But, I mean, to be fair, I feel like it's such a fun game because it's so hyped up. Yeah, it's so hype as you said and it's like the whole the whole vibe around you just changes because of um because of the match and I think around us everyone, parents, uh siblings, friends, family, everybody just comes together as one. it sometimes is even treated more than a final would be because it's it's such a huge um game for both sides. But as you said, I don't think the players the players have to kind of play as they're just friends, but they're rivals at the same time. So yeah. Yeah, I agree. I mean, I truly believe that the media's been pushing this probably because of the history that we have had with Pakistan, including all the politics and everything. Um there was a lot of conflict in like the 2000s and like early 2010s where um India and Pakistan had a lot of conflict with like uh a lot of um battles like physically even I mean it was the players hated each other but nowadays I feel like everyone's been mellowed down and they're more friendly at least in the field and I don't think that hatred that they used to have is still there.
Um water did leak into the first floor hallway kind of near the nurse's office and um multi-purpose room. Everything was cleaned up. No damage there. The broken device was fixed that evening. Thankfully, the contractor that came out actually had the equipment on the truck and was able to fix it. So there was no delay in school or anything like that. we were able to to open that up. And then um a very exciting uh opportunity uh with a Wi-Fi grant uh that Eric has uh worked on behalf of the town and uh on behalf of the school district. He's applied for a competitive grant to add wireless access points to various public spaces throughout the town um and also on the school properties and this would include our athletic fields. Um and the town will be notified of the award at the end of April.
And and to that point, I don't want to throw a fly into the ointment, but the the knowing that and putting that in the budget is something that we need because these positions are absolutely necessary and we're currently working at a handicap which then prevents our kids from being, you know, properly educated. But, you know, to play devil's advocate, somebody can say, "Well, we're funding you for this money and you haven't spent it." um therefore you know it's like a prepayment but there may be different solutions to this which I don't want to get into now but you know it does create some some issues which going forward we you know have answers for may be able to tackle but you know it's just something that is on a horizon that we're aware and look to I guess negotiate Mike if you would go to the grant schedule and I want to thank Angela for the if there's anybody I can't see the hands yeah there is uh oh my gosh there we go just then you know call out your question if you got your hand up oh my gosh I can't find my I can't seem to get on.
However, the media pushes because that's what just what the media does. I mean, they want all the likes and everything. So, they push for things like um these beefs or these rivalries that barely even exist anymore. Yeah. Have you ever had a rival rivalry with somebody from another team? From another team? I mean, I can't really say cuz I feel like I've just um I've had like good connections with other people and there's been people like uh Wesley Jackson and on the Jam that I can remember who are great cricketers and they're amazing and um I've fought with them for like most runs and things like that, but they're truly on different levels. I think that point about connections is such a big part of sports and obviously you you haven't played with me and Ara much because we're in different age groups. But I know we have some pretty in Yeah.
really looking for that outdoor Wi-Fi access when you know folks are participating watching games etc. It will give us a lot more access. So we're there's 10 I think it's $10 million statewide. Um but it was a pretty quick turnaround and Eric really put the pedal to the metal to get that done. So we're hoping uh we do get something for that. And then finally on engagement in school climate we had an a really really robust speaks meeting last week. I want to thank the BHS teachers and uh students along with uh parents that participated. We really um we dug in on some budget communication and engagement as we get into budget season toward referendum. Uh in addition to that, talking about how the cell phone protocols are going at the high school, where where is there any opportunity for loosening up? Is there any opportunity for tightening up better communication?
Rich, I have one quick question, please. I know Michelle's looking for some information, it sounds like. Um, sorry. Yeah, if I'm unmuted. I can just ask. For some reason, my my photo's gone off my screen. Rich, thank you. Just quickly, um I know that when we were trying to um when we had the shortage of the 10 million and we kind of redesigned the whole district to accommodate for that $10 million, you know, squeeze with the budget. Um and we had found positions, I think it was like 120 or something that were not filled, but we were paying. I think 51 were staff and teachers. So, how far back are we trying to figure out the management of the personnel and where they should be allocated? Cuz I thought that was part of the recent um you know redesign I'm going to call it for the district.
interesting memories from hotels um when we go tournaments, going to the pool, remember playing wall ball. Yeah. On the side of the There's a there's a game in the actual game and then there's a game outside of the game. It's like that. Yeah. That's I don't think that's just one like I don't think that's something that makes cricket like unique. I think that's something that I see in all sports and that that's why I think it's like really important for everybody to at least try out a sport because you really meet so many new people and often times they become some of your like lifelong and best friends. Exactly. That's why I actually agree with that because the connections you make on the field are great, but it really is outside of the field during those like after the games, after matches, uh when you're just chilling in the pool and stuff like that where you really build those connections.
There things we could do differently. Um Mr. Abrago was there, so that was great to have administrator at that meeting as well. So we took the the minutes and um actually where's Bill? Bill took the minutes. Bill always takes the minutes for us lately. So um thank you for that. was great. And then the state of the district document, our uh I think it's the fourth uh annual that I'll be putting out is ready to go tomorrow for the first day of spring. So that's what I have. Unless there's questions, do we want to talk a Go ahead. Where can those minutes be or the minutes posted on the high school website or um we usually it's not a u a board administrative kind of group, but minutes we can pass. I think it just would be great to find out what the students think.
Um so is this something that you know on an average we're going to expect this much or because it just seems that we've gone back and we had found those monies, we kind of repositioned everyone. I'm thinking that takes, you know, looking into their status of where they are and what grant. So, I'm just, you know, maybe you could give us a little bit more information on that. Sure. I'm not Maybe I missed it. I'm not on finance, but I'd appreciate that. Thank you. No, of course not. No, it's a good question. And we did, we found some duplicates and things where uh the same position had two job codes, for example, and so that was more back-end cleanup that we did and and then we found savings there. Um, so that part was great. And there were some positions that had been posted that we said we no longer need these, right?
Yeah. So, yeah. So, how do you feel about um how cricket is going to grow in the US? Do you think we'll ever see do you think you think you'll ever play in the Champions Trophy for US one day? Um I mean there's always hope. There's always couple years. It's not an easy task especially how USA has been growing further and further and like how we beat Pakistan recently and I mean USA is becoming a big sport here in the U um here and the challenge is just going to get higher and harder and harder and it's not going to be easy. I guess the main goal Yeah. I guess the main goal for for all of us actually is playing on the USA team. And I think and I I think we hope and we want to play for USA and and USA we hope that they're going to get a champions trophy and everyone around try it out who I mean it's a great game and spread their word.
I'll share them with you tomorrow. Um And then does anybody want to chat about the memo I left for you? Yeah, I think that's really important. Um so can we so um can you give us like the I know this is the bird's eye view but but uh this this connects to um teachers working one right fewer day that was that was talked about. Yeah. So there was a question at after the board voted to move from 182 to 180 student days um accommodating the grad party accommodating a very a very sensible graduation on Saturday, August uh August June 14th. Um makes total sense to do that, but it was important. A question came up so the teachers don't have to come back on Monday the 16th. You know, maybe they could just end on Friday. What would that look like? And so I wanted to just go through and touch base on the various bargaining units.
We we either had a new position or a new person took over some part of the responsibilities or they were spread across uh different different people and and things like that. So we're able to clean that up. the um what we have right now is you know from the topsyturvy of er funds right we went through several years don't forget the last couple of years over you know I think we were given over 30 22 million and then another esser grant um and every time those grants kind of phased out you have staff that have to come back and be moved and um get put back into the system and then you have to refind a new grant or a new home or general fund and I think you know in the last couple of years Michelle that's It's um it was a whirlwind and so I don't know that a lot of things were uh when I actually took the time I sat with Mike and I was watching with Angela what it takes to move one person in a system they have to align correctly in HR they have to align correctly in EGMS which is a grant system that that that pulls and then the funding source on the back end and then if they have you know they could be a coach at the high school they could be they could have longevity they could uh maybe they were out and they had a long-term sub that also also gets tagged to their account.
Uh you know, three of which essentially are affected. Um the first is the question about the teachers. every day that the teachers work is um with approximately 250 teachers is about $92,000. So, we just need to know that and so um I would advise that we have our teachers work up to 187 which is part of the contract and we have plenty of things the teachers have lots of work to do to close out the year preparations for next year and there's also PD opportunities uh there. So, that would be my thought process on that just so you you all know that and you know being in a tight budget season it's important to know the actual uh uh figures. Um, so that's the first piece. Transportation. I'm gonna step out of the the um personnel for a second. Transportation. Uh, we were hoping it would be closer saving on two days of transportation, $25,000.
And what we were finding is that, you know, over time, all of these different little line items were coming from different places. And we're trying to bring everything home to a location and nail this down and and just get back to a place of stability because um things don't move easily in the in the back ends of these system. It's very cumbersome. Requires somebody who really knows the the system inside and out. Like really intricate. It's not intuitive. I look at it and I get dizzy and I I have to sit with someone from the finance office to do it. So, uh it's very tedious. So, um you know, this this team and I'm going to give the team so much credit because they the minute that they first Mike started the year off um with no help. We were thankful to bring on Angela Walsh.
We've met with Allstar. Um, there's a 45% um, uh, caveat, I suppose, in there. And so we save probably about $12,000 because we have a a broad contract with them um, for two days less of busing. Then we get into the other bargaining units. Now the other bargaining units, so everybody could just understand for a quick second, we've got par profofessionals, our nurses, secretaries, custodians, and administration. Secretaries, custodians, administration are not affected by the student days of a school year. Um, but paras and nurses do have language in their contracts regarding student days. And our parah educators, they they work the student days essentially to sum up their their their detailed contract. Um if uh none of the paras worked any those extra two days would be a savings of approximately 50 thou $15,000 for all of our paras. To that end it's important to note um we have been in touch with the par educator union and there is a sentiment that they would like the opportunity to work those two days and there are things and trainings and things we can do.
We were thankful to bring on Wanja. Um he's still a little bit short. We're working on that. But all they did, all these folks have been doing since the time they stepped in Beaverbrook in their roles as all new has been audit, audit, audit, audit. A fury of audit. And so, um, as you know, there was a small break in the audits for a moment. And we're really digging into some of the systems that we're that we have and how we're working those things together, but also how we're classifying folks. there's a lot of um will to have a location budget so we can see how much we're spending by a school or by a location and we've been unable to do that um to produce that in a way that we felt really good about um but because as we reset for 2526 the goal was to build that for 2526 but our current system is still based on the old kind of scramble of of where these positions have been docked to and so right now over the next couple of months the goal is to rebuild everything and and that's the it's a slow process of retagging every single person all their little stipens that they get their longevity things they're due from a contract four years ago to line those up in the system and to say this person works at Danbury High School and but their funding source is Alliance this person works at Danbury High School but their funding source is title two or it's title four so and because we've kind of forced over time to really rely over rely on grants um it's not easy for us I would love if everybody just came out general fund.
Um so we could kind of get a determination what the savings would be because we could survey how many pairs would actually like to work those two days or one day and not. So, I can work on that certainly or with the team. In terms of the nurses, it's a much smaller bargaining unit, only seven nurses. They've already worked their two additional days that they work to the student days um at the beginning of the school year. Um frankly, they need that time at the beginning of the school year, not at the end of the school year. So, they are more than happy to have two two days uh less to work um as summer approaches. Um but with the two days for all seven nurses would be about just over $2,000 saved. So I just wanted everybody to have a sense of the funds that that two days impacts in the school district.
That'd be so much easier uh in the system, but we really have to reclassify every year and the grants change every year. So, next year Alliance is going to go up. So, now we've got to take once we once we build the budget, now we're going to take more staff and slide those in to different grants that will absorb staff as we have over time. So, for us, it's a it's a really tough moving target because of the financial maybe tumultuousness that we've experienced. and that I think we're going to continue to experience for a little bit longer. But, um, the goal is to make sure that this team is on the same page and that they're training together on how to do this because they're all, like I said, they're all new in their roles. This is a complicated financial system. Um, we've been talking a lot about training and bringing this team did not have the benefit of Tyler training that we did when we first rolled over to the conversion.
Um ultimately at the end of the day my recommendation would be what I said earlier have our teachers work the up to 187 and you know have some plans for them and get the input from the teachers with their school administrators what they need to get accomplished in those days. You know we talked about this last year. There's a lot of work that we we can get done on non-instructional days. Um and then work with um and I and I would ask frankly I think it would be the most efficient way if the board um is is interested in this on advice of uh attorney Maher to uh engage in a very limited scope memorandum of agreement with both the nurses and parah educators as to what I just described herein in terms of those two extra work days just so we memorialize it so we're all on the same page.