If we were able to do that, we all did something wrong. Um, and so, um, you know, maybe we could come up with about $400,000 is our initial glance. I mean, this has only been since Tuesday and I was at a conference today. So, um, the other thing that, you know, we could do and and all these have pros and cons. Increasing class sizes, absolutely not favorable. Um, but it's one way to control budget. Flatline non-payroll accounts like maintenance and instructional accounts, increase revenues, the fees, um, or cut programs altogether. None of those are things that don't have um anxiety and concern around them. Um but they're all things that are things that we will all have to consider down the road. We were asked um in that meeting on Tuesday for what would in essence the budget look like if it were um flat with the exception of the enrollment increases and contractual things.
Thank you. Thank you. That's a counseling. Yes, it is. Come on up, Cassie. Hello. Hi. My name is um Cassandra Wily. I'm the principal at Desert Valley School. Um my assistant principal is Mary Poselli. She's here in the back with a baby. And uh Miss Morgan, Maggie Morgan, is my instructional coach. Uh she's not here tonight, but she does play a tremendous role in our progress at Desert Valley. So, I'm probably going to cover a lot of things that you've seen four times before. So, I'll try to add some clarity to it if I can and kind of say and share our story at Desert Valley. So, if you look at these pictures here, uh these are all examples of teaming in the classroom through various tasks. I mean, if you see the kids sitting down um on the colorful mats, those are our kindergarteners.
You know we can't you know the transportation contract is the contract the the uh maintenance is the maintenance contract. So, what you have before you is this. You're used to seeing this um budget line. I apologize that it's in like I think it's three font. I' I've learned recently that it's maybe time to look at glasses, but um the um director and supervisor position uh because that's not enrollment related, uh that'd be a reduction of 175,000 on the um salary line. Um um and as you go down, these are all positions that uh as you go down that first page, these are all positions that um are contractual uh or that we, you know, we couldn't cut substitutes. We know we're going to have substitutes um and there's going to be a cost associated with that. the pared educator cost. Um we've seen uh significant increase in minimum wage as reflected in the contract as reflected in the uh 8.76% increase on that line.
And um something that's pretty remarkable is when we started the instructional empowerment like process, we started with partner talk. like how can two kids talk to each other in a meaningful way. The picture that's all the way down on the right hand side it on the board you notice it says the expanding thinking. So I can't just tell you I agree with you because we both read the same story and you know the character did do that. They have to say well yeah I found that on page 18 and I think that that's important because and I have something else I want to tell you about the character too. Right. So, one of the things about emper empowerment and the progression of skills is that it never stops. It never stops. So, when our kids are enriching and meeting that threshold, there's something else for them to get better at, right?
Um but again you guys have have all heard this um when we went through it. So the second page um it's actually labeled page three on the bottom, but um that we have estimates um is you can see that were noted as I I just covered, but you know, we're flatlining all of those uh accounts in red. Uh textbooks, library media, uh curriculum materials, uh library media supplies, testing supplies, replacement equipment, and new equipment. um flatlining them to 2425 numbers. Uh on the last page, we um again are are flatlining things out where possible. Um that includes rentals and leases. The costs there, the travel conference, um $1,100, um 16,000 in office supplies, uh about 4,000 in dues and fees, uh and then a cumulative roughly um 400,000 in maintenance items. The grand total of those reductions is 684,000. Uh again, you know, if we could rally 400,000 or so, I mean, we're looking at 1.1 million out of the next year's budget and this year's budget to try and um you know, come closer to what what would be palatable.
So, that's kind of a double-edged sword as a principal and you're working with teachers because it's like you're you're setting the bar all the time and when they reach it, it's like, guess what? I got something else for you to get great at. And what's awesome about it is I brought two people who are exceptional at that that I want to make sure that they talk tonight because they actually create things before we even learn them in empowerment. When they see barriers in the classroom with students having these things, they're like, I can get rid of that by adding this. And that's the really great part about a product like empowerment as well is it's not just you have to use it this way because it's this and that's the only way. You still get to be yourself within the process. Your teachers get to have autonomy.
So, I wanted to go through that with you and um answer any questions. This is a draft. Um, and so I think we would probably come back to the table when we're looking at anything more significant. Thank you. So the the uh deficit right now, including the budget increase, I'm sorry I missed this, including the budget increase is $15 million roughly. Yeah. Okay. So, if you took the CPS budget and all the departmental budgets and um the uh um debt service, the whole nine yards. Yeah. You're looking at about 15 million. How much is the debt service in there? Because the new schools, do you know? I'm assuming actually on the table in the back, it's 2.9 million. Oh, three million. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so $15 million. I don't know what the rainy day fund is. I'm sure they have something, but just say that's a few million dollars that they say they take $5 million out of the rainy day fund.
They get to create and like break down barriers for students by using the tools they have. So if I don't have those skills inherently in me, maybe I didn't learn them through like my typical college career, I can use what they have. But if I have a lot of those skills, guess what? I can take that and build. And so that's like a really good jumping off point for some of our more proficient teachers also, I think. So when they accept the challenge and take it, some really cool things can happen. And uh my own son's in one of these pictures. So, you know, I love when he comes home and he says, "I got summarized with my friends today and they had a way better idea than I did. So, tomorrow I'm going to do it different." So, I like that about that. It's not always his way all the time.
Is this crazy for me to be thinking like this? We have a $10 million uh deficit to cover and the traditional split between the town and schools is about 2 to one. 2/3 for the schools, right? Yep. Okay. So if they took $5 million out of the reserve or state gave more funding or something like that, we're we could very easily be looking at a six or seven million deficit above and beyond the $1 million that you're saying you have an idea for covering. This is a really that would um be ultraaggressive in the sense that it you're that calculation would mean that there is zero tax increase. So I think I think what we're looking at is some combination of those items you mentioned rainy day um reductions obviously and some tax increase to to balance that. Is there something is this a and I apologize if I missed this.
Being able to hear somebody else's way to make his learning better is very, very important. So, I'm happy to hear that he's learning that skill. Um from Angie Richardson. Shout out to Miss Richardson if you're at home watching. Okay. In the next pictures, you can see this is one of our fourth grade classrooms. Up here, that student is standing tall and proud. We we in some of our rooms, our students stand and they talk just like we're doing tonight. Not an easy skill for a fourth grader, but man is it powerful. So, we're always really excited to share what they're doing. The think, the share, the expand always important. Stop, wait, go. If I tried something, it isn't exactly what I thought. How can I fix it? How can I resolve it? How can I make it better? Right? We don't stop when something gets hard.
Is this a one-year is this a one-off because the mil the grand list comes back next year. Yeah, you didn't miss it. Um I I mentioned that the vast majority of the grand list growth this year is dedicated to North End. uh it's a lower percentage next year. Okay. In the third year honestly more of a windfall. Um we would be collecting substantial money. In that third year there you know there is debt service obviously on the buildings as well but the grand list growth would be significant in that third year. Wh why is that? Because the north end comes online gets a certificate. Everything is online. Okay. and you've paid off the fees to the contractor for site development. Okay, got it. Okay, so that makes sense. So, we're looking at a significant problem for at least two years that we need to figure out.
We find ways to eliminate barriers and move forward. The same things in learning. We know when kids hit blocks, they stop learning and they give up. This process really encourages them to think. Here's somebody else. How can I apply it and maybe it will get easier for me by trying again. So that's kind of a little bit about teaming. Here's our implementation dashboard from kindergarten to fourth grade. The learn section is are the teachers going into the online dashboard and watching videos. Right? So if you look up there, my third grade team has watched the most videos at Desert Valley and my first grade team has watched the least videos. So if I really want to know who's going home watching videos at night, that's going to show me. The implementation section down the middle shows whether or not Miss Morgan sees those things in action in the classroom.
Probably a significant problem this year, um a problem next year. Okay. And then, you know, a much better space in year three. But it's it's totally it seems to me like it's reasonable to say that we probably have to figure out a few million dollars the current budget. Yeah. I you know I think we're going to have to do something. I I don't know what the number is. Yep. Um you know it I I think it's I don't call it easy because there are there are consequences that reductions have on any right. So like these there are consequences to these reductions and it's not great but you know it's survivable. um plus the four, you know, we're down to 1.1 without having significant, you know, uh impact, adverse impact. But, you know, this is the stuff that we would consider valuable and necessary like the board did when we went through the process.
So her primary responsibility is just to coach. Coach within the model of instruction, coach within good teaching, coach within meeting the standards. So when she sees those things occurring, it gets marked as yes, I see them implementing. So I'm my highest implementing team right now is fourth grade. Then when it goes over to measure, myself and Miss Posinelli, we go in to measure. That's where that calibration comes in. Is what we see being taught actually measurable? Because if I see a huge lift in like that Miss Morgan's seeing it in the classroom, but when I go in and measure it's not actually happening, that's a problem. Or vice versa. If I go in and say, "Wow, I'm measuring it. I see it all the time. How come she's not seeing it in coaching?" Also a problem. It means that I don't have that consistency happening.
It's it's going to be more impactful though, I'm sure, going forward. Um yeah, so a couple of thoughts. Um, first of all, when I heard you speaking, it kind of sounded what I heard you say. It sounded to me as though you were saying, "Don't worry about federal funding because it's congressionally approved." So, I honestly I kind of shrug my shoulders at this point. If that really holds true, if Congress I mean Congress could act, would they? I don't know. Um, so I do think that's something that uh is part of the equation over the next whatever 12 months, six months, whatever it is. Um, and the other thing I see that you put in here like for busing uh what is it? People transportation no reduction possible the and then you said I think you said substitutes. You can't do anything about that. If we literally do lose teacher headcount, certified salary headcount, and end up with larger classes, I'm thinking we probably have a reduction in substitutes because we have fewer classrooms cover to cover over the course of the year.
So for us, when we see these numbers pretty close together says that we're kind of in that healthy cycle. It's not going to be perfect all the time, but that's how we calibrate against each other to make sure that we're not skewing the data as we move forward for where we really are. We're still in the red all the way down there. So, we have some teachers that are working hard. Our hope is to be closer to 40%. I think Heidi says it trains yellow around 40%. So, we're getting closer. Um, our last rigor appraisal data is up here for you to take a look at. So the blue bar is rigor appraisal one which happens at the beginning of the school year. The orange bar is rigor appraisal two um which was in the middle of the school year and then really rigor appraisal three we just had a few weeks ago.
And on something like the people transportation, if we got to the point of cutting programs, let's just, this is not something I'm advocating at least bit, but if sports got eliminated, would that had end up having an impact on bus transport? Okay. So, yeah, there are a lot of there are ramifications when you cut one area to others potentially. Um, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Um, and so that's why I said this is really a draft. Um, and I think it's a at a place where um, we were asked and we would share this back with the council in that draft form. Um and I you know then I know that um we've booked another meeting with them for April 8th at 6:00 p.m. 10th 10th 10 p.m. 10th April 10th. Yeah. Tentatively the 10th. Uh that may have changed though because Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's the eth.
So you can see in most of the categories well almost all the categories we grew for rigor appraisal 3 we saw a dip in two um and really lifted to an exceptionally high number in three. So, our overall score is a 7.1, which we're really proud of, but I think our biggest things that we're proud of is that we're an 8.8 in conditions for learning and standardsbased evidence. So, the max on that is 12. So, 18 months into that to be almost to a nine is like pretty good in my opinion. And it's probably some of the most important for this early like stopping point in the implementation. Are the conditions of learning ready for students to learn? Can they go in? Can they participate? Can they access curriculum? Can they learn? Can they show us what they know? That's it. How what does it feel like to be in the environment?
It's the eth. It's six. Yeah. Because that I know Sean had issues with that too. So they at least Noel confirmed with us yesterday, April 8th at 6. And if that changes, I will certainly update you, but um I know clearly not the end of the conversation. Um and uh we will certainly be evaluating you know if if there are further reductions that have to be made you know we would put forth recommendations uh to you for consideration. Um and it's a you know it is a tough spot for everybody and this isn't because I'll be honest you know I've worked here 20 years there were years where I felt like the council was just being malicious. Um, frankly, I I haven't seen that. You know, this is this is a genuine they don't they're not looking to tag us or anybody else. This is just we we got a problem collectively and we got to collectively figure it out is the bottom line.
We know if the environment's not good, learning's not good. So, I always want that number to be very high. We hold a pretty high standard for expectations over there at Desert Valley for both teachers and classrooms. So, we like to see that number fairly high. So, that's really good for us. Between rigorwalk 2 and rigorwalk 3, uh we did a lot of work in making sure that everything we taught was aligned to the standard. So standardsbased evidence, what that means is if I go into a classroom and I see a student doing a piece of work at a desk, it has to be aligned to the standard at the right level of learning. Has to be. If I go in and kids aren't actually doing anything, there's no evidence. That score is zero. Doesn't even get scored. So for it to be 8.8 it means that whether I go in in science, reading, math, writing, whatever that is on those rigor appraisal days, if I go in in the first 10 minutes, the second 10 minutes, the third 15 minutes, however that 60120 block is split up, students are doing something that shows evidence aligned to the standards, which tells me that in a full progression of a lesson, they're doing a lot of work like they should be.