So thank you staff and thank you to Amber and Danisha for u having the leadership and the courage to be able to do this is a perfect example of being bold, being brave and being busd. So thank you a big shout out to them. Um, I also want to express my appreciation to the primary school for hosting in March the community day and um making the best based on the the best best on the best based on the weather um in which um I got to see and and witness the community, the staff. Um special thanks to operations for uh everything that had to do behind the scenes and all of our teachers uh that they were participating. and um everyone seemed to have a great time and thank you everyone that participated. Um next I also want to use this moment um to encourage our families um our registration for next school year it is open um and we are proud to announce that we have the online s online registration system um please uh contact your school or your um your parent at your school.
So take that out of your about it. So, so when are we trying to when are we trying to solidify this? Oh, go ahead. I thought we were going leaning towards the maybe the wolf, but maybe you know. No, no, that's fine. I just wanted to like we don't have Okay. So, again, what is our goal? When are we trying to solidify this? Put this in a finality on this by May. Yes. Okay. And Okay. everything. We need the design so they can start constructing it and creating it. And so, like I said, we need a direction from you. So, we go out and sell it to the kids, the students and let the name and once we have that, we can pass it off hopefully early May that we're ready to go by August. So, do we go around and say, "Yay, nay." What?
Look at him. Look at him go. Yep. He's going. I'm hearing him next door, too. Look at that. We're getting We're getting it done. We're wiping them out, man. Yep. So, now we got to hold this for about 10 more seconds. Yeah. That progress bar across. Yep. Yep. Hold on. We got it. All right. Now, we got to escort that. Uh, time to move. 19 100.92 meters. Here we go. Time to move it out. Yep. Move it out, people. All right. Come here, will you? I'm doing all these hand gestures and everything and nobody can see us. They're missing out. I can tell you that much. Yeah. Yeah. My um my mom always told me I had a radio face. Yeah. I don't know what that meant. I don't know. It doesn't sound nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's wrong. She's There's the Reaper. The Reaper is my favorite character.
Um, so it's it's always a concern. It's a balancing act. How many how many like in the current contract? Obviously, we can't look into the future, but isn't there religious holiday time off or is there one only one day or more? Yeah. No, they get they get the paid time off. That's what they they take it and then it's a planning issue. Yeah. But I'm saying it's built into their contract to have a religious day. And so if we have that day off, then we're just going to need to pay for it on another day. I I I just I I don't know. It's not been in our calendar for many years. And and I think maybe not last year, but the year before was when the data was the Friday before vacation, which it happens to land again this year. We also looked at other communities around us.
And I don't know who Lauren Vito is but I have her name written down. Yeah. She's one of she's one of registered social work. Okay. Okay. and and she's the direct connection to be able to make recommendations, but getting folks to be able to engage is often part of the problem. But they're saying, you know, they're not getting any referrals. And I don't know what to do about that, but I'm just throwing that out there. My understanding is that the referral goes to the families, not a referral to them. Well, whatever. They're not getting any referrals. Anything else? Good. That's it. Okay. Thank you, Felicia. Onations. Uh, so we had a meeting on March 24th. We talked a little bit about uh collaborating with the town for communications. We did hear back from town that we were putting together some communication with the town. Worried about that go out to the community.
Um so it's a pretty cool process and it's um you know because it's kind of through this it's it's integrated directly in with the rebates and all that so you can get connections to everything there. Um folks can learn more if you want to get it for yourself uh you can go to the osi.2ggov.orgheatpump concierge. Um also um we closely monitor very various opportunities uh for our energy procurement and we recently took a step to procure more renewable energy for city facilities. Um an opportunity presented itself to sign with a choice program with constellation energy. Uh meaning the city will procure 100% renewable electricity at a lockedin largely fixed rate for approximately 70 of our sites for the next two years. Uh this is roughly 50% of our municipal electricity use coming from renewable energy sources. Um doing my now at this point once again monthly uh call.
But I will tell you that some of the same needs are still here. You have to communicate. If you don't do this correctly, what'll happen is we'll be in a situation where we'll be playing catchup and we can't have anybody be embittered that they weren't listened to. You know, my father used to say this all the time. He said, "Matt, never forget you're born with two ears and one mouth." So, what I would say to each of you really simply, start to divvy up and how to get out to community groups. We don't have as many as we used to in Clifton because the internet basically has become the community meeting ground, but you need to make sure that you get your story out there. I'm willing to help. I had the pleasure of meeting many of you folks at the strategic meetings. It was a good opportunity.
Well, maybe year two that number's seven or 6.8 and the following year it might be 6.3. I don't know. I'm just telling you that each year you could deposit less into capital reserve to account for the operational increases or we could make reductions. We might see breakage. We might see some aging staff reach retirement age and uh they they retire. And so now we've seen that wave of staff start to move on and we now have a younger staff and more inexpensive staff. And we also have no idea what state funding is going to be. So it's really difficult to predict the future. But I can tell you that this would set you up for financial solveny for my prediction many years ahead. By increasing to the full amount, this would possibly ending never- ending doom and gloom of budget season. Correct. For the foreseeable future.
Um it is fast, it is friendly. Um we encourage everyone the more students we get it um enrolled the better we can prepare. Uh we asking everyone to enroll their students now and before June 13. Um also I want to um share that our warrior bus is now retiring. Um and oh we have now two new buses that arrived um and and that's thanks to the guidance and and recommendations from Mr. B. So um we thank our warrior and sul for driving the bus and representing us for many many years. Um but now we we can begin um look for other partners that can can sponsor us for a beautiful warrior 2.0. Um, also another shout out to the family and community engagement uh, director um, during the month of March based on her report. Um, she has served 143 families and or distributed over 3,300 pounds of food.
What do we do? We don't. Okay. But are we saying wolf? Wolf. a wolf for me. Wolf. I don't care. Okay. I don't care either, but sure. That's I'm just gonna The wolf is The wolf is is is fine. I I guess I mean coming from a warrior head in in a dress, you know, headdress. I It It's fine. I mean, I guess if it helps, we do have like the um logo on the belt and the cape of the of the wolf. And then we will have like the accessory will be the spear like the actual arrowhead/spear is supposed to be a spirit. My only concern is I've been in this community since 2000. I don't know how people that have been here and gone to the school district how they would feel. Right. Alumni. I'm not alumni. So I I I don't know that I don't know that my opinion is is is as important as that.
I got pretty cool. Yeah, you got to get closer though. Yeah, he's got to get in there. Get in there. Mix it up a little bit. He's about to. Yeah, there you go. I like how how they wait. Kind of ambush him. Yeah, I like that. Sometimes Norwell's ready for him. Sometimes they're not. Yeah, just got to work together. Great shots there. Took out one healer. Oh, now we got both their healers down. But like we got Fish on the move. Yeah, we got Kinder. Yeah, he's on the move. Yep. Just healing our Yeah, I like that hamster. I like that. Pulled our hamster in to heal him back up. Yep. We're moving it. We're moving it. We're at 76 m already. We still got three and a half minutes. Yep. I think maybe take a break. Is that what you're maybe think that doing that well?
We know Western celebrates has that as not a school day as well too. So some communities do, some don't. The larger municipal cities do and again we just put it on there, right? We we wanted to have this conversation with people. Um and we gave that as an option. But Worcester would also celebrate other religious holidays as well on their calendar. Some some districts like Walton, some areas um take the the religious Jewish holidays off. They have that as a non-school day as well too. So it all depends what the community want and the school wants to celebrate as well too. So what it sounds like to me is that this has become a discussion because it's affecting because of a higher number which everybody like I would probably take the Friday off personally. Um, so it sounds to me like it's a it's a discussion that we're having because it affects the children and it affects the budget.
Um, and then we have the student at the center video that we're working on that will be coming out and going out to the whole district and communicated on all field newsletters that go out from the schools and our next meeting is Monday, April 28th. That one Thanks. Do you do you know um when the town piece is going out or uh Mr. Penny reached out to me this week uh to be able to uh set some plans around that. So I don't know yet cuz last time the three of us put together a little commentary. If they want us to do that again, I hope they can give us a little time. Yeah. Okay. All right. Okay. And I know there's no credit report, but thank you. Okay. Anything else on those reports? All right. Now, as I mentioned, just uh just make sure you mark your calendars for the annual uh budget hearing on the 28th and uh I think it's 6 Do I have that right?
Discounts for electric lawn care equipment and rebates for electric leaf blowers are still available. These are available through May 31st. Um for more information including the amounts you can go to osi.2vleafblowers. Um, and last thing for now, um, for our next sustainability forum, I know this has been a question that's come up a few times, um, but it will be on the sustaining Ann Arbor together grants or SA2T. Uh, this will be on April 24th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown branch. Um, for those who aren't familiar, the sustaining our Together grant, it provides um, financial support for community based activities that align with our city's sustainability and climate goals. Um and through this, uh local organizations have received grant funding for more than 45 projects that have positively impacted the Ann Arbor community. Uh so come out and join us as well as some of the past recipients to learn more about the process and the lasting benefits of those projects as well as how various organ organizations can apply for up to that $10,000 of funding.
I congratulate the board for that. But more importantly right now, this is really tough folks. We just lost three senior people on the city side and the city right now is trying to get its act together on what it will do with its budget. The county is going through its situation. So, you need to communicate as clearly as possible what's going to go on and what's taking place. And I just want to say to you, I appreciate the time and the service that you do as a volunteer. People have no idea the amount of time and active involvement that a commissioner does. And I applaud central administration, okay? The people that are on the front lines. These are our kids. This is our city. So, I want to say I wish you well on this, but please think long and hard. It's a thorough education, but it has to also be an efficient one.
You you mentioned the word if as assigned right again dollar for dollar to current expenses and we're right back here next year. So you mentioned the word end, right? I mean I think it's incredibly important to to note that that is I think virtually uh impossible because right kick the can you know long as set timeline right which our job as a board right is to determine how much of this we're going to take right to to determine when that deadline hits but at some point it will hit right whether you know think of it like a homework assignment we're looking at one week down the line two weeks down the line three weeks down the Um this the I want to be very clear on the fundamental problem that exists within our education system. At some point in the future, whether I'm on this board or I'm on that side of things, I will be looking at all of you again in this room unless the state has a fundamental change to how they fund education in New Jersey.
Um, so thank you for all of the work and reaching out to our partners to making sure that we provide an extra service. Having said that, I would like to now share the video for the month of March. [Music] Oh, stop.
Yeah. Like changing. Well, you represent them. You're the representation used to have a different I mean I I do but I you know I mean I'm not a creep bony or do we want to put put give them some options and let them vote and say their vote weighs this much I don't know survey it's important you know the history of this is is what you said you're not moving away from the history as long as we're not changing the history of that because the history is what how everybody gets to where you're at but I don't know that I can make that yeah we don't want to change the history but and we we don't want to disrespect certain ethnicities as well so it's a balancing act correct I mean I just want to be we got we got a little taste of that when we talked about Talala right yeah so we just got to make sure again that this is not a board decision yeah we agree with it but it's the community and and whoever all the stakeholders what is the what is the middle school called now they're supposed to be warriors also Warriors under the warrior umbrella now.
Maybe pull it over. Have a sip of a soda. Get back. All right. Seem to be strong. All right, let's get moving again. Our break's over. Get moving again. All right, we we got to stay. Remember that one place that Norwall got to that that that bend? Yeah, that was everything was jammed logged there. It was hard to get around. Yep. We we we can't make that same mistake. Got to get around there and get going. Seem to be stuck at 76 mters. Y let's go. Um I'm just getting some some friendly advice from assistant uh principal Stacy Morrison on my shout casting. Okay. Yeah, I'm getting some advice. What's she telling you? Well, she's telling me it's hard to believe it. But she's telling me I I should talk more. Do you believe that? I don't know if anyone's ever told you to talk.
And if we're having other religious holidays that we're doing that, then we would probably consider those, but I think those other places do. It's not that we're honoring one or the other. I think it's related directly to the situation and we just put it out there and that's why we wanted to have this conversation because we met as a group and thought we should put that in and um that's why we had so Lisa so so bees is only two to three but I assume you're you know to bigger I mean if you were to guesstimate how many were last year right well this year currently as of right now we have staff eight staff members requesting the day but that's also the try to incorporate. Yes. Yes. But I can't I mean I'm not I'm not pondering. I'm just Well, yeah. You can't also say that.