It's important to keep in mind tonight that we are reviewing maximum parameters and these are maximums that we cannot exceed but we can come down from. They include items such as the borrowing amount, the repayment term, the interest rate and the maximum annual payment. It's our intent that these maximum parameters will provide flexibility to the school corporation in the future for this project. So with that, I have this presentation that we will review uh that outlines the school corporation's already outstanding debt payments and the debt service fund. So we're going to go to slide three uh because slide two was a little difficult to read with numbers, but this slide is very important and Dr. Brown already mentioned this that currently the school corporation has six bonds outstanding. Uh you could see each bond is represented by its own color and that in 2025 those annual payments are approximately $5.3 million.
Meeting the goals that you put forth uh in our mission, our vision, our our core values. I always like to talk about how or what the size of the Ash public schools is because I don't think people quite fully uh understand uh the the size of of the organization itself. We have 379 employees uh five schools obviously 221 full-time teachers uh with uh $16,000 16 and change that funds per pupil. So the the cost to fund a child to to educate a child in Ashlin is about 16,000. This numbers is always a year behind if people are trying to look up that data. Uh our 2024 numbers will come out over the summer. We get about 11 million total state aid and funding. I'm going to skip over this just for sake of our objectives. Obviously equity, social emotional learning, resource management, curriculum program. A lot of the budget stuff obviously comes under that resource management.
I think at some point we have to say put on our big girl pants or big boy pants and face the music and think together as we have been talking about a team effort from the school committee to the assistant superintendent to the financial director. what can be done in a timely fashion that's going to house x number of children and then think about where else that you the bill can be tightened. Nobody wants to see teachers and TAs laid off. It's a fact every spring and it has been since 1971 when I started educating out with a plan that helps kids. That's all I care about. And I don't want to disparage the superintendent because we've had a number of people saying what a wonderful job she does. But there's money somewhere. Maybe we'll grow on trees. Thank you. Is there any other public comment in the room?
Any discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Any extensions? So, okay. Administrative reports. K, you're on. Sure. So, as of March 31st, you'll see in your packet all of the uh data for enrollment. We are still holding steady at 435 students. Um we have had a few was as of March 31st, but we did have a couple of students return to Bethany. Um which we'll see reflected next month. um not a significant number but a returning family. Um and then just to note on a personnel side, this week we were able to welcome Hanessa Saledo as our uh Spanish teacher for the remainder of the year. Um she's fluent in English and Spanish and American Sign Language. The students have really responded to her very well this year. We'll continue to look for a permanent Spanish teacher next year. She's committed to us for the remainder of this year.
Okay. Generally, a desktop's life should be about seven years because it doesn't it's not like a laptop. If something happens to the keyboard, you replace the keyboard. It's easier to take your heart into your error. You don't have to you don't have to replace the entire thing. So, they're very easy to repair. They're easy to extend our longevity. It's just this was a critical update that we weren't really planning on.
Of course, we have an amazing relationship with Danbury public schools and we're so supportive of your support and we have great working relationship with the Danbury Chamber of Commerce and many businesses in Danbury as well as many community organizations. We are a nonprofit organization. We're a B1C3. Uh we started back in 1990. So this year we're celebrating 35 years of our programming and with our main programming being our one-on-one school-based mentoring. And that's a program that started back in 1990 and then was still going strong years later. Um, in the late 1990s, we started a scholarship program in which any student that graduates from our program, that means if they have a mentor during their years, including their junior and senior year of high school, they're eligible for a scholarship from our program. And it's a $1,000 scholarship that they can use toward any future endeavor.
She is the best teacher and she can teach you something." Um, I had another student uh very similar background. Miss Bourne explains how to do math that I don't know. She explains it in a way that I understand. So whenever I get stuck on a question, she makes me think about my own thinking. She has helped my teacher ask questions that help us think. And I I couldn't said it better than that. She has helped me learn to get these students to ask themselves questions. Does this make sense? And that's where we have to even see it in the writing. They'll write down like, "No, it doesn't make any sense." That metacognition piece, which I'm sure you're going to speak to. If I if I were to name the the teacher moves that we had worked on were structured you can see that there we are right the kids love it yeah um just to name the instructional moves we have used the structured student talk routines to help students interact with the language to hear it because you can't build your own metacognition until you start hearing what the thought process processes are Ian chose metacognition as his goal which is to help students think about their own thinking when they're problem solving.
And so like looking at our first diagnostic like diagnostic number one honestly like a lot of students are just they didn't they don't try they didn't care and so it wasn't until we had diagnostic number two where students and really it's this what I'm speaking to is happening more in grades three through five but students are asking like I really feel like I couldn't like those data chats have helped them and they've looked at it and they're like I really feel like I could improve and so we have people on Friday of last week asking to retake a diagnostic and try and finish where first quarter or first diagnostic I mean like we totally didn't have that like I just I'm going to be totally honest we're still learning how to really apply meaning to the right and and leverage it for how it's intended.
Thank you. Thank you, Miss Gillespie. The next speaker is Katherine Walterbeek. [Applause] Good evening. As I stand here tonight, I understand this is a very uncertain, scary, and volatile time for us as we navigate the changes in Beras, a district of which I have been a part of for three decades, not only as a teacher, but also as a parent over a 13-year span. Nevertheless, the one component that doesn't change is the fact that we teachers have to beg almost every year for a raise and better working conditions that we rightfully deserve. I always believe that the hierarchy hierarchy of the district, you take care of us teachers, then we will do everything in our power to take care of the most important piece of our district, our students and their families. Unfortunately, I feel we are only taken care of when we find ourselves in this exact situation.
As a softball coach, Cassandra did both sports, which means she would practice from 4 to 5:30, then hurry up, take off her cleats, run into the gym, and then go practice from 5:30 to 6:30 or whenever was there. So, not only did she do that and keep her grades up, plus win a medal and is doing great in softball. So, hands [Applause] off. Okay. Sorry. My name is and this is my second year of cheer. I joined cheer because my friends and I'm like try and dance and I really do enjoy cheer friends and it is really fun and I do appreciate all our captains and our coaches and all the girls who stuck around for nine months to help us win these. Hello, my name is Brianna. I'm really grateful for everyone in the team and for all the coaches. [Applause] My name is and I'm very grateful to be on this team and I just grateful to be on this team and this [Applause] place and I really happy to be here first and for the coaches that deal with us [Music] and so my name is Angelie Montes.
Any questions for me? Okay, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Let's go um to 7.1 the consent agenda. Is there any questions on the consent agenda? I do not have any. No. If there's no questions, then I will take a motion. I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. I second. All in favor? I I I motion carries five to zero. All right. So, we're down to our action items. So 8.1 discussion and consideration of approval of the IG with Panal County Education Service Agencies. Yes, Madam President. This is a annual, not an annual renewal, but the IG is uh generally for five years. They've requested this one be for three. This is us just working with Jill Brousard's office. We do a number of different things with her. So, it's uh pretty straightforward. It's critical for us as as we move forward to continue that relationship with uh with Banana County Service Agency.
So, we're very excited about that that that good total. Um, our related service providers, I think we're at 95%. Our counselors, I believe, are at 93% for this year. So, we're very excited about those figures. That that reflects well on the the district board's commitment to uh providing good salaries and good working conditions for our people. Very positive. That is that very good accomplishment. I think that's great. Mr. Becket, do you have any idea or uh inkling what other districts may look like? I'm just curious. I have just uh anecdotal information from the valley. a lot of the districts, at least in the East Valley, were actually reducing staff. Um, and uh, of course, not offering the raise level that we are. I think 3% was the highest I've heard anywhere, even in the state. Uh, so again, 5% is is awfully aggressive raise for our people.
So again, our recommendation is going to be to approve the the bid with citywide building maintenance. Uh and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Mr. Batista, thank you for joining us tonight. Um could you walk us through the hiring process a little bit? We have a lot of long-term custodial staff that have gone through a myriad of of contractors. Uh can you give us to what extent do you plan on keeping some them? Can you walk us through that process? Yep. All right. All right. Thanks for having me tonight on behalf of Citywide. My company, we're a family-owned company, 42 years in business. My father is the CEO, and I'm the president running the day-to-day. He's hopefully playing a little bit more golf than usual. Um, so you win with people, right? And in any school district that you're performing services in, the good ones are of that much more value to you.
So the language of this policy I feel like is concise and it's just easy to understand uh and all of the responsibility is dedicate delegated within the policy under the title district implementation of accountability and transport transparency. Was this one of the ones from 2012 or 2015? It is. And and didn't we feel like when we were in the original meeting that this had been was also duplicated in other areas? Yeah. When this was originally written back in whatever year it was written, which was quite a while ago, we didn't have all the things embedded in policy that we have now. Things like what goes on the website and um how meetings are conducted and different things like that. that over time with the press policies has been all those things have been added throughout different portions of the manual. So when this was written way back in the day those things didn't exist.
So I just want to highly encourage our parents and teachers to complete the five essential survey that was released by the state last week. The information from this survey truly helps us inform our progress on many of our strategic plan goals and informs our future plans of how to continuously improve in the five areas assessed. effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction. That survey will be open from February 18th through March 28th. And that wraps up my comments for this February. Perfect. Thank you. Uh, next up, we have the curriculum report. Miss Rivera, before I dive into our middle of the school year start date, I just want to remind parents that our digital report cards do go live this Friday, um the 28th at 300 p.m. I believe um a text message or email has gone out today alerting you, reminding you how to access the digital report cards.
There is a decline in this payment in 2026 and again in 29 through 31 with all debt of the school corporation being repaid within the next six years. Right? This is, excuse me, this outstanding debt structure provides the school corporation with the ability to potentially replace these payments without increasing these payments above current levels. And so what this means is that potentially the school corporation would be able to issue these bonds without increasing its tax rate. These are the maximum parameters that would be within the resolutions for uh the board approval in the future. Again, a maximum borrowing amount is $28 million. The maximum term of these bonds are not to exceed 20 years, and there would be flexibility to potentially issue this in multiple series of bonds. Uh, currently, we would estimate the interest expense of just over $18 million. Uh, and that is based upon a 5% interest rate.
How are we managing what we have? This cuts right to the chase for everyone watching. It's the budget I am proposing is almost a $2.5 million increase over the previous year and that equates to a 5.95% increase. Now, this is just the number that the taxpayers vote on. This is not what it costs to operate the Ashlin public schools. Uh which the next slide will show you that this this is what we're asking the taxpayers to help fund. Uh and as you can see and I and I want to be you know clear about the gratitude that I personally have and I think and speaking on if I can on behalf of the school committee uh and the administrative team and I mentioned this at our admin meeting on Tuesday. We are a very fortunate community uh in terms of education and how the town views our education and their willingness to fund education.
Please come forward and say your name and the town where you live. My name is Kirsten Kinsmith. Uh, I am a resident of Brattleboroough these days. Uh, but I was a Greenfield resident for 20 years. I continue to be a taxpayer and I've been a teacher at the high school, a math teacher since 2003. I didn't plan to be up here. My Apple Watch is discouraging me saying my heart rate is about 120 right now. So, please bear with me. Um, so I, you know, I'm very invested in this community as a parent, as a teacher. Two of my kids graduated from Greenfield High School and we lived through that 2006, 2007 insanity. Uh, it was a battle in my house to keep my kids in this district and I won that battle and I'm proud of it and I'm proud of them and I'm proud of this place.
Um and we'll keep looking for uh a suitable candidate to stay with us permanently as we go into the next school year. And then Chartwells has turnover staff. Um Miss Dena, who uh has been our kitchen lead, has left uh Chartwells. And so this week we we welcomed Christina Zimpedri uh to our team as a new kitchen lead. So if you hear from the students that there's a new face in the cafeteria, it's Christina. And that's all I have at this time. Okay. Any other questions for the superintendent? I do. Sean, I know we had a discussion today. Yep. I I mean, I want to bring this kind of up to respect for everybody. I don't know if you guys are paying attention what's going on. Our IT budget, we went from 28,000 to 305,000, right? We continue to have problems. So, I did a little research um in into this with some pretty substantial companies running IT departments.
Does anyone else have any questions or comments? No, I just say for the public it's that this cost would be coming anyway. So, you want another year. So, it's not like it's a incremental cost. It's a shift in timing. And I I think the timing just makes sense to do it. Yeah. So, in our budget discussions a year from now. Anyone else? All those in favor of the motion, please say I. I. Anyone opposed? Abstain. Now we have our regular smaller March transfers. Yeah. Know if everyone wants to go through these individually, but they are rather small. Well, maybe they'll read them all. Athletic banner upgrade for class S champion recclass $340. Transfer some systems to instructional technology to cover shortfall for failed BCS interactive board $89753. Um a reclass to cover teched drones purchase for $800. a reclass transfer uh instructional supply from DHS to BCS for $499.70.