Um, and some of the projections you're going to see see, which I will share again, is, you know, we're trying to make an apples to apples comparison, but it's a little difficult because of all of the kind of alternative um routing we're doing with different schools and special education and um large buses, small buses, but we uh we'll do our best to try to make that comparison for you. And just some other things before I kind of roll through some of these uh these projections that or uh sorry proposals we're going to share with you is just some assumptions made throughout the projections is for the all the financials you're going to see was we just did a flat assumption of $48 per bus per day. That's a type one bus. So the largest bus you're going to see. We obviously run a fleet with different size buses.
Um, but right now, students in Danbury are at a clear disadvantage. Most schools in wealthier towns have SAT prep programs that are built right into their school day, and that's something that we don't have here. So, while I was preparing for the SAT, I only had to depend on those free online videos and practice tests. They helped, but it wasn't enough. I constantly felt behind students from better funded districts who had teachers, classes, and structured at the time. The truth is, SAT tutoring can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And many families in Danbury, including mine, just can't afford that. Um, it's not fair. The amount of money your family has shouldn't decide how well you do on a test that shapes your entire college career. So, Danbury High School is the least funded public high school in the entire state of Connecticut. Our average SAT score is about,00 a number that reflects not our ability, but our lack of resources.
and Miss Makuchi, I don't know if she wants to speak, but following the second session really highlighted on feeling like it was one of the best workshops that AMS has had and the takeaway of students in our building really being ready to have these conversations and wanting to impact um change. So, I think of a really important note again is that these guys stepped up and did something that typically their their age their age peers are not comfortable doing and they did an amazing job um leading. I am going to miss all of them. I I wish I could keep them for a few more years. They are going to have a huge impact um in life and and at the high school especially. So, excellent job, guys. Mush, do you have anything to add? So, we have a a running list now of topics that, you know, are specific to AMS that um students identified are are issues that we want to tackle and we're going to work on ways to try and hit more students with the playbook workshop and be able to to work on that next year.
You just have to be consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts. It's hard. Life is hard. No matter who you are, there are bumps and hits and bruises along the way. Prepare yourself. Success and achievement come through adversity. End of quote. There are no easy routes, but there is a path that is built by your choices and your habits. My advice to you is be prepared. Be ready to take on the next challenge in your life. Be consistent. Be dependable and ready to work. Be determined. Stick to the plan. Make adjustments if needed, but don't ever give up. Be willing to work for it. Learn what you need to know. And explore new ways of solving problems. Success takes work. Be willing to work. Be kind. Success is not about knocking each other down, but building each other up. Create a community of kindness.
Uh but that can be variable depending on the needs of the specific school. So this is just kind of one way to level set. Currently we're running like 36 buses in our tiers at a maximum. So we're running a lot of buses across Cheshure in the morning and the afternoon. Another thing with these proposals is Cheshure High School start time will not be any earlier. So you will not see that in any of the proposals. It's 7:30 or later for all of them. Um we're also trying to expand the time between those tiers. So, in any of the proposals you see, instead of having 35 to 45 minutes, it's 45 minutes or above. And the idea there is that alleviates some of the um issues with buses being late to second or third tier schools. And this the another assumption the school day is going to remain the same.
And this isn't just about test scores. It's also about equity. Um, it's about making sure that every student, regardless of their zip code, has an equal shot at success. So, tonight, we're asking you to invest in our futures. We're asking for a school-based SAT prep program, free or low cost, taught by instructors who understand the test and how to teach it. It can be held during or after the school day, and it would make a world of a difference. A program like this wouldn't just raise test scores. It would raise confidence, um, open college doors and lead to scholarship opportunities for many students who thought they could never afford college. Um, it would give every student in the library the tools they need to succeed. So, we know you have a lot on your plate, but it isn't just about us. It's about the students who will come after us.
So, that's a goal of ours. Just ask a quick question. Is this a new program for us this year or it's not a new program. third year that have been involved um with it and Sammy really stuck with it in high school um and continued and I have no doubt that these guys are gonna continue being leaders and I'm sure we'll welcome them back next year to help us run some workshops with the middle school. So yeah. Wow. It sounds like it was a really meaningful experience and that you guys are are real leaders in your building and that you'll carry that with you and it sounds like do you think a lot of your um your peers at school got a lot out of it? Yeah, definitely. I feel like um it made a big impact on the people who were there and hopefully that they'll uh they will spread it throughout the rest of the school with their peers in each of their grade.
These five habits will guide you along the way. Whether you're heading off to college, joining the workforce, entering the military, or exploring what comes next, they will help shape the person that you become. The last request I have for you is to take care of each other. May is mental health month and we must be okay with not being okay. We must talk to each other about our struggles and get help when you need it. We all want and need you here. Sohawks, as you step off this field and into the world, hold your heads high. You carry with you more than just skills. You carry the values of Essex Tech, the lessons of adversity, and the power of your own work ethic. Congratulations again, class of 2025, we are proud of you. And remember, no matter where life takes you next, it's always a great day to be a Hawk.
So, it's 6.5 hours now. And that is what we are uh showing for school year 26 and 27. Some things that we're not sure of and are hard to incorporate into any uh proposal is the number of buses. We obviously don't have the redistricting map, so it's hard to say how many buses are actually going to be at any school at a given time. Luther really looked at, you know, the bus capacities that we have, where schools are located, and has incorporated that into some of the proposals you'll see. Um, but it's really, this is very highly volatile because it depends on what our redistricting looks like. Barnum is obviously in a different location than Chapman, not as close to Route 10, not as many sidewalks in that neighborhood. So, the amount of buses that are needed will really depend on that redistricting map. Um, and another thing that we made an assumption uh or just sharing with you more is the need for AM and PM care.
We want them to walk into the SAT room feeling prepared and not left behind. Thank you so much for your time and for listening to our voice and we hope you'll consider bringing SAT prep into Dair public schools. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Regina if I miss your name. Oh, that's me. I Isaac Essie. I give the name wrong. Just catch on. Yes. Yes, ma'am.
Do you think that it started any conversations like people would talk about things outside of the workshop that they might not have talked about before? Yeah, definitely that. And they could if they see some of the scenarios that we were in that we showed them, then they could implement what we did in the workshops into real life and maybe stop a bullying scenario or someone making fun of someone else. Awesome.
At this time, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing our graduates graduation speaker, Mr. Timothy Johnson. [Applause] [Music] Happy Thursday, folks. I was a bit surprised and honored when Miss Barry on behalf of the senior class asked me if I would speak at graduation. And in fact, the first speech I wrote, which I thought was really funny, uh, I showed it to my wife and she reminded me politely that humor is not one of my virtues. Soon, seniors walking across this stage will be your last task as an Essex Tech student and your first act as a graduate. You've spent the last four years getting a high school education. In shop, you've completed countless projects, served countless customers, learned skills and regulations, logged hours, and earned certifications, and gotten experience at co-op jobs. However, education isn't just about work. Because life isn't just about your job.
Anytime we're switching the length or the the start or end of the school day is going to change a parent's need for either before or after care. Currently 8% of our elementary sk care uh elementary grade students are enrolled in the YMC afterare which take place on our campuses. That's 339 kids. So a fair number are needing are having that need right now. And it really depends on their school start time if they're participating in AM PM or potentially both. Um, and then another assumption that was made with the proposals is just the number of students that are riding the bus, which we estimated about 60 to 70% of students at any given elementary school would be riding the bus. That's a little bit lower for high school because we don't have as many as many high schoolers riding the buses. Um, so that's just some things you'll see incorporated throughout these proposals.
Good evening members of the board of education. I'm Danielle. Can't hear you. Can't hear you. Hello. Oh, lower. Louder. Louder. All right. So, we are juniors priorly attending Danbury High School and we are here to respectfully talk about the conditions of our school environment because we believe it is our civic duty to advocate for the well-being of our school and our peers. Over the past few months, we've been researching the current state of our school's infrastructure and the overall quality of our education through our personal experience and our peers as well. What we found shows the effects of our education. Since 2020, Danbury High School has been underfunded compared to other districts in Connecticut. This lack of funding shows up in real everyday ways like bathrooms with bro broken stalls, poor sink conditions, and lack of staff to maintain them. As students, this directly affects our health, our comfort, and our ability to learn in a sanitary and respectful environment.
Does anybody else have any questions? Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you. You're awesome. Great job. Okay. And as always, you're welcome to leave. You don't need Yeah. You don't need to stay here for the next exactly x amount of minutes. We appreciate you. Awesome. Thanks. Pete, thank you guys. Warren school school improvement plan update. I will bring this up. Pete, thank you. Is that the entirety of your report? That was it. Okay. Yes. Second. Well, so hold on a second. Well, you get to take credit in the superintendent's report for that. Thank you. Good evening. Just to to thank our council members, Lori Tossy is our representative from the school committee, Kathy Kenny, Tiffany Farrell as two of our teachers, Erica Lanaris, our assistant principal as a non- voting member, Caitlyn Montas Diora as a parent, Donna Shaw as a community member.
In math, you've learned to think logically. In wellness, you've learned how to be fit and healthy. In science, you've learned how to conduct and draw conclusions from experiments. In the humanities, you've learned about the ways people have lived in the past, their mistakes, and their victories. Your education overall has given you the foundations upon which you can build a good life. Graduation is a celebration of that achievement. And while you're all excited about the future, I know that you're also nervous. You're about to get more control over your life. and the stakes are going up as the increase in freedom is inextricably linked to an increase in responsibility. Many of you might be wondering, as I still am, how can I tell if I'm living right? So, I'd like to remind you of a few things from the English curriculum. As freshmen, many of you read the Odyssey and from Homer, we learn the importance of hospitality and being kind to strangers.
I am not going to go through this entire comparative data set, but it's something that you can chew on potentially after this meeting. This is just some of the other DURB or schools or schools that are in the area. Obviously, you see Southernington, you see some other Durgby schools and some of their um student enrollment, the number of schools. And what you'll see here is how many tiers. Um you cannot see my arrow right now, but the number of tiers in their busing system and basically their AM start times and their PM start times. We've had a lot of conversations about later high school start times. This is where we are with DURB B right now. Um, some things of note just with the some of the comparisons just to highlight so you don't have to read through this entire chart right now. Is that it's actually really hard to do an apples to apples comparison of transportation expenses.
I believe that in order to ensure DHS's sanitary safety among students and teachers, there needs to be some changes in bathroom departments. We should not have to go walk around the whole building searching for a functional bathroom as it takes time of our learning. This issue impacts students basic needs. A second issue we repeatedly see is teachers having to buy many of the school supplies with their own money due to lack of funding. It is already difficult for teachers seeing that most of them have to work on their a second job to uh to be able to survive in today's economy. Ignoring these problems sends the message that our education and well-being does not matter. This isn't about inconvenience. It's about dignity. It's about whether we believe that every student deserves clean faculties and that every teacher deserves the resour resources to do their job well.
uh the team works very closely together and thankfully this team has been together for some time now. Uh so they work extremely well and share ideas together. Some some highlights that I just want to point out that we're accomplished this year. Our work we were in year two with S3 which is a group through Desi. Um we not only met we exceeded our expectations this year on our group and we're actually selected as uh one of three communities to get and speak in front of the state uh group for the S3s and the staff did an amazing job of just sharing our successes, our challenges and advising some other uh towns and it turned so much that the afternoon workshops that the S3 group had designed um they changed them and they asked for us to continue our presentation and we had over 40 participants just to sit in to listen to ours which was every element member of the of the U group session.
We learn that a good life is one that makes a good story, one that is worth being retold over and over again. Odysius is a great hero because he perseveres. He stays true to himself, his family, and the legacy he wants to leave behind. As you go forward, think about the story you want others to tell about you. as sophomores or in a ELA, you read Emerson and thorough. Thorough writes, I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Wouldn't that be terrible to get to the end of your life, look back, and realize that you had totally missed the point, had gotten it all wrong, and that you had wasted it.