and then 250,000 of that would be paid paid for by subury Valley trustees who would also hold the conservation restriction on the property um and then the rest would come from local funds um which we're proposing would be arpa funds uh we had allocated a certain amount for open space acquisition so um that would be the funding stack associated with purchasing this property again it would be for the Town Forest it's a beautiful property and um yeah hopefully um town meeting is not voting on an appropriation they just voting on The acquisition of the property uh because no funds would be appropriated part any other questions on that article any other questions on the whole town meeting warrant okay see seeing none if I can get a motion to close sign and post the November 19th special town meeting warrant as presented so moved Second Great uh all those in favor I and one AB wonderful so we'll have to sign something before we leave tonight correct okay perfect moving on we need to vote to sign and post the 2024 sex state election warrant for November 5th 2024 so that was in our packet um Michael or Jen any comments on this no I think it's pretty straightforward okay okay um yeah it's a pretty detailed ballot with everything with the warrant questions and uh yeah so I recommend that everyone you know if you got your little red booklet in the mail or go online and check out the warrant check out the state election ballot if I can get a motion to vote sign and post the 2024 state election warrant for the November 5th 2024 election so moved all those in favor I that carries exstension okay moving on review and discuss the OPB valuation report let me just make sure do you have it in your packet yes thanks Rob thanks Rob of the Year yes yeah we do from The Odyssey advisers yeah sorry I was just in a different spot so um had the opportunity to review it so every couple years were required to uh develop a basically a plan and an Actuarial Val valuation of our other post-employment benefits uh which is essentially entire retiree health insurance um and uh if you recall so we started a plan in 2014 that uh funds this uh liability two different ways so we take a portion of free cash um each year and that goes goes towards opab um and then each year as we bring on like a new employee we budget for what's called their annual required contribution which is what is required annually to be um deposited uh to pay for that person's health insurance move retiree health insurance moving forward um and so I'm pleased to state that um our liability actually went down um in total for this 2-year reporting period so we went from uh 63 million in liability to uh 60 million in liability um and that is mainly because of um a decrease of 6.3 million um and that was mainly derived by changing the discount rate um on on essentially our our returns um and the reason they felt comfortable applying that better discount rate was because of the fact that we've been so consistently and uh in a disciplined way contributing to the plan so um so that is what led to the decreased liability and six million six million um well then you add then you add in some other increases and so the total decrease is about 3 million okay that's why those two numbers didn't make sense exactly um and so what we're concerned with is is a number called funded ratio so of your of your OPB liability how much do you have saved of that and uh so we've gone from 99.96% um to 11.87% so uh almost a 2% jump in uh the two-year time period so you know our plan's working um and I think uh yeah I this is good news I mean that the fact you know 10 years ago we were at zero in our funded ratio and now we're um sitting at almost 12% I think you know shows the plan if if you if you follow it diligently it doesn't necessarily have a huge impact on operations but you can start planning for those long-term liabilities does this help with the S&P uh yes it does actually okay that's one of the things they're really starting to look at is what's your what's your outstanding liability really what they the main thing they look at is how much of your current contribution is going towards like retire health insurance and pension any questions on this okay all I can say it's it's great to know that we're 11% funded and people say oh well you need more but understanding that at no time will we get hit with a $60 million bill yeah so you're right because you know I me that you have to talk about that right because people are like well we have this liability of $60 million right now okay but at no time are we going to get a bill for $60 million because we have employees now who are still working who we're starting to save for and it's not until they retire so we're not going to have everyone retire and need These funds right away yeah it's it's an acred liability so it's over I I believe like 20 years oh no no no no I mean if anything I think Ashland is I mean there are communities that have more money saved already but there are communities that have less so I think we're we're we have a as Michael said we have a plan in place we're funding this liability on a regular basis and we're now at 11% whereas 10 years ago we had 0% yeah and I think you know a lot so I've looked at a lot of communities um because there is a report produced every other year that has um the funded ratio for all the communities and they also show what the discount rate is and a lot of those communities that have higher funded ratios they're using a higher discount rate which I'm not necessarily sure is realistic I mean when you're starting to put in 8% um you know 7% 8% % you're you're probably not going to see that on an annualized basis over yeah I mean you can make this def you can make this thing go away you know by a you know stroke of a pen I mean it's all on paper so creative financing exactly um yeah so good news um and thank thanks to Britney for um she always works with Odyssey to you you know get this report done so okay no other questions or action needs to be taken uh moving on to review and vote on the baa Grant and select board Community Grant recommendations from the grant subcommittee we're both looking at each other do you want to do you want to kick it off Claudia because sure I'll kick it off so um so Brandon and I met um this past Friday afternoon um and went through all the grant ations I think that we had uh about 28 um applications uh after we removed duplicates and some we're still trying to the whole process trying to uh you know improve upon that so uh it's easier for the people who are applying and for those that for us on on this end uh I guess I should explain a little bit so there are two grants that that are offered by the select board uh one one is funded by our baa uh Runners and and uh we are up to 26 that we have um bibs 25 I think 25 25 yeah okay and um and so in any case so it's funded like that and then we also have select board Community grants which are for non for not for nonprofits so the baa are for nonprofit organizations the uh Community grants are for uh for-profit organizations that are doing good in our community regardless of their uh tax status and that is funded um through things like the northeastern I mean the Framingham State um facility warrant Conference Center um and money's raised uh through their rentals and that um so the there's two types of the two grants are are the for a total of $6,000 if it's a 501c um Grant or it nonprofit that can be done distributed in two consecutive Grant application process and the it has to be a total of four can't be more than 4,000 in in either of those two um for a total of 6,000 over the two consecutive uh uh periods and then the the community are is a total of, 1500 over the over two application periods and that is uh at a maximum of 1,000 in one so if you get 1,000 one time you could get 500 the next for a total of, um so I I I hope that this this made sense to the um board members the documents that submitted showing uh exactly what what organizations had applied for previously you'll see there's one that just is uh focused on the the uh 501c three organizations um it shows what they requested their the their previous award if there was one uh those are actually in highlighted in in red for these and then what their their allowable amount would be at this during this process and then finally what they what we are recommending for their um for their award this time around and then at the very bottom of that sheet you'll see that it shows um again all those columns the amount requested by the organizations the uh there the allowable amount um their previous Awards and then the total recommended amount for this period um with also and what were our ending balance would be and that's the same on both sheets and then there is a third sheet you'll see called additional information so that was a sheet that some of the organizations um had additional information that they placed in other places on the uh form and so just if you wanted to read a little bit more about them uh you you have the opportunity to do so but not everyone um not everyone did that so it's and it wasn't necessarily required or needed so I don't know you brand you want to go through some of what we uh what we looked at sure yeah no Claudia did a lot of work on this because a lot of organization um with a lot of moving Parts because we were comparing things we were comparing what we had awarded them the last Grant round how much they were asking for we were going back and making sure they had submitted receipts and documentation about how they used doing a lot of work on this behind the scenes Susan Susan and Claudia were were um amazing getting all this getting all this allocated so we had um 16 organizations that applied for 501c3 grants um including the ash emergency fund the Ashen Music Association Area ashin Youth Basketball lacrosse soccer the Boy Scouts um uh the demons youth hockey Friends of the Ashland um uh Public Library uh friends of the Ashland Council on Aging L inclusion the Metro West College and Career Fair um which kind of goes under the PTO and the Metro YMCA the um oi Foundation uh sportify and the Stone Park music festival and so um we fully funded all the requests that we were able to up to the maximum for all the 501c3 organizations the total amount that we um that we recommend is 39,500 for the grant cycle where our account balance is a very um a very flush account at $ 177,178 and $49 um thank you to all the runners that that raise all those funds because we know that 25 Runners they commit to $3,000 each so that's at least $75,000 that comes into that account every year and some of our runners run um fundrais above and beyond so we thank them for all the the work that they do because it's really helping all these organizations and to that point too right so so we have 25 Runners I don't think we've ever not met or at least in recent years um utilizing all the bibs that we are given by baa um so that's we're raising a guaranteed $75,000 and really we've fully funded all of the grants to the max of our um policy and and still only spent 39,500 so there's a lot of room here for people to to apply yep certainly certainly we need to encourage other non you know other nonprofit groups to reach out and apply Y and we have a number of nonprofit I mean I'm looking at some of these I'm going okay I'm thinking of ones that go oh now I know like the Garden Club did not apply this round because they had some fun sitting so I expect that they will apply in the spring uh some other organizations that aren't as active through the winter we want make sure that they hear about this and apply yeah and we talked a little bit about maybe in the future looking at if an organization is large very large and impacts a large number of people is that different or should it be treated differently than a small organization that that really impacts very few people so right um those are you know it's hard to sometimes make those kinds of and when you say that in regards to potentially having different levels of funding so if you're an organization that impacts this number of people you can apply for this size of Grant but if you're an organization that Pro that impacts you know a larger n a larger Community you might get be able to get it get starts to get really complicated it does specifically when we were looking at it it was about the the the Metro West College and Career Fair it's technically under the PTO but the PTO has applied for other funds in other Capac ities because it's such a broad organization right so that was kind of how that discussion kind of came came about and would you you know would you do it by the number of people served or would you do it you know differently maybe if they had suborganizations I I don't know we really just touched upon it because because it was just that particular thing kind of hit you you know right um and then moving on to the community grants there's two things I wanted to just kind of bring to everyone's attention one um we had there's there was an item on here for the Ashen Public Library which we always love to support um this specific request I wanted to make sure we kind of discussed because the um the library typically will ask for something under the baa or under this community grant for whether it's um I think we've seen things for books in different languages or we've seen like really specific librar things rather than programming they are asking for a programming request for this which typically would go under the friends of the library but again I think it's something they're they're um doing a lot of new Teen programming and this was to support the the the really big Halloween program that they're coming that they're that they're doing next next week so Claudia and I felt like it was it was a good thing to support but just it's not the typical Library requests that we get under under the so is was this actual funding to the library or still through the friends this was so we we funded the friends through a different request under here right so the friends was um we funded 2,000 because they had applied 4,000 last yeah last Grant round this 2000 goes towards the next mini golf event okay which is in the spring which is in the spring so so you know so this this particular event at the the library is $1,000 we felt like when we put it in our recommendations we we we recommended to approve it but wanted to just talk it through with you guys yeah okay so it's it's in this list correct but it's under the non nonprofits correct because it's a town Department right basically so it's not a nonprofit so I have The Corner Spot the ashon senior center ashon healing Garden ashon day oh yeah okay um and then there's one other thing that we did not fund and I just wanted to to talk about that too so um MSM blow dry bar or dry bar um requested requested funds for um marketing and payroll and so you know that really doesn't fall within the spirit of our policy I do think we I've never honestly I've never thought of this as something that we need to include in the policy but I think we probably do to state that these are organizations that are like not for-profit organizations because we're not this is not the point of this is not to to support a bus a business that goes under Economic Development and they can apply through through Beth's grants it's more beths so we decided not to fund that and then I would also say at some point in the next couple meetings um we should probably put some language in policy just to specify that and I can help I can put that yeah if you want to give a recommendation and then bring and then say what meeting you're available I mean I don't think it'll be a large discussion but certainly yeah but I think it I think it's important to have that in our policy I that makes sense so people understand yes y okay in the senior center we actually funded at $500 less than the request only because they they asked for500 and they had already it's written up well they hadn't but it's written that we can only fund a thousand out of the 15 in any one cycle right so okay great if I can get a motion to vote to approve the recommended funding as presented by okay all those in favor I and a big thank you to Claudia and Brandy for doing this work very much appreciate it I know it's a a lot of work but and thank you to Susan in when she watches this back thank you Susan for all your help on this so this has been good okay moving on next item in our agenda is to discuss the Citizens Academy and community and discuss Outreach for participants and the program will begin in January of 2025 Michael do you want to start us on this I'll Jen take it or Jen that works too um so we are super excited about kicking off our second annual Citizens Academy um it's a 10-week program we really sort of we finished the first year last year right around um May and June we got a ton of feedback along the way and tried to just tweak this program just a bit so we're going to open up um the application process at the end of this week it's on our website under Citizens Academy um there's a very e easy Google form that people can fill out if they're interested um we're hoping to have somewhere around 15 we had about 16 um people in our program last year that was a really good number but I think we could accommodate 15 to 17 people probably um so 10 weeks um 2 and fourth Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m.

find us it is recommended the board approve this change order number one as state this is a credit back to the district for 8,237 perfect we'll take that and uh any comments or questions or a motion on this item move to approve second right it's been moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I motion carries 5 to zero all right thank you for that next item is request for staff followup from anybody or any items for future agendas saying none I'll entertain a motion for adjournment at this time move to journ second right moved and seconded all those in favor say I I I meeting adjourned at 8:34 thank you so much thank you all for being here

we will be in closed session and the board will return to open session at 6 p.m thank you e e e close session went a little late clearly I'm not settled however you're all quiet so it makes it awkward that's okay nobody's upset yet all right we'll just roll with it good evening uh it is now open session of the October 16th 2024 regular Board of Education meeting for chica Unified School District uh it is 611 now um and we uh called to order at 5ish and so uh we were in closed session we had no uh action taken during closed session and now that we're in Open Session I will ask that we stand for the flag salute States all right next on the agenda is student reports so I'll turn it over to you superintendent Staley well tonight we have quite a treat and I think you're really going to enjoy this group I got to see them practicing a little bit so I'd like to invite Marsh principal Jessica Camp to the podium to uh introduce her student [Applause] group well good evening yes we are in for a treat um I'd like to introduce our constructor's lab students they are going to come up and um share with you in just a little bit but first I'll kind of give you an intro um about this program good evening and uh thank you for having us to share tonight we have a very special presentation for you it is our new stem program constructor's lab that's is at Marsh this uh course was made possible by a generous Financial allotment through the but strong Grant which focused on providing CTE Pathways for our students um as always a dream remains a dream unless you have somebody to make it a reality and that person was Mrs Lawrence um she researched stem programs she found a stem curriculum devoted her summer as well as her husband's summer to building or learning the builds and then recruited volunteers to help implement the program on site her dedication and determination is admirable and her Pro and had a profound and positive impact on our gators so STEM Science technology engineering mathematics education can be can help develop skills Foster creativity and Innovation and prepare students for a range of future opportunities through this course students have developed critical thinking skills problem solving skills that are invaluable for any success in any field through Hands-On activities and Project based learning students learn to analyze complex problems think creatively and devise innovative solutions students have been encouraged to think outside the box develop solutions for real world problems by exposing them to a diverse perspective and challenging them to tackle complex challenges stem education Fosters their creativity and their inventiveness as they work together to solve problems students learn the effectiveness of communication communicating their ideas they learn from others and learn to compromise to to uh find success as in any stem course it is common for students to encounter setbacks and challenges this course instills the importance of resilience and a growth mindset by embracing failure as a as a learning opportunity students develop and adapt um ultimately succeeding in the end as you will see tonight in our presentation stem education has it the potential to empower students from diverse backgrounds offering them tools and resources that they need to excel academically and pursue fulfilling careers Pam thank you for dedicating your time to our students your ownership and development of the constructor's lab stem program is truly admirable thank you for the our volunteers who not only devoted their time but actually devoted safety equipment such as the helmets you'll see tonight as well as risk guards to keep our students safe with your combined efforts you have shown that our gators that learning is fun they are so lucky to have you we'd like to show a quick presentation on the screen and then I'm going to turn it over to our students [Music] all right everybody [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] hello my name's Jesus Martinez and this is Nico Emmy and rayan uh we're all seventh graders here hi I'm rayan in our stem class we make awesome rides rides for all ages six and above not only do we make rides we are developing engineering skills and communication skills stem is one of my favorite class classes because we can take apart our builds to make something even bigger and better hi I'm Emmy I feel like the future skills we are developing are important we are moving away from our Chromebooks and AI to Hands-On learning the the reason I like the class so much is that I have done a lot of Hands-On things in the past and now my peers can join in we are learning we have more similarities than differences hello I am Nico and I am here to talk about how awesome this class is and how I hoped to have more people come in and volunteer and have more rids to build with friends this stem class is fun and I look forward to it each day I want to finish with a special thanks to Gail cra because she donated all the safety equipment so our parents wouldn't worry about us getting hurt when we test our [Applause] rides you want to talk about what you have sure so I have the caterpillar build I made so this is my build and I made a little mistake on it if you can see um Jesus has um a bigger one mine is short for built for very short people I use the wrong um profile he used the right profile so and one of the Wheels has no washer so as you can see we do make mistakes but we always learn from our mistakes and if something doesn't work we try again you talk uh I have the fun board and it was one of the hardest builds to build cuz it was the first one we built and it was pretty difficult but we learned how to get through through [Applause] it okay what I have here is the caterpillar build uh does it so basically you're supposed to sit down and then uh our friend ran will demonstrate ni push just go back right here [Applause] well thank you again did you guys have any questions about the program for us I want to know about Nico's build does it ride like a skateboard or do you sit down on that one also Nico you want to come up and talk about your build do you write it like a skateboard is the question yes you do ride it like a skateboard but some people also sit on it okay thank you uh just a comment um Mrs Lawrence is a maker uh that forever as I've I've known her um I have a question about your all shirts uh how did those get designed and made talk in front of people I had to get you up here okay Co 2001 I bought a circuit machine swearing i' have lots of time to practice finally got to use it on this build do not give an old teacher a circuit machine uh just one more shout out for Pam for Mrs Lawrence um during the campfire she also figured out how to develop a screen printing apparatus and we had got a whole lot of screen printed shirts that I still wear um so I I kind of had a feeling that maybe she had something to do with your shirts too I love I love the uniform yes and I love the the product that you guys are are are putting out there it's [Applause] awesome so I'm gonna go ahead and just jump right into the superintendent report and introduce Jessica Camp again who were you were you I was here before believe it or not all right so tonight we actually are giving away or giving away we are um recognizing two amazing employees for the superintendent award I'd first like to present the first award to Patty Ramirez she is a campus supervisor with on our school here you go I brought him okay you got to stand up here though oh Patty or known as P to um to us um how do I truly express my gratitude for all you do for our school Community your presence on our campus create sets a positive impact for our students our staff and our families as you heard tonight thank you for fostering such a welcoming environment enhancing our students educational experiences and providing them with success at Marsh your role as a trusted adult for students is invaluable students rely on you for guidance and support and they are so incredibly lucky to have you you offer a safe space for students to express concerns and this support contributed contributes to students educational well-being as well as their academic success thank you for having such pride in our campus day in and day out you maintain a clean safe and welcoming environment for our students your visibility on campus creates a sense of security for everyone your open lines of communication with Administration office staff and your fellow campus supervisors contributes to a proactive approach that helps us identify and address potential issues on campus your active engagement with students staff and families enhances our Campus Community Patty we want you to know that your dedication is recognized and valued by staff students and families please know your positive impact extends beyond our students on our campus the entire School Community benefits from your hard work thank you for being essential part of our educational family thank [Applause] you and we're gonna turn you around and get a picture let's get a picture and then got stand here for one more minute okay now so picture of and in ofd all right jump [Applause] here P few thank you Miss Patty for being a good yard Duty and a good person at Marsh we really appre appreciate you to thank you Miss T for being a good yard Dy and someone I could talk to thank you for everything you're really kind and you're funny and nice and you care about me and everyone even if you don't like them and you're really helpful and you help everyone and I really appreciate you for being our y Duty thank you for everything congratulations Miss Patty for winning the Super Sant award um we love you uh you're the best yard Duty in our opinion um thank you for being uh yard Duty in this school and yes thank you Miss Patty for getting us out of trouble A lot of times thank you for that and I'm super happy for you for winning a super attended award we love you and yeah Miss Patty is a great campus supervisor and she's one of the most trusted adults on campus in my opinion and whenever I have a problem I've always come to her about it thank you Miss Patty for being open and nice to new people um you are a safe person to go to and thank you for being a good yard Duty thank you for everything you do and like sticking up for people and treating everyone with respect thank you for being a part of marsh Junior High School uh hi I M congratulations Miss Pat you on the superintendent award we love you here at Marsh and everything you do thank you for everything you do miss Patty we're so glad to have you on our campus uh thank you Miss fatty for keeping the campus clean thank you Miss fatty for caring for all the students at Marsh to congratulations Miss Patty um you really deserve this award because every time I see you you always say hi to me and you bring a smile to my face thank you congratulations Miss Patty for winning the superintendent award I I love your attitude and how happy you are every day I like how you're funny and make jokes congratulations Miss Pat congratulations on winning the superintendent award thank you for always being there for us and such being such an amazing person for our campus you're not just a supervisor on campus you're always a lovely family to us thank you for always being the joy in my day and the light in the universe we love you miss Patty whenever I see you on campus you're always nice and smiling thank [Applause] you all right so I'd love to keep this um Marsh love continuing so I'd like like to invite up to this the podium Derek Dennis he's thrilled all right I would like to present Derek Dennis uh Marsh junior high school English teacher as well as teacher in charge the superintendence award Derek your tireless dedication to exceptional Excellence um contributes to our school community and you truly are deserving of this prestigious recognition thank you for your consistently bringing a positive attitude to work day in and day out your uplifting presence sets a tone for productive and enjoyable learning environment positively impacting both students and colleagues your strong leadership and collaboration Spirit our collaborative Spirit Fosters a supportive atmosphere among our staff by greeting students at the door and devoting time to their achievement you make them feel welcome and valued your dedication to running the After School academic support program is going above and beyond for student growth is truly commendable this oh sorry um this this initiative as shown in enhancing our as shown in enhancing our school proc or the initiative you've shown in enhancing our school processes particularly streamlining our Reset Program contributes to the significance of an overall effective school program it is with great pleasure that I present you with the superintendent award and recognition of your exceptional contributions to our school Community you truly are an inspiration and we all we are grateful to work alongside you [Applause] [Laughter] [Music] Derek congratulations on receiving the superintendent award nobody could be more deserving with this award than you Derek is one of the most respected and beloved members of the marsh team he is always the first one on campus and the last one to leave he works tirelessly to make his class classroom in our entire campus the best that it can be Derek congratulations on receiving this award user when I see Derek Dennis on campus it instantly makes my day better um his kindness his humor and his just genuine personal interest in your life is what I think makes him an amazing educator friend coworker and I can't think of anyone more deserving for this award so congrats Derek Dennis what does the guy not do I guess this is a better question uh the man of many hats on campus he's done it all he's first and foremost a teacher dedicated one passionate about the curriculum about the kids he's the go-to guy for teacher in charge he's The Unofficial department head of our department his work with the Union the extracurricular things he's done on campus is endless it's the guy's just he he's done it all and he does it with a degree of positivity and Grace and intention that is just unrivaled on campus it's pretty cool on top of being an incredible colleague and a good friend I couldn't see anyone else better to deserve the award so congratulations Derek you deserve it ma'am hey Derek congrats on receiving the superintendant award you have an amazing talent for making students feel appreciated and valued on campus you do so much for marsh like blast tick revising the Reset Program you put so much on your plate and you make it look so easy there is no one more deserving than you for this award right on congratulations Derek you're so deserving of this award your commitment to your kids is undeniable you have a way of connecting with all the kids and I know they appreciate all that you do for [Music] [Applause] them well that's going to be tough to beat so I'm just gonna turn it right back to you if I could I would adjourn the meeting on that make me miss my Marsh family sorry what number are we on so I will say that um we recognize that our students have school tomorrow our staff has school tomorrow so if you want to stay for the meeting by all means please stay if you have other places you need to be please feel free to go do that that thanks everyone for being here tonight to see you all thank you and then we will be on number six all right next on the agenda number six is announcements uh is there anybody up here on the board that has any announcements for the evening you know I'll make one uh I got to go on my first field trip today with the TK and Kinders uh at LCC and I just wanted to give everybody a shout out who organizes these amazing field trips and I had a lot of fun yeah just that the ballots are out there and no matter which uh who you're voting for please don't forget to do so it's a really important part of being a member of our community thank you all right item seven is items from the floor I items from the floor for speakers who wish to address the board regarding a topic that is not currently agendized uh at this time we will take public comment from speakers who wish to address the board for topics that are not agendized for this meeting uh as reminder speakers have 3 minutes to address the board a a bell roll ring the timer is up on the board uh for a 30 second warning um and uh board members can listen to public comment but cannot respond to speakers under items from the floor um via Brown act rules and um we do have one sign up this evening and um if time remains we may uh hear more if there's other people who would like to speak um to address the board so uh I could call up Ed Rona good evening thanks for allowing me to present to you this evening I'm medrona from the VFW uh post 1555 here in Chico and I've had the privilege of speaking uh to you in the past about our educational programs BFW has three education programs education related programs Patriots pen voice of democracy and those are essay programs for junior high and high school students and we have the teacher of the year program obviously for teachers who are in grades K through 12 all of these programs are competitive and I'll carry with them some monetary award for the winners and in the case of teacher of the year for the school as well uh brief overview Patriots pin is for junior high level students who present an essay on a patriotic theme this year that theme is my voice in America's democracy and they compete for local awards at the post and District levels with winners moving to the state level and um those State winners competing for a $5,000 award at the national level this year this past year we've had 31 entries for the Junior High programs throughout Chico first place winner um came from Chico Jr and second and third place winners came from Notre Dame school voice of democracy is for high school students who present an essay um on a patriotic theme in oral and written format this theme this year's theme is America is is America today our forefather's vision that's going to be a tough one it's going to require some history um knowledge they also compete for awards at the post district and state levels with State winners competing for a $35,000 scholarship at the national level this year we had six entries from local high school programs with our first place winner coming from PV High and the second and third place winner from Chico High teacher of the year is for three separate levels K5 68 and 912 we did not have any teacher of the year entries this year sorry to say but teachers can compete for a $500 award at the state level and $1,000 award at the national level and those amounts are also awarded to the winning teachers school there are also awards at the post and District levels we would really like like to see more teachers nominated and that's the difference with between the the ESS programs and this they're nominated they can self-nominate or be nominated by other teachers administrators students or the general public um I've personally delivered all of the information on all of our programs to the various schools in the uh Chico and Durham school districts as well as Inspire Notre Dame school um I've provided information on all of the to all of the schools elementary schools as well on teacher of the year um we also attended the U college night program at choh high on September the 23rd sorry that was just to say please keep speaking okay I'm not I don't have much more um college night was really successful for us we saw over 50 students uh we had some in-depth conversations and we hope that I know I know at least two are are entering so that's a good thing um this year BFW SAA entries can also be submitted through the scholars app program I don't know if you've heard of that uh it's an online site for many different scholarships available to students so we are getting the word out as much as we can but I just want to let you know that we do get a very good participation from the chico schools we're always looking for more applications and teach of the your nominations and everything is due by October 31st not too much time so that's that's it can I ask a question please certainly um uh on the timeline you said things are due by October 30 31st but the nominations and all that that has all passed no oh okay everything the essays and the nominations are all due by the 31st okay so what you just told us was that from last year the the numbers that I gave you were from last year we we're in 2425 now even though we're still in 24 and everything has to be submitted in 24 but the actual awards are done in 25 okay got it I understand better now thank you so this is you know back to the last item an announcement additionally is just to please uh to please where where's the information that they could go to directly uh they can go to vfw.org community and go to youth and education and it'll have the information there great thank you so much you're welcome thank are there any additional items from the floor for folks sure please um so last school board meeting had my hands full so I could not come up and share um experiences that some other parents had shared when it came to Art and music for their student so last year my son was in fifth grade and he was able to participate in band and of course art would come to his um fifth grade classroom two very different experiences for um art he did not want to participate in what the class was doing for the art project so the art teacher allowed him to do his own thing um and for him that meant working on his own comic book that he's been doing for the last couple of years um but something that was really unique and special about that um is that she allowed him to lead a class one day teaching his peers how to draw one of his characters that he had come up with and that was just so special um because it was a way to keep him engaged and to really keep him you know part of the class um but then when it came to music we are a musical family and so we are very excited for my son to have this opportunity to participate in band to learn an instrument um and unfortunately it was not a positive experience for him um his the band instructor ran into some problems with him and failed to reach out to me failed to communicate to his case manager um and it was really unfortunate to see my son go from being super happy and excited about band to thinking it was just okay and then absolutely hating it and not wanting to do it anymore which was really unfortunate CU we were hoping that he wouldd be able to be in band with his sister but he just didn't want to do it anymore because that passion was kind of shut down in him um and when I was looking at Junior highs for him that was one of the things that I reached out to band instructors and asked them what is their approach I was really impressed with a band instructor at Bidwell that had said we adapt the music we're going to meet him where he's at and we're going to make sure he's going to have a successful experience that was wasn't offered by the um band instructor at the elementary level I actually had to go through and modify my son's music for him so he could play now he was not without fault because he did not like to practice um but there was definitely more um we could have met somewhere in the middle to make this more of a positive experience for him and he's not a student that has extensive needs he is um 100% in gen Ed classes so while we're thinking about the experience of all of our students in special education we need to make sure that yes we um acknowledge our students with extensive needs but also our students that are um in our gen Ed classes um and take note of their experiences so that we can make sure all students um with and without disabilities are having a positive experience in our art classes thank you thank you have any additional items from the floor all righty seeing none we will move forward to item number eight consent calendar uh would anybody like to pull an item from consent for further discussion okay do we need to pull minutes from E being absent I was trying to remember I didn't have it um written down yeah the minutes from that Workshop yeah item one 811 right okay so I'll pull item I move to pull item 811 okay thank you so we're pulling item 811 um the rest of consent uh any other items to pull do we have a public comment on consent all right motion all right I will move to adopt the consent calendar less item 811 okay any further discussion our first vote for the night uh we'll start with Mr tenis tennis I Conan I Dolby I Lando I Robinson I all right 8.11 is um meeting minutes for the regular board meeting and the special board meeting Workshop um we didn't split them but uh since member Robinson was able to attend on October 2nd um that's just one that you can't vote on should we you want to vote do we need to vote separately okay we'll just vote together if that's okay with you member Robinson okay yes okay you're you're taking it out so I don't yeah okay um okay so do we have a motion for 811 sure I'll move 811 move a motion by Mr Lando all second uh Doby second it it any further discussion we approve our minutes uh Mr tennis we'll start with you again tenis I Conan I Dolby ey Lando and then Robinson stains aains because she is absent okay perfect moving forward thank you uh next up on our discussion action calendar 9.11 under Educational Services is a discussion action item under resolu it's resolution 1658 24 California state preschool program cspp 2025 to 2026 continued continued funding application that was a mouthful huh good evening everybody so I am here the resolution is something that is renewed each year and basically what it comes down to is we have six state preschools operating under Chico Unified and we receive uh federal funds from CDE and they like to have the approval for you all to know that yes we would like to say we're moving forward with the resolution to continue that funding or I guess not but we're hoping you go with a yes if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them okay yeah um any public comment on funding our state preschools okay seeing none uh any motion from the board I move approval second okay we have a motion by uh member tennis and a second by member Lando to uh approve resolution 1658 d24 let's start our vote oh any further discussion no we'll start with Mr tennis tennis Conan I Doby i r i Robinson I it is approved thank you uh 9.1.2 is informational this is student elcap meetings update for the 2024 to 2025 school year that is correct good evening we um are one meeting down out of the three that we have planned for this year for our student input meetings it's something we do look forward to every year we have a elementary students Junior High my high school and students at our alternative education sites meet with us and we find that over um over and over they want to share their thoughts they want to share their perspectives we welcome them and we often remind them that adults do not always have all the abilities to solve problems on our own and we need their thoughts and perspectives so it's a it's really a fun day um we enjoy it a lot I'm going to invite Pedro and Heather to give you a little more in-depth information about what they shared before we get started tin of course please take clicker okay we're GNA give some little bit of history and background of course last year we did have discussion oh jeez here I am thinking my voice can car it's not as much for us as it is for the YouTube totally understand just want to uh share a little bit of the history so last year uh the board here asked us to uh meet with our students to hold three student lcap meetings per the school year and then to report the findings to you and so this is the first of three all right so um I had the honor of meeting with all 12 of our elementary schools Representatives so we had a meeting on sept September 26 and there were 24 students represented it was super fun like Tina said they are eag to share and let you know what's going really well and things that they've thought of that we haven't so um we narrowed it down into three categories the the academics behavior and social emotional so things that they wanted to highlight that are going really well and Elementary is the teachers and the school staff are doing a great job of making learning fun and exciting for them our teachers are meeting our students where they are if they're stuck they're allowing them to express themselves and accomplish goals in their own way and there are lots of programs that are helping to make school more fun Prodigy Lexia and some of the online programs they're enjoying a few of their recommendations are they would like to have suggestion boxes where students can anonymously give ideas to teachers and principles throughout the day in regards to social emotional learning that they are loving that the school staff is very welcome friendly and they feel respected when they're in in and around campus the teachers and the staff are safe people for them to talk about issues that happen at school um the counselors are great listeners and help the students process situations and resolve them the recommendation for that is that they felt some students are in need of some smaller group counseling and individual lessons outside of some of the whole class groups that they're getting in regards to behavior and safety going well they feel very safe at school because of their teachers and the staff and their principles are patrolling the park the playground and campus the staff is consistently reminding students of the rules and the expectations through their PBIS implementation bullying isn't happening much because the kids are learning how to resolve conflicts and stand up for each other um teachers and the staff are helping the students resolve arguments disagreements between students so they took took a lot of ownership on that one was fun to hear them talk about of being prideful that they know how to find resolutions and then who to seek out if they can't the recommendations are more supervision at recess and that schools should have stricter consequences and should be increased as actions are repeated okay get to talk about junior high so on Thursday September 9th 18 we had 11 students representing all three junior high schools um they shared a lot of stuff working with junior high students they're pretty uh open about sharing anything they feel see so on and so forth this is the representation of it um they felt teachers were respectful care uh caring trustworthy and that included staff as well they appreciated the fact that students were sorry our teachers were flexible with the homework and they also took into consideration Sports meaning that the teachers would say okay I understand you're playing sports and then work with the student to make sure that they can do the work teachers wanted they students felt that the teachers wanted them to feel successful they appreciated a clean campus the students from Bidwell love the murals so if you haven't seen them they are beautiful I'm going to say that um students also shared that they loved uh the after school program program because they were receiving help there um they liked math because there was help before school during lunch and after school so their Math teachers were always present for that and believe it or not can't believe the students actually share this but they loved enjoyed the cell phone policy and I'm going to say this that one of the students actually I'm just going to share it anyways student goes hey the cool part about it is that there was a physical altercation and no students had their cell phones out so hey right on that's a win recommendations on their behalf uh they wanted to add additional academic success classes and I was like all right that's that's actually wonderful suggestions the other part they would like to see groups run homework with homework groups right but specific uh with subject teachers so math Running homework groups history running homework groups and so I was like man that's actually that's something that we should consider so great suggestions by Junior High continued social emotional learning uh they liked uh being able to talk to their counselors that was very successful um very easy to do uh recommendations though which like I said the junior high students are very very open about what they're seeing out there they wanted to see their counselors outside of the class classroom meaning out in the playground out during lunchtime so that's one of their wishes when with regards to behavior and sa safety um students from Bidwell share they love that the Bidwell principal held monthly meetings with students to improved climate so they share that and that's also kind of like a mental note for us it's like that's a great idea recommendation this is across all three School sites they wanted to see additional campus supervisors um adding uh supervisor specifically to hallways to deter horse play verbal comments and that came from chica Jr and Bidwell um and of course that's because both of those campuses are very very tight and there's a lot of hallways there that are very narrow right compared to the size of uh uh the student body whereas in Marsh they're a little bit more open they also um they didn't want admin and teachers not to give any more warnings they wanted to to hold students to higher behavioral expectations so it's kind of like to see a little Trend here because that was also shared by our elementary students high school Thursday uh September 19th and we had 14 students from Chico high and PV I'm going to say the vast majority were from PV sorry from Chico high that day so here's what they like they like the V availability availability of advanced placement classes uh they enjoy the block schedule the fact that there's plenty of sports and Athletics at both School sites um they really enjoyed the high school spirit and of course we are in Almond Bowl week so you know there there's plenty of spirit out there then like the clubs electives believe it or not they said they appreciated the fact that there's clean campuses at both Chico high and py and they like to add CTE classes they offered the follow recommendations of course we're talking about the cell phone policy now just a little bit they said oh those classes are kind of long we recommend a 10-minute cell phone break I was like ah I don't know about that so but that came from them and then they also said because those classes are so long in terms of sitting and taking notes that they wish a lot more of their teachers did projects so we are sharing that continued um they like that teachers and coaches are around and available to students uh that students uh they they share that the their teachers make their classrooms feel welcomed uh with regards to safety they enjoy the drills and procedures but here are the recommendations Chico high school and PV um communication through the loudspeakers isn't always very clear and sometimes it's difficult to understand and during specific drills it's hard for them to hear and understand what it is that they should be doing that was the right thing for us to correct there was also um bathroom maintenance um where they felt the newer nicer bathrooms were very well respected by the students while the older bathrooms that need some loving uh some care they were not um taking care of by the students so they asked Hey listen can we redo the bathrooms um they also wanted a clear purpose on Kelvin if you guys are familiar with Kelvin the pulse that we send out for our students to see how they're doing socially emotionally uh they also wanted additional campus supervising and they also wanted a clear campaign with regard to vaping making sure that students understood that vaping is bad for you and then students from choh High said please tell the school board that we would love to have two additional Tennis Courts at Chico high so told him I would share this with you Fairview uh and Oakbridge students um this one was probably um the most impactful in my my humble opinion um and I'm going to share with you why so our students at Fairview um and not uh they felt that the teachers in alled program are extremely caring they don't quit and they're always helping their students um and not only that but they're supportive of their future a lot of time guiding them into college and even being there to support them while they're in college so that was new for me um and the fact that there's also a native group there that also supports our native students that attend Fairview here's their recommendations from them they would love to see additional clubs in alad they would love to have a homecoming dance slash event they wanted either cheer or a sports team something to bring all them together and I was like like soccer and they go no we don't like running I said okay well we're GNA have to think of something so maybe pickle ball I'm throwing that out there um here's the part that really got to me was students and transportation and getting to school and there was a young lady who shared Mr CA I got to tell you that had there been a bus that would pick me up from school I mean from home to school every day knowing what was going on at my home I would have jumped on that bus every single morning just to get the school to avoid what was going on at home and it it hit it hit and so it it created this this vision of like man you know it's like okay we I'm going to share that I'm going to share that with our school board so just so that you guys know talking to the students that what you shared today will be shared so along with that contined they really like smaller class sizes the fact that there's more one-on-one help then I did ask him because I wanted to know Hey listen what type of recomend recommendations do you have for teachers I mean you you guys are in all dead and let's be very honest it's a different setting right something didn't work for you at a regular comp sites what recommendations do you have and they shared we wish that teachers uh were more understanding of what was going on with some of our students meaning the hardships that some of them were going through um and then in terms of Engagement strategies the share that the teachers should stop arguing and sending student and sending students to the office instead of asking them hey how are you doing or what's going on so these are the what they shared likes um they love I mean they they It Feels Like Home to a lot of these students which I I love it recommendations so here's some pretty cool stuff uh they want a safety gate at Oakdale they want an additional bathroom at Oakdale or redone um if you've ever seen the bathrooms at Oakdale is kind of like a a portable type of thing um cell phone policy with them this is a little bit different because for a lot of these students they themselves are parents and not only are they themselves the parents but they are parents of themselves so some of them even have children but then themselves or parents of maybe their siblings and so they they felt that they needed to have access so we did we we asked some questions and and what they shared with us was the cool part about it though they understand the cell phone policy that was very clear from them they understand it and they understand why it's in place the good part about it is they felt that they could always talk with their teachers and say Hey listen I really need to use my cell phone and the teachers would work with them so I said perfect um and there of course provide transportation if there was a bus that went by my home I would have run on that bus every morning just to avoid what was happening at home um and then for Oakdale consider building a patio eating area next to the Oakdale building and just to remind you all that Al the Ed has houses men sorry many schools on there we have Fair viiew we have Oakdale we have Cal we have AFC and so and we also have a little preschool there right so just keep that in mind and so um Oakdale would love to have a little eating area and so we'll keep sharing these and we'll keep improving through student student input all right yes please Eileen Miss Robinson thank you I had the um opportunity to attend the junior high and Senior your high input days well they were both on the same day again this year I was just so struck with how much these kids think about school how to interact with it how to make it better for themselves how to get more out of the opportunity that's before them um it it just if if you got to sit and listen to what's going on with our youth they're impressive yes they are and uh you had a representation of not only different academic levels different races and languages some of the kids were um from homes that were not English speakers but they talked about how they work to get interpret what they need to for their parents they are just they're really working hard for themselves using the supports that are being provided at school I just so proud of what they're doing and and they talk um very significantly about how much their teach teachers are um noticing what they need talking to them on a day when they obviously would probably like to not talk to anybody but their their support of their teachers was also quite evident yes it was very evident I hope I get to go back next year too absolutely all of you will get the invite just so you know all right any other questions yeah how are the student groups selected I I I hear um actually caught the tail tail end of the elementary um input meeting and was a good number of students but the junior high 11 feels like it might to me it wouldn't be adequate but it felt like it was adequate and adequate representation yeah you know us you our and we ask our administrators to please select some students that are representative of their school so they go go out and they using their counselors um they choose students and that can come and not be afraid of sharing out um and uh that are willing to provide us with honest feedback and so they go out there and their school community and pick out those students were their parameters like number at least this many No More Than This many yes we always want three to four students but that doesn't mean we stop it at that if they want to send more usually we try to come yeah I mean the 11 from Junior High would been three to would have been three to four students and was it pretty equal it was it was very much equal okay what's interesting is uh a lot of students share the same concerns and um that that to me being a a principal at one School site where you just listen and you get to see certain aspects of just the school site it you you come to realization that a lot of what's our our youth are going through is similar across the board and the good part about you know to me it's like if you if you heard that across the board every student at the secondary level I'm going to say Elementary as well they are very impressed by their teachers and the relationships and the communication and the caring so that's positive I will say that um they did a really good job of making sure that the representatives from the school represented the students student body so uh you know in the past when we first started this 15 years ago um we would just invite our ASB presidents or our ASB officers to a meeting and it has really morphed so that we're getting input from a much wider variety of students can I add just one thing that really struck me with them is they're supportive of each other at their different schools they're curious about what happens at their like schools and an example of that was Mr McKay's hosting monthly meetings for input and the kids from the other schools said well that's great how how do we do that what if that's a great idea they were awesome I mean they really supportive of each other when they didn't really necessarily know each other so well but um really really um just mature and very cool to watch thank you thank you thank you Pedro and Heather forgot it's my turn still or again uh next is informational also 9.1.3 is informational for the mobile device policy update correct Tim take it away all right good evening everybody um I'm here to update you on the implementation of our new mobile device policy so the board approved revisions to our board policy that regulates mobile communication devices on June 12th um following that approval of the revisions staff went went back and updated the administrative regulation um to provide more details to to site staff um regarding what this how this policy would be carried out on their sites um so that was June 12th we started uh School in August and we sent this survey home I believe it was October 1st it was early October um to get a read on how the implementation of the new policy was happening um just a little bit about the the survey that was administered um the direction from the board was to um recreate the survey that was sent in May to the to the highest degree possible to ensure we had comparable data um the survey that ended up getting sent or the surveys that ended up getting sent um did have commonalities with the May um with the May surveys um in some cases there was questions from the May survey thrown out because they didn't make sense anymore in the new context of the new policy um in addition there was other follow-up questions that were only administered on the fall survey so I'm going to take you through um each of these surveys um surveys were administered to both parents and staff um and respondents did have the opportunity to to type in comments and I'll explain to you how we how we uh evaluated those comments ments when as we get there all right so the elementary current practice is that cellular devices um need to be kept in the backpack anytime the student is on campus not so before and after school um doesn't matter it's got to be in their backpack so when we um uh surveyed staff members um actually it's easier if I if I could walk over there the first two um oh yeah that'd be great hey all right so what we're looking at sorry all right um Elementary U certificated staff members the first question how difficult is it to manage mobile device phone use during instructional time the top bars or the top bar is from Spring the blue and the green indicating very easy and easy so favorable responses to this and we can see an increase in favorable responses on the fall administration of the survey so it's getting easier for for certificated staff members second question how difficult is it to manage student mobile device use during non-instructional or recess and lunch time uh we can see the favorable responses in Fall increased over the spring Administration so it's getting easier for Elementary staff next two questions were only administered during the fall Administration um first consequences for reported mobile device policy infractions are consistently administered at my school um we can see an overwhelmingly positive response there so Staff feel like uh we're being consistent on our sites um last question for certificated staff the process for reporting mobile device policy infractions at my school is easy to use so we see an overwhelmingly positive response there as well uh parents uh received the same survey uh the first one is first question here is do you feel that the policy is being efficiently enforced and we see very little change insignificant change from Spring to Fall and then last question do you support the current cell phone policy as given above we see overwhelming support from parents really quick sorry um on the uh over like very large margin of unsure responses I just my my pondering is if that is an opportunity to do maybe a little bit better communication about about the cell phone policy I just wonder what that unsure means um I I take it as I don't necessarily take it as a communication um question um in in these cases you know parents could very well be aware that there was a change in policy um and just not sure you know they're getting word from their from their kids at home or they're not and they're unsure of how it's being enforced so um the Elementary staff comments um just a little bit about all the comments um the comment summaries that you're going to see tonight um these were all processed um utilizing um Google Gemini um AI and so comments were entered into the program and the system was asked to provide um the main points so essentially a summary of of the comments so I'm not going to read every word on this page um you have it in front of you but um Elementary staff strong support for limiting or Banning cell phones so they support the policy change that was that has been made they share the same concerns many of us spoke about in June regarding social and and emotional impact of mobile devices um staff had Equity concerns um about students having um different access to to mobile devices um desire for Clear policies and consistent enforcement which tells me they're appreciating you know when we look at that in compare in in addition to um the survey responses I just shared um staff is in support um staff uh would appreciates openness to exceptions and flexibility so they recognize that students with uh special needs may need access to devices um at a more so than than the general population uh parent Guardians um overwhelm Welling majority wants strict limitations or full bands um which they have uh at the elementary level um smart watches just like we thought are a little bit more contentious parents um aren't all necessarily all in on Smartwatch bands um many uh parents emphasize the importance in emergencies for kids to have access which we all shared those concerns I I believe in June as well um parents are suggesting alternative Solutions like phone lockers and we again like in June we talked we talked through um other options along those lines um and then the need need for Clear uh rules and enforcement okay moving on to Junior High cell your devices must be turned off and put away from first Bell to last bell students may use devices before and after school school so certificated staff how difficult is it to manage mobile uh device used during instructional time from Spring to Fall we see a very significant increase in positive responses from staff uh the question regarding incorporating mobile devices into instruction stayed about the same um and then into the questions that were only administered in the fall um regarding how the implementation is going um how much more likely are you to enforce the mobile device policy inside the classroom we can see an overwhelmingly High um overwhelming majority of of teachers and certificated staff that are more likely to enforce inside the classroom how much more likely are you to enforce the mobile device policy outside of the classroom after the policy changes we can see um the vast majority said they were more likely to enforce this year consequences next question is consequences for reported mobile device policy infractions are consistently administered at my school we see an overwhelmingly positive response there the process for reporting mobile device policy infractions at my school is easy to use so the reporting process um is seen overwhelmingly as easy or very easy the slide um kind of right there in the Middle with the gray big the gray um the group that is same as last year I mean are you what is your interpretation of that is that meaning they are not enforcing it same as last year or they were enforcing it last year and they're still enforcing it the same I that's my first my first guess I think it's a it's a mixture of both but we did have teachers we talked about that in June variety of approaches and and beliefs about you know student cell phone use and um as well as a difference between sites so um I I think there's probably a mix okay moving on to Junior High parents um do you feel that this policy is being efficiently enforced again we see a lot of the unsure we do see a slight increase um in positive responses there in this fall um last question do you support the current cell phone policy as given above and we see overwhelming support from parents Junior High staff um comments um strong desire for clear and enforcable policies um we see staff is responding to that um by being more likely to enforce um phones are are seen as highly disruptive which is you know goes along with the the spirit of why this uh policy change was made um they support limiting or Banning phone use during the school days so they support the policy changes they have mixed opinions on smart watches and they have do have concerns about cheating and academic Integrity which I take to mean they appreciate the more um stringent policy Junior High parents and Guardians um and strong um support for limiting or Banning uh phone use during hours so supporting the the policy changes um they had mixed opinion on opinions on smart watches um concerns about social media and cyber bullying desire for Clear rules and consistent enforcement and a recognition of potential benefits so many of the of the respon uh parent Guardian responses kind of backed up the changes um that were made in June hey High School current practice oh you know one more thing to add about Junior High that was probably the the biggest shift that we saw um regarding the actual policies that were in place um prior and compared to um following June um High School C current practice um cellular devices must be turned off and put away during class time but it's okay to for them to use them them during non-class time so passing periods in lunch so high school certificated Staff first question how difficult is it to manage mobile device phone use during instructional time we see it's much easier this fall than it was last spring for them do you incorporate mobile device use into instruction see a little little drop there um probably not super significant um and then on to the questions um regarding the implementation of the new policy specifically um how much more likely are you to enforce the mobile device policy inside the classroom after the changes we see a significant majority saying they're more likely to consequences for reported mobile device policy infractions are consistently administered at my school we see a majority of consistency but it's not as overwhelming as we saw at um other levels the process for reporting mobile device policy infractions at my school is easy to use or about half say it's easy or very easy okay moving on to high school parents and Guardians do you feel that this policy is being efficient effic efficiently enforced at your child school there we see the unsur again very you know minimal change from uh last spring do you support the current cell phone policy as given above so we see an overwhelming parent level of parent support both in Spring and fall would you prefer high school students to keep cell phones and SmartWatches in their backpacks from first Bell to last bell and that was just in the spring so um most of them did not want that we didn't ask that for the we didn't ask that for the fall no um because we had already changed the policy and that was um but did we though did we change the policy enforc we changed the enfor we CH the enforcement we didn't change the policy right yeah that's question I feel like should have been asked in okay High School staff comments um strong support for limiting or Banning cell phone use concerns about social media cheating and cyberbullying desire for improved student focus and engagement emphasis on clear policies and consistent enforcement and recognition of potential benefits but with limitations so recognizing there are some benefits to students having access parent Guardians um reported overwhelming support for restricting or Banning cell phones um concern again concerns about um social media cyber bullying and inappropriate contact content desire for improved focus and academic performance emphasis on personal responsibility and self-regulation and mixed opinions on consequences for um violations um I really appreciate the summary comments excuse me um and I think that the reason I I I said what I said a minute ago is because that first bullet point uh of parents or Guardians having overwhelming support for restricting or Banning cell phone use during school hours meaning from Bell to Bell first Bell to last bell is in stark contrast to what the parents had said in the spring on that one survey you know so it would have been it missed opportunity I think is to you know ask that question again if we should be still be considering um a stricter cell phone policy at the high school level because that's really what the discussion would be okay um I have a question because did you in the survey uh did you have respondents identify their School site uh we did yes do I don't know I'm not expecting you to pull this off the top of your head but it would be interesting to know if there were Trends you know when we saw the 15% if that 15% happened to be ma majority on one site over another you know if we were seeing inconsistencies between sites on enforcement yeah there's there's you know I have data based on you know what what folks jobs are what sites they're at um so it can be you know numbers can be crunched um pretty much any which way that we want I was just wondering if there was schoolto school Trends or if it was pretty evenly disted sure I'll stop my head yeah on excuse me following up on that um the 25% on slide 15 of Staff of teachers who said they were worried about consequences uh not being uh consistently administered it would be really interesting to know if that was particular campus or particular department or what I mean that this says me we're doing a good job but 25% teachers still aren't quite on board with feeling it's being consistently uh implemented that's that's an area of growth for me um so I'd like to know if we can disaggregate that and or just what we can do in terms of supporting and communicating with our staff about that sure yeah I agree when we had this discussion in the spring um one of the biggest concerns that we discussed was the not wanting to overwhelm classroom staff or even office personnel with enfor because that's where it falls apart because then you you have folks that don't have the energy anymore to add one more thing to their plate and and really tasking our site admin leaders to figure out how to implement the policy and enforcement in a way that wouldn't cause too many extra steps or wasn't so convoluted that it discouraged enforcement MH and I feel like the survey results I mean more than 25% 30 more than 30% is is a is a pretty big number um especially when we're talking about the beginning of the school year you know in the first two months it I would hope to see a little bit right and I think and I think most most of our school sites are utilizing educ climber to to report these and the high and if you if you remember the um Junior High and Elementary staff reported very easy to use um they're couple years ahead of the high schools and their utilization of educ climber so um that could that could be part of it as well any other questions from board members all right I guess my thought is I think this is a a good place to start and I it's nice to see some of the growth um my concern is as the year going along and rather than kind of losing momentum with this and um becoming more laxidasical like what's the approach um as the board as a board that we can kind of I don't know if encourage is the right word or just put another push out there for consistency and um you know know sharing the fact that we're seeing growth but how do we move forward and kind of continue on with this momentum rather than lose Steam and become laxidasical in our approach yeah I think certainly it's been a a topic of discussion both our secondary and Elementary uh principal meetings and I anticipate that would continue um I know especially like I said earlier especially at the Junior High um there was a lot of work that went in working with site admin to um make sure there were they're ready to go um and like I said those conversations keep keep going I'd like to add one thing to that too because it's a great point that you bring up and we do uh revisit at school sites expectations through PBIS many times through the year oftentimes after breaks um couple times even not without breaks coming because that reinforcement is really good and there might be new students that come in and there might be students that move sites a variety of things so I I can see that this would fall into that and I'm looking at Pedro and Heather because they have that those meetings with the with the site leaders um regularly where it could very easily but be put into something just like that to keep that momentum going I think it was a very good point you made um just wanted to share that uh with the middle school or Junior High um principles we have uh set up an additional meeting a month to specifically tackle consistency and that's going to be throughout the school year because we know with initiatives like the one we just created um you got to be consistent and you got to have follow through and we can't let the ball drop so these uh additional meeting monthly meetings I think are going to be designed just to make sure that we're all on the same page how are those going Pedro fantastic actually yeah yeah our Junior High principles actually enjoy being able to be together in a dedicated space for them so yeah great sharing sharing some of those best practices or or even failures and how do we figure out how to make it better yeah that's I think what's encouraging about it too is I mean we clearly have the support of our parents you know we it seems like the teachers are on board and they understand the benefits and even the the kids are reporting that they want it too and they want they want it they're asking for it I will be very blunt honest that I wasn't expecting uh the responses that we received from the junior high students so it was um it was powerful to hear from our our our students that they were happy about the cell phone policy that means that they felt safer um and so it just it struck a chord with me because all of a sudden it's like oh yeah kids are safer on campus and they feel safer on campus for fear of maybe being recorded so it was a good thing briefly I think it underscores the value of discipline you know uh sometimes there's a perception that no kids want to be disciplined in any way shape or form well that's not true I think they recognize that we've created a better environment for them on so many levels so yeah and I think on those points um we're kind of seeing that needs still bleed into the high school level and you know just to continue that conversation of consideration strong support for limiting or Banning cell phone use during school hours from both staff and parents and Guardians and then to me students saying we need a 10-minute break in a block period to be able to use our phones is actually a red flag like to me I'm like that means there's a problem and an addiction here you know so to me I'm like yeah let's ban it start to finish Bell to Bell um I I I really want to encourage these these conversations to keep going and to revisit the policy again in the spring resurvey again in the spring ask the students again um because I I think that maybe we are actually slightly ahead of the curve here when it comes to this discussion I know we've seen it coming um but I think that that the bigger bubble is is you know going to catch up to us when it comes to um state level type you know mandates or whatnot so um building that culture of what's expected and and you know know self-discipline and and structure um for students well-being um is supported I think that especially as they're going up through Junior High and going to high school it's not something new suddenly you know if it ended up being implemented next year uh to expand the policy to build a bill or have that discussion there's a lot more time between now and then to really talk with the high school leadership about how that could look I know that there's a lot more complexities and issues and things to tackle but like if it's what's best for students and their wellbeing then then you know got to rubber needs to meet the road and figure those things out obviously it's not a changed board policy but I think it's still worth the conversation to be ongoing and Revisited thanks for doing this and crunching all the data I I would be I'm sure that you'll have your own internal meetings about Trends and and you know convers cations that that could be had and all the good things that you all do as as District leadership so thank you so much for doing that yes thank okay that was informational um do we have any public comment on that [Music] item okay see no public comment we can move on to business services 9.2.1 is a discussion action item on a leas leaseback contractor approval for inspire School of Arts and Sciences at Fremont Street uh the Canyon View site project I'll hand it over to Mrs Julie kle good evening thank you back in June um we had brought forward a a competitive selection process for lease leaseback entities uh which was approved by the board uh in early September we circulated an RFQ P um amongst the contractors in our area um for a lease lease back entity for inspire School of Arts and Sciences at the Fremont Street property um we received four impressive responses they were competitive uh both in qualifications and in pricing and Modern Building Company was the highest scoring contractor we had a committee comprised of our our local facility staff here at Chico Unified as well as uh Becky Brown from Inspire who is here tonight Brian Boer Jen Josephson and Ken Hardy were also part of that committee uh so tonight we're bringing forward the approval uh for Modern Building Company to be the lease leaseback entity for the preconstruction services portion of the work for inspire School of Arts and Sciences I want to note that preconstruction services are the following so they will come on board they will review the plans for constructability they will work with the architect to make any recommended changes that may be able to save money on the project they will also put together a schedule for the project that ensures completion uh when we need it to be completed for inspire that also ensures they have ating campus uh during their school year and the moves that need to occur over the summer occur um in the right in the right order to ensure success they will also put to get put the project out for bid for subcontractors and that will be a competitive process that is exactly like the public contract code where bids go out um to subcontractors they provide the bids to the general contractor and they put together a guaranteed prog project project cost for us and we will know that number and that project cost before we come back to the board to request um entering contract for construction are there any questions that I can answer why are the lights all going off Julie that's my question I'm not sure it's kind of comforting though I have some questions um why did you choose to use lease Le back for this project rather than a traditional lowest responsible bidder that's a great question um there are a number of reasons why um we have successfully used lease leback Contracting method on many projects within the district this school that we're in right now was a lease leas back contract so it's not unusual um however um we moved away from that and went toward the hard bid because it saved us money we felt and um the skilled and trained Workforce requirement that is required in lease lease back and also design build is a a stringent policy that requires uh workers that are in an apprentice trade on the site be uh certified um Journeymen graduated from an apprenticeship program approved in the state of California so it adds some complexity to the project and um that is that is a difficulty but I think the benefits to our project with Inspire outweigh those negatives because we will get a guaranteed project cost very quickly and we will know how much the Inspire project is going to cost um in advance which is I think very very important to our planning process and our fun process for the project they don't have Deep Pockets to uh cover cost overruns during construction so they need to be prepared in advance knowing how much the Project's going to cost also the ability to drive the schedule um is also very important because of the grants that are coming from the state we need to know that we have all of the utilities organized with cowat PG and the City of Chico for storm water so that all of those uh the construction of those facilities can occur in a timely manner so for those reasons that's why we're recommending lease lease spec for this particular project what are the time frames the the constraints the time constraints yeah so Inspire is is really a pretty simple project it's composed of modular a modular two-story building that will be manufactured off off site and brought in in pieces and assembled on the site um portable classroom buildings that come over from Chico high school that they're now operating in will move over to the site and be put on permanent foundations but of course they can't move until over the summer so they have to finish up their school year and everything has to be organized and planned so they can quickly move over and be put on the site and hooked up to all the utilities and finishes performed on those buildings within 10 weeks so that is what makes the Inspire project critical um as far as schedule goes we have a very short amount of time to do that work and we need to make sure that we have the contractor the subcontractors and the schedule dialed in in advance so that we can make uh make it a successful move we don't want uh to miss our goal and have Inspire not have a home when they start in the fall there's um a document that a local contractor shared with me um that includes some language that I texted you shortly before this meeting um so we didn't have time to talk about it my apologies but we came up with this in our contract apparently this is on appears on the addendum to uh contractors who are going to be bidding to perform work on on this it is not an addendum it was in the contract that came from our attorney for lease lease back contract there was a question regarding it so that's why it's discussed in the addendum okay so one thing I want to note on the contract is that this contract just for clarity this went to the four uh applicants or or to everyone that could have been interest showed interest yes for their review and and there were four of them Bas who came in and so they understood getting into it that they were going to have to sign this contract if they wanted to move forward yes they did and they had to put that in writing and sign it um they had the ability to bring forward um revisions that they would desire to see when they submitted their um qualification statement and proposal and none of the four provided any comments for requested changes in the contract including this this this language in question that I'm that I'm going to read a little bit of correct okay so in theory they were all okay with it yes okay well just because I know you're all just waiting with baited breath what it is I'm going to talk about um basically this lease lease back process requires that the contract rors uh do something called a labor compliance program right I'm sorry the skilled and trained Workforce is a requirement associated with lease lease back correct and that requires you know you need to provide proof basically on a monthly basis that you are you requesting apprentices and putting them on the job when possible and so on and so forth no no uh the skilled and trained Workforce um requirement is not have anything to do with apprentices it has to do with graduated Journey persons okay are there apprenticeship requirements on the leas okay and so that's I guess what I'm talking about your partnership all publicly bid projects in the state of California require those apprentices apprenticeship requirements whether it's a um design bid build which is a typical hard bid or a lease lease back or a design build they all require um asking different apprenticeship groups to send apprentices to your project to work and does does all Public Works require that subcontractors provide monthly reports on the apprentices that they' have requested and and received and utilized no no does lease leaseback require that no what it requires is um an accounting of Journey persons on the project so graduated Journey persons on the job so for instance if you have a painter on the job every month that painter needs to supply a report to our department and to the board showing that 60% of that Workforce were graduated Journey persons from an approved apprenticeship program in the state of California but it doesn't tell have anything to do with the apprentices that is separate um requirement and this is a requirement that's not unique to lease lease back no it is not unique to Le lease lease back it is also required on design build thank you but not hard bid which 90 to 95% of our of our work that we do is is hard bid is that approximately accurate recently it has been hard bid but we have a a long history of utilizing lease lease back Shasta Neil da marold LMA Vista Chico High School Pleasant Valley High School were all lease lease back contracts MH so in our contract that we require you know our lease lease back entity or or contractor and all their subcontractors if they fail to report this information to us every month we want them to pay um basically fees or a fined to to apprenticeship programs related to their trade I don't think it's if they failed to report I think it's if they fail to comply so if they provide reports throughout the project that don't end up being in compliance then that is what is in the language of the contract why do we care if they file these reports with us about you know their their journey level painters that are every month and why do we think they should have to pay money to some apprenticeship program somewhere because they may maybe didn't report that to us well that's a um multi U multi-piece question so all contractors have to pay fees to apprenticeship program on all Public Works projects so that's that's not a unique um addition of um requirement because of lease lease back so part of the answer is they have to pay apprenticeship um to Apprenticeship Training fund anyway it's part of the pay that um any individual that is receiving prevailing wage on a public works project gets they have a salary they have travel money they have training fund contribution and Health and Welfare benefits that make up their overall hourly rate so they're already being paid that so um that makes sense I mean just from the standpoint that you've got an hourly employee on a prevailing wage there's all these wage components all the things you just mentioned and they go hither and yawn and everywhere and I know that apprenticeship programs they get these little revenue streams every hour worked um so I I understand that yes um but we want to go beyond that and if somebody doesn't give us a report then we want them to pay money to an apprentiship program that's what our contract documents say if they don't come within compliance with their reports not if they don't submit a report but if their reports show that they are not complying with their percentage of journeyman participation on the project site before the end of the project then that would come into play let me also mention that this contract that you're discussing will come to the board so if the board desires to look into that and revise that portion you certainly uh have the power to do so to tonight we're here to um approve this selection process for this particular contractor that went through the process that was previously approved and if approved tonight we will bring the contract back to you and you are um to review and comment and we can make modifications if necessary thank you you're welcome good questions mat Matt stole all my questions those questions I learned some stuff actually um any other questions for clarification okay public comment all right do we have a motion um on item 9.2.1 least Le SP contractor approval for inspire School of Arts and Sciences yeah sure I will move approval of the contract um I'll second it Kaitlyn uh any further discussion from the board just excited to get us one step closer to getting Inspire their home that's exciting yeah I agree I agree um any other comments hearing none um let's do a a roll call vote um we'll start with Mr tennis um I support Inspire and getting a new home but I don't support this contract delivery method so I'm tennis nay Conan I sorry I just an i okay thank you Dolby I l i Robinson I okay it uh passes four to one thank you Julie 9.2.2 discussion action for ab 2756 public disclosure documents for the compensation settle up for all represented employees yes so good evening so um part of our tenative agreement that was approved by the board um there is language in that tenative agreement for salary compensation to have a settle up the following year because we estimate um what the salary component will be in September to be implemented in October paychecks and then when the books are closed um then we go back with actual values and determine what if we had a crystal ball what the amount would have been so the settle up for last year for 23 24 was 0.12% so very nominal very small amount um before you this evening is the financial component of that and what we're doing is we're just going to implement it um an annualized value November 1st so we don't have retro checks so the the 0.12% would have resulted in very very small retro checks for the payroll department to generate issue and then many of those checks don't get cashed so then they'd have to reissue them later so both unions agreed that we would just Implement November 1st moving forward through June 30 um the value is just under 275,000 for that that 0.12% settle up for the for all bargaining units including Kuma as an association questions from the board public comment I just want to make sure I'm reading the document correctly so the total average uh extra they're going to be seeing is 212 per FTE which unit are you look which PDF are you looking at um so there's the public disclosure form for uh cut for cuta yeah so yeah the increase for cuta is $212 per FTE thank you yeah I'm hearing no further questions and no public comment my microphone's really sensitive today I need to keep moving it for my face uh we can ask for a motion I move approval I'll second that motion I'll second that motion okay we have a motion by um member tennis and a second by member Robinson um any further discussion from the board hearing none we'll start with uh Mr tennis tennis I conen I Dolby I Lando I Robinson I it passes five Z thank you um next on the list is uh 9o 2.3 discussion action resolution 1662 d24 approving conveyance of easement to Pacific Gas and Electric Company yes so before this evening is resolution 16622 and this is a resolution allowing PG to have a small easement um on our Corp yard property at the very south um end of that property so in order to continue to be able to Electrify our bus fleet and eventually our White Fleet um our maintenance Vehicles we need more power right now we're tapped out at the courtyard related to power so we need more power to be pulled um and there is a unit basically just on the other side of the property line that actually is um on the calskate property line um that PG U would use to pull more power to the Corp guard so there's a small easement on the south end of our property line um that PG would need to gain access to in order to pull that power and that was a grant we received in order to be able to continue with um air quality and our electric Fleet hearing no further questions from the board do we have public comment no public comment um I'll call for a motion I move approval seconded we have a motion by member tennis and a second by member Lando any further discussion from the board hearing none our last vote was unanimous uh all those in favor of approval please say I I any opposed it's unanimous thank you uh next up under board 9.3.1 is a discussion action for approval of revised updated new board policies so we are bringing forward just one updated board policy for you tonight that's 411 9.11 sex discrimination and sex-based harassment uh this was on our previous agenda we pulled it just to ensure that um this policy covers both classified and certificated HR and we just made wanted to make sure we were in alignment um both between both HR departments and with um ed services it is so we now bring It Forward for adoption by the board and just for clarification these these were um updates that were recommended by csba thank you do we have additional questions from the board seeing none uh do we have public comment seeing none I'll call for a motion I move adoption of the policy I'll second that motion okay we have a um motion by member Lando and a second by member Robinson to approve board policy 411 9.11 um any further discussion all those in favor please say I I I any opposed it's unanimous next up we have 9.3.2 informational but County Office of Education up update on community input regarding superintendent search so it's my uh pleasure to introduce an old face not really old but a familiar face uh Jim hanin who is Consulting with bcoe as well as Michelle Zev from bcoe and they're going to give you a report on the input sessions they held hello good to see you Jim good to see everyone just like old times huh microphone oh just a hello good times good to see everyone again so everyone out in YouTube land great well thank you for having us and before we begin just a few thank yous um thank you to the board for wanting to get the input it was really nice to have many options for for people whether that was in person or surveys and thank you Kelly for allowing the staff to support us um from facilities to it and clerical and then amazing Erica and Tim for your support so thank you all so much um we are going to start I'm going to start with the input sessions that were in person and is there okay we're supposed to use that clicker thanks Jim so I will be covering the in-person sessions and then Jim will cover the survey results for the in-person input areas um we held um some prompts and conversations around leadership traits and these were them experience and background professional skills and abilities personal characteristics instructional leadership and cultural competency budget and finance and then of course of course other in casee there were other areas that people wanted to comment on our in-person uh Community sessions were held on the 23rd and 25th of September um we were disappointed to only have six people and I'll also say that we still had Rich conversation around um the table and were able to glean some good information to share back with you also want to thank Tom Caitlyn and Rebecca for being there it really meant a lot I think to have your ears and and be able to hear that input from the community then we held uh input sessions for staff and that was on the 30th of September and October 2nd and we had 10 total people come so of those input sessions the overall priorities from those character Tres that we ranked with um our participants was the first and most important for them was instructional leadership and cultural competency the second was personal characteristics third professional skills and abilities and then a tie between experience and background and budget and finance and then lastly the other we'll give you a few highlights um from these areas of input I won't read them all um but for the instructional leadership and cultural competency um just an understanding that we can continue to solve academic issues through system changes really understanding and valuing special education students and families and how they can contribute and understanding different populations for priority two personal characteristics wanting somebody who will lead with honesty Integrity transparency and compassion somebody who will gather data before making decisions and then transparent and a good communicator in professional skills and abilities um you see a long list there um strong written and communication skills and the ability to inspire and develop the next generation of educational leaders they want somebody who's positive with the community and agency building has a vision for the district and communicating with and valuing staff at all levels under experience and background um really having the depth of experience from um teaching to site level to District level um an empathetic to teachers and really important was echoed that building that trust with staff in budget and finance um wanting the mission and vision to match the budget ensuring Equitable resource allocation trust and mutual respect and prioritize sustainability of position and programs and then under five um I'll start with the end in mind there just having a sense of humor um that was that was talked about a lot is just that human nature piece of a of a superintendent of course accountability and results oriented oriented leadership is important and then understanding the current mental health needs and crisis and somebody who's politically neutral and I'll turn it over to Jim okay thank you I just wanted to do a shout out to uh to Tim who helped us crunch the date on this um may be able to do it without Tim so thank you Tim um so so in anticipation of um people not being able to make the inperson meetings um we wanted to do a survey that got sent out to community members parents staff and students um all the groups responded except students we had one student respond so that was just kind of meshed in here so I'm going to when I report out on the on the different groups um we'll be talking about the the community the parents and the staff um some of the numbers won't add up because um people are are staff and parents and so looks like they checked more than one so um so anyway so just so you kind of take that into consideration when we look through it here so if you look here um the lower the score the higher the priority so um with uh with these it's a it's different than what was reported during the inperson um the top five were ethical lead leadership um someone who has good decision making skills um communication skills were very important Visionary leadership and then relationship building so those were the the top five it's not that the others were not were unimportant it's just that um we asked the respondents to to take a look at 15 different characteristics and rank them explain the numbers so why is the lower number mean it's more important so it was a ranking so it was you know I strongly agree to the others so is that is that correct Tim how it was offered and we did and we also wanted know when you Tim can probably explain it better but when you have 15 traits you say what's your number one what's your number two priority number three and so when you average all those out I get if everyone if everyone said number one is you know they have brown hair then brown hair would given number one because every single person the ey yeah or gray beards so the interesting thing about it is um we had um so you can those those are the the five traits right there that I just read off but the interesting thing was let me back up um we had the different groups we had um the community group the staff group and the parent group they all had the same five priorities in the same exact order which was telling and um I think important for you to consider as as you develop questions and the things that you want to focus on on there but but they had 100% agreement which was out of 491 um responses is is pretty remarkable so um otherwise we would be here a lot longer telling you a lot of other things about the different groups but they were a un it was basically a the three groups you're anonymous in the in the five and in the same order so interesting interesting Quirk so then we also had um other category much like um the one we had here and as you can imagine there there were quite a few responses and um Tim ran them through the uh the same kind of Google AI and summarized each of those and and it came out in to um some certain categories specific categories so strong leadership and management was one of them um focus on academics uh Community engagement and Communications you seeing a lot of overlap here um student centered approach um ethical and trustworthy experience and qualifications and then some other thingses were kind of random fiscal responsibility support for teachers special education expertise and a focus on student mental health um so there's some other strong other things there too so so a lot of um agreement among those surveys uh a lot of overlap um with what we heard um in the other in the in person although the uh the priorities were were different I think then that was it any questions uh my question uh is just how what's the intent of the so how is this information going to be used in the next steps in the process my understanding was it is for you to consider when you're selecting and being part of the interview panels that you understand the data of the input from the community and staff um as well as parents so for you having that and you have it in front of you um if you want any more details um if you have specific things you want we can try to to extract that but really it's to help inform you when you're making those decisions um that you're weighing that input as well um as we move through the next steps of the process there will be paper screening of of applicants um and you know several different eyes that'll be put on that and then the the interview panels will everybody have this information kind of summarized in front of all of us or used as a matrix for you know kind of evaluation purposes um are we are we packaging it so that it's kind of usable in in that sort of um deliberation process I suppose if that is the will of the board um we bcoe is welcome to put this together and share that as part of of that work yes I believe you'll also have obviously input in um formulating the questions so you may want to um choose to wait some of the questions um according to the the desirable characteristics that that came out of this obviously you're going to have your priorities as well um but our understanding was that you wanted to hear from the public staff parents everyone so it gives you some information to kind of put those questions together thank you okay so that was informational uh we'll move on to 9.3.3 discussion action for setting a date of annual organizational meeting of the governing board of the Chico Unified School District proposed date December 18 2024 so this is the meeting where we will swear in uh two new board members this is also the meeting where the board will elect the new uh board president board vice president and Clerk and it is also the opportunity should the board desire to make changes to the format the agenda format so uh we have to set the date and there's some strict parameters around that so the proposed date is December 18th there's any questions happy to answer those but it's pretty routine is that just this I I don't have a camera camera calendar out is that just the third Wednesday or is it a different date I only asked because I know in election years that there's a certain certification date and sometimes it gets thrown off and so is it it's the third Wednesday so it's a a typical typical board meeting date great I just remember that was the case in 2020 and it caused a little bit of confusion um awesome well if we approve this date uh just putting out in the universe that it's recommended to come to that meeting prepared uh with the thoughts and maybe uh you know few words on qualifications of why a particular board member wants to take on a particular leadership role in terms of president vice president and clerk um so just just a reminder keep that in mind um we won't have a meeting after November 20th until December 18th date so um it's a kind of a few weeks to to think on that um and have something prepared any further questions or clarification or public comment hearing none great uh do have a motion sure I move we set the date of the organizational meeting for December 18th 2024 oh second that motion okay we have a motion by member or Lando and a second by member Robinson no further discussion from the board will all those in favor please say I I I any opposed it passes unanimously 9.3.4 is discussion action for resolution 166 3-24 it's a resolution on board compensation for missed meetings so the board has the ability to uh excuse a board member's absence from a board meeting and allow them to receive compensation for that resolution 1663 d24 uh would provide that for Miss Robinson who was Ill at our last meeting so moved all be second have a motion by Mr Alando and a second by Dolby um any further discussion from the board all those in favor please say I I I I'm abstaining oh thank you just skip right over you so we have a four uh Z1 vote on that um M Robinson felt it appropriate to abstain um next up is items from the floor do we have any additional public comment this evening for items from the floor don't hurt yourselves running up here now just kidding um great and then number 11 board member request to agenda item uh no board members requested uh any agenda items at this time time therefore is there a motion to adjourn the meeting all moved all right we have a motion to adjourn by member tennis so moved

7 motion motion thank you Mr second second to Mr any discussion Mr B yes Mr Dawson yes M yes M Carlton Yes except 7.29 to 7.44 Iain sure thank you yes M yes excuse me Mr bmer yes um 7.1 how you vote [Music] sir back to you Mr wman are you a yes for Section seven yes yes that's anir thank you Mr jzi yes motion passes 8.1 that the Board of Education approves resolutions as outlined in District education resolutions is 8.2 8.21 have a motion Mr B second second thank you m Carlton any discussion all talk Mr call please certainly Mr B yes Mr Dawson yes M cazino yes M Carlton yes but I abstain from 8.6 to 8.21 thank you Mr minus yes Miss H yes Mr bumer yes Mr Januzzi yes passes thank you item 9.1 resolve that the bber Board of Education approves the resolutions as outlining board action resolutions this is 9.2 through 9.34 have motion motion thank you m car second thank you m any discussion I want to thank for the donation and you know have fun cutting C absolutely any other comments or questions hearing none can we have a roll call please Mr Mr B yes Mr Dawson yes M cazino yes M Carlton yes and I abstain 9.5 and 9.14 thank you m minus yes Miss H yes Mr bmer yes and Mr Januzzi yes with extensions on 9.23 9.25 so motion passes thank you thank you we are now to other matters to come for the board I have not received any any new business from the members hearing enough we are now open to the public for discussion this me on any topic nothing [Music] online all right we are now up to item 13.1 to go to Executive session resolve that the B Board of Education enter executive session Allowed by njsa for the purpose of Mr Mar one7 and eight One S and eight thank you sir I have a motion motion thank you Mr B second second thank you Mr Dawson all in favor I I we areour to executive e e e all right everybody welcome back we are up to item 14.1 resolve at bound Board of Education approves the resolutions as outlined approval HIV cases under middle and elementary schools this is item 14.2 motion motion thank you Mr second thank you m roll please bigger part who a second M Mr Bell yes Mr Dawson yes M gazino yes M Carlton abstain thank you Mr minus yes m h yes Mr bumer yes Mr januzi yes motion passes thank you 151 I will entertain a motion to motion [Music]

to 8:00 p.m. um it will be in various locations in being able to talk to department heads and sort of learn about how your local government works you have a lot of opportunity to ask questions um we'll take a tour of the public safety building again um people like to take a tour of the Public Works garage just to sort of see some of the capital Investments um so we'll continue to do that and it will kick off the first um the first meeting will be January 8th and then go through um May um I try to align some of the discussions with when we start the budget we'll talk about Finance so we can set of follow along and then also um talk about town meeting right before town meeting sort of make sure that we're people understand procedurally so what what type of Resident are you looking for to participate in this so I think we're looking for people who um may not have yet been involved in committees you know might have some questions might be interested um in local government may want to find a place in which they could volunteer we'd love to sort of foster that kind of public service and volunteerism through the program and so we had people last year nobody I think just one person had ever served on a committee um I think that they were able to sort of really get a feel for how the government works um at a local level um because I do think people who are on boards and committees have different level of access to our staff and so they sort of start to learn how it all kind of works so that's really what we're looking for yeah I think um right you know I think we're we're looking for people who have a genuine interest in in government and and and learning how it works with an eye of of being involved more in the future and that takes the many different shapes and forms but uh you know we did have a couple of the last couple members of the last class I did think they had applied to be on boards and committees I think one had to pull out of one um some of them attended their very first town meeting after and have and started to really sort of get engaged in that process which is great we definitely have a couple of volunteers couple more volunteers um the community centers a couple in the food pantry just in terms of like if they're only able to give a couple hours you know sometimes a border committee might be a bigger commitment but they're able to sort of get connected um it's been really nice couple even talked about running for office next year so good I don't think any for select board so that's a big step so questions comments know it's great heard great things about it y yeah thank you um the only thing I would I would when you were talking about DPW and and Trucks and Things um it might be great to take them through the water treatment plant because that was a really great experience for for me and I'm you know you do that I'd like to go to really she wasn't on yet when we did that so I mean we we are investing a lot in our infrastructure and I think like that's a really good way to kind of bring it home um and then I had another question but again my brain oh my God there's a roof it'll B back um I have another question while you're thinking okay um how if you end up with 30 applicants how do you choose them so in the in the Google form we do ask if you've been if you have participated in a board committee and we give priority to those who haven't um last year it's sort of just we were it was like almost random it was a little bit of a randomize so we we ended up having about 35 people um we did have we sort of moved down priority people who had been on boards and committees and then we randomly picked um sort of like the number of what yeah Rand folks that didn't make it last year will they be will they get first priority this this time around yes so there are a couple that actually were chosen and then ended up having to sort of defer they were you know once they got their work schedule they were like you know I actually don't want to take somebody else's spot is there any way I can have a spot so I will reach out to those folks just to sort of see um if they are still interested and if this schedule aligns with their other commitments um thank you you know who also gets I don't know if you mentioned this like gets a lot out of this is the department heads yeah who present it they the the only one thing again I heard lots of great things about this is and I think I've mentioned to both of you that I would ask that one at the end of it you bring the people who participated here to the select board so that we can ask them about their experience uh and also celebrate the fact that they've made it through because I think a public graduation accept you know a public celebration of the fact that they've gone through the 10 weeks and it would be great to hear what they've learned and and again it's it sounds like you probably will get enough people to participate but I think sometimes it's just good to to to show people what's going on for sure so that would be my only I remembered my question okay um would you be open to having like a couple high schoolers join like it's a it's a it's a time commitment yes um I think we thought about it last time um and I can't remember if we had to have 18 I don't remember what we did but I if they have to be 18 or because of I'm just thinking you go or something experiences for kids I think it would be incredible if we could have some high school students involved you know if there are a couple spaces held for a couple high school students I think that's I mean what a civics lesson yeah you know I wish we could do it with all the high school students in some capacity honestly um but if we can only get a couple to do it that's great I I do have a question as well um as we're going through these citizens acmy um I think it's great you know I think they should come before selp so we can give the program even more and those folks more visibility and call them out but I think it would also be interesting to actually track like kind of outcomes so you know like a year on two years on to see to get some data from them to find out like what their level of involvement in the town is so we can point to that and say like hey this is a great program and this has actually spurred spurred more development I I'd actually um be curious to find out if those individuals end up encouraging others to participate in the town as well so that would be some great data to collect in certain yeah how did you find out you're yeah your we're still in contact with so many of them are at the dragonfly Fair Street Fair it was like yeah and we actually did have just sort of and it's obviously it's only one year and so um just in the in that process you know somebody who was a participant had somebody had reached out to me mid like mid program and said can I jump in I've heard it's really great and I feel like I'd like I'd like to join um and so obviously we didn't have him come in Midway because he missed half the program but certainly said we're going to do it next year and hope that you so they definitely at at least Midway through was there was some excitement around and they were definitely talking to their sort of neighbors and family and friends which was great um but I think I you know I agree we could obviously get some real data as move forward the the other thing I've seen I mean I I think this is a great program and and I applaud you both for for doing it and encouraging this um is there a possibility and again I've seen some other communities do this where it's not a full 10 week session but it's a one morning or one night a finance 101 right to help people understand find Town Town Financing because it's not the same as personal financing or government something so that it's popup session yeah it's like a it's a Saturday morning and we're going to talk about this who wants to come join us at town hall or at the community center or at the library and I mean I think about it and it doesn't necessarily just have to be you guys because we have you know but is it something do we want to think about that right because one of the things we're always talking about is increasing our engagement with the community right we're going to be and shortly we're going to be talking about our our um select Board office hours right I was thinking if there if they had a focus like that those select Board office hours that might attract that might attract people as well right so that could be something so just you know something to think about yeah so i' I've definitely thought about like brown bag type type of uh lunches you know and covering like you know what's what's the basics of of budgeting you know what are your Revenue categories what do you what do you have to think of um Finance can be pretty dry but um usually when you apply like real world like experiences to it it gets a little bit more interesting and the best way to do it is just have them have them do a budget okay you got a million bucks and you got 1.5 million in expenses you got to consider how you going to make the right how you going to make the choice I mean and it could even be a a zoom to your point a brown bag lunch right so on a once one Friday a month or second two Fridays a month we publicize a zoom meeting where it's we're discussing this and you come and we present for the first half hour and then we open it up to questions and and discussion for the I don't know yeah I think you know and and Brandy you know we we've talked about doing one on development you know for a while because I think that would be really helpful yeah I mean that was God we had that conversation at least two years ago yeah I mean this which like retrospect would have been really like if if we would have had time if I would have I was offering to do it and I didn't have time to do it but it would have been a a good thing but I still think it's a I think it's yeah I just explaining to people like we're not the developers in so many right like 90% of these cases obviously like a Robert Hill Way is a little different well it's interesting someone shared about a project in Detroit I don't know if any of you saw that and so I watched it and I'm like okay this was a private company a very large company that went in and did this project and I'm like my my response to these people is go find the companies if you can find a company that wants to spend millions of dollars here in our downtown to redevelop something I'm all for that but it's private Redevelopment not yeah I think government Redevelopment I'm like oh okay you see especially on social media you know some post well well why can't we do this and you go in and you like read the details and it's a private entity that's actually so that was government's not involved at all anyway so just other things to consider but certainly thank you for being willing to do the Citizens Academy so when is the application going up Jen so it should be on our website by the end of this week and then it'll be open until December 2nd I believe and then we'll get class interested if you've never participated and it just happens that you're watching this meeting consider applying and and participating they not due January 11 yeah you're going to put it on your too soon we'll start January 8th your newsletter yes yeah okay perfect okay uh 2020 2024 Mass Save climate leaders that was interesting Michael W you or Jen yeah this is this is actually really um exciting we haven't really publicized it uh a whole lot yet but um each year uh the sponsors of Mass Save they choose uh usually it's around 13 or 14 climate leaders across the state and so this is uh it's awarded to um private companies nonprofits and in a few cases municipalities and school districts um and it really recognizes the work that they've done towards Energy Efficiency and uh so this year we were pleased to be selected as one of 14 uh mass mass safe climate leaders uh across the state um for you know our years worth our years work in doing our years of work gosh I'll get it right um in doing Energy Efficiency projects ranging all the way from you know the amesco project to the Solar projects to you know the new buildings that have geothermal and um you know one has solar on it and one is solar ready so um and you know really made note of some of the Outreach work that Sam was doing um into like minority communities and it's just um yeah I think I think there was one other municipality this year last year there was one municipality so it's pretty cool recognition and so um they'll be having a ceremony I think later in the year at the state house so you know it comes with millions of dollars yeah no Claudia sorry so so we we've officially been I mean it there was first thing that we were nominated and then October 3rd it was announced that we actually won yes well congratulations I think it's you know if we if it if we get invited to the state house I think we should yeah it's go and attend and yeah that's great nice well and it's certainly something that you might be able to put on some of these grants right yeah I think that you know they have like a a symbol that you can use now um you have to oh maybe we should make some signs for when you enter ashin that you know usually it says you know 2,000 Boys Baseball champs we could say maybe say something they made they made a stick those about I'm sorry somebody's not offended we had to make room for the football that's right that was a good one too B sofball still up there I know I noticed that yeah once in a while girls make out yeah this certain certainly something to applaud to you know and size that's great yeah and special thanks to Sam you know she's really done a lot of great she's really so did we like apply for this it just oh okay no you had to be nominated and I think I think tlock um played a role in that for sure okay yeah she's good nice so thank you yes okay awesome okay well congratulations to our community next discuss select Board office hours and how to continue after the farmers market closes for this season so one of the things I had suggested was we look at when the library is having their book sale um but I like cla's idea of not only having select Board office hours but maybe it's a come have a discussion with us about budgeting or come have a discussion with us about a subject so thoughts on that and it's the first Friday I'm sorry it's the first Saturday of the month that they have their Book Sales thoughts I think it's a good idea I also like the idea of having like themed discussions too um just because of folks are curious they can come out and and and chat with us talk about that okay um but yeah I think that the challenge and I think we talked a little bit about this like how do we remain accessible right you know in a place where people go um so they're not going out of the way to see us but they're going to go anyway and I think the library is a good choice for that it's book sale do we want to look at at the community center right I mean for the seniors I know Michael you do your once a is it once a month yeah actually we had it today yeah and it's it's you know not just for seniors but it's usually mostly senior you know so maybe one of us try to go with Michael when he does that to just have another you know set of ears listening and and report back yeah they can be pretty pretty interesting discussions I bet so okay so are we thinking um November 2nd I know I'm available I am not okay yeah check your calendars and see but December December so it would be December 7th yep now December 7th will be um the Holiday Stroll righty start when does that start typically noonish yeah so we could do something in the morning we could do something in the morning yeah or or maybe even concurrent if people are out right if people are out we could probably I was going to say something here but they usually use this space for shopping so that wouldn't work but maybe one of the rooms in the library yeah no and if they're having a book sale I do think like the book sale ideas is is the way to go because you know if if we're um just having a table at an event it's not it's it's not so like something like at the stroll I think it's better we'll play on the second and the seventh and I'll reach out to mina see if we can do something at the library okay Bry I'm gonna go ahead yeah I would just I would suggest like if you're going to have like discussion on topics just really kind of make sure you're solid on some of the information that I hate that I hate for us all to get in a position where oh well I heard this at the yeah and it yeah it might be well I feel like if we're going to do a topic that I mean I personally anyways would need to sit with somebody somebody well I think we should have like we should get like maybe like one one page briefing you know sheets together for different topics before we do them yeah I I think I I I don't know if we could do that but I also don't know if that's going to be the questions that you'll get will be kind of with contained within FAQs yeah but we could try to get like the top 10 we can identify like the top 10 you know or something like that or FAQs and just sort of make sure that we're ready to answer and if we don't know the answer we don't know the answer we shouldn't make it up and we should try to get better no I I and I know I know you won't I just we can also we can also kind of lead with things because there there's going to be like a natural budget cycle where people are much more concerned about the budget right I mean and so we will'll be we'll be talking about it a lot at our meetings leading up to sort of the thing is nov the November one we could say we'll be answering questions about the town meeting right and make sure that whoever is sitting there understands everything and had can you know or not just saying like we're just going to talk about the warrant but just say hey you know if you have questions about the warrant come and talk to us if you have you know it's it's because I think you know do you do you know about our new blight bylaw that's going on the town W warrant like do you know what that means like come talk to us right right um right tell them the specifics of what's on it yeah okay so good we'll get there okay thank so November 2nd I can definitely do that I don't know if anyone else wants to and I'll and December SE 7th and I'll reach out to Mina and what what's the time on at the at the library what time it's during I don't know that we have to be there whole time during their book sale their book sale I think is from 9:00 to noon yeah Saturday morning on Saturday morning yeah okay so I might be able to do that I'll I'll have to I sign up for the SE for December for the 7th yeah and I'll figure out my schedule so I won't be able to do that neither one just December I won't be able to right right yeah I know yeah so if Makita um oh no okay so we'll figure it out because yeah a lot of us tie help out yeah let let me find out about what's going on with the the with the stroll yeah oh the stroll yeah but yeah I know I'm usually here by 10:30 or so helping people we could do like an early session at the library early session at the library maybe my family doesn't need to see also folks need help with the stroll I'm happy to volunteer for that too okay I'm going to ask you to read the reminders I'll be right back okay um time all right so um the reminder final Farmers Market of the season is October 19th from 9 to1 over at 125 Front Street um thank you to the farmers market the Ash and farmers market for another successful season um it's been a really good it's been a really good year it's fun to be it's I think I've only missed like two or three farmers markets this whole season so it's it's it's a um it's a true Gem of the community so thank you to them I know they're going to be doing a um a pre-thanksgiving sale too I don't have the date but just everyone can keep that on their mark on their um on their radar reminder uh inperson early voting hours are Saturday um October 19th 10: 4 uh Monday October 21st 10:2 Tuesday uh the 22nd 10 to 2 Wednesday the 23rd 2- 6 Thursday the 24th 10- 2 Friday 10:25 9 to noon Saturday 10:26 10 to 4 and Monday 10 uh the 28th from 8 to 3:30 you have one more on the other side and I have one more on the other side which oh thank you sorry thank you I'm going to just borrow this really quick um the 29th 8 to 3:30 Wednesday the 30th 8 to 7 Thursday the 31st 8 to 3:30 and Friday the 1st 9 to noon so everyone get out to vote whether you vote by mail vote early or vote um in in November 5th so um vote off it yeah and the the voting the early voting is going to be in the basement of Town Hall during all those hours so um reminder our next select board meeting is October 30th um two weeks from tonight usually we meet the first and the third Wednesdays but we had um an observance of the Jewish holiday we did not meet the first Wednesday in October so we are meeting the uh the 30th in two weeks um reminder that yard waste collection every Monday with the last pickup on Monday November 25th um reminder oh here we go the pre-thanksgiving farmers market again my brain is mashed potatoes will take place on Saturday November 23rd at 125 friend street from 10: to 1 and a reminder that textile SLO recycling the pickup must be scheduled with simple recycling at 83550 68 or go to simpler recycling.com we've been read def nicely done nicely done thank you okay moving on uh motion to accept the consent agenda as presented um can I remove item can I remove the minutes from September 30th um from the consent agenda to discuss okay okay uh so consent agenda minus the September 30th meetings minutes I have a motion and I get a second okay all those in favor hi hi okay and September 30th yep minutes yep um hold on sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry here we go um I had two things one um up at the top of the meeting oh it was um it yes so at the top of the meeting agenda it says hybrid meeting and that was the meeting that we were only remote yep so if we could change the hybrid to zoom because we did not good we were not in person um and then just a small typo at the very end that um under the adjournment um it says Mr manani motion to approve adjourn at 227 just take out approve because it's just motion to adjourn yeah and that is it so small really small stuff but um let's do this let's push them to our next meeting okay that way they'll be adjusted so we'll just add those to our um October 30th meeting okay next moving on to uh if I could get a motion to go past 10 o'clock so move second all those in favor I thank you very much Town manager reports Michael priority projects yeah I actually got a lot um so just under priority projects I'll start with the Warren Barn so there's not you know as much of a push uh as there would have been I think um prior to a couple weeks ago so um the the State College building authority decided they would not take it up at their last meeting um they because we still don't have the cost proposal you know the the full report yet so um so they would like that to be developed they'd like to have the M kind of in place or at least see a draft of them before they move forward so speaking of the estimate um you know the full the full estimate for the for the full scope came in at like well I think it's up to like 3.6 now total um and before you know Dale had proposed that we would um or FSU had proposed that we would cover half of that so we pushed back on that um got that down to 1.5 million we still might have some questions about that it might need to be a little bit lower but 1.5 that they're looking from us from us we already that includes out of that 1.5 is some money that we' already planned yeah we had already planned on 1.2 1.2.2 okay okay so we're looking for 250k correct so and and I think you know we we might uh it might be fair for us to say like our contribution really shouldn't be 1.5 but FSU um is is kind of maxed out so I think you know an approach that we could take is um if we do pay the 1.5 and we do feel like you know maybe it's 50 or $75,000 more than what you know would be fair what we could do is when we're doing theou for the operating agreement we could you know try to compensate us that way so okay um so I think that's the approach we'll we'll take when would you expect to maintenance it you know because thatou is going to be you know covering maintenance rental fees you know who gets a portion of what use of it it's all of that um so that's the waren barn um downtown so they are scheduled to start next next week um actually doing the um the uh the conduit work to make the connections to the buildings so so someone asked me a question so when we have to do the conduit work are we having to do any digging MH okay so the so basically you think about it is the main line is there and now to get to each of the buildings we have to dig put the conduit in and make the connection right so we actually have to go on their property we have to dig and lay the conduit over to the you know meter box and the second phase would be to come in and run the wire make the connections okay run the wire yeah run the wire from from basically the street to the building so do we at least have in the you know in the main conduit that was done do we have the the leads like the is there you know so to the edge of the street we have the pipe and then just from the edge of the street on the on the building's property is all we have to dig yeah I mean do you see you'll see on like the sidewalks those like Plastics where yeah those are those handholds and those are where where you so we're not going to have to dig up any of the streets or any of the sidewalks potentially there's yeah I think there's a couple places on the sidewalk where we might have to have to chip in but um part of part of the scope is if if if they need to do that they have to replace it okay and there's a few other like cleanup things that they're going to need to do too so um Montenegro Square they've got to relay some of the braks I mean something that's really kind of outside to to the work but um yeah they are going to send out the notices um I believe tomorrow and look at starting next week now they are going to work with each of the business owners each of the property owners to make sure that it's um not as impactful like Billy Goldberg asked you know please don't work on these days around the holidays we we'll be able to accommodate that so but it's it's it's exciting to start moving that forward um so that's good I have one question for you with respect to downtown project yeah did we we have a bunch of light standards that are still on Cherry Street by tilv are those going to be utilized downtown yeah those are actually for 126 oh those are for 126 oh okay yeah so cool yeah and actually 126 um I have heard I have not confirmed that Verizon will be in in a couple weeks nice so so that's great um so moving on to uh the upper Charles Trail meeting that we had last week so uh if you had recalled I I think I had cced you on correspondence where I was requesting a couple votes from the upper Charles Trail committee and uh they did vote to uh support taking that Enzo property by imminent domain if that's how you know how you want to move forward they also voted to utilize the $2 million that's been allocated for a 25% design nice um to hopefully put that eventually on the tip and we'll look at you know within that RFP kind of if they'll break it down in phases as well so well we're GNA we hope um and then one of the reasons why we're also going to have it broken down in phases is like if you could only do like phase one or two we'd be a to that yeah um let's see the YMCA they'll be at the at a future meeting y right yeah so YMCA we're planning on having them come here uh on our first meeting in November to sort of give us in the community update on where things are at with the new Regional hoit family YMCA yeah so that's that's exciting I I've mentioned to you before I think the site plan's really good um tomorrow ashin is hosting the Metro West Regional collaborative in mpc's annual Metro West Trail Summit so we're going to have representatives from uh you know all different Metro West communities Come and Talk Trails uh I think Senator Eldridge is going to be there Senate President is planning on being there um and I think a number of you are planning planning on in so this is actually the third time we've had this Trail Summit here in Ashland the first one was probably 11 10 years ago here in here in town hall we met and then people spread out around the building and discussed it and then probably about six years ago we had one at the Ashland State Park it was a little earlier in the season and we were outside and we walked some of the trails so it's nice to have her to come back to Ashland and it's being sponsored by the Metro West Regional collaborative who was a big supporter and that's one of the mapc sub regions what was uh the one last year and fringing at luring that was the same no there was one here at the community center that was the Town Forest the Town Forest that's what it was yeah that was the Statewide Town Forest right Town Forest conference yep um so yeah it's uh let's see Pete and I will be presenting on the upper Charles Trail y um Metro West YMCA will be there talking about their project so yeah should be interesting yeah um next uh on the agenda here uh just an update on the organizational strategic plan I don't think it started out this way it's just kind of morphed into it so um we we basically wanted to have an all staff meeting to to you know talk about certain things but you know as we were planning for it really be became the Genesis of like okay we need to do like an organizational strategic plan so um we invited all of our employees to attend a meeting um uh back in September at the library on Friday morning um and we basically started off with just talking about what's important to us about the work that we do um you know how that gets exhibited and then what we want out of a workplace environment um and I I don't know it was really cool we split up into small groups for part of it um had you know some young people who don't necessarily you know get a chance to kind of like take a lead role facilitate some of those groups and came back and we collected all the data and we actually went through and ranked it you know our values related to why we do the work we do or values related to a workplace and then how those values get exhibited very similar to what we did here at the select board um and so you know we had we had almost 60 employees it was it was pretty cool um and they were not shy uh which I was a little bit worried about at first but that that that dissipated as soon as I opened it up um and so actually tomorrow what we're going to do is we or not tomorrow but Friday um we'll be doing this meeting again and so we formulated some goal statements based on on what we have and so employees will give an opportunity to to basically provide ideas like how you know how would we achieve this goal and stuff like that and so we'll go through and we'll rank those and then um we'll put together kind of a final plan and present it to them at a at a third meeting and get their feedback so they've never been engage like all I can't find any other community doing this they usually do it with department heads um but I think it's great having having all the staff it's unfortunate like some of the police in fire can't show up just because you know it's not their shift and they've got other other plans but yeah it's really cool great so um and dragonfly yeah before I get to that I'll get on some others so uh we met with Paul Bowden last week uh Paul's really concerned with the AV setup here um the age of it and in fact this went out yesterday yesterday uh we were having a meeting in here yeah the projector went out the projector oh okay yeah so um we're looking at a a different type of setup um here we're actually looking at maybe getting rid of the screen and actually having a pretty large TV back here what that would require us to do would be to remove the seal and what we would do is when we're basically active we would have the screen blank and have the Seal Seal on the screen so um so Paul Paul's really now he's definitely um nervous about this he was like yeah you gotta meet with me this week I'm like Paul I can't this week this is just not not it um so we're not going to replace the projector no we'll replace the projector it'll be oh with the with the monitor yeah with the monitor we'll also have a bigger monitor here so people so you're going to project onto a monitor no no you're going to replace the the projection with a monitor right so you're not going to replace you're not going to buy a new projector no we're not going to buy a new projector okay that projector is going away okay yeah that's what I said so we're not going to buy a new projector you're going to use a TV to so it'll be a monitor similar to what we have there yeah so it'll it um and i' been concerned about like the the size of the screen and Paul assures me with the Fidelity like it makes all the difference I'm like Paul I trust you buddy um and then just a couple other things before the dragon fly so I did speak to Lisa thit from the EPA happened to run into her in the parking lot they were getting ready to do some field work so they're going to start um constructing that uh that next solution for the um the plume area so that super supercharged uh pump or extract uh system oh okay um and uh they're also looking at injecting stuff in the ground that would neutralize it uh they're just making sure the right chemical composition to make sure it's effective and where would the new device be put near like where Worcester air conditioning is okay so um so that's let the businesses know that that's okay yeah what's What's the timing on them just does she know um she didn't she didn't know for sure um and she didn't know the timing of when exactly they're they were going to start but okay um they did get the bids in they done the engineering they did get the bids in so yeah and this was the funding that that came through from like the federal infrastructure Bill correct right okay correct so that's really good news I mean that that's actually moving forward um and we do have trick-or-treating um here at Town Hall uh in the afternoon up until you know 7 o'clock when we meet you guys can come early if you want but you have to be in costume I'm I'm I told Jen this I'm like I'm I'm I think I might actually dress up this year so if anyone else wants to dress up with me I will join you you know this I won't be dressed up for the meeting there be no costumes for the meeting but like there may be some minimal effort beforeand why not not your cat ears mita's like don't put me in this position noid no that is a hard no okay that's a hard no but I'll tell you this is this event has grown I mean it started out I'm like Halloween was on a Wednesday night I'm like let's go get some candy for the kids and stuff and some of the some of the the employees here dressed up and now to see this place and last year it was awesome just walking through town hall now they're already it's already decorated and it's amazing yeah yeah yeah yeah they get into it but now you get the businesses involved and they're going to be involved this year last year was so cool Mark was talking about how it was like all busy you know it it is like you know that dog on pedestrian lights on all the time you know that's a good thing yeah exactly so yeah it's a half day yeah Kell is it now it's it's so gosh and we I used to buy the candy but man it's getting expensive um bu line item know and then um so finally yeah just uh congratulations to the town and everybody and and especially Beth on just a really successful dragonfly U festival and it was it was so great to see so many people outside of Ashland coming in and in addition to Ashland people but you know it was really really really packed and moving saw so many different people and um what was really really really great was to see um Andrea and Chuck green who were and Steve and Bonnie who were you know The Originators of of the first one and just you know they were they're here to experience it which was the 10th one and they just were really really pleased to see how it had grown so I do hope next year we could maybe shut down the streets and incorporate the water a little bit more I think you can't like when I first came into town like you can't you can't underestimate the power of having like a water feature right in we did that one year for dragonfly we did it for two or three years it was remember chuck had those years yeah the things with the irating things floating fire things um and it was like you can't you can't Overlook the water as as I mean towns would kill to have like a river kind of and falls like running right in their downtown yeah right across their downtown and did you have anything Jim okay um yeah that's it okay what oh you're right yes um darn no it's good it's just kind of put it out of my memory um so I did H hear from Mass housing late this afternoon um and unfortunately I haven't had a chance to digest their whole package yet but y i chance to look through it yeah um so unfortunately they approved both 40b projects basically as presented um so 250 units outage it it is it's it's it's shocking I was I was quite the the the one and I said this to Michael the one thing that stuck out for me when I I read their letters was they acknowledged the housing that we'd already built they acknowledged a number of different things and how it would impact us but they also said that we are short 381 units of affordable housing we Ashland the town of Ashland from the 10% from our 10% number okay we need 381 units of affordable housing to get us to our 10% these two projects affordable oh they their definition their definition of affordable right their guidelines of affordable but that that's that that is that that's their our that's how we didn't get out our percentage of housing of what is Affordable is based on their their guidelines right so we have projects that unfortunately some larger projects that were only 10% affordable so we only can count 10% of those units so approved as presented there's like no the developers have been directed to work with the community there's a couple there are a couple of points that it's been recommended look at this look at that that kind of stuff I was going to ask if there is any kind of any kind for design purposes like if there any is there anything we do we have a voice about like how this looks this is what infuriates me is so Mass housing you know they'll look at you and say well you know they have to go through the local zoning board of appeals and the you know you can impose conditions and everything and they conveniently leave out every time yeah if the developer doesn't like them they can just appeal it to the housing appeals committee which again 90% of the time they fine for the developer that is what makes a 40b so controversial it's it's yeah you you could deny it you could you could deny it when it gets to the zba but and they make it sound like oh then it's over but it's totally not it's absolutely not and remember I mean remember the Valentine property and I think they had wanted what 140 I think the zoning board gave them 99 and they appealed that uh and and they were definitely going to win MH so um so would inclusion would an inclusionary bylaw would that have helped the town at some point keeping those 10% up to 25% no no because we wouldn't have we wouldn't have had an inclusionary we wouldn't have had an inclusionary zoning bylaw 25% it would have been like 12% yeah it because because the density would have been so high like the tradeoff and an inclusionary zoning bylaw would have been so high that there wasn't there wouldn't be an appetite in the like it it would be so so far out of whack from other communities like it it wouldn't it wouldn't it they there the trade-off wouldn't wouldn't be wouldn't be there so everything that we had looked at was like looking at I think the highest we looked at was like 14% I want to say at one point for inclusionary zoning um it would have it would have helped what would have helped would would be the ugc property not being stuck in land court and absolutely so so you know that kind of thing yeah so if you had those 180 units because it wasn't stuck in Lan court with over some stupid lawsuit and the 120 units at Pawn Street you know if if he had constructed those after he had gotten his permit um and if Chestnut Street the new building could have been 25% versus 10% well see all of those that had put you over your 381 units so why why wasn't 100 in the street not 25% what kept that from not happening can anybody give me an to ask the planning board I would say the the underlying zoning said 10% the they were not they were not going to push for the The increased density that it would have that it would have been to include 25% the developer wasn't looking to negotiate and could have possibly had the developer not build it and go to another location so so the the thing about the thing is like I I get what you're saying Joe totally get but that's how we got into these 40b projects like like the mill building project was in front of the planning board it was not economically feasible they took their ball they went home and they filed a 40b it's so much biger than we want because because you know it wasn't economically feasible and so so we we could say all day long that the planning board should have done this or the planning board should have done that but at the end of the day the underlying zoning said 10% he met the 10% and you know the the other option is always this 40b thing and we've always talked about it like well if we're not infe harb we are to 40b we had a we had ath to Safe Harbor because we had our housing production plan we had the ugc permitted we had the pawn Street partiel permitted so there was a path to stay in Safe Harbor we just didn't so well it wasn't it wasn't Town St not doing yeah that was but that's what usually happens right you as a town you can be planning and planning and doing and doing doing and something happens beyond your control yeah and you get into this situation now what was was really disappointing to me was that they approved both 40b projects that with no changes so yeah it'll be forwarded to you guys it was sent to a few of us and then so so what happens from what happens from here so I mean they now have the green light to apply with the local zoning board of appeals I know for the mill project uh Pete had a a voicemail from the developer of the mill project I mean seems like right after we got the letter so and then once it's filed I think the time the time Horizon I think for a zba is six months yeah you you have to open the hearing I think within 30 days it might be 45 um of receiving the application yeah and then it's yeah and then uh then it has to be done within months un unless you know you and the developer can agree to extend it you know the thing is with 40b applications you don't need to have engineered plans you really only need to have the schematic um you know for the the zba process it it's ridiculous it's really broken is a zba they have a heads up that this was no no I I literally got it late this afternoon so not aware of it yet yet no yet unless unless Peter notified Peter might have forward it to the doubt it yeah doubt it so so yeah so that is the next step so we very well could have two applications at the same time y it's a huge lift huge lift now let me ask another question because so once so once these two projects are permitted that would put us in Safe Harbor because we would be at 10% and okay are we can we make a CA like I'm just I'm worried about anything else in the pipeline that could get filed as a 40b before these projects get permitted is there like any mechanism that prevents that no okay no no as soon as the comprehensive permit is issued um you know you could you could file to put those units on your subsidized housing inventory um so where I would think that once we know once we have those permits we're going to want to update our housing production plan I don't know if we necessarily need the housing production plan updated right or do we I think you do I would I would say better to have it because depending on what else gets built in town yeah we could hit our 10% and then a bunch of single family homes get added and all of a sudden we're out of our 10% so you gotta think so there's um so we need 381 units right so let's just say ugc and and 501 Pond don't get built um which I think they will get built some but let's just say they don't and you're adding on 250 and 226 so 476 units you're already like almost 100 units over what you need based on the 2020 census so we'll be in a good POS and then Lord knows if you add on ugc and you add on the others not going to be in a good position I well you're not going to be in a good position from a number of angles but at least from a safe harbor standpoint you're going to be protected for decades so unless unless they change the rules um halfway through so again having the housing production plan even if we have all this stuff in place I mean I I think it makes sense to do that I think we should do it just for you know as a planning exercise but once you get that 10% you don't necessarily need the housing production plan and making progress on it to get to the safe heart correct but from a planning perspective of having that in place you're right we don't need it from a safe harbor perspective but and who's to say what the state may do they they may change they may change the rules the numbers they may say okay 10 now we now you all need %.

correct that's I mean I think I think there'd be a lot of push back from a lot of communities if they went from 10% to 15% affordable well let's not worry about that right now let's just you know let's timeline for these things now to happen yeah that's that's a good the only thing I know is just like what I said when they submit the application you have 30 days to open the hearing and then six months to you know do the hearing and issue the decision unless the developer in the town agrees to extend it and so okay so how long do you think it's going to take them to to get the application in yeah I'm sure it's ready to go okay and then and then we have 30 days to open it yeah okay and then um jeez it's unbelievable so I you know in my then when would when will they be able to add them to the the how long will it take before we able to add them to the to the numbers to the numbers yeah once the permit's issued I mean we'll we'll file the paperwork so how long will that take long will that depending on how long it goes to get them through the the the zba process but you're saying after the comprehensive permits issued and we submit for them I don't know they the state can be slow but in my experience they they've added those units pretty quickly after they get it and and what kinds of things can could we do to try to at least raise a huge stink about all this and take some kind of so I I if we want to have this discussion I think we should do it at a next meeting and have it as part of an agenda item um you know we're sort of announcing that we've received the letters today we haven't really thought through what the process could be um so I think if we if we feel like we want to have that conversation we can look at having it at another board meeting and I'll um I mean now you're notified and um you know we make sure John's notified you know I'll put it out to the community and part of your newsletter on Friday newsletter we'll put it out on so so you'll forward it to John tomorrow if Pete hasn't done that and to the rest of the select board and to the planning board yeah I'll send it to to you okay great um so yeah it's going to be uh rough Seas for a while yep okay boy I thought we were going to end on the dragonfly thing because I forgot about this and um that's okay it's okay board reports Makita I well you know I I was at dragonfly and it was pretty awesome and and uh know in all seriousness so like it it was a tremendous Community event and um you know I I want to e of the sentiments of others I think it was really beautiful to see not just like our community turn out uh on MOS but also see our neighbors uh come out for this incredible Civic event and uh also a great Economic Development event it was awesome to have those vendors up and down the way uh really a a I think a proud day for the town a very proud day for the town and uh I think more like that please so um there you go so yeah that's great and uh apparently I'll be at uh our our um our office hours on on December 7th so but I will not be there uh in November uh but yeah I'll just keep it keep it brief for that okay Claudia um yeah I just to didto everything that Makita and Michael both said and thank you to Beth Reynolds for uh you know just the tremendous amount of work that that took but because it was very very special to see uh so many people out the weather was great and um it was unlike as day sorry Joe no I knew you were G to say that no so anyways but it it was just a wonderful day it really was and uh so uh I just want to say thank you for that and um and I just wanted to recognize the DBW for the work that they're doing currently on West Union Street Street um you know the real the um the sidewalks really taken shape in the last uh couple of weeks in particular the a lot of concrete's been poured at this point um so uh you know they are taking out the guard rails that are in the middle of the sidewalk right yeah they're out they're out okay I haven't I haven't been that way for a while so yeah it has a whole different look I did send you folks a note we did apply to have the poles nice good oh good and so um you know so it looks great and and actually I picked up a a young woman who I saw walking today who um is in high school and she said yeah look at that sidewalk that's so great so I mean even even the high school kid you know is excited about that's great that's awesome so good stuff and uh yeah in terms of all this this uh 40b stuff I'm in favor of trying to find some ways to uh to fight back buses and protest hey it's not the wouldn't be the first time we done that've gone to Boston over something tell you yeah okay Joe thank you madam chair um again thanks to uh everybody that had their hand in the dragonfly Festival it was wonderful we had a lot of fun so a lot of friends from from the past and uh years past uh they're having a good time so it was uh greatly appreciated it was a lot of fun and thank you to everybody that put their time and effort into it and to the volunteers that were that were out in the boat so which was cool me this time but it was it was very very nice I just want to bring up that uh the 24th is our annual Halloween parading party um we are using them in this school again we got the okay to use that and thank you for your assistance and helping getting that and uh so we we'll be making uh 300 goodie bags and I won't want to see a piece of candy for six months from now you know but we're getting there so that's uh this 24th from 6:00 to 8 we start at the Montenegro square and if anything has to do with weather which I'm sure it'll probably rain like heck um I hope not I hope not either but my the way my luck's been this year supposed to be a great week next year yeah it's supposed to be beautiful Joe I remember one costume you have for the gr you had an umbrella I did I had a parasol yes and that wasn't all I had and we will not go there we will not go there uh and then we have like I said 300 goodie bags Donuts uh apple juice and uh uh prizes for costumes uh and parents too so the parents come dressed up be prepared you'll be the first ones out there in the out on the uh floor we used to do it backwards the the parents were the last ones but by the time we get to them they were all gone so they're going to go out first so that's Snoop and change good so looking forward to it okay so that's it so thank you madam chair you're welcome Brandy um so I wanted to mention something I I read an article that was really interesting um on the town of Brook the the town of Brookline does a um a compost food waste drop off program which I thought was really interesting through Black Earth and one of the things that that we we use Black Earth for the curbside composting which is great but it's not inexpensive for people and it's um so I I've always tried to figure out ways that we can make it more Equitable and also you know help offset some of our trash costs because we're always trying to get trash out of the out of the the the the waste stream and composting is a really great way to do that it reduces the amount of orange bags that everybody uses um so Brookline does this waste drop off this compost drop off where they have four locations and they have these locked boxes and it's through Black Earth and um it's just like our curbside compost except you bring your compost to these sites and it's a locked box and you have to sign up with black Earth to get a combination to the to the to the to the to the program I thought it was really interesting I haven't like so I wanted to just kind of mention it I was going to reach out to Brookline and just get some information about like how the program is working um what their cost structure looks like um if they've had any incidents of like you know people putting their trash in a compost thing or if there's cameras and like yeah like a donation bin I don't want to do any more donation bins but basically it's a free program for for residents to be able to drop off their compost and so I don't know I thought I thought it would if if it was something that was interesting to the board I would go and check it out with Brookline and and report back and put it on an agenda just to see that makes me think of not necessarily going through Black Earth but we have the Community Gardens we have the new Arboretum that we're starting I'm wondering if we can do some kind of compost drop off but maybe it doesn't have to be with black Earth the I don't know the only thing about Black Earth which is really great is that you're able to compost things that you can't compost in a trash pile cuz we used to have a we used to have a compost pile out back and you you can't have can't do the meat bone you can't do the bones and the yeah okay so but true so I don't know what the cost would be and you know if there's any sort of State programs or anything that would help like Grant funds or anything like that but anyway I thought I would just I thought it was really interesting and I would say reach out to Brooklyn but also touch Bas with Sam yeah our sustainability okay yeah I will do that okay anything else um just a couple other um quick things our comprehensive plan is meeting with the Consultants um on next Tuesday the 22nd to start work on our strategies these are all like the subcontractors um so we've done our we've had that survey out where we talked about the vision and goals and the core themes we had a lot of participation um we're actually the great news is is we're up to 114% of our goal for participation um our goal was to reach 15% of Ashland and we're we've surpassed that already and we're still still getting more feedback on different parts of this plan so yay thank you to everybody who um who has participated in all of our all of our surveys um so far it's been great and so we are meeting um 7 o'clock at the community center next Tuesday the 22nd EV with all of those folks um and so that'll be the next sort of like the next phase of of all of this um and then I just wanted to two quick events that are happening um one is the Fall Fest at Corner Spot on Saturday 3:00 to 6: p.m.

so it doesn't it doesn't um conflict with the historic walk oh good okay um 3: to 6 it should be a beautiful day so come on out to Corner spot there's always it's always like the closing event so there's food and Beverages and games and music and so it's always a Fall Fest is always one of the best things um and then I also wanted to just give a um shout out to the um the ashon library who's doing this I kind of mentioned it before this teen this Library teen event um Halloween bash next Friday night from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. um the teen librarian Laura is doing a lot of work to try to help get more teen participation it's a hard demographic so um my kid is on the teen Council and trying to try to help with that cool so ni um but that that has they're they're doing like a Haunted Trail and face painting and they have Palm readers and Tarot cards and some really cool is into that stuff she really is I'm I'm thinking I'm I might go get no they're not going to allow me in I'm I'm not I don't fit the demographic but it's tarot cards I have something for you oh okay all right um but it's for kids age 12 to 19 is the the the age R oh 12 to 19 okay so um but have Alex go if he's interested it'd be fun anyway she's like Maybe not maybe yeah um and that is all for me so thank you great so as Michael mentioned tomorrow morning we have our the trail Summit sponsored by the Metro Regional collaborative M mapc it's great to have that back here in Ashland uh Ashland Community Theater is performing Rocky Horror the musical it will be I believe it's the 25th 26th and 27th at Ashlin VFW so go and check that out and then the haunt which is happening this weekend the 19th 20th and 21st and the 26th 27th and 28th of October it also ties into the hopkington Center for the Arts Wicked weekend so the second weekend they also have a family event on Saturday and they have a 5k on Sunday where you can get in costume and go run it should be a lot of fun they also have a pickle ball tournament that's happening also at the Metro West YMCA so the haunt you can get your tickets it is time tickets uh every 10 minutes it will take you about 45 minutes to get through the wedding at dead Woodville um a lot of fun we had a rehearsal last night we have a dress rehearsal tomorrow night I am participating again this year and as I said what's fun is it's a fundraiser for both the Metro West YMCA and the Hopkinson Center for the Arts so your ticket uh goes to support some great programs and uh I'm sorry to have missed the dragonfly Street Fair um I was on vacation we do do that every once in a while we hadn't done one in a while so but thank you to everyone who worked at it and made it it sound like it was wonderful so I'll have to see if I can get to Fall Fest on Saturday and that is all I have if I can get a motion to adjourn here at quarter 11 I have a motion and a second all those in favor that carries 5- Z our next meeting we are slightly off schedule we did not do one on October 2nd our next meeting will be Wednesday October 30th so come bring your kids uh for the Halloween festivities and then hang out with us at selectboard if you'd like and that wraps up this meeting for Wednesday October 16th be safe and happy Halloween e e e

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ro zero now Al [Music] C [Music] from the 23 yd line third [Music] complete for move by Parson slaven intended for number 14 Max B completion [Music] [Applause] [Music] return to the 23 yd line by number 15 Eli toic first down 10 wild cats [Music] [Applause] all car number 15 Eli toin 24 yards on the play touchdown [Music] car number 15 Eli Thompson two point attempt is no good your score Burlington wild cats 14 AA Beach Ro zero [Music] spe [Music] back to return foros number four cashley and number 11 Trenton set to KCK it off for Burlington is number 74 JJ Brock [Music] you rather [Applause] [Music] on Sid kick recover wild cat football [Music] car number 15 Eli Thompson tackled on the play by number five y on the car be second down 5 y to go from the 45 yd line on [Music] home recovered by number 22 Gavin beler it'll be third down four yd to go from the 44 yd line [Music] ball carrier number 33 Dylan [Music] Stewart be fourth down in one half yard to go from the 412 yd line [Music] penalty is a false start on Burlington [Music] there flag on the play [Music] go [Music] form on Burlington dein there's a turnover on Downs football from the 41 yd line first and 10 [Music] pass from number five Carson slav intended for number two ton young following in completion be second down and 10 from the 41 yd line [Music] [Applause] B Carri number 11 Tren wolton tackled out of bounds by number 22 Gavin Bel from the 49 yd line it's third [Music] [Applause] all number 15 Maverick cson tackled on the play by number 74 [Music] JJ from the 50 yd line it's for [Music] ball carrier number 11 Trent wolton tackled on the play by number 34 Jaye Wilson following the play will'll be first down and 10 Ooty from the 34 yd line there's a flag on the play [Music] start on following the penalty to be first down and 14 yd to go Harvey 15 y to go from the 39 y on the play recovered by number 11 TR Wolverton [Music] l [Music] is a start [Music] on following the penalty of the second down in 33 yards to go from the 43 yd [Applause] line ball carriers number 11 Trent Wolverton tackled on the play by number 22 Gavin Bel play from the 482 yd line it's third down [Music] [Applause] we have an injury on the [Music] field for [Applause] [Music] carrier with number 11 TR wton it's four now [Music] on the [Applause] play more covered by number 57 Roy Melton following the bubble from the 43 yd line first down wild wild [Music] B carrier number 15 THS tack on the play by number two Tav on young loss of one on the play it'll be second down and 11 yd to go from the 44 yd line [Music] [Applause] [Music] all carrier number 22 Davin beler [Music] following the carry first down wild [Applause] cat e [Music] following the 27 yd game by number 22 Gavin Bel it'll be first down and 10 Burlington from the 22 yd line [Music] ball appears number 22 gav Bel tackled on the play by number [Music] [Applause] [Music] 11 pass for number 15 Eli Thompson intended for number 22 Gavin [Music] Bel foll the it'll be second down six y to go from the 13 yd line [Music] all car number 15 Eli Thompson first down wild cat I'm out wild cats with 17 seconds to go in the first half [Music] following the timeout it is first down goal to go from the seven yd line [Music] [Applause] [Music] pass from number 15 Eli Thompson in complete intended for number 34 jayen Wilson second down and goal from the seven yd line [Music] number Eli Thompson two yard on the play it'll be third down and goal from the 5 yd line time out Burlington [Music] ladies and gentlemen as we go into half time just a reminder that we do have concessions available to you at the North End of the football stadium those concessions are being provided by the VHS baseball team [Music] pass for number 15 Eli Thompson intended for number 22 [Music] Gavin be more down go to go from the 52 yd line [Music] [Applause] allall carriers number 22av only carry touchdown [Music] ball carrier number 20 to Gavin beler two point attempt is no good it's half time your score Burlington wild cat 20 aomy Trojan zero e [Music] baby [Music] give [Music] oh [Music] here [Music] good [Music] spe [Music] want [Music] fin for [Music] was [Music] don't [Music] yeah for [Music] an [Music] you m [Music] dadad [Music] time [Music] your [Music] you [Music] ladies and gentlemen I'd like to take a moment to once again thank our official for today's game W Isaac Bill and Jr GL CH G for the seventh grade game is Damon bur belard JJ Jasper and [Music] I e [Music] e [Music] for e [Music] kicking off for roosy is number 58 Chris M Loreno back to return for Burlington is number 15 Eli Thompson and number 2 [Music] gav ball recovered by number five Carson SL following this recovery it'll be first down and 10 off the aate from the 48 yd line [Music] all carrier M Lon wolton tackled on the play by number 22 Gavin [Music] Bel following the carry it'll be second down in three yards to go from the 41 yd line [Music] Buble on the [Music] play balls recovered by number 78 East r [Music] following the recovery it is first down and 10 wild cats from the 392 Y Line [Music] ball carries number 33 Dylan [Music] Stewart two yard on the play it'll be second now eight y to go from the 42 yd line [Music] all covered by number 64 it'll be third down n yd to go from the 41 yd line [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all carrier number M 59 y on the carry touchdown Wild [Music] r number [Music] Eli score Burlington wild 26 OS tro [Music] zero for [Music] back to return K offy is number four cash minkley in number 11 set to kick it off for Merlin number g rock [Music] there's a flag on the play [Music] all car number 11 wton tackled on the play by number 22 Gavin beler the gain down y to go [Music] [Applause] 3 B cares number two Tav young p on the play by number 57 bro mountain and number 74 D Brock [Music] 37 yd line it's third [Music] down all two Tav on tackled on the play by number 78 E rich 40 yd l [Music] time out off the me for [Music] myv [Music] there's the flag on the play [Music] holding down tackle on the play by number 64 Colt Jasper following the turnover on Downs it is first down and 10 Burlington from the 34 yd line [Music] all carriers number 64 col [Music] Jasper G one on the play it'll be second down n y to go from the 33 yd line B recovered by number 15 Eli Thompson it'll be third down 10 yds to go from the 34 yd line there's the flag on the play [Music] work yeah you're all right [Music] following theen the 46 yd line [Music] on Bo [Music] [Applause] B carers number 22 Gavin [Music] beler Bing to 15 y on the play is fourth down [Music] after number 15 Eli Thompson is incomplete for number 22 Bel turn over down be first down 10 y to go from the 46 yd line [Music] [Applause] all car number 11 wolton in the back field by number 74 JJ Brock lost the five on the play it'll be second down 15 yd to go from the 41 yd line [Music] at the end of the third quarter your score Burlington wild 26 [Music] ladies and gentlemen directly following the game we ask all parents of eight gr players please make their way side of the track [Music] you're [Music] at the start of the fourth quarter is second down 15 y to go off the from the 41 yd line [Music] all carriers number 11 Trent wton tackled on the play by number 33y Stewart falling play from the 462 yd line woo all carriers number 14 Max burett back in the back field by number 74 JJ [Music] [Applause] Brock the Y Line it's for down [Applause] all car number 11 wton turn over on down it's first down from the 47 yd line [Music] all carers number 15 Eli Thompson allowing the play it will be second down and 10 from the 47 yd line [Applause] cin myy old cousin [Music] has complete for number 15 Eli Thompson number this is to new [Music] all Carri down the 38 yd [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes two in a row two in a row SC [Music] firsty from the 38 yd line [Music] number [Music] [Applause] fiveon ball carrier number 11 Trent wolton [Music] she [Music] there is an injury on the field heav [Music] re number intended for number 24 for ramley batter turn over on down first down everything [Applause] [Music] [Applause] allers number 22 Gavin [Music] Bel the Run of 16 yd it'll be first in 10 Burlington from the 41 yd on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all carriers number [Music] elij following the Run of 10 y first down Wild [Music] B number 15 Eli Thompson one yd gain on play second down and N from the 29 yd line where [Music] pass from number 15 Eli Thompson is incomplete intended for number 86 Tom following incompletion it will be third down to nine from the 29 yd line [Music] there's a flag on the play off sides on [Music] a following the 5yd penalty it be third down four yd to go from the 19 yd line [Music] pass for number 15 Eli Thompson incomplete intended for number 34 Jay Wilson fourth down four yds to go from the 24 yd [Music] line all carriers number 15 Eli Thompson six Ys on the play first down [Music] all carries number 37 Elijah Blaze and that your final score Earlington Wildcat 26 the w troen z ladies and Gentlemen let's have a big round of applause for both of these seventh grade squads [Music] who have not done so yet please make your way down to the south side of the tra thank you [Music] 3 two one thank you [Music] you [Music] St now [Music] what [Music] my spe [Applause] [Music] ladies and gentlemen if you would please direct your attention to the South End Zone playing in their last game as an eighth grader your 2024 eighth grade wild cast number one son of T and Ashley Wright number one AR [Applause] Wright son of Brad and Lindy number 10 [Applause] grayon the son of Jared and cryston number 11 [Applause] Max the son of Matt and Sarah spring number 17 ra [Applause] the son of Joanne and Joanie reer number [Music] jaser the son of Adam and Dana SA number T the son of dawn Brandon and Christopher rigs number 27 racing r the son of Chad Teresa Haven number 32 BR [Music] ha the son of Adele Clark and Garen Han number 50 Roy [Music] CLK the son of Danielle and Rusty Charlton and Tyler Allen number 56 gra Allen the son of Ryan and Victoria Ross number 59 [Applause] Jacob the son of scarlet D Santiago number 60 neiah de Santiago in rri the son of Nicholas Nam Christen Chris number [Music] Gavin the son of Sarah bir number 62 l [Music] [Applause] of Blake and Jessica Thompson number 66 b [Music] Thomson the son of Tim and Sarah nessen number Jackson the son of Dustin and Chelsea Harris number 75 log haris the of Jimmy Shin number Landon Shin the son of Nathan and Renee Gord number 79 Joseph [Applause] G the son of Jamie and Sam Hazen and Heath May cover number 82 M Mayer the son of Megan bangs and Keith Henman number 84 Brett Henman and last but certainly not least the son of Jessica and Jared Jenkins number 87 we [Music] H ladies and gentlemen your 2024 bir early Wild [Music] are so you for ladies and gentlemen just a reminder that the concession stands are still open north side of the stadium altitude is being served by the BHS baseball [Music] team [Music] e [Music] e e [Music] not else [Music] can you yeah for [Music] my for [Music] k spe my [Music] thank you [Music] over for s [Music] spe for [Music] Al [Music] Burlington has won the toss and is elected to the third of the second half oy has elected to receive the ball go [Music] [Applause] Bo [Music] [Applause] [Music] back to return for is number 33 Charlie Johnson and number 23 Jackson [Music] [Applause] ball recovered by number 11 [Music] Matt following the recovery will be first down and 10 Burlington from the 41 yd line [Applause] all carrier is number 24 jcece raer [Music] ball carrier number 17 grazed in scen [Applause] [Music] following the sixy gain it will be second down from the 11 yd line ball carrier number 24 Jas reer [Applause] call The Run it'll be third down one yd to go from the 8 yd [Music] [Applause] line complete from number 17 Braven spring t number 24 Jas [Music] [Applause] rer touchdown [Music] [Applause] ball carriers number 20 takes doll twoo conversion is good your score Burlington wild cats eight o one to be troen zero [Music] spe [Music] back to return for OA is number 23 Jackson mki and number 33 Charlie Johnson set kick it off for Burlington is number 20 Kate stall [Music] [Applause] [Music] number 33 Charlie Johnson on the return to play by number 24 Jason rert following the return it'll be first down and 10 Ooty from the 26 yd line [Applause] [Music] ball carriers number 70 Caston Johnson tackled on the play by number 72 Jackson [Applause] [Music] number 22 Kyle kale Pits on the play game three it will be seven it'll be seven yds to go it's third down [Music] [Applause] pass complete to number 22 Gale pit capit on the play by number 87 Levi Hazen [Applause] from the 312 yd line it's four down [Music] [Applause] [Music] pass complete to number 70 cast Johnson tackled by number 20 K doll turn over on down first down wild cat [Music] [Applause] [Music] ball carrier number 20 eight 30 on the carry touchdown Wild [Music] [Applause] complete from number 17 Brazen spring to number 32 bran Hazen two point conversion is good your score Burlington Wildcat 16 oaam Trojan [Music] zero e back to return for o is number 23 Jackson mki and number 33 Charlie Johnson set to kick it off for Burlington is number 20 p [Music] number 33 Charlie Johnson on tackled by a hole back the wild C following the return it will be first down and 10 o from the 38 yd line [Music] there's a flag on the play [Music] starty following the penalty be first down 15 yd to go from the 33 Y Line [Music] passing complete intended for number 23 Jackson musi following in completion will be second down 15 yd to go from the 33 yd line [Music] ball carrier number 70 C Johnson from the 25 yd line it's third down [Music] pass complete to number 23 Jackson myusi following the play it's Fourth Down [Music] [Applause] [Music] my H return by T stall to the 44 yd [Music] line following the play it will be first down and 10 Burlington from the 44 yd line [Music] that's two twet from number 17 Brazen spring to number 82 madx mayom as from number 17 Brazen spring is in complete intended for number 87 Levi Hazen following in completion it will be second down 10 yd to go from the 36 yd line [Applause] ball carrier is number 17 braen spr first down wild [Applause] cat going to run the 35 yards it'll be first down inton from the one yd line at the end of the first quarter your score Burlington wild cat 16 otomy troen hero [Applause] spe to start the second quarter it'll be first down goal to go Burlington at the one yd line [Music] ball carrier number 75 Logan haris touchdown Wild ball carriers number 20 take doll twoo conversion is good your score Earlington wild 24 gy Trojan zero [Music] let's Go's Go Go's go go [Music] [Applause] back to return fory is number 33 Charlie Johnson and number 23 Jackson mki set kick it off for Burlington is number 20 K do [Music] number 33 Charlie Johnson on the return tackled by number 20 take [Music] all following the return it be first down and 10 from the 33 yd line [Music] your [Music] [Applause] [Music] ball carriers number 70 Caston Johnson tackled by number 10 grayon PA 82 madx Mayer following the play it will be second down 10 yd to go from the 34 yd line home recovered by number 13 following their recovery will be third down from the 26 yd line [Music] [Applause] okay [Music] ball caught by number 22 kale Pitts pushed out of bounds by number 87 Levi Haven [Music] following the penalty to be third down 10 yds to go from the 34 yd line there's a flag on the play [Music] penalty is off sides on Burlington be third down and five from the 39 yd line [Applause] [Music] [Applause] pass complete to number 23 Jackson myki tackled on the play by number 32 Grant Hazen from the 43 yd line it's for down [Music] I'm out o thead spe [Music] it's fourth down and one from the 43 yd line [Applause] number 13 tackled in the back field by number 27 grayon [Applause] Ray it's turn over on Downs first down wild cat [Music] [Applause] pass complete from number 17 brazed in Spring to number 11 Max Eon first down wild cat w there's a flag on the plan pass interference on Burlington following the penalty it'll be first down and goal from the 14 yd line from number 17 rais in Spring incomplete in number one Marshall right following incompletion it will be second down and goal from the 14 yd line [Applause] all carrier number 20 k 14 y touchdown Wild [Applause] all carriers number 20 K doall two point conversion is good your score Burlington wildcast 32 OA roozen zero [Music] [Applause] you [Music] back return for number 23 jacksoni and number 33 Charlie Johnson set to kick it off for Burlington is number 82 madx Mayer [Music] [Applause] [Music] on the return tackled by number 10 [Music] great first down and 10 from the 32 yd line all carriers number 70 C Johnson tackled by a whole pack of wild cats [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all shers number 13 tackled in the back field by number 11 Max [Music] from the 47 yd line is third down pass for number 13 inom complete intended for number 23 Jackson mki following the incompletion is fourth down [Music] there's a flag on the play penalty is anle Will blocking the back on Burlington F the penalty in his first down wild cats from the 30 yd line [Music] ball carriers number 10 grayon p [Applause] 5 yd gain on the play it'll be second down and five Burlington from the 35 yd line recovered by number 17 in Spring [Applause] all carrier at number 10 R ha first down four Ro t [Music] [Applause] complete from number 17 braen spring to number 11 Max he first down wild [Music] cat ball carrier number 20 tap doall touchdown [Applause] [Music] wild call Carrier number 20 K do two point conversion is good your score Burlington wild cat [Music] 40y roing zero [Music] hey [Music] it off for Burlington is number 82 Maddox Mak out [Music] kick return by number 23 jacksoni tackled by the whole cat of wild cat ball carries number 70 Caston Johnson tackled by number 20 K doll your score at halftime Burlington wild cats 40 lot troan hero [Music] good [Music] for [Music] for for [Music] he for [Music] no sh [Music] w e [Music] know I

the city council and City administrator in man matters affecting renters in the city the Anarbor renters commission is made up of voting members who are appointed by the mayor and approved by city council two non-voting Cil city council Liaisons two non-voting members representing different landlord perspectives and a non-voting representative to the University of Michigan Student Legal servatives oh sorry services to speak during any of the public comment opportunities you'll be able to speak through the webinar link or by phone depending on your method of access to this meeting for phone access please call 877- 85352 47 or a1941 to be called on to speak callers must press star9 if listening by phone or use the rais hand feature if viewing through the web link a2gov.org rter commission meeting you'll then be called upon by staff one by one using the last three digits of your phone number or by usern name if available for those accessing through the web link you'll hear an automated announcement that the host is allowing you to speak please state your name at the beginning of your comments City staff will indicate when callers have 30 seconds left of their three minute comment period after three minutes they'll be placed on mute so that we can proceed to the next speaker moving on to roll call commissioner Lowe's commissioner Els here in an arbor commissioner dran here in an arbor commissioner Ratcliffe I'm here commissioner Chen I'm D CH and Orlando Florida I'm on a flight layover oh wow um council member Rina said that he couldn't make it today um and council member Harrison also wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it um commissioner good here and I'm in an arbor commissioner Pence here an aror um let's see commissioner Lea said that she could not be here today commissioner wood here and in an arbor and commissioner Larsson e here in an arbor hey welcome everyone and I'm a little jealous of Dan Dan there in [Music] Orlando all right is there we have two separate um meeting notes to approve because the the there was a problem with the ones from August I'll go ahead with September 1 um so is there well oh sorry is there a motion to approve the agenda as prescribed sorry a motion to move to approve the agenda the agenda or okay sorry it was just to improve the agenda okay I'll second thank you um is there anyone who wants to comment on the agenda all right so pleas we're going to vote on the agenda approving the agenda uh please unmute and say yes if you approve of the um tonight's agenda yeah yes yes yes all right if anyone opposed please say nay all right great so the the agenda is approved for tonight um now is the approval of the minutes and we'll do I know that there was a problem with accessing um the minutes from August 15 was anyone able to access those I know Kristen was working on getting them attached no then sorry about that um they are published online and I've reattached them to this agenda um so it's updated but I completely understand if you want to postpone again yeah we we'll postpone to the November meeting for approving the August meeting minutes if that's okay with everyone so that way you get a chance to read them over yeah okay and so can I we'll move on to the September meeting minutes um does anyone want to move to approve the September minutes I I have a I have a comment okay the link the link in my minutes did did not go to anything that had the minutes attached for the September ones either right oh and I'm sorry but I didn't really look at this until you know to late today so I was looking at and I was was going over other things on the agenda that were attached um did the September link work for for anyone no not for me I was able to open August but not September oh my okay then if it's okay how how about we postpone the September um minutes to no approval in November as well is that all right chis Kristen absolutely Barbara U may I make the suggestion that um just to make sure that we all see this rather than putting these links in couldn't couldn't they just be attached like the other what was it what was the attachment um other words couple of attachments to um the agenda for today's meeting so could they just be attached as PDFs sure they could but we also have to make sure that they're able to be um accessed by the general public too and so that's that's a really major concern um as well so we do need to have the links and the the PDF okay yeah okay um so we'll just go ahead and move on to the first general public comment just a second here okay um public comment can be made um by phone at 877 5247 or 888 78899 and entering meeting ID 935 941 or by joining the zoom meeting at the zoom link which is A2 go.org g/ runter commmission meeting callers can press star9 to raise their hand to be called on um if joining from the zoom link please use the raiseed hand feature we'll give it just a minute in case anybody's logging on there are no callers okay then moving forward to unfinished business um well there isn't anything listed on the agenda I think it would be nice to hear how the green Fair went didn't I'll go because I guess I was there most of the time I feel like we had a pretty good um it was a pretty good location we were kind of right in the middle so we had a lot of folks that walked by the weather started raining and of course when we got a tent to cover us it stopped and it was beautiful all night so that was you know the way things always are but um we connected with a lot of folks I think there were a lot of folks that feel really frustrated that there still aren't more protections for renters we heard a lot about um affordability and affordable housing and lots of stories of people saying you know I'm having to move out of the city because I can't afford to live here and so I know that we we Center that in our work and I think that um makes sense we did have some folks that filled out sticky notes it was a very busy movement Through the Fair so I think compared to other events we didn't we didn't have as much lengthy engagement with folks as we do um sometimes but we did get some sticky notes and Kristen has um that board I don't know Kristen if there anything that it feels that you know we forgot to look at it at the end of the night as we were packing it up if there was anything that's kind of new or different on it um we should take note of that but I would say we probably talked to almost 150 people would be my guess with there were three or four of us there at all times um and people were interested they wanted to hear most of them and if they weren't we just said you know keep in mind that this entity does exist and I think that's also um good to get around town as well so it was it was was a good event I would say Hannah um Kimberly anything to add at all yeah no I agree with Jordan I I think we had a lot of people that were walking by um I would like to add I think I think we talked about having a bigger sign that says the rentur commission yeah I think a bigger sign would be nice um and we did engage more we did kind of walk out and start talking to more people um so a lot of people you know gave us some good responses so um we'll have to just look at that list to see exactly what other people said okay yeah I think we we gave out all of the we had a physical copy of the tenants rights and duties I think we ran out of them or like the current edition that we had printed so maybe next year just increase that by a little bit so we have more to hand out okay um do you think that it would be more appropriate to talk about the meeting in attendant or the green fair and the comments people left in attendant Education meeting or um trying to fit it into a regular meeting maybe we could review the input we got on the board at attendant education committee meeting and more formally bring it to the full meeting here okay yeah I [Music] agree all right then we'll send out a a wi to meet for that for that I know that it's pretty busy leading up to election time for Kristen so yeah let's try that um afterwards Julia uh this is just if we're done with that I had something else oh okay then yeah I'll just send out a win to meet for after the election go ahead it so under unfinished business we're still not at full capacity right it sounded like when you were reading through the list like we've still got a number of vacancies right um we I was going to mention this in the chair notes but in um we do have someone who's interested from HH ASB to attend but they're but they're non voting member um or would be a non- voting member but at least that's it's a vacancy and it's a perspective that we've been wanting to have at the meetings for for quite some time so that's a a good thing um we have a couple of people who look like they'd be good candidates as renters on the commission and we're waiting to hear back whether or not um they still want to serve on the commission so hopefully in you know in hopefully in November we'll have the the last of the member voting members um what is it join the commission although we still do need the lawyer the the attorney is one that is just really hard one because there are basically none um and so maybe I mean and we can talk about you know changing the bylaws or we could talk about asking Gail to join as that position and have the non- voting lawyer an open [Music] position well because um the rental under new business um rental Housing Services had to postpone till next month um we can use this to just slide right on into talking about the bylaws because that's where membership is is and that was one of the reasons why we wanted to talk about the bylaws this meeting anyway was because of the the couple of positions that had been really difficult to fill the non the non- voting ones but we have hhb but possibly um you know do would we want the um attorney position to be voting or keep a non-voting attorney position and put in a new renter um as a voting member to try to so that we can try to have Quorum um that was like I think one of the main yeah that was one of the main reasons why we wanted to discuss the [Music] bylaws um so we just go ahead and officially if no one else has any more old business to discuss we'll just go ahead and officially move into talking about the bylaws all right um Kristen is it possible to bring the bylaws up to the screen please yes hold on just a moment I think we're down when we talked yesterday Kristen was it two voting members yes yeah so that's why we need to try to get them approved um we'll make sure they're interested and get them approved otherwise have to go back to looking do application and seeing if there's anyone new um also figuring out um is it this is this is now the third meeting that Jeff has missed unfortunately and I know that he's a teacher with the school district and that the summer you know it's the only time off but I did email him the other day and I haven't heard back yet yet um and so I know previously we've gone and said you know three meeting looked at the bylaws and it was three absences I think it was and they were and we were supposed to request their removal do we want to wait one more month with Jeff and see if he's able to come up for air um or do we want to have a third official vacancy well who who else is missing well Michelle had a meeting tonight and she emailed um she emailed me and let me know and think I think that's it of the voting members so that's so there's three vacancies it well there's two vacancies for voting members and then there's Jack who he's technically not a vacancy but he's also not here tonight so if there's six of us here tonight plus Michelle and Jeff that's eight and the we're supposed to be 11 so I'm seeing um on the list here we have council member Rina and Harrison non voting um Kimberly Pitts voting rosanita Ratcliffe voting Julia good voting Barbara wood voting and then I'm seeing Jeff Hannah voting Jordan and Robert non voting um Dandan Michelle voting Gail non voting and then vacant vacant voting vacant non voting hhsb rep and then vacant attorney renters advocate so for a total of three voting vacancies and one non- voting vacancy Jordan I think you know as kind of strategizing here like if we are going to amend the bylaws obviously that's one strategy the problem to name for people who are new of course is that if we don't have the six voting then we don't meet Quorum and we can't essentially hold a a as productive meeting because we can't vote on things we can still have a meeting but it's just kind of fluff and nothing can be voted on so even including past minutes so I think we have to decide with that like I I don't if we don't even have people applying for the three vacancies I don't feel a real rush to like remove Jeff unless we're saying that we're really going to decrease the number on the commission um to make the Quorum number less does that make sense to folks or is are other people seeing that the same way I guess that's kind of just my initial thoughts about it but I didn't know what other people had in mind for like what are we considering for Amendment like would the proposed amendment be to go down to nine or something so that then forum's five I don't know kind of what other thoughts are think what other thoughts people are having but that was just kind of my precursory thinking about it tonight Julia so I'm not interested in removing Jeff today I you know it would be great if you could talk to him because he has been involved um but uh I don't know that the number needs to come down in the commission we have had applicants there have been applicants all along and they haven't been seated and I I think it needs to come before the commission why they're not being seated well there were a number of applicants who only gave like one line for one of for why they wanted to be on the commission and it's very hard to go from that whereas others who we have reached out to you know they've given like a really great paragraph sometimes more than that um that really speaks as to why they want to serve on the commission right like to me it's not the best fit if someone says oh I just want to serve on the commission because I think it'd be cool yeah um when I'm when I'm looking at the applications I'm looking for substance I'm looking to see you know are a are you a renter right for the the renting position which your experience been as a renter because it could be a great experience it could be a horrible experience but I just want to know something about your experience and also why you really want to be on the commission Beyond it seems like it'd be great or you know oh I just want to learn something at like give a few sentences um and unfortunately we haven't received that in in a lot of the applications um also I'd rather wait and see if we can hear from Jeff um I just brought it up because it was it was something in the past um with past membership but I really would prefer to wait and see if we can hear from Jeff because like you said he's been a really active member he was the one who was attending the hhb meetings because we didn't have someone from hhb coming to our meetings um and so yeah Jordan is there like I I hear what you're saying and I share concerns about that but I guess I don't I don't fully understand the legalities or like how um so maybe Kristen can guide us like is there an opportunity for you as the chair to say hey Jill I saw your renters commission application and I like is there an opportunity to have a conversation with folks who like cuz if someone applies to me that's that shows a decent amount of Interest the application isn't time we all know we've all filled it out so I wonder if there is a possibility to like try to have a conversation with folks who have applied but haven't given us enough information to like feel like we can make a decision as a commission um I don't know I don't know if that like violates law or if there's opportunity or enough information to do that so maybe Kristen can kind of help um but that's something that kind of comes to mind to me when I say someone took the step to apply and it doesn't seem like enough to say we recommend them full force but a conversation that's even 15 or 20 minutes could do that and I don't know because I know that historically in the I mean historically in the past couple of years that the commission has existed it oper how it Cho it's chosen its membership is different than how we do it on Kodi where on Kodi we actually have um of course you know we we have the council members and um the chair and um our sta the staff leaders um who go through the applications but there's also kind of a small committee um as well who also gets to see the applications and talk to the person before they come um to to gauge their interest and to see if they be a fit where there is more information given than what's on the application and then um there and then if the that smaller committee feels as though that person is a good fit then they're invited to speak at one of the Codi meetings to introduce themselves and answer any questions from the rest of the commission um and then we vote on them on that um we vote on whether or not we'd like them to join the commission at that meeting and then that person is put for um and then our city council member um moves that forward to the mayor so it's a much more say it's a much more involved Democratic process within the commission itself on deciding who else is a member of the commission um so if you guys want that changed more like that then that's something that I'm I'm open to I was just going the way the RoR commission was doing it before [Music] we also have someone who is not the the chair who also is the person who follows up with the applicants before their um as well so that's another thing um does anyone have any comments or concerns heard um well is that something that we could um talk more about to change the bylaws I mean if it's working if that system is working and and you're able to um uh you know get a better idea of who these people are as you're going through this interview process because it doesn't I mean it doesn't look like people are knocking down the doors get on this commission and uh but I was going to ask um Jordan did anybody at that green event uh indicate any interest in joining the commission we didn't get anybody I did I did mention it to I'd say probably between 15 and 20 people that were like engaging in particular you know I think we've been kind of low on like active current student voice being that they're 50% of the renters um so anybody that engaged for an extended period I did unfortunately we did have a QR code that had the application on it and that QR code was did not it was defunct it didn't work um but for those folks that I had mentioned it to when we still had the rights and duties booklets left I actually made a note of like what to Google search to find the way to apply did have people that we connected with specifically and said like you seem really interested we could use your voice so that that part of the the fair was pretty productive it felt like I don't know if we've gotten any applications since then it might be able we might be able to Loosely link but um I see Kimberly's got a hand up and she was there too so I'll yeld the floor to her but we we did mention it okay Kimberly um yeah I was just going to agree with Jordan you know we're we're getting you know what we're getting is what we're going to have to deal with so we may have to look at the you know changing the bylaw if that's what it takes but I think we should talk to the people that did apply I mean we we just don't know if they're applying like you said that they're they're interested right which is why I brought up how we do it on a different Commission because it is it it's a much different process than how it was historically done on the renters commission yeah um and there's nothing in the bylaws that I saw that said that it can't happen that way it was like I said it was I was just doing it the same way as before right no and I I get that that's that's not a problem that's why we're here like yeah maybe we do need to change some stuff make it easier Julia I just you know that there isn't anything in the bylaws about it and Lucy who was vice president or vice chair before me um complained that there there were applicants and that when it was put forward Travis said no the process was going through him and then when I came on as Vice chair and there were applicants and I said I think we should take people as as they apply and he again said no you don't have a role in it that it's City council's decision and I'm not supposed to be putting forward anyone um so I do feel a little bewildered by that and you know there there were applicants and and they were held off it took a year even though there was a vacancy for the whole year it took a year before I was accepted even though I had applied the first day like there was openings me too the board was never full um I I'm looking at the I'm looking at article 4 section 48 right now and it really it's one paragraph that kind of scrunches everything together it's not very clear that was the one thing that I noticed when I was reading through this today uh that it's not really very clear and it's it's something that we could massage to work out better for us you know in a in a way that sounds more like something that uh rosanita is talking about with this other committee uh do you do you have that I mean I've got a copy here in front of me but if you could scroll to um article it's d8 uh four DH it's the last it's the last one in article four it's the last four yeah 4.8 right it says consistent with City code of one 171 when one or more city council members are appointed as members of or of or Liaisons to a border commission the Border commission shall designate a group consisting of the city council members and one or more voting members of the board or commission to review applications for membership on the board or commission this group May submit recommendations for appointments to the mayor or the city council for appointments made by city council from among the applications received or reviewed so it can be a group it doesn't have to be just me or just me and Dan Dan um you know the chair and the vice chair being the person who is reviewing the um the applications as well it can be like a membership committee so should could we flush that out a little bit you know explain that a little bit more so that um maybe things could start moving along to approve people um I mean do you well or do you think that that works the way it's is well I was just gonna say our John the attorney isn't City attorney isn't here tonight so I'm gonna ask Christen if if she knows if there's anything we have to do what's the question sorry um you know previously it was how we were selecting the the um new members was it was like the city council members and the chair basically right and we're one but in Kodi I don't know the other commissions but I know Kodi it's actually a membership committee and how we do it um and so is it possible for us to go and switch from the way that legally is it possible to switch from the way we're doing it now to a more inclusive format of with other voting members of the um the commission being included yeah I don't see how it would be um a violation of the bylaws it just says to designate a group and I think that that's what you're describing um as long as one um um one or more voting members and then both city council members were included in the group I don't see an issue with that okay not to put our city council member on the spot is this something that um we should discuss a little bit further um but I do know that we have two people who are in the pipeline right now and um this is something that we should change for what's or look at changing for how it comes because we also know ultimately the recommendations come from the city council members in the end or should we wait until there's a night that Travis is here too uh oh you're on mute can you hear me yes sorry about that you know I what is your question I'm sorry repeat your question I was well ultimately the recommendation goes from the city council members to the mayor but it's how we get the recommendations to the city council members that we're talking about changing where we have it more of a discussion between a smaller Committee of voting members on the renters commission as opposed to just me being or the chair being the person from the renters commission saying hey this would be a good fit it' be somebody who sees the the others could see the application or somebody else sees the applications and actually talks with the prospective person um and has a conversation with them if their application isn't as complete as we may like to try to fill some of those vacancies because we just we continuously vacant yeah I thought we actually had a couple people going through the process right now am I am I wrong about that I'm we have noticeably trying yeah we have two people who are trying who um were recommended who were trying to see if there still um interested but if something happens or Jeff's um says that he no longer wants to be or can or can can no longer serve right because school year is rough um if for what happens after these two um what we're talking about to try to hurry that process along a little bit so it doesn't say in the bylaws that it specifically has to be just one person from the commission is that correct right you know I'm uncomfortable answering this question without having spoken to my peer first so um I mean it sounds like you all would like a part in reviewing the application I mean ultimately it does it is going to come to us city council before we make a recommendation to the mayor um I'm uh unfortunately it sounds like we didn't even with the green Fair we didn't we didn't get anybody interested is or do we do we have folks that that are interested that just put one line is that what I heard you say we yeah some of it it's it's where they've like some of what they've put isn't necessarily relevant to the renters Commission because they applied for multiple commissions or they may have put one line or two lines and so it's a bit harder to figure out why they want to serve specifically on the renters commission and so I was just kind of like pushing those to the side and going to the ones where they had more substance in the written part of the application and I think that's how it's been going but it's also made it a lot more difficult ult to find a member a voting member uh do you do you feel um comfortable making a call to those I mean I understand the logic behind um looking at applications I mean it's if somebody's applying for a job we're probably going to consider the substance of an application so so you know if an application I'm not looking at these applications that you're speaking of but if it's incomplete um but yet we're having trouble filling a spot I mean I guess it would wor be worth reaching out um is that something that either you or Dan Dan possibly could could do to try to what what do y'all think Ian like you know we we we we want we definitely want someone on the commission that is um at least in the beginning would like to be committed is is committed and that they um seem like someone that's going to be make make a a good addition to the team I don't know if any of what I'm saying is helping right now I I I think it would be worth a phone call um to those I don't know how many applications though we have that look like that I'm I'm I I I'm I'm speaking with limited information here so I probably didn't answer your question either did I you ask me to weigh in I I can't I can't really answer the question that you're it it seems I'm I'm sorry I should just stop talking right now [Music] um perhaps you should reach out and see if you can find more information that was than than was filled out on the application if we are in that much of a need to fill a spot that we don't even know is going to be EMP to yet and I'm talking about the third spot right uh Julia I just feel that it's it's we've been chronically not full um and that it would be great to be full it does make it easier to function and I think it would be great if a group of us or the chair and the vice chair or whoever um from the commission started going through the old applications last year we had good applications I thought they were really strong candidates and none of them um were chosen um so I would like to go through the the old list and and get some recommendations and then if the council members are not willing to take them forth to city council that's a different matter yeah that would be to me I think it they're two diff it's it is a different matter because ultimately you know they will they will go to council I mean I you know I don't I mean I I feel like I see there could be a benefit and if we have some folks that are willing to maybe you know I guess it it it would be helpful to go through the applications and see if folks are my thing would be if folks are even still interested you know people move on you know they I mean to just try to see like what is a real application what's a viable application and what is not I mean to me I I feel like that's um an exercise that has some value to it is anyone here willing to do that or do you all wanna and again I'm I'm talking to you without speaking to my peer so I almost this this really probably would have been I you know I'd rather actually the two of us talk about this if that makes sense because I you know I it sounded like Travis said something to someone was it that he said um it is our what exactly did he say about is was it to you Julia yeah when we uh this is a year ago uh Kristen sent out some of the old applications that had never been responded to and and we'd had vacancies all along and um I asked about reaching out to the people and seeing who was still interested um and he said no that was his job to do and that it wasn't something I had a role in being able to do all right so okay so we really should be I'm sorry rosanita chair rosanita chair um I probably should have referred your question to not at this moment while my my peer is not here with me let me you know I I asked him did he reach out to you I think he was gonna be running late he did share with me he was gonna be running late I asked he said that he wasn't gonna be able to be here tonight oh okay and so that was part of my question is what was should before decisions a specific decision is made like a yes or a no shook because ultimately it who gets passed along in the end does come from city council was and TR it it does from us to the mayor from to the May because it goes from the city council members to the mayor and then the mayor put decides whether to put it on the agenda and then it's voted on by the city council at city council meeting it's kind of a very bureaucratic process if you will I just I I just want to I have sorry I have to interrupt you because I'm I'm reading this line over I mean this paragraph over and over again and it doesn't say that it's the job of one person um on the city council the city it's not the job of the city council member specifically to do that it says right here that well first of all um this um group is supposed to be designated uh the board or commission shall designate a group consisting of the city council members plural and one or more voting member of the commission to review applications for membership okay so that's the first step so my suggestion first of all would be rather than needing two both city council members to be on this committee that's reviewing the applications if you just require that one city council member sit in on this uh this committee that's going to review the applications with one or more representatives of um our commission and then you come up with people that you would like to put forth but it is the group that may submit recommendations for appointments to the mayor or to the city council for appointments made by the city council but the group can submit recommendations to the mayor so Travis can't say well you know it's got to go through me I don't think that's they they come to us they come to the leaz on on Council before they get to the mayor then then this is wrong this is I think um Kristen is it possible to I think maybe we need to table this and actually ask John Riser the legal the legal aspect of it I was just gonna say we do need to T I'm I'm we not to make the but yeah we we need to table the discussion especially since um we are now we're really it looks like we're talking about filling a third seat that's may not even be open I mean it's something this is a this is a viable conversation we we need to you know determine but I there's yes I agree attorney Riser is not here I've gotta you know check I you know I think I've got this correct but I've gotta you know check with my peer especially since he said what he said to Julia I just it was it will not be resolved tonight so we're just spending time on this and I've actually gota I've actually I was hoping Travis and I would overlap I've got to hop off around 8:30 I I wasn't aware that he wasn't going to be here he he had shared with me that he was um going to be running late so yeah I was hoping we would overlap but it doesn't look like we will tonight so it's been a good discussion I appreciate it Julia um so it looks like on this part um Christian you gonna help us get some clarification um from John about our language should change or something about what the right process can be um the the other issue is the what's now defined is the voting attorney position and you know Gail's not here right now but at one meeting she did kind of offhandedly say that she would be willing to resign from her position and if she could get appointed to the voting attorney position um so I guess we need some clarification too on if there's rules about that and and I'm willing to double check with her and make sure she's still interested in that the position she's currently in is a UFM position it's not specifically for an attorney and we could ask U ofm to appoint some someone from student government or something well it has to be from the legal services it's not what the paragraph says it says legal services or an appointee okay I must have WR that wrong then um I do think it's good having someone from Legal Services well but if Gail's a voting member yeah Jordan I would not mind that idea I I do think central student government or is is a good idea it also could potentially be helpful for like the off-campus housing program to have an actual person here because part of the problem I think is that you know off-campus housing doesn't hear what we are hearing a lot of the time and so when policies are made for example about how the university runs off campus housing a lot of the times the information that we hold and have could be helpful for them to know so I would not be against Gail moving into the I mean obviously she's not here we're talking about her without her being here I would not be against Gail moving into that role and my request as somebody who's been in the system would be that we would consider um somebody like maybe Mark Simmons too because Mark also has a really great background in that he worked for Avalon before he came to the university so he he has had his hand in lots of different pots I don't know if he'd be willing to do it but somebody like that that is doing kind of the dean of students work working on off-campus housing has his background like somebody like that I think would be actually a really useful a for them to hear from us and be for us to have that kind of experience that isn't just because Student Legal Services all they hear is the problems and that's great we need to work on those but it also is helpful as we're formulating policy to have somebody who can say and this is how this other piece works when it's not a problem like I don't know I feel like that is kind of a valuable thing that we could consider something good that's working you mean not necessarily good that's working but you know yes is but bringing somebody that has the like normal normal student leasing interface is a little bit different than somebody who handles all the problem student leasing interface if that makes sense like those are two so off-campus housing does all the housing fairs they do they're they're forward facing with students in a broader broader a smattering of rental experiences and of course I think Gail's opinion on this would be very helpful like if Gail thinks that that they couldn't bring anything to the table that she can't then that's not helpful um so it may be good to also ask scale that but I think that might be something to consider because I've often found that at times the off-campus housing program is a little bit out of touch with kind of the things that we are um like the issues that are facing because they don't hear so if if there were more collaboration for my perspective that's always has been a helpful thing so um and and I say out of touch but not not with blame just with kind of the logistics of how good things go problems go and the mix of them all it just might be helpful for more Community collect then maybe what we should do is table this part of the bylaws discussion for next month when Gail is here to see if she's still okay with switching her her role and also asking about um her um opinion on I guess which department would be best to um potentially approach for U ofm spot how does that sound sounds good okay all right um from what I knew there was really the big part of the bylaws had to do with membership and so if there isn't anything else um then we can move forward onto the next part of the agenda so we can hopefully get a brief Council update before council member Harrison has to leave Julia oh I if council member Harrison wants to go ahead and give her a report I just have another comment about the bylaws but it can wait it I actually don't have anything to report on unfortunately we have not um yeah I don't have an update actually I thought junk Fe was getting close it I mean we're we are we are it is getting close but there's no recent update unfortunately on junk fees y we we've still we've still um we still had some meetings that um with stakeholders that we have to have so getting close but not any closer does that does that make sense I know one of the questions was if we could if it was something that we were going to look forward to seeing by the end of this calendar year or should we just be more under the assumption that it's going to happen sometime after January so that we can kind of work on focusing on other things like the bylaws and I mean and stuff I would I I don't think it's a bad idea to to to put some Focus towards the bylaws because I mean what where it's at right now is it's it's stapped with us so what do you know what I mean like it doesn't make sense any doesn't make any sense to me this is me my opinion for y'all to not work on the bylaws because we because it's stopped here with us we're we're you know we're still um working with attorney Riser we're I mean we we're very close and to answer your question by the end of the year possibly I this is again something that's that would it would be great but don't you know hold me to it so if if we could set a goal for the end of the year um I could say yes but again I'm sitting here without my peer so I don't I can't speak for both of us what I am saying is that it it it's it's not moved any further and we we you know there's a lot going on right now as we know and so we we still have some meetings that we have to have um with some stakeholders so I would getting to the holidays which is also a bad maybe the election then we've got the holidays so I mean it's you know you know it could be the end of the year could be the beginning of next I'm I would love to see it by the end of the year but that relies I on a few things that are not fully within my control so sorry but I I wouldn't wait I would you know okay move along with other things that need to that need to happen all right thank you you're welcome Jordan and then Julia I'll just gently remind us I know Cynthia sounds like it's out of your control but leasing starts early December so here we're going and I know you guys know but I just want to speak that into The Ether that all keeping in mind that we're now going into another holding fee weight List fee season already without protection for renters and so I just I just want to name that I'm not with Without Blame or shame just want to name that that that's a bummer right we have leasing that goes on throughout the year we have to you know we we have I mean out outside of the students we we have leasing that that happens year round right like I I I know what you're saying um yes it it it is without it is out of my control until we you know we there are folks that we need to speak with there are stakeholders that we need to we need to have conversations with in other in order for this to be sewed up the right way Julia um well maybe we could put late fees on the um next agenda uh just as unfinished business um but I there are some things in the mission of the bylaws uh that I think it makes sense for us to kind of revisit it's it's pretty big and ambitious um and I'm not sometimes it's great to have a really big mission and sometimes it's overwhelming to have such a big mission um do you have a specific suggestion or um there you know some of the things with like um you know even a monitoring and evaluating Trends using available statistical data and broad-based input um like I I don't know I don't recall ever looking at statistical data I don't know where we would get sta statistical data from [Music] um some of the things about D soliciting input from stakeholders I don't think we ever have the capacity to reach out to homeowners or Realtors and I'm not actually sure why we would it's the renters commission um we kind of in a was it in in a way we have when we've had um like aval come and speak to us and others come and speak to us then that's when we've had um input from like from others um we also you know solicit information via the winter commission email address things like that sure I think that's fine but I think that's a lot different than specifically naming homeowners in a renters commission and realtors in a renters Commission mission statement like I I think that's a gigantic scope to put on us that isn't realistic like we like I would change it personally D should be solicit input from renters and other community members and that could be homeowners that could be realtors that could be cdc's we also do to through membership with how we have the the voting members who are renters and then we have the non- voting members who are well renters and the attorney and then the non- voting members from like hhb from who are are landlords who are also homeowners um and through the liais on to U ofm again I feel that's very none of those things need to stop happening but to have the purpose the commission shall solicit input from homeowners and Realtors I think is beyond our scope I would scale that back so this article 31d 31a I mean a lot of these things I would scale back like it's really hard to figure out how to make a work plan from something so gigantic so I I think it's I would I would scale it back if nobody else is interested then we don't an yeah my comment is about 31a about the use of available statistical data um I'm not sure like what data is available to us or if we could start getting access to data more regularly at meetings uh maybe with with uh next meeting meeting with someone from the rental Inspection Services maybe they could bring some data for us to look at like how many complaints do they get in a year how many complaints actually end up being like legitimate what is the resolution of those complaints how many apartments are deemed uninhabitable and people have to move out for instance um like I'm sure there is data we could look at I would just like to make maybe have better access to that there yeah there is a lot of data within the that department and then there's also um data that I know council member gazi Edwin's trying to get about a private units that are would be considered affordable housing in terms of the price range because not everything that would be in an affordable range is owned by the city technically because we have a landlord here Jordan who tries to keep her house her rentals pretty attainable right um then we have data there's also data from the county as well [Music] um so there's a lot of data out there it's just a matter of before we didn't have I mean really we didn't have a lot of members on the renters commission and a lot of band with to be able to actually dive into that which is also why it's good to have you on the commission Julia others who are who are interested in that and it also gives us a better idea of who to have come speak to us and what what all we should be focusing on as a part of the work plan um as well should we maybe talk about this more at the tenant education committee like maybe like bring up some questions that like we want answered with the statistical data um because he hasn't spoken I'm going to go to Bob and then I'll come back to you Julia I'm just curious about the um the feedback we received with the green Fair would that be a good source of questions to ask uh for perhaps more more information statistical or otherwise just because I I guess the question is we got a lot of data but what are the questions that are you know that are useful to answer uh and maybe the community gave us gave us some of those yeah I mean I think that's that's helpful to know the other thing and we haven't really talked about this is like if we have data that we want that isn't available to us we could make a survey there are I I don't know if Kristen has like current count off the top of her head but at one point there were like 650 people on the mailing list I thought maybe I'm remembering that wrong um but there were a lot so if there is like a a survey or something that we wanted to kind of put together I think we also just want to remind us all that we have access to that as a tool for Gathering data that we could send out a survey um of course within limitations but Kristen do you know how many we have I think it's over 700 now many we did we did prompt signing up at the green Fair quite a bit too so um yeah I don't and I do think that it's also hard because people are turning over in and out we have used data last time the rental housing came we did ask for some kind of statistics and they did provide them um you know I think of the the um short-term rental report that we you know we are we are kind of muddling our way through some data whether it's the data that we need or whether we think it's useful is different question I suppose in some ways but um you know to speak historically on on things that we have looked at um we're a data town in academic town so I think more is always helpful um but we we have in some ways I think I guess in my perspective we have used data Julia I I felt we did not get the data from rental housing that we asked for and that we asked for it more than once so I guess uh Kristen is it still open can we still add things to that list of questions for them like absolutely okay because you know we didn't you know we heard no they've never issued a citation on giving out the booklets but like we didn't get the statistics on how many fines were actually collected like we wanted some numbers so that we could go to city council and say we think if you there could be some offset of the cost of a new inspector if more fines were issued for chronic um abusers of the system and we never got the numbers to pursue that thread um when would be like a a hard stop for accepting more questions for rental housing I can ask them um considering they will have had months to prepare by November um I can follow up and ask if they have a preferred um kind of end time to receive questions I want to add also that um something available is to submit a foyer request and I know that some of this data if if it's not compiled or if a document doesn't exist already then it's not something that can be foed but um much of the data and is public information so that might be something um if you're looking for something specific that I'm not able to create that could be an option too or able to kind of gather and get for you rather than create um for the future so then for the next tened education committee meeting um it sounds like going over the bylaws again within the meeting so we have something specific to to bring back to the group and also um what was it kind of thinking about different data types and what kind that we actually want does that sound right Julia okay all right um is there anything else about the the bylaws for tonight all right then we'll go ahead and oops move forward too many windows open [Music] um we don't really have a report from HH ASB tonight but like I said we do have someone who's interested um we have their new application as well um because it's a position that gets appointed um they've submitted that I looked at it it was answered it was really thorough so um The Hope is that they can get on in the next um in was it no in November is is the Hope um let's see [Music] did are there any reports from other Commissioners then it's uh Kristen do you have a report for us have any formal report I do know that um a box of almost 400 booklets was picked up um either I think end of last week so that is a positive update for the group that's great Jordan Kristen I just wanted to ask one question I saw that um Downtown Development Authority was having like a work session next week on the 23rd it looked like at 2 o'clock I actually saw like a lawn sign for it um out in Car Town the other day is that something that like would be helpful to have some of us attend does anybody else know like what what that's supposed to be but perhaps I mean I I think I can try to go if anyone else wants to join me but I wondered if you knew more about what it is um it said like feedback on the downtown development plan but I don't that's still kind of foreign speak to me so I was curious about that I thought that it was related to the city um working on a new comprehensive plan for zoning and land use but I will double check right now because I that is different from what and I'm picturing the sign the like green and blue sign so I I'll look it up and one thing I saw said it like started at 11 or something but then I saw two and then I saw two to three and then I saw two to four because I kind of Googled so there was like some varying times out there but if you could I mean if you feel like it's perent for us to be there you want to email the commission any of us that could could go could try to pop down to the library for that and what day did you say was I I vaguely remember something in the back of my head 23rd 23rd at the library downtown um starting at 2 pm I think that's what I'm seeing on like the official City site I didn't catch a picture of the um the lawn sign unfortunately um I think Barb I saw your hand go up and down that was way back when we were still talking about uh the um procedures and because I might have just did it just flickered on there oh you know it's something's not working on my end because I kept pushing it and I was seeing nothing up there so sorry okay I no I have no questions at this point okay well speaking of the comprehensive plan they are still actively working on that um housing is a big part of it um we just had a focus group meeting on that with um myself um someone from the from the Cooperative Avalon was invited um and other groups or stakeholders were invited to that one um and it sounds like that they're really trying to figure out ways to have more affordable units um and there is something to be said though in my opinion about I mean yes we're the renters commission but there are and this is also a part of what other people have brought up is that we do have renters who want to become home homeowners who don't necessarily want to stay renters as well um and that was kind of one of my biggest takeaways because they're trying to figure out how to do units but we're very it's en tired um Also I spoke with Leslie who's the chair for um the Human Rights Commission and she'd really like it or the Human Rights Commission would like it if we could work more closely together um they do get housing complaints and they also get they've gotten complaints about like the early leasing ordinance and other complaints as well um um and so that's also data and they'd like to do some data sharing um and they also have people from this students from the School of Social Work who are working on certain projects with them and um if anything sounds as though it would be renter related then she said that they she would send some of those students our way as well um that's it for my update on that um Kristen I think it's time for the second public comment and then we'll just we do Communications and a journ um public comment can be made by phone at 877 5247 or 888 78899 um and entering meeting ID 935 941 you can also join the zoom meeting with the zoom Link at a2gov.org renters commission meeting after you join the meeting by phone you can press star n to raise your hand um if you join the meeting uh with the zoom link you can use the raise hand feature to be called on to speak can address the renters commission about any topic for up to 3 minutes we'll wait just a minute to see if anybody joins there are no speakers okay then moving on it it saw Communications there was only one communication and that was from Varsity management um just to summarize they I don't know I think it was probably the reporting of the meeting uh of our last meeting they watched that when um their previous letter was being discussed and they were disappointed in how the commission reacted um to their letter and they still have concerns about I think it was the early Leasing ordinance um and will most likely be contacting um the city council members about their concerns that they're having or issues that they're having with it or that the renters are having um and they also were questioning the ability of the renters Commission an impacting policy and kind of like what power do we have or not have with that um think that that was the gist of it did I miss anything Christen I think that's a really accurate description of the um communication I want to add that I added two and I should have um called that out in the email when I sent the update there's two new Communications one of them is a rent or is a a prospective an arbor resident reaching out for um kind of like a I'm having a difficult time finding a rental that fits what my needs are is this a group that can help me or is this like not what you do um and then there was another communication from someone who appears to be a current renter explaining um what I think was a potential violation of um the requirement to provide the paper booklet and then also something else I don't have it open I can open it if you guys would like it was the electronic version they'd gotten was not up to date got okay Jordan can we um I do think that we should respond to VAR City I mean obviously we do want to hear concerns um we don't make the laws but you know we are here with city council folks who can um make changes and impact things and so I think we should respond to our city and we should would say we would like to hear your concerns you know can you please put a brief summary of them so that we can decide if you know an email or a meeting is is a good way and then the second thing is you know if they're they can also encourage their renters to reach out to us so if they're renters um to Center the voice of renters here if the renters at Varsity are um struggling with the ordinance and have things they want to share with us like we we want to hear from them and so I think that we should reach out and encourage both of those things personally um and then the the uh one about where to find rentals I think a lot of folks that are kind of coming in mid year do find a lot of connections on Facebook and other social media groups which is not ideal and not the dream place where we would like to find rental healing but um outside of normal websites like Zillow and red and those kind of more um apartments.com those leasing kind of places um I'll just throw that out there as um where I know a lot of a lot of folks that I know connect with housing kind of midy year um through different pH Facebook housing groups having a high suspicion for spam um and for scams um but I would make that suggestion for someone looking for housing coming here too the unfortunate thing is that they can't really post on next door but I know that that's been a way for people to find housing also but that's more once you get here [Music] unfortunately um Julia I would just like to add in the comment that Jordan said about contacting Varsity that you know we do have two open slots in every meeting where people are welcome to speak right and do remember from the last meeting that um part of it was is that for me I didn't think it was I don't want to say worth it speaking to me alone but I think it was would be more appropriate for them to speak to the entire group that way when I report back to the group nothing's left out um and it's coming directly from them so it's not nothing's left out it isn't open to my interpretation um we did talk about inviting them to come um speak to the to the group before not just a public comment but if they wanted if there was something they wanted to present to the group that's also was something that was welcome as well it just wasn't going to be a one-on-one [Music] meeting all right if there's nothing else then I need someone to make a motion to adjin the meeting all motion all motion we did it again we did the second I'll second thank you all those in favor of uh adjourning for the evening please unmute and say I I all those are close say no all right then the October meeting is officially adjourned have a great rest of the month and um the in well today's Thursday so this time I really will send it out next week the the wi to meet for the tenant education committee meeting after um but it'll be after the election right have a good night everyone you too thank you you so much bye bye he