And last but not least, um spring break is coming up March 24th and 28th. and please take an opportunity to pick up a book. Other than that, that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next up, we have the curriculum update. Miss Rivera. Yes, we have a couple things going on in the Well, we have many things going on in the teaching and learning department, but a couple that I want to highlight. Um, I want to take a moment to say thank you to our dual language teachers who have been diligently working together um to reign their curriculum maps to our literacy curriculum maps. So last year we spent time doing our curriculum maps for our general education English side of instruction. So now the dual language teams have been looking at their curriculum maps, making sure it aligns with our standards by trimester so that when the teachers come together to discuss their planning, they're on common language, common understanding, common standards, um, regardless of the program that their child is in.
We also did an analysis on what each company was going to take in via profit and overhead. Uh and this particular company is by far taking in uh the least amount of profit when compared to the the other companies by far. And I know we've we've said this and I've asked you this many times before, but just for the viewing public, even at this price per year, this is substantially saving money than having these people doing it all ourselves, having this all in house. Yes, that is that is correct. when you uh take into account salary and benefits al along with IMRF, social security, uh workman's comp, uh uh all those liabilities on the district, you'd be looking at probably an additional uh 2 to 2.5 million uh dollars added on to our on& and M budget every year. Uh when you take a look at the cost of of this particular uh bid package, you're looking at uh uh if we go with citywide uh an overall cost over 5 years of a little over 3.5 million.
We ask that individuals speaking before the board identify themselves with full name and address and be brief. Comments shall be limited to three minutes. And we have one name on the list, Stephanie Schwall. It's not going well so far. Hi everybody. Um, so actually in the district there is a speech uh activity for fourth to eighth graders now and I just found out because my daughter is joining it. So I think that's really great. I was so impressed with the students that came up and presented to you guys. I love that my kids are part of a district that teaches you to stand up and communicate because the in-person communication skills are fading fast and uh and that's something that I think should really be focused on. So, I love seeing that and having the speech opportunity even for the younger kids. Um I forgot to bring the the sheet of paper.
I will be back from Chicago. You better be. Not that I Yeah, you better be or I'll not then I'll call Yeah'll be complex this time. That's fine. I'll drive back from No, I'll be back. You're on the other screen down here. Let's just How do you know how Well, I only know because I can see it. Oh, are we done? Okay. How did I get to that other screen? It's when you move off of this one. So picture it is it's just okay. The machine says that's all one big screen like that. It's all connected. Okay, I'm on it here. Okay, well then you should be just Yeah, let's delete it. Show you how to do it on there. Just three. Can you edit details in the top right? Sorry. Scroll all the way down. Oh, I really hope you can't delete a meeting.
And it's supporting Special Olympics and bringing everybody being unified inclusiveness. So, thank you [Applause] guys. Oops. Almost your chair. Well, Mr. Morrison, thank you for that recognition. U and to all of our coaches, we really do appreciate all the effort and time that you uh put into it. I know we pay you a lot, but uh but we still we still appreciate your effort and uh and the difference you make in these children's lives, sir, is is very uh very well noticed. So, thank you very much for all your hard work. Okay, now we'll move on to the preliminary determination hearing. Going to convene the preliminary determination hearing meeting. On the call of roll, we'll uh identify each board member which we start off with Mr. Scott. M I. Mrs. Jansy, I Mr. Bent. Hi, Mr. Story. I and Mr. Wallace is an I. Dr.
So uh the next day then we go to the hotel. So, the days usually end around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. And that's where I envision having uh in the evenings like a little um like a recap sort of like you know what are some of the things that we did and you know I'm going to ask them to do some journaling. So, I have some ideas about how I'm going to tie the curriculum into this. And then on Monday, we get up at 7:00, have our bre or we get to breakfast at 7. Um, and then we're going to pack up our luggage, but then we still have some stuff going on. We're going to do some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Uh, have some lunch in Old Quebec. And then we're going to leave around noon, 12:30, and stops for dinner on route. Approximate time back at arrival at Maynard High 900 PM and approximate time arrival at Ashland High is 9:45 PM on Monday, February 9th.
People were fleeing the middle school because of you know different things that were happening but that's changed. you know, we are we are sort of leading the pack as far as the growth that's happening in this district and the progress that we are making. And a lot of that comes from not only what we're doing inside the classroom, but outside of the classroom. The fifth grade has a huge hand in all of the uh community events that we have been putting on over the last three years. Um, and it just is a really good place to be. And I know that we are used to fifth grade being at an elementary level, but we escort them everywhere. They do not have to do anything by themselves. We coach them and support them in becoming independent and being able to advocate for themselves and to stay organized and learn how to, you know, do homework and and all of that.
Is that the idea? Well, it leaves flexibility, you know, because you get into these interpretations of what the words mean and it gets complicated these days. There's, you know, you can have different interpretations of a lot of different things. But, uh, there's also, you know, a bunch every year it seems there's something in the legislature about how to do this. So, I wouldn't be surprised if something came forward in the not too distant future because It seems like they're always talking about it. I don't know if they'll ever pass anything, but they're always talking about it. And this would be pretty much in keeping with that. I think they might add on a couple more layers. Is that true, K? Yeah. Yeah. So that lots of things are in flux right now, but the intent is just to give it some process instead of making a termination.
And the remaining third are probably cosmetic, but since we're doing all the rest and they've been around since the '9s, it seemed to be a good idea to put those in that part of the project. And do you know how much it cost last time? Yes, we have that. I think it was 20. Just curious how it compares to the 30° oven. I know we have I have that in here somewhere. Give me just a second. It was $22,000. Okay. And that was half or a third? That was somewhere in the middle. Somewhere Yeah. about Yeah. The cost of the line just I think $2,000. Yep. I did speak with John Butovich a week or two ago and we did touch on this and he said that uh John Boils there's slow time of year so it's a good deal and that they're on the state bid.
The school made the decision for me. Instead of helping me grow, the academy system has ended up holding. In conclusion, although the academy system might have started with a good intentions, its execution has caused more harm than good. Random placement ignored concerns, the lack of fairness and restrictions by turning the public schools to be supportive program. If the real goal is to help students succeed, then these schools should start truly listening to them and giving them back their power should be their own choice. Thank you very much. Thank you, Kevin. Good evening. My name is Kevin. I'm a proud parent of three children in our public schools. Fourth grade twins and a sixth grader. Uh I'm here to ask your attention for three topics across the school. Um all two of which are academically related. One is our district grading practices. There's an ongoing reliance in our schools on zeros and the assumption that grades and more specifically zeros effectively motivate student behavior and promote compliance.
I'm the only student or I'm the only person where English is my primary language in a class of 22. Um I have students that have just arrived to the country. I have students who have only been here for 2 years. Um you guys understand the makeup of Danbury, excuse me, and it's a wonderful makeup. Um, so when when Mary Joe her more Mary Joe All right. When Mary Joe I'm nervous. When Miss Mary Joe first came in, Grandma Mary Joe, um, she obviously, you know, you're new to a classroom, she's pointing at students, she's like, "You in the back and you you wearing the striped shirt." Uh, it was great, but again, it didn't have that personal touch. Little did I know over the weekend, Miss Borman printed out each student's par uh, parents wear power school power school teacher and wrote their name next to her.
Just to give you a little bit of an idea there. Is now a good time for a question? Yep. So my question was on the um well this is the projected. Are you going to go over the actual growth as well? Can I ask the question? So my my um the um what was the time frame for one and then the three? Is it like first quarter and third quarter? Diagnostic one is right at the beginning of the school year and diagnostic 3 just wrapped up a week ago. A week ago. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I left diagnostic 2 out because I thought it would be nice to just look at like beginning of the year to like now, right? And we're ramping up our state testing. So there's a report for math and reading for the projections. If you are ready to look over at reading, we can kind of go back and forth.
I ask that we prioritize these critical needs as we plan for class assignments at Northwood. And by doing so, we can ensure that all students, especially those with special needs, have access and support they need to succeed. We look forward to the opportunity for collaborating with Northwood and create a more inclusive learning environment for all. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Ceso. The next speaker is Gina Pagan. Did I say the last name right? Pagan. Oh, it's Pagan. Yes, but we'll take Pagan. Good morning board. Good. Wow, that says it all. Good morning. It's good evening everybody. So I am a speech language pathologist and I am here today to talk about 1980. In 1980 uh California decided to make an average case load for speech language pathologists uh of 55 students. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not operating in the same way we did in 1980 or anywhere near that.
I have never been guided to knock on anybody's car window to see who they are. And after the allegation has been put against me, I thank God that I didn't. And I thank God that one of these young ladies weren't sitting next to me on that brick wall by themselves under cameras that did not work because who knows what the allegations would be then. Thank you, sir. [Applause] I'd like to resend my comment. She doesn't want to speak anymore, sir. Okay. Next, we have Sarah. Good evening. Sarah Lewis. I live at 1921 North Fair Road. I am a wife and mother of six children. Thank you for to the board and to the community for allowing me to speak tonight. I want to speak about this small town that we live in. All of us live here. I speak as a parent of children that I'm raising in this community.
[Applause] Congratulations from Ellsworth Elementary. Bradley Ford. [Applause] Bradley consistently demonstrates integrity even when no one is watching. When he sees a need, he steps up to help. He has a strong commitment to doing his own work to the best of his ability and encourages his peers to strive for the same level of excellence. Well done. Congratulations. [Applause] from Harmon Elementary, Ralphie Jmerson. Come on over. I'm gonna say a few things for you. Okay, are you ready? Ralphie is a role model for following expectations. He adheres to class rules, asks for help when needed, and provides leadership in the classroom by his example of following expectations, completing his class helper roles, and encouraging his classmates to do the same. Well done, Ralphie is right. Thumbs up. Good job. My gosh, they all need to be that excited. From Ranch Elementary, Gabriel Avalar. [Applause] Come on over, Gabriel.
You have up to 10 years after you after the election. I'm sure you're you you want to sell it soon as soon as possible to avoid the inflationary costs every year on construction construction site. Um but anyway, so we we layer that in as well as an estimate so that we can then give you the estimated tax impact of your total bond program which is in column 11. And so again, we're trying to target 79 cents as a bond tax rate. Uh give but you know, given projections in your tax base, which is in column three, and given projections in your interest rate, which is in column seven and nine. But we're going to have one interest rate here locked in for this largest part of your bond sale here in a few weeks. In fact, timing wise, with your permission tonight, we hope to lock in rates the week of either April 28th or May 5th and then deliver funds to you for your projects uh third week in May, I believe.
So just special shout out to our dual language teachers. Um, I also want to say thank you to all of the teachers who are on our math curriculum committee. Since the beginning of the school year, we have been reflecting on math data, reflecting on math practices, and determining what our next steps are going to be. Um, I will be bringing forth the renewal of the SAVIS and visions curriculum to you. That is the decision that the committee has decided upon. They really wanted to focus on professional learning next school year just focused on teacher practice and implementation of mathematics. When Envisions was first adopted here in Kerry 26, it was during COVID of 2020. And so that roll out of Envisions um there was some hindrance there when that curriculum was first adopted. And so they they felt that there was the opportunity to implement it with more integrity given the opportunity for more professional learning and targeted learning in mathematics instruction.
So there is some definite savings here to the district by going this route. I just wanted to ask the questions about the, you know, the employees cuz the the building maintenance people really become part of the fabric of the the building and and stuff and you know um becoming you know the kids the parents all know who they are. I mean teachers depend on them. So we do like to make sure they get fair pay benefits. Thank you. Now, with the um bid packet that they submitted um that they're supposed to be um what's the word I'm thinking of? They're supposed to be letting us know that if they have had it are in any kind of contested legal situation. Is that right? Like correct. They were supposed to uh let us know if they had uh left any contracts recently u on negative terms.
Um but we are still teaching cursive in second grade. Happy to report my son is learning how to write his name or sign his name rather in cursive and he's working on his cursive book. So I will make sure to bring that form for you guys to see his beautiful handwriting next time. Um one just one comment on uh the budget. I also like hearing that the kids are learning about financial literacy. That's super cool. Um, and to transition to the finance question that I always have, um, this month looked to be a big month when it came to, um, accounts payable. I'm following most of it, the payroll and the expenses. Um, and also there were two bonds that came due and the purchase of the transportation center property. So that those were really big ones at 3.7 million for those. The last line item on the budget here um is a PC card for 7,47144.
Meeting in progress. We never ended it. Did we end it? We did not end it. I don't remember how to end it. Just back down to the bottom and No, it's just launch. Maybe just go and end it on YouTube and see if that kills it.