Thank you. Well, you can just you can move the whole thing up. Just just the the end just just straight. Hi, this my name is Karen. I'm on Warren Road in Ashland. I'm also on the dog park committee. Um I just want to point out a couple of good reasons why having one of the a dog park in our community be worthwhile. Um it would really reduce the off leash activity that we do see in other areas of the town like the state park, the town forest. Um it's something that's needed to reduce that area. And also it it can also increase property values. Um, dog parks have been proven to increase uh a community more activebased neighborhood um mentality and it, you know, improved increased property value can bring more revenue into the town. So, please vote. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Can I get someone from AB to just adjust that mic stand, please, so people aren't going on the tiptoes to fix it?
So I guess now that person will be looking. So are we just revisiting the whole role just to attract more candidates? Yeah. And also Beth from being the economic development uh director now she's moving into the assistant manager of the community development. So all the departments under her that will be conservation uh planning board of health building and then the director of planning and economics. that some of her previous uh scope of work is going to fall within the town planner now. Yeah. Yeah. So, um so I I think they I they revised the the description and put it out there. I don't know that what the timing was, but they do have um three or four candidates that they're going to be at least they want to come in to talk to. um that is going to happen during um Monday and Tuesday afternoon, you know, um before five, somewhere between kind of 11 and 5.
Yeah. So I have a question about the elementary level. When you're pulling kids out for tier 2 and tier three support, especially in the younger grades, how are you ensuring that they are not missing new content being presented in classroom, especially for those who are going out 5 days a week for 42 minutes or whatever the time previous? Yes, that's a great question. So we have the win time, which is our what I need time, and that is time where there is no tier one curriculum being taught. So during that 30 minutes a day every day it's win time K through five and that's every student getting what they need. So a lot of times our special education students who receive services get pulled out during that time. Our tier three students get pulled out during that time. And then our classroom teachers will work with their tier 2 small group during that time.
Um so community voice circles are ongoing. they are throughout the year as needed. And um there's there we did train our staff in restorative practices in order for that to give them more capacity um to really make all of the participants comfortable and be able to really um have impactful information come through those uh what we call CBC's. I love it. I I um I think it would be a little awkward at some times to kind of uh talk about um your needs and wants, but I I really love this approach because like you said, you're going deeper and um and building that trust and um you're you're listening as well. So, um I'm I I'd like to participate at one um the parents that are more comfortable, not not the ones that are just doing it, but I'd love to to participate and thank you for that work, Jessica.
Um I'll be also getting out a schedule for um school visits. Um, I'll be sending the schedule as well to board members and we invite you to come and join us as we celebrate the teachers and hand out the gifts. As I was preparing for tonight's board meeting and reviewing the agenda, I came across a few items that raised questions. Thank you, Mr. Conrad, for addressing one of them earlier. Fortunately, I did not have the chance of asking the second one, but I'll ask it this evening. The second item I'd like to address is agenda item 26 regarding the certificated health and welfare report. On page one, the report references 736.1 FTEES for insurance purposes. However, in both negotiations and insurance committee meetings, we consistently reference 631 FTEES, which is the actual number of certificated employees who are enrolled in the district's insurance. Using the 736.1 FTE figure, the report states that the district is realizing a savings of $1,480,979.
Thank you. if I see them coming. Okay. Um, any further [Music] discussion? Once we get the mic fixed, it's all yours. That's why you're wearing the uniform you're wearing, sir. Hi, this is Kendra Del 26 D Ridge Road and it's more of a general question about the dog park and any other initiative is I hear a lot of money being allocated to different things, but I don't hear what the ongoing maintenance requirements are for these projects. and we heard from the town manager that our costs are increasing and it's going to likely need increases in revenues. So, as we talk about these things, I'd like to also add what's the ongoing costs for maintenance uh for these projects. So, just a point in general. Okay, Mr. Manager. Thank you, Mr. Moderator. Thanks uh thanks for your question, Ken. Um, so I'll have to say that the um the town has been working with the uh dog park committee to look at some shared responsibilities in terms of the maintenance uh working with their DPW um and that has been formalized in a memorandum of understanding and we're just working through that with the Stanton Foundation now and um hopefully they will agree to that uhou as well and and feel that it it meets all of their needs and um yeah so it basically be split between the committee and uh public works.
Um they're setting those up. Um so I don't know what availability um anyone has. If you have an interest in attending, maybe um just send me a um uh send me a text or an email if you have free time during those. It it would be in the afternoon, right? Um is it 13th and 14th Trish? It's Monday and Tuesday. Okay. Afternoon. Yeah. Um and obviously it's not all afternoon. I just don't have the times. Beth had sent me something about it. So if if someone and that it would be a town hall. So if someone is in Ashland at that time um think they might want to participate in some way you can let me know. I think it would um and then and then we can coordinate it. Um it would just be one other member [Music] um one other member besides me.
And then the students who are still left in the room, they will do reading centers, math centers. Some of them might do like an enrichment project like a book club. But no um core tier one curriculum is being taught at that time to ensure that nobody misses out on anything and falls behind. Thank you. I just want want to thank you all for all the hard work. It's very makes me very happy to hear that it sounds like every kid is being met where they need to be and you're really not leaving behind and meeting everybody and it's got to be really gratifying to both the staff and the students to see the improvement and to see the more buy in like makes it exciting that they're taking more of a interest in their own education. So I just want to thank you all very much.
Thank you. Um um I just want thank you all for your presentation and for sharing. Um I just want to uplift the work that each of you have done um from our um community schools team, our teachers, our uh community school coordinators, our students, um our partnerships of OKO. Um all of all of that work these past three years in our community schools. You could definitely see the difference um that and the impact that it's done in our community and in our students. And um I'm eternally grateful for all the work and the improvement right since year one all the way to year three. some of the impact that we made, the partnerships um and you saw it through the data with the new Minecraft um initiative and it's just incredibly uh incredibly privileged uh for all of you for doing this work on behalf of our students and community.
However, if we base this calculation on the actual 631 FTEES, the potential savings could be significantly higher, possibly up to 2,26470 or $26,470. This estimate is based on splitting the additional 105 FTEES between 52 single and 53 family plans even while recognizing that our ratio of families to single plans is typically closer to 2:1. My question is why does the report use the 736.1 FTE number instead of the more accurate 631 FTEES? Lastly, I want to address a concern from last month's board meeting. During the discussion on the $25 million trans loan, a board member made a statement that she researched and found that Victor Union School District, Lassern Valley School District, and another unnamed neighboring district routinely take out trans loans seemingly to normalize Apple Valley's decision to do the same. Following that meeting, I reached out to fellow union presidents who then consulted with the respective chief business officers.
Thank you. Trisha Kendall uh 6 Rebaner Road. I'm the planning board representative to the CPC committee and I just wanted to um just wanted to kind of clarify that you know we did grant a certain amount of money to this project several years ago. We have a there is actually a lot of money in CP CPC funds for these type of projects that cannot be used for other parts of towns and schools. This is what they're for these kind of open space recreation projects. So this is $60,000. I think we just need to allocate it and get this one over the finish line. Thank you. Thank you, Trisha. Any further discussion? Seeing none, we'll proceed to a vote. This will require a simple majority. All those in favor of article 10, please raise your cards. Thank you. And opposed. Thank you. That passes, but not unanimously.
So if you if you have if you think you have that time and and can do that um and be in Ashland at that time, let me know. So short notice, but that's that's like how it's panning out. So, um, and okay. And then, um, I don't think there's any other updates about ongoing projects that I know of. I don't know if Elro has any updates about things that are already in process. Um so I will be receiving the two new applications for a town cell um at Albert Ray Drive. I was advised by the person that met I think it was from Crown Castle that came maybe I want to say a month ago to do a permitting process. So they will be doing one for Verizon, one for T-Mobile. So, okay. Um, of course, I'll work on seeing when is the best day to schedule those and I I will foresee doing that probably before I leave to like make sure those advertising and everything is ready for the I will say potentially the first week of the first meeting in June.
Keep up the great work. Thank you. You want to do the PCS update? Um, as we approach the final stretch of the year, things are buzzing with excitement. And I mean that. Uh, this is Carl myself. We're just talking about end of the year, spring head and standing toward the end of the year. They feel that energy. Our students are enjoying a wide range of activities including field trips, field days, and special classroom events. Uh, throughout the month of May, students have been working on Smarter Mouse testing and NGSS testing. So, they're working very hard in the morning. We're giving them some extra breaks during the day. Try to get that energy out because they're super focused and the morning testing. Meanwhile, our eighth graders are looking forward to several special milestones, including their trip to High Meadows. I usually go, but I asked Mrs.
So, thank you. Yes, thank you. I'll do what Miss Guro just said, but I'm looking forward to the migration from going from east to west cover the whole district and seeing this over the next couple of years, how it how it evolves through that process. So coming back in two years from now if not before. Thank you. Thank you one and all for your presentation. I know that. Okay. Next we have public public comments. First person, Mr. Ron Flores. Hello again. Thank you board for giving me this opportunity. I come to these meetings because I communicate with our alumni. We have 24,000 people that are online. We have 30 Facebook pages. So what I learned by coming to these meetings, going to LCAP, Capstone, talking to the teachers, talking to the students, it gets communicated to our alumni. and uh my class of 65 and the alumni.
And here's what I learned. Victor Union only took out trans loans in 20203, 20056, and 201213 school years and not since. Hisparia CBO mentioned the district may have taken out trans loans in the late 1990s, but not in recent years. The CERN Valley has not taken out trans loans at all and is on track to be a debtfree district next year. They even self-funded their own solar project. It is deeply concerning that this inaccurate information was shared during the meeting, possibly influencing the vote by presenting a false narrative. According to Apple Valley's own board agendas, the district took out trans loans in 2019 and did not in 2020 and 2021, but has consistently done so since 2022. This raises two questions. Why has the practice been normalized in Apple Valley? And why does this continue annually when neighboring districts avoid it and still manage to offer higher wages to their staff?
Article 11, accept section 40, chapter 653 of the acts of 1989, sponsored by the town manager. See if the town will vote to accept the provisions of section 40 chapter 653 of the acts of 1989 in order to allow the town to tax in the current fiscal year on new construction built between January 1 and June 30th of that year. We're taking action relative there too. The finance committee recommends the town so vote. Miss Sinata. So currently the official assessment date is as of January 1st. Chapter 63 is a local option to assess certain new construction and property improvements between January 1st and June 30th of a given fiscal year rather than the standard January 1st assessment date. It also grants abatements on property losses if there's a fire or other damage that lowers the property value. The assessor would be able to make an adjustment based on the damage value up to June 30th.
Um, I I was I was going to say I'd rather not have it. I mean, our next meeting is Yeah. within days of the election, right? and it wouldn't give enough time to advertise it on the newspaper as it should. So it would potentially be for the first week before this meeting on June. Um so just a heads up that will be coming in but I'll take care of that um before. Other than that I haven't had I guess one update is I know that uh the YMCA sent all the information to uh the building department and the building department is doing findings on the zoning. Uh so I believe they will probably have to make a pit stop with the CVA and then they will be continuing with the process with the planning board. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Anyone have anything else before we just do meeting minutes?
Keller if she'd want to go. This is a big thing for me to give that trip up because it's such a fun time. Uh the class night dance on June 6 and their promotion ceremony on June 12th. Uh the promotion program, which you're all invited to attend as well, starts at 10:00 a.m. on June 12th. and truly is a very special event. Uh friends and families all come together to celebrate our amazing eighth grade students. Uh like I said, the energy around schools contagious and students are excited to wrap up the year and look forward to some. So softball was on the road today, tennis was on the road today. And in a very odd move for Bolton High School, there was a double header of baseball. And I share all that because that's why our three special students were not were not here tonight.
We're going to give eight scholarships in a week. That's the kind of uh things happen when you communicate with the community. Couple things that I've learned that are very important. I went to two uh LCAPS and I learned a lot. It kind of educated me on things I didn't know. More importantly, I went to Capstone. Wow. That was overwhelming. Uh, they saw my reaction. They wanted a video. They wanted to interview me. They did. They made a five-minute video. It went online. We had over 600 hits so far. Views. You need to do more of that. I mean, in all these meetings and things I've gone to, you have the tools, you have the resources. And I brought this up at the LCAP and in the group I was in in the Buena Park room, group three, we suggested engagement. Unfortunately, it wasn't selected as one of the top three.
Thank you for your time for Thank you for your time and for considering these important concerns in solidarity. Karen Sey, thank you for your comments. I just wanted to say I did not say that they were taken out that there was a resolution for them. And if you check the Victor district agendas for April of 2020, that is when it was approved. I did not say that they took the money out. We were talking about the resolution because that's all we did at the last meeting. We just approved a resolution. We're not planning on taking it. However, with the way the political climate is right now, should the state funding not come in, we would like to continue paying everybody Okay. Item seven, close session reports. Clerk will read out uh that's you, Amanda. Get the readout, sir. Close session. All right. So in closed session, the board of trustees took action in the support of the following recommendation from the superintendent.