Um but generally speaking, um we're going to look at and project that we have about $370,000 from that December one count. Um and just know that that all depends on that number. Um and then as far as vouchers, so we didn't haven't done vouchers before this year. Um there was a lot of stuff that was tied to pulling voucher money. Um like a lot of requirements that they lessened um this last year. So, we were able to start doing that um a little easier. Um and so this year so far we have about 32,000 um that we have pulled from there. But as Christie said, if we could get half of the half of our families to do it, you're looking at, you know, 370,000 or $380,000 um approximately in voucher money that we could could get. Um, and then as far as part B special ed grant, um, I'm just showing you kind of the numbers of what that 5050 ratio is for me.
Smith and uh Matt Miles there. I don't think there's anything that we've ever turned down that our schools need when it comes to physical education or programming. So, we've been very blessed. We also have some wonderful groups. We've talked about swimming. The Lawrence Township Swim Club is outside of us, but a part of us and it's massive. They have grown their membership to encompass both swimming pools right now, Dr. Nesbet, and they are bringing in numbers like they've never had before. So, we're really proud of that. So if someone in the community wants to learn how to swim, we have that option. Uh we have the pool set up to accommodate that now and it's happening. Okay. So really proud. Thank you. So just out of curiosity with that, are those options free for members of the community and how are those communicated especially to our families that are not that is I have never seen an issue with a family who couldn't afford something that it's not taken care of in this community.
So, absolutely yes. Okay. And um you know in in fact I I certainly would invest um not only as an interim but I would apply for the full-time because I have additional years to go and would love to do the job fulltime permanent. Okay. Um so um you know you you gave some interesting examples um you know when you talk about job descriptions now that um I had that pleasure of updating every single job description from 1996 to move it forward to the present in my regional school district because yes there were an amazing number that um were not updated, not approved. I worked on every single one. The perk of that was not I I that I got to work with lots of people and on the update and that um by the time it was done, the HR director had a great resource to pull job descriptions from.
I can stay as backup. I'm fine. You are. You you've with all the you the two of you have done a marvelous and I mean in all seriousness a marvelous job with everything going on. Well, thank you, Mr. N. You know, so terrific. [Music] Um, and we are not doing school assignments. I think decided last year, so we will skip over that. Been a few years. So, district and town committee meetings. We have the Dartmouth Education Foundation, which I was on last year. Um, I'm happy to step aside if someone's very eager to be on it. It's a fun committee. We do the spelling bee. We uh make money for different schools here. Um anyone else interested in being on the committee? I'm happy to stay on you. Um Southeast Southern Mass Educational Collaborative is Chris Oliver and you've been on that committee for quite a while.
So did we turn anyone away this year? Not that time frame. The only people that were turned away are people that apply after the 20 days. Are they are they ones that are going to apply that would add to this number for next year? They could administration. So then so they wouldn't bump out someone that already exists. Once you have already been in our district from outside this past year, you're still in good standing. You stay. the numbers that we submitted um in the board agenda are add additional students that could be coming in. Okay. Um our administrators were a little conservative with this because we we so for example we could get some an influx of students who actually reside here in Burlington and we would have to take them and then if we have the out of district open enrollment seats that we have to take based on the count then we have to take those numbers as well.
So what we would propose to do is give you guys the two options of standalone and addition and then you guys decide which one you want and then we go through and have completed design prior to August. We'd have a bid day for our August and we'd have a GMP and then we're waiting to determine whether they get the grant or not. And then if they get the grant, then we have all the numbers, we have everything we need, we can start construction in two weeks. they don't get the grant, then the question is is is the project not going to happen and ABCC is going to pay the design team for what they did and not get a building out of the deal or are we going to come up with additional money? And I'm with Bobby. I just I don't see coming up with $300,000 to make up the difference on a project of this size.
Um, and that's pretty standard. That's as we add teachers, we're going to have to add a little bit more out of that special ed grant. Um, and so our goal is to always pay kind of 5050 for teachers out of that. Um, and so you can kind of see what all of our expenses are and we've been in the red with our expenses. Um, and I for the current year I kind of have some asterisks there because we're of course still spending that money out. Um, but our goal is that we can be self-funded. Um, and so when I you look at the projected numbers and I have kind of an estimated of a revenue by the end of $360,000, that doesn't mean we're going to pocket 30 $360,000 and just hold that into preschool. What that means is that allows us then to look at that special ed part B grant or look at the education fund and where can re re where can we reallocate those funds to other programming because we don't need it in in preschool, right?
There are ways to make things happen that's done and in Lawrence Township it will happen including our swim club that raises money just for that need. Am I correct Dr. NZ? Go ahead. Yeah, just to answer that question. I had that conversation earlier today. Um the uh talking about funding with the aquatics director. Um he he said they need to raise some more money because they are being overwhelmed with students coming out for swimming and they do have a the Lawrence swim does have a policy if you're on free reduced lunch with the school then you do get a drastically reduced rate and as Dr. Smith indicated they are going to turn it away. We we want to get every kid in the pool we can and so that's good news. So they're working on funding for it and some new uh ways to bring money in but but it's good news.
I as a person learned a lot from what the different jobs did. um which um I thought I knew but you know as you're starting to go into the minutia of it um you really learn a lot about um and appreciate you grow more in your appreciation of what different jobs do um so I have had that experience and certainly I would be um nothing's ever quick but at least I would be well informed and you know what to look for um And I again I always like I always value you really don't want to go in and change things. You want to look at what's there and sometimes you have to look um really hard at what's there and sometimes you have to ask continued questions. And so I don't mind asking those continued questions. I don't mind looking hard at what's really there.
For 11 years, 12 years now. I'm riding a bike and it is happy to stay on there. I'm currently the chair of the board there. So I'm happy to stay on at least probably one more year. Okay, terrific. Um, and then the Mass Association of School Committees, John Nunes, you are currently on that. Are you happy there? Would you like This is a very happy crowd. Um, negotiations representative. Um, currently John News with Kathleen Emerald and Mary Beckwith as backup. How do you all feel about staying with that or does anybody want off? I mean, I'm fine staying with it. I just do have limitations now with my, you know, with work. So, I I haven't been needed, but I just say that to say I would step in if I could. I'm happy to stay unless somebody would like to, you know. No, I'm replace.
You just never know how many you're going to get moved in into your district that you actually have to take. And then additional students that would be in those open enrollment seats. So like for an example, we have 10 students elementary schools. They decide to come back to school that next year, they're se they count for they don't count. They just get to come in USB 14 extras in a grade and then we say we have how many take that number of seats too. So like 10 you might get 14 in a grade level. There's there's nothing we can do to control that though except like you said be conservative and make sure we're not saying 25. Why some of the numbers are different or if we went back to the old process we had before and it worked very well. for my time. So, so the seven just lets us for next year 7th grade is basically one or like dur zero for fourth.
I mean, I think 50 is probably doable. Um, but 300 in kind donations in kind donations. 300 I just I don't see that happening. If we decide to sit tight until the Patterson grant is awarded or not awarded and then come back to the table to have this discussion, would the board still have the option of saying yes, we will to get the 1.5 million or we're not interested if you're, you know, would that still give you what you needed? Yeah. I mean, I I think from our standpoint that's not an issue. Um because either way, the design team would still get paid. Um I think the biggest question there is having a conversation with Sarah to make sure she's good. I mean, it is a gamble on like if they don't get the Patterson grant, then what's you guys as a board? What's your direction on it?
We our our goal is to kind of break even in that total just through vouchers and tuition and those APC dollars for in the education fund. questions. My two things is my two things is I know you don't think I look at the stuff that comes from the state but actually enough room at all the elementary schools for this or are we getting starting to get crowded that's that we're crowded that's a great question Gary because right now as we have set and we've brainstormed and we brainstormed with Mr. trout um horse man there's no room in the end okay in the building and that's why you have them split I take okay currently right now and so what are those other options that we have out there in our community possibly that we could begin a preschool program at Horseman again we start in the fall at Ron Oak excited about that uh happening and so Horseman's the last one and so um again through planning through discussion um what's that look like um that would be our next steps Well, that's a that was going to be my question too is um there's a lot of focus on early childhood now and so what is the max?
We have a lot of kids using those new pools. I um as I think I've shared with you all, I had a student who in kindergarten between her kindergarten and first grade year was a refugee student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and she um drowned. And so if I seem a little um passionate about this subject, it is because Fabola today still leaves a resounding um impact on me as um as a teacher um as her teacher. And so I just want to make sure that as a district, not only are we offering that, but we're communicating it to our most vulnerable families so that no family, no mother um like Fabola's mother ever has to experience the death of a child because they cannot swim. So thank you for the I'm sure we'll give a I'm sure we'll give a report uh in coming time, but starting next year, Operation Water Safety will have every elementary student in Lawrence Township uh through fourth grade will will get in that pool and learn how to if they get in, how to get out.
And I I I got to tell you, I was driving home after a school committee meeting that I had this year and it was like 12 12:15 a.m. So I like I have a very supportive family. My son is going to college next year and my husband is very supportive. knows like you know it's it's but I will say this job would really um it would give me one extra hour a day that I might be able to either choose to reinvest back in the work or I might be able to choose to be able to do some family things. So um so this would be very much a great fe fit for me. So thank you. Thank you. Excuse. Thank you. Sorry. It's okay. That's that's our last question. So, thank you very much for coming in. Thank you very much. I I really appreciate getting to meet you all.
I'm happy to stay back up. Okay. Okay. I'm good. All right. This is um and we have from last year the town charter committee which is over so we can just skip right over that and oh I did uh technology committee Chris Oliver how could you skip over the I know because I I am not a tech genius that is how are you happy on it I think you have the most knowledge of techn technology you'll I'm happy to stay on it. I don't know where Mr. Galashar is right now. Oh, maybe I should ask him if he's happy. You could ask him if he's happy. Is that the thumbs up? You hauled something. Would you like me to stay on? All right, that is good. Um, and then we have the I'm fine if you want if you want all. No, you want both of us.
Is that is that basically because we're at our max level for those classrooms and so we had 60 64 kids 62 that class was below 60 last year we had that number and we gained kids that moved into our district for that grade. So right, we're at a big number now. That really shows the disparity between grade levels. I mean anywhere between zero and 10. Zero to 10. Yeah. We're trying to keep the class sizes in that 50 upper 50s to 60s range. We kind of that's kind of that that general number that we're looking at. Do I just cuz I've never looked at this these numbers in this way before. Do we know why that kindergarten first second grade is so much smaller? I think that's just the number of babies. I mean, actually has several out of district in it. So, I think that was just the year that maybe there weren't as many babies born.
So there there is risk there, not so much from us but for ABC. So So just to be clear, worst case scenario, they move forward with $1.2 million, it doesn't add up to $1.5 million in the end. Okay, that falls back on ABCC to the audit proceeding on them for building to building and then that would fall on them. So, I asked Sarah, you know, worst case scenario, what would they ask you to do? And they said, she said they they could ask us to give the money back, their side of it. That wouldn't fall on us because it's written in the the agreement that we only have $240,000 to put with this. So, that protects us from that side of it. Um, I just want to make sure you guys know all ins and outs of that whole thing to make good decisions moving forward.
I mean, how do you handle the parents that say, "What do you mean I'm not I'm one one too late, one day too late?" I mean, you look at you look at the state statistics and it's black and white. kids that are in your own school preschool when they get to kindergarten, they're night and day to kids that are coming out of another preschool going into your kindergarten. So, I'm all we just got to figure out now where we're putting. Right. And you guys have done great with the preschool and I'm all for growing it. But us as a board now, I got to figure out where we're growing it. Right. Right. And I will tell you that I am full. I That's one thing. I don't have a cap, but when I get these numbers from from first steps, I have projected numbers until about December.
Wonderful. Yes. Thank you for those questions. Yep. Does anyone else have any other questions or comments? So, this is great. We're learning about grow your own for teachers and referees and um safety and swimming. Now, we'll move on to our last curriculum update for computer science recommendations. Thank you, Madame President, Dr. Smith, and members of the board. we are bringing to you um an opportunity to learn about computer science this evening and I do want to recognize Elise Bonds who's in the audience this evening and her leadership in this work. So thank you Mrs. Bonds. Uh background information. Uh we last reviewed computer science in 2019 and as follows all of our other processes, we brought a committee of district leaders, administrators, and teachers together to um land on the recommendations you're about to hear this evening. As we look at the program review process, there's just a a couple pieces that I really want to highlight for you.