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Um, and I believe that because of our fiscal responsibility that that should be happen before funds are expended. And again, this is not anything about the current administration. I want to be 100% clear of that. And I don't think there are any funds that we approved. Um this is about creating processes um that last beyond this school committee and this administration. Um having served on the finance committee, I feel like this should should operate sort of like a reserve fund um where at any point in time in the year, the administration can come to us and put forward what they want to spend that um money on and then we can vote to approve it. Um, and again, it's not about anyone that is in my little gallery here. It's more about um setting up processes and procedures um that are fiscally responsible. Um, and so I would like to see a process developed whereby we um have some say just like we do over the budget um of expenditures that are going to come out of that account because we're talking about significant amounts of money here.
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Yeah. Um, John, you raising your hand or no? Yeah, I am. I Okay, here here's my here's my concern in all seriousness as to how much are we going to, you know, start trying to quote unquote micromanage uh anything that goes on. I mean, understand that there are uh grants that are that are, you know, that are uh that we apply for and get, i.e., you know, Title One and 94142 and those types of deals. Are we going to get into uh funds from student activities and summer grants and student parking and athletic uh revolving and the concession account, etc. I mean, how, you know, what are we going to be doing here? I don't want to, you know, I don't want to hamstring uh central office when they try to do something because sometimes certain things have to be acted on like yesterday versus you know, okay, we can approve it today and they can order it tomorrow, you know, especially in this this day and age with uh you know, the way meetings are going and you know, we're not all I mean, we're meeting like this, which is great, but you know, we meet you know, we get together once you know, every other week or once a month depending what's going on.
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So, I just don't want to hamstring central office with uh where things are and what they do. I saw Chris's hand go up and I know Dr. Gford did too. I'll go with Chris and then Chris. Thank you, Kathleen. Um I understand what you're saying, uh Mr. Nunes. And I do think though that this is a little bit different than revolving funds or the grants. grants are, you know, are applied for typ most of the time or a lot of the grants that we're receiving are entitlement grants. They're already being applied or, you know, into our into our budget system. Um, and it just makes up part of what we do every day. uh school choice I see as above and beyond uh monies whether it's to fund our one-toone Chromebook program which is a a large amount of money or uh you know whether it's to put money aside to help uh for the stadium or big pro renovation of the Dartmouth Middle School, Dartmouth High School uh library media centers.
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Um, so I guess from my point of view, all I would be looking for and I understand I don't want to I don't want to have to micromanage and I have a lot of faith uh in the current administration. I don't think it's about micromanaging. I think it's like what Dr. Jenkins said that we just do have fiscal responsibility when we're looking at hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars uh that are coming in and out every year. And it may be as simple as, and I don't have this is I don't have the answer for this, but maybe it's as simple as we set a threshold. anything over $1,000 you have to come to school committee for. Um, you know, or you know, it has to be if it's something that's an emergency that needs to be spent, maybe you go to the the the chair, you get prior approval from the chair and then afterwards you next meeting we just um, you know, bring it to the board's attention.
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I just like to be a little more involved in it. That's all I'm asking. I saw um Dr. Gford and then I'll go with John, then I'll go with Shannon. It's like a video. So, Mr. Kylie and I have obviously talked about this quite a bit. Um we do find it a little bit difficult to think about um coming to the board every single time we want to use it because as you know um decisions have been made for little items for things like um the IT STEM program. I'll use that for example um trying to determine how do we fund that and immediately we say okay school choice and we give permission. So, some of those in the- moment decisions that are made, um, as John Mr. Noon said, it would take time to be able to come to the board for everything. Um, with that said, I could I certainly could think this is a bigger conversation because Mr.
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Oliver just mentioned a couple of things that might be the middle of the road kind of things, whether it's a threshold um, more updated. I think now we give maybe a twice a year update on what the expenditures are. Perhaps we, you know, every month would be not a problem obviously at all. Um bigger expenditures such as a stadium project or a onetoone um certainly to have a bigger conversation. I'm just really um anxious, I guess, about locking in a an explicit procedure that ties our hands when u media in um decisions have to be made. So that's all. Who is next on? See, I forget. Shannon. So I don't see a problem with immediiacy. If there's something that should all we need is 48 hours to call a meeting, right? If we're going to 48 hours is nothing. I I you know, and so I don't really see that if if something really came up, we can arrange to have a meeting.
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We would all if someone said to us, it's really important that we need to do this. I'm pretty sure everyone on the committee would make it work. Even if it were a five or 10 meeting, we could do that. Um I I think Mr. Oliver's right. I think maybe setting a threshold and below a certain threshold, um we don't need to, you know, just preapprove it and we get regular reports. Um but we're talking about expenditures that are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Um over which we have no input or oversight at this point in time. Um and and that makes me uncomfortable. Again, it is not about I want to reiterate anyone at this table. Um, but one of the key responsibilities of the school committee is providing financial oversight. Um, and we've got an account that, you know, has hundreds of thousands of dollars in it.
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Not these are not small little accounts. These are not small little expenditures. Um, and so I think that that we need to have a role here where that limit is set. I mean, I would set it higher than Mr. Oliver. I', you know, I'd be comfortable. I mean, you know, I'm sure for Jim thousand dollars is peanuts, right? I mean, I would be setting it um somewhat higher than that and we can maybe have a continue this conversation. Um but I do think that we need to particularly for bigger expenditures have some role um in approving some of those large expenditures. Anyone else have any other comments? Carol. Yeah, I I would just agree that um some kind of procedure put in place that we could follow. uh taking into consideration that we want some flexibility and that we don't want to tie the hands of administration but um I think you know with that amount of money um I think we have to have some kind of um uh well oversight is the word but um just to know for ourselves where all the money is going and when it's going how it's being used and again as has been clearly stated has nothing to do with the way things have gone in the past.
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We're just looking toward the future. John, I start hearing. I'm good. Never mind. I'm good. Um well, my thought on that is, you know, in hearing hearing that I I um not only the the the fiscal proceeds and like the responsibility there, but I feel that if I I I I like the idea of a threshold. Um you know, I I don't know how much $10,000, $5,000 $20,000. Um, but and I reiterate it's not it would to me I have all the faith. I think we are so fortunate to have the people that we have working on this budget and figuring things out for um our district. I'm really proud of all the hard work that everyone puts in. But to me, I also think about it being sort of transparent. So the more opportunity for us to discuss the things that that money when we vote each year and if we vote to approve school choice and it continues um an opportunity to really show the public where that money is going.
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You know, we read the articles in the on Dartmouth Helping Dartmouth and different platforms or people like, well, they spent money and they don't realize where that money actually came from. So to me it also aside from all that um I feel like it's it's a good way for us to showcase how us being creative in these difficult times in all the wonderful things that we can get done um with that school choice money. So I would I would be agreeable um but a higher threshold I think I would feel comfortable and I don't know what that is. I would I would I would like to hear from um Mr. Kylie and Dr. to gift it around uh not that minutia of the of the um you know those small little activities or enrichment opportunities but more the bigger end uh you know I don't know what that would be would that be 25,000 would it be 10 15 um I certainly wouldn't want to I don't mind meeting in 48 hours but I certainly wouldn't want to like you know tie anyone's hands but I think it would be a good idea if we if we did implement something some process like this.
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So that gives us an opportunity to talk more. Uh Jim, I think you raised your hand. Thank you, Mr. Samroll. So, uh, I mean, we could certainly put something together, uh, some proposal for the policy subcommittee, but I I I think I just want to say that, um, just to be clear, and I know you're all supportive and have said, you know, nice things about what we have done with it, but I I just want to be clear that the things that we've spent it on are definitely, you know, appropriate things. Um, the biggest things that we've spent it on are one-to-one computing. That is our number one um item. Stadium renovations. We have intentions to spend money on the middle school and high school library renovations. Uh innovation lab at the high school strength and conditioning coach. Um I STEM program which is very popular as you know you've seen it uh up close seen some of the the examples.
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uh music stipens, professional development, instructional supplies and materials, uh innovation and transformational leadership network, the Potter preschool setup a couple of years ago, music supplies, and a little bit of instructional technology. So, those are the things we've spent it on. So just to be clear that you know the stuff we have spent it on has been um you know I think student focused and and um and appropriate but I mean if if it is the committee's desire to um have some sort of a policy on it um then I can certainly draft something and bring it to the policy subcommittee. Any more comments on that? Chris, I think you're on mute. Oh, can you hear me now? Yes. I would be comfortable with the threshold of somewhere in the ballpark of $10,000. I think I think that's to me, in my opinion, that's reasonable. And I I thank you for uh sharing that list, Mr.
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Kylie. Uh I agree with my colleagues. I don't think there's any concerns. It's just I think it's a matter of fiscal responsibility of the committee. Great. Okay. And so with that, now we are past our our published time. Uh and I guess a roll call. Oh, well, I would like to um enter into that public hearing. And I need a roll call. Kathleen Emerald, yes. Chris Oliver, yes. Carol Kerapotus, yes. Shannon Jenkins, yes. John Nunes, yes. Okay. So, for I don't know how many people have emailed um this now we're in the public hearing for um your comments on the proposed fiscal year 21 uh budget. And please feel free if you haven't already to email Kate Gther. That's Kathleen with a K. K A T H L N G N T H N E R at Dartmouthschools.org R. I have not received any yet.
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Okay. Madam chair. Yes. Have I'm just making sure. Have we made it clear to the public or anyone the viewing audience that what the public budget hearing is for and what um what the expect what the expectations are of people um as far as asking oh the the um right from our continued discussions on the budget I think um it was published correct uh in the standard times. So, um, want me to read? It was published last Monday. Monday. Just looking for a time. Phill. Oh, Miss Pavo told a really cute joke this morning on the Demell morning messages. I repeat that. Oh, goodness. So, yeah.
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So, I I guess if anyone has any questions, um even if you haven't really been privy to our conversations around the budget, you certainly are welcome to email just statements around what your priorities are or or um as a community what you want to see happen or not happen. Um there's been a lot of dialogue of course not within the last you know week or so with um something else we'll discuss on this agenda but perhaps something is very important to you and you understand that we are um in a time where our budget is tight and that it doesn't look great. So, um, that would be appropriate, I suppose, as far as a public hearing on I don't want people to feel like they don't have value to add if they're just not really knowledgeable about those line item numbers. Anything to do with student learning and uh, social emotional well-being and our teachers and anything that happens within the school system um, relates to our budget.
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So, email Kate Still nothing. Madam Chair. Yes, John. uh through you to Mr. Kylie when we get into old business on the FY20 when you're going to give us updates from town hall etc etc. Uh I will give you what I have. Okay, that's okay. That's fine. Which is uh Yep. Gotcha. Nothing. We'll need some more time filler with that. Okay. Uh, still none. Maybe a little background music. Mr. Parat, the Jeopardy theme, the countdown. I don't know. Don't Don't be afraid. some upbeat Trans Siberian orchestra music. Uh oh. What happened? Mr. Prody's playing music. Mr. Potty's gonna share a little something. Oh, this is fun. Grab and go. This is grab and go.
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So, while you're watching this video, if you have any questions or comments about the budget for fiscal year 21, could I just say that we uh served uh 68 meals today at fantastic. That's fantastic. I really can't thank the folks who volunteered enough. It's amazing. It's been uh Mr. Kylie, how many how many meals do we normally serve, you know, on a regular day? Oh, uh normal meals to kids like thousands like 2,000. Okay. So, but even if like say if it's about 2,000, 600 is a a pretty significant amount. They're still operating pretty high capacity. I think it is on uh on you know considering what we're trying to accomplish here. I think I it was more than I thought we would serve. But I'm happy that we can help folks. Yeah. So I I mean just to kill time I can tell you we're we're serving a breakfast and a lunch for two days.
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Um, so on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we're giving two days worth of food to each um for each child. So fantastic. Yeah, that is awesome. Oh, Jean Sheridan has been fantastic coordinating this and working, you know, working with her is a pleasure, but um but she's really been great and uh as well as the other volunteers who are staffing this. It's um and I have a whole stable of volunteers ready to help um who we've not called on yet. So, it's it's a great outpouring of support really. If I may interject, I noticed something in the Zoom uh group chat. Um and it's I read here I posted email on YouTube just now. So, I'm not sure how to get that. I don't know if that's something um that Rob might see or someone else. He I think he posted email address. Oh, that was Rob.
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Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you. But you're thinking possibly somebody posted a comment there. No, that was um Rob posting. Let's see. Kate's email address. Yes. Oh, okay. Right. Yeah. Okay. 34 people are watching. Mhm. That's more than usually come to meetings. Very lot bigger attendance than at the meetings. Yeah. Very highly rated uh public budget hearing. They're trying to avoid it like us. No. Speak for myself, not the committee. Maybe a revenue generator. We could sell some commercials. Yeah. 34 people. Yeah. Thank you for tuning in and uh it's okay if you don't have questions to ask. It's fine. 7:06. Yes, Shannon. So, I just got a text message from a friend who tried to send an email and it didn't go through. She misspelled she missed an N on um Kate's name. So maybe we can give her I think maybe we have one email coming in and a minute or two.
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Oh, okay. Maybe. Locate email. K A T H L E N G E N T H N E R at Dartmouth schools with an s.org. Yes, ma'am. you again. Just it frozen. I think uh Oh, you lost Mr. Nunes. Oh, he'll come back. Uh, the question came in. Yay. Lee McGregor writes, "Given the current situation with COVID 19 and the evolving nature of online schooling, is there flexibility within the budget to address the potentially new needs of developing online curriculum?" It's a good question. It's um of course in our FY21 budget that we currently have proposed um we obviously were not planning for this. Um what it what we're finding um as we begin this sort of new reality here um is that there are things that we probably would need to spend money on and things that we would save money on. and um you know developing and the tools that we're using are largely things that we already have um or are able at the moment to use without very you know great cost.
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