I think it's an absolutely it's always good to look at you know data and see what's working in terms of the tools I mean our teachers aren't there are no other questions of clarification and I'm going to ask for uh our listened speaker Carson Bradley hi everybody uh is there a time limit there is you have three minutes three minutes uh do we have a timer set so 30 seconds the tone will let you know 30 seconds left okay first first time speaker here, so bear with me. Um, first of all, Becky, thank you so much for presenting this to to get on the agenda. Thank you all board members. Thank all you guys for being here. We're all trying to do the best we can. Um, I prepared some remarks. I'll just go ahead and read because then it'll be a little more um clear clear thinking.
Not right now. We have been told that that is something that people are interested in. Makita and I have talked about that as our subcommittee. Um, it's something that we will work to do, but right now if they're interested in any of them, they should attend a meeting and see they could call and talk to or they can talk to Susan or they can reach out to the chair. Yeah, they should do both. They should do both. They should, but initially maybe talk to Susan and then they're still interested. Yeah. And then attend a meeting. Thanks, Susan. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. um textile clothing uh recycling. There's you have to reach out to simple recycling. Um on our consent agenda, Brandy, you had something you'd like to pull. Um yes. So, I'm going to pull item B, which is vote to post the approved executive session minutes from 117.
Um, so, uh, I would like to use this opportunity to question the one to one Chromebook ratio of the district and hopefully open up some serious dialogue regarding what appears to be a full speed ahead commitment to Chromebook learning. I would argue that 247 access to their own laptop might not be necessary to ensure that they are prepared to succeed in this tech heavy world. In months of research and meetings and observations, I'm concerned with the answers that I have been getting to the many questions that I have been asking about usage, safeguarding, etc. The safeguards and policies in place are not nearly strong enough for our elementary school kids, perhaps even for our middle school kids. As such, it is my hope that we can take a deep dive into what we are setting out to accomplish by handing these out to our youngest kids as their very own laptop to carry with them at all times for the duration of their CUSD student lifespan.
We still have um some the vers the versioning hasn't quite worked out yet. So, we're gonna pull that. And um I'm sorry. What was that, Brandy? I I couldn't hear you. Sorry, Joe. So, the executive session minutes, we're going to pull that B from the consent agenda. It's still we're the the version that was sent out in our packets isn't the correct version. So, we'll we'll correct that and we'll um approve that at the next meeting. Yeah. Okay. So, if I can get a motion to accept the consent agenda might minus item B. So, moved and a second. Second. Okay. Uh, roll call vote. Many I. Keegan I. Bennett. Hinsman. I. And Greavves. I. So, the consent agenda passes. Um, those of you who want to go to TJ's, they have their approval now for their marathon day. and Wine Empire has a number of single day licenses for things at Corner Spot and all other fun stuff.
often this is the very first personal device they're receiving and as in our case with parents who are not ready for that and who are not wanting their child's elementary school experience to be that we've put up a smartphone policy in place yet we have actively handed out Chromebooks that have similar functionality to the smartphone and certainly share many of the same issues. Do we know how much is how much time is being spent on Chromebooks at school, at home? How much time are teachers spending policing Chromebooks in the classroom or on campus? What are Chromebooks doing to our kids social skills, their mental health? What are Chromebooks doing to our kids attention spans and focus when they play educational games that addict them to dopamine hits? How's our handwriting looking? Are Chromebooks improving our academic outcomes? Are Chromebooks safe when they can be used to access all kinds of websites, not just those vetted by the teachers?
So, we're getting ready for summer. You know, I just could I just just I speak to about TJ's just because John did come and and said he has to be here in person. Yeah. John Tomas from um TJ's and and I just wanted to recognize um how supportive they are of all town activities. I know personally how supportive they've always been of school functions sometimes, you know, for the teachers and always, you know, doing the best um they could at at such reasonable prices for us. And so, but they truly are very supportive of everything um that goes on in town. So, thank you. And and John is uh you know, he's out there delivering the food and everything else. So, so anyway, so thank you to uh the Tomas family. Okay. uh moving into town manager report. Michael, why don't you go ahead? Sure.
Each one of these websites collect different data on our children. How are we ensuring that all of that data is safe? 30 seconds. There are so many questions to answer. I think we need to provide the answers. Research shows that experts are telling us to limit screen time. Rearch show research shows us that the educational value of pencil to paper. I believe that we can work together, teachers, parents, the district, the board to take a good honest look at the way we're using Chromebook learning and screens in our classrooms. And again, I asked the question, are Chromebooks improving our academic outcomes and our students well-being? If the answer isn't obvious and a resounding yes, then we need to seriously re-evaluate these tools. There are too many risks and the stake is too high. Sorry to go over. I appreciate it. Thank you all. Are there any other members of the public for the public who want to listen to this?
So, um I'll start with uh the FY26 budget update. So, uh just remind everybody, I'm sure you have it marked on your calendar and you've got your alarm set for Saturday um for our tri board meeting with the uh school committee and the finance committee. Um I should tell you that we'll be joined uh by two members of our finance team. Um well Cindy was at Cindy Sinata was at our our last one which was the uh treasur collector and then Steph Clifton who is our um assistant town accountant uh currently will also be joining us as well. So it' be nice to have them in attendance. Um, we've got some updated data uh that was requested at the uh last tri board meeting that we'll present to all the boards including some of the more revolving fund uh like uh information for general government.
I'm here um to support Rebecca on her effort to item for future conversation. Thank you, Danielle Penny. I am also here to encourage that this be agenda so that we can dig in deep and look into this. as somebody who has worked in the classroom and seeing how much time that the students spend on the Chromebook. I think it's something we really need to look at. Thank you very much. You have members of the public. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate you. Thank you guys. With that, do we have a motion associated with this? I'd like to move that we agenda. I second it. We have a member Congress by member Hayes. Uh it is open for debate and I'd like to ask specifically what do you actually want to see? What kind of like stack together? I think it would start um particularly with a parent survey.
I know Jim in the school school department put uh put together a good presentation with a number of pieces of information that are helpful and so we'll try to provide the same. Uh, you know, Jim and I have spoken a bit and um, you know, the school committee is still working on their budget, I think, and still finalizing their budget. Uh, but I do expect it to be a little bit more than what uh, we have uh, programmed in there for right now, which again, when you take all of our general fund u revenue and expenses together, we're currently facing a deficit of 1.7 million. So, uh, that could that number could go up a little bit. Um, that being said, we do have a number of resources that we can use uh from one-time funds to uh look at um at potentially plugging that gap, including uh similar to what we did last year, utilizing the special education stabilization fund um which you did uh see in the warrant we do have a placeholder for as well as uh the overlay surplus which is I believe Don's going to go to the um board of assessors next week and ask for that.
I mean that being the most important component like is this something that parents are wanting their child to have? I mean, as Carson mentioned, this is um her child's first device, and I certainly think that that stands to reason to ask them what their opinion is. Um I do believe that it should be different for each sort of grade level. You know, elementary should have a different standard um compared to middle school, compared to high school. I'd like to don't It's something that information that we could gather, but I think it would be information to know like are Chromebooks is it positively benefiting their academic performance? I mean that stands to reason. I don't know if that information is available. Um and I guess parameters um safeguards that are already in place. Are these safeguards actually effective? questions. So, and I'll I'll say also from a you know a teacher's perspective um while I while I appreciate that at some point we want our kids to have you know access um to maybe their own device.
Um as well as ARPA funds. Um and uh so we should uh after just to go back a little bit I know um we had talked about you know what things would look like with like a 10% um cut and we started doing that exercise and it was just absolutely it it it's just it's not um it's just it's you can't do it. um we don't necessarily have enough discretionary, you know, resources in there or discretionary revenue or expenses, I should say, uh to make that work. Um so that's just kind of a bigger overall snapshot. I really just wanted to discuss how we're going to set up the discussion for Saturday.
Um I guess I would love to hear from elementary school teachers like how are being used and um is the um is the maybe a benefit is for differentiated instruction and how else could that happen and um and could they accomplish the same thing by having an inclass set rather than something that is taken home so that each class could have like before co I had a classroom um set with it own little rolling cart that charged, you know, 36 computers for my for my freshman class. And so it seems like um there there would be an option to have so for elementary school teachers, I'd like I'd like to know really a report from them to see my focus like Rebecca saying, you know, focus really on the younger grades. Um yeah, I as I've said instruments in a previous meeting. Just the sheer weight of a Chromebook for a second grader.
And um yeah, does anybody have any questions? Michael, I do. If if you don't mind, Madam Chair. No, go ahead, Joe. If if we start utilizing those stabilization funds, is that could that have an impact on our uh bond rating uh at some point if the S&P looks at it and says, "Oh, geez, you know, you're you're using these monies. Uh you're not, you know, you're not being finan uh physically sound with respect to your finances." Is that something that could affect our uh bond rating? Yeah, absolutely. If um if you recall, I was a little bit concerned about it last year and uh Jen, were you on that bond rating call? I don't Yeah, I I had to do um do a little fancy footwork. Um and uh we talked about all the great plans that were happening in Ashland that uh hopefully got them concentrating on that.
I mean, I know that second graders come in all sizes that literally my granddaughter, she's so petite. And I'm I No kidding. I think this this would be a third of her weight in second grade. I'm I'm not joking. She's tiny. And so it's like having to carry just physically carry it around and just I don't see the third grader or whatever. I guess I want to also add in an important point is fiscally like the cost of the Chromebook and I mean is the financial cost really paying out? Are we seeing the financial payout of this Chromebook? And other another thought I mean I know that like you said they're going back and forth with the kids to school. I mean is there an option to just purchase like a classroom copy and they actually in the classroom and they don't travel back and forth because there's a I mean I I love the fact that Carson's an involved parent, but we have students who don't have parents um available at home and then we're sending them home with this device and they're they have access to who knows what.
And uh we're we're very lucky in that we did get reaffirmed at AAA uh after that call as well. But yes, Joe, uh the more times we do it, the the less favorably the bond rating agencies look at that. Thanks, Michael. Which as you I think are are going to point out, you know, the higher the bond rating, the higher the interest rate. And so, you know, we taxpayers ultimately end up paying more. Mean the other way around, right? The higher the bond rating, the lower the interest rate. Oh gosh. Sorry. That's okay. Yes, we are paying attention. Michael, hey, I could be Treasury. I was gonna change it to use. Let's use worse and better. There you go. There you go. I could be Treasury Secretary. U I do have one more piece of information that we haven't really discussed in depth just because um well we only recently received the the money the funds but we did get some guidance uh from the department of revenue on how to apply or how we could apply the money that we received from the inflation inflation readjustment act um where they monetized the tax credits and so made municipalities eligible to receive funs based on energy efficiency improvements that they included in their projects.
Um so I just have a lot of concern with what's available to them when they leave the campus. And this is like we're providing to them to access unlimited information or what I mean to be determined to be add um I elementary yes but I I also interested in the impacts you know at all grade levels and then specifically like social emotional and just having interactions with your peers think I'd be interested at elementary and it's a given day. How often for how long how much each time are students on Chromebooks? Um and then addition at secondary, middle school, and high school in your class, how often are kids using their phones? That that would give me some kind of solid information that 90 minute block period. Kids are on their Chromebooks for 70 minutes in seven of their classes. Or maybe it's the other way around.
Um, and unfortunately it is very limiting. Um, it was something that I was hoping we could potentially use as a revenue source for a number of things, but it turns out that really the only um we're only able to apply it to debt service payments um that are made on behalf of those respective buildings. So, so we have very little flexibility. there is a little piece of flexibility um that we could potentially utilize to um you know help with the budget if that's the direction we choose to go in, but right now it's not looking very good. Are you referencing that the tax credit that we're going to get? Correct. Right. Okay. But we have we still haven't even received it. Is that true or false now? No, no, no, we have. But Oh, we had the letter and then now we've actually received the payment.
You know, it's kind of appropriate. I spent the day today um chaperoning a field trip with my fifth grade daughter and it was a glorious day at the Sutter and we were we saw snakes and we, you know, looking at different wild flowers and algae and I mean just like those are the experiences I want for our kids more and more and not looking at these. That's all. Thank you. What I'd like to make sure that we look at is we have what nine years now with the one Chromebook. Yeah. probably around eight or nine years was one to one. Yes. That um we have a we have a big bucket of information and pulling together how successful we are at different issues surrounding the information we're trying to get to our students. We should be able to disagregate that information in a way that helps us make the decisions that it seems as though we're all questioning.
So $3.2 $2 million. It's three, I think, 3.325. Okay. But it and it can only be used towards the debt on the buildings. Correct. That would be the debt of the school and the public safety building. Correct. Okay. Does it have to be used proportionately or can it be used any way you wanted? In other words, that's a good question, Claudia. I'm assum and I've asked for clarification, but I'm assuming it would need to be done proportionally. So would that would that possibly go back to taxpayers as far as like a a credit? It could my understanding is it could go. So we still have some stuff to bond. So instead of bonding it, we could potentially use this to pay down some of that other debt. Um there's other things that are being discussed. So Okay. But yeah, the the idea is that it will go toward the the funding of in one way in one way.