It also didn't order them in any real sense that made sense to how the standards are written. Yeah, tell us that. So, it the test will take care of itself, I think, is a is a real philosophy we've kind of turned from as long as we teach the standards and and teach, you know, hold that high bar for students. The thought is it will take care of itself. I agree. Thank you. So, the whole plan with um building thinking classrooms, is that supposed to go all the way down to elementary or kindergarten through 12th grade? So, I mean it looks different obviously in every grade but yeah every teacher is well versed in it and is using it and um it's been successful so with our kindergarters I mean it's just a great way to get students thinking it's all about getting students thinking and us seeing what they're thinking so you can get feedback like that that at its core I think especially our some staff early on you get like it's a vertical whiteboard so does that make it better?
Um now um and I tried to pull out the items that that really drove that. So you can see so here I have the major categories in um column A, column B is where we're currently at with the fiscal year 24 audit. Uh column D is where we are with uh the 20 um 25. So it's kind of like the cleaned up version. And then uh I highlighted down below 15 some other um items as as they come into view. Um so you can kind of see where um where we're going to sit. So um right now there is a $9.4 million surplus in fiscal year 2024. Uh again this number is very fluid. It's changing as we do entries. Um it changed as as of this morning. I have a better breakdown on the next slide. Um but as part of that number um if we remember there was a uh a purchase order entered that was meant to account for the Danbury West uh move.
Any questions or discussion? All right. Roll call. Roll call. Watson, yes. The thief, yes. Folk, no. Papis, yes. Bulby, abstain. Yes. Motion is carried. All right. Now we will move on to committee reports. CCC uh curriculum director Burkmeer will provide an update for the curriculum. Oh, Ryan's going to do it. So yeah, you're going to do it together. And I will not do it as nicely. She will do it. Can you Can you do it like Shane though? No. No. Not even close. It's gonna be very choppy. I apologize. Um so I had the privilege to go to the CCC meeting before this meeting. um and kind of hear all the things that they're working on. Uh it sounds like they're working on expanding a lot of the programs that we currently have and making some improvements. Um, one of the I think one of the more impressive things that I noticed is we ran out of time because of all the discussion that was going on and I thought it was really interesting and helpful for me for someone who's new and trying to learn this stuff to hear all the different questions that are asked and to hear kind of like the brainstorming that goes behind um these curriculum meetings and to know that hey this isn't something that just is is very um just loosely thrown out there and we change things.
as the teams break their huddle, get out for the final 7:45 left in the game. See what can happen. Esau Meadow will start off with the ball behind their net. Wal Meadow looking to do a fullcourt press. I would presume this is when we really want to get the ball into one of our ball handlers. Exactly. Right. Let them get up field. So I would either Addy Jordan just inbounds the takes the ball and she'll she'll just look to run by everybody. She gets the ball up to Grace Howard. There it is. Just keep Howard to Mckne and gets by. You just want to try to hold on to that ball. Vander now they have the keeper out of the net. This is thing. Henson with the ball. No. Burke with the ball. Burke gets the ball up. Non Meadow will be playing defense once again.
No, it's just about it's all about getting kids thinking and the thinking that a kindergarter does and is is remarkable and it's well it's about choosing the right task, too. It's not just oh, they're working on a vertical whiteboard. Well, it's it's a well thoughtout task that they're actually showing that they're thinking and maybe it's not even a vertical whiteboard, but they're working together in groups and they're showing their thinking. Really, that's what it's all about. I think it's giving all students access to the curriculum. every kid has an entry point into the problem and then they're able to take it as far as they can go with them to also provides a lot more opportunity for kids working less teacherdirected more kid active and learning the piece that you mentioned uh Jess on consolidation that's a focus in a lot of our elementary schools right now and across the different schools but consolidation is really about securing learning and a lot of times if you're not securing that learning um and providing and aligning that with current bright signs I I think that um they leave and they come back and they don't remember.
That number was 1.4. Um that there was no expenses ever charged to that. Nothing ever came to fruition. So I back that number out today. And then there are some other um POS in there that we're still looking at. We're about 329,000. So for fiscal year 24, I'm I'm thinking right now, again, the number is fluid, but it looks like there's about uh 11.1 million um in in excess of the 150 million 602 budget um which is about 7.4%. and Mike that okay that includes the the final figure that we were shown of of 2.1 which is I I think the 721 plus the 1.4 four. Correct. You're saying now, Paul, in total, you're looking at a a net surplus of $11 million. Is that correct? Uh, again, it's very fluid, but yes, at this particular point, subject to change, right? Um, I tried to break down just what what that was and try to make some sense of it for everybody.
something that um we're actually listening to each other and really working hard to find the best thing that um for our kids and for our district. So that was it was it was really nice to be a part of that. Was there anything you would add or did he did a great job I was there I believe he did a great job sky. All right, we'll move on to old business discussion, facilities update. Um, director Pauline will provide an update on construction and maintenance projects in the district. I'm gonna have Ted come up as well because they're going to share a little bit of some of this. So, Oh, okay. Come on forward. Let Dan go first though, Ted. First, this is the first that they're together. My goodness. Uh, just from construction update. So, uh, mobiles for country trails are ongoing. We're looking expecting delivery around the week of Fourth of July with those units.
Those things just want to get the ball over that 30 yardd line, over the restraining line. Hold on to it. Hold on to it. Yep. See if you can use some time on possession. You're going to have to dispossess Long Meadow here. Play good defense and see if you can win that ball back. Henson with the ball. Gets it over to Conway. Conway fires the ground in the middle. It's a kick. So it looks like Eile. I don't know. Kick. I thought you could kick the ball. So, you get harmless. So, Law Meadow will get the ball back. Good. Wrench gets the ball back on the 12 meter and she'll kick it over. Ball goes to Henson. Henson to Wder. Werder gets dumps the ball behind the net. Oh, unforced error. Greenman. Greenman throws the ball over me this time. Kenna Marino will start with the ball.
So we want to try to get them to remember make connections to what they already have learned uh so they can bring that back the next day. And I I I've seen building classrooms and districts and I I I see the role of the teachers changing almost to a facilitator to facilitate the learning that you know comes from internally with the students or groups of students. It's it's set up the environment, give them the right task, and when you need to get out of the way, get out of the way. But really just keep them in the flow of learning. It's really high work that teachers need to be able to do to identify the different strategies that students are using and then be able to present those back to students from something very concrete to very abstract in this consolidation process. So, they really do play a role.
Um Rich, I I think this is one of the items that you and I discussed of uh things being um offset in certain locations. Um there is this large uh negative number that was in our budget. Um 3.044 million. Um it's labeled as undesated. Um that largely offsets the favorable variance in salaries with about uh 1.5 million uh left over. So those numbers are I wouldn't say offsetting but partially offsetting. Um the other uh the other thing that we talked about before is uh benefits. Um health insurance the total number for benefits is about just under $5 million uh of favorable variance. 2.6 of that was in health care about another 2.2 2 in dental and then there were some other like I said there were several accounts in there but about 132 133,000 in kind of other um I didn't really break down purchase professional service or personal property services just because they were uh relatively small to the other numbers but other purchase services um we uh had a favorable variance of 1.5 uh that's made up of about $800,000 of transportation uh and about $600,000 worth of uh tuition expenses and then again there was some other various accounts in there uh and created a little bit of noise uh to the tune of about 129,000.
Um then probably four weeks or so to get them placed, build our connecting link and get that all set up. We're still on schedule to get that going for start of the school year. Um and then the roof project will be our other will be our other project for the uh So you just wait. Yeah. And then our HBT roof project will be the other major project for this summer. So that's an additional four classrooms, right? on top of the other uh four classroom. Absolutely. So, eight total. Yep. So, the thing I want to jointly have them talk about is a little bit the scoreboard part if you want to and he'll get out of your way. Ted, my ust my illustrious partner has has got this great plan to uh kind of simultaneously update the high school scoreboards and then utilize the old scoreboards over at Central Middle School to update that facility.
[Applause] Kenna Marino gets the ball over to Jenna Holly and she'll play it from the back of the net with 558 to go. I think that Jenna Holly dumped the ball in the net and then Jenna Holly stepped in the net, stepped in the crease shortly after. So, Esau Meadow gets a turnover and then they quickly turn the ball over. Unlucky, unfortunate there. Well, Wal looking to make another something else happen. You're going to have to have another defensive stand here. Spartans are going to have to look to try to again repel the Lancers attack. See if they can keep them on the perimeter and deny them any good penetrating looks or cuts. Conway to Goodrich. Good defense, Goodri. Good job by Marino to stop Goodri as Henson gets the ball. They fire the ball into the middle. Loose ball and I don't know what that call is.
It's really though on the other half of it. and the student visible. I think if it works well, it also gives a teacher time to work with those students that need a little bit more onetoone or small group instruction. So, and really to diversify the instruction in the classroom in I just can't wait to get students in college who who know how to engage with material and have a little bit of fun while they're learning something. Well, here's the thing. when they reach you. Yeah, that's right. They need to be able to continue with that, you know, because otherwise just that collaboration has become such a lost skill. Communication has become such a lost skill. Like this is it doesn't work without this. Last school year, uh I made a elementary school showcase at where we broke up into groups and the was awesome. even for a piece of adult so to speak.
Um and then lastly we finished the year favorable in supplies. Um I don't really like that term supplies because in in supplies is utilities. Uh that was the biggest driver we had. Um we actually finished uh favorable u to to budget of about 1.1 1.2 million. Um and then there was about 280,000 in supplies that included not only office supplies but uh educational supplies and I think that was largely driven by at the end of 2024 we kind of pumped the brakes on um expenses going out. Uh and then again about $189,000 in uh you know just various other um other accounts. Mike, when you look at the benefit line of the $5 million, is the variance, do you have any idea is this a matter of a budget being overestimated or you know or is could it be that in in the benefits there are positions that when we forecast positions that are unfilled that have not been filled that we provide benefits for for those positions.
Um those are the old Christmas light scoreboards. So we would kind of transfer those over as part of the plan that Ted's going to discuss and then make that inadequate. We could play freshman competitions there. It'll make it nicer for middle school kids. So that's kind of part of the master plan of this new scoreboard for high school. Yeah, the information in that package just kind of a longterm and there are other surrounding schools that have used this power ad company. Um I know Huntley's going through it right now and I know Mckenry kind of dabbled in it. I could probably look and find some more. But as we can kind of continue in this phase of of the unknown moving forward and we grow and we we look at kind of the facilities knowing that the need for the middle school scoreboard to kind of be updated not only for our middle school kids but our our community groups that use it as well.
Nevertheless, looks like Conway will be taking an 8 meter with just under five minutes to go. Jenna Holly looking to make a stop. Jenna Holly with a great save by Jenna Holly. Anytime they come up big and that's the time you want to do it. Great save by Jenna Holly. Spartans [Applause] say that's a heads up play by M. Whitworth. Hold on to it. Yep. Jenna Holly gets the ball up to Mckne. Mcknney gets the ball up. Let's see if we can basic. They have the numbers. Possess for a while here. Yep. She pulls the ball back to Marino. Marino's got somebody behind her. There we go. Just at the four-minute mark remaining here in the fourth quarter. East Lmetto continues to hold a twogoal advantage. 8 to6. Now you just hold back here. Make this is when we want to make Lmetto come out.
Uh that was a great experience. Yeah. We've all been to sessions with the author of this book, Peter Lilly Doll, where Tom and I were put in front of a whiteboard to do all kinds of things and uh it was it's been great both learning it and then bringing it back to district and you can see how it's alive and well in the classroom. Sometimes these CCC cycles are the launch pad for change. with math and this is not brand new information for you kind of getting them a few years into what what otherwise might be CCC cycle. So they're sharing out the work that they're doing but it's it's they've already ramped up they're they're partway through kind of this change process all the curriculum revision that you heard about one for all and all those things and all the PD. Even on the even on the CCC committee, I receiving like, oh, this is this one's a little bit different because they've already named up and are moving way to not a launch pad for the next cycle.
And if if we we fill it or don't fill it, the the still a benefit line isn't charged. Could some of that $5 million be attributed to that kind of estimating or isolating? So there is definitely going to be a favorable variance from any um open positions. Um the other thing and you kind of hit on it is when we go to do the budget for the fiscal year um we haven't really finished negotiating the contract for health insurance. So the way um that that we get the number um as Teresa pointed out before is we reach out to our third party and say hey you know what do you think benefits are going to be uh for this upcoming year. Um this we did the same thing this year. Um we were told that benefits allin uh were going to be going up health and dental I should say about 19%.
And then having the ability for this company to go out with that with the help of us, maybe our booster club and and look at some sponsorship ads much like if you've been in our high school gym, they're static. This would add an element of a video board that you know throughout the year in that gym would be utilized and then could be utilized curricular wise with PE departments you know various assemblies that we have in that gym just add another element like if you were to walk into a a sycamore or any other surrounding school that that has this and then it would come at a minimal cost to the district knowing that you know we would work with some of our partners in our community looking to to kind of help partner in this and you know giving a given a small upgrade to what we have right now in our gym.
Make law come out. They're going to have to chase us. They're down two, so they can't at some point they're going to have to come out. There's nothing to sit back for them to hold. So we'll we'll be happy to then once you do that, there's a lot of empty space in there, Steve. Yep. Especially with some of the dangerous attacking players that East Lome has. Yep. And here they come. There it is. There's the cut. Oh, can get can't hold on to it. Is there holds on to it or no? Trulio and Malo gets the ball. 320 to go. Spartans up two. And that ball's on the ground. Yep. Jordan. Oop. Nicely. That's almost where you want to let that shield that. Let that go out of bounds. Still on the ground. But Long Meadow burning a lot of time here. Long Meadow calls a timeout.