Thanks, Kelly. >> There's one other section here. Um, again, Kade recommended policy. It does say March 15th that we have all consideration of retention. We typically do this by early May. So, what I would recommend and we're starting conversations certainly February, March, but I would also recommend that this language and wording um be changed to May by May 15th. That's, you know, solidly a month before the end of the school year in most years um as well as summer. But that gives us a little bit more time. March is early um and it may would allow us to have some additional data to see where that student really is at the end of the year, particularly when we're talking about our little youngsters or K1 students. the amount of progress a student can make between February and May can be remarkable. Um, particularly when you're talking about reading gains.
Uh so you know in a P3 concept might work for them um with this extra I mean you have to have some kind of commercial component um like SFA was talking about because you need some kind of gen re revenue generating source. Um but again I don't know how all that works because usually the the the revenue stream is tied to the actual facility. So you know you'd have the commercial separated from the school. So who pays for it? And and one last point I'd make is um when you talk about building cheaper because the cost is the cost labor, capital, land, um it it is cost more in Hawaii, private or public. So when you talk about building for less, you're talking about building less. So, smaller classrooms, maybe you don't have a band room, maybe the cafeteria is open and it's just a pavilion, maybe the um you know, there's not as uh offices for administration to meet with students.
They also have some pieces that would allow us to essentially make recommendations for professional development at the same time that we are providing feedback in the observation. So we'll look at that as well. >> Y >> and again just a thank you um for the donation of all that equipment was just amazing. Yeah, thank you. It's just it's it's such a great gift to this the district and our students. So, you know, thank you very much for your work in that. >> You're very welcome >> and for getting us the information expedited to get on the agenda. Thank you, sir. >> Yeah, very appreciative of that. I'm going to piggy back right on that because that wasn't that making sure I knew uh the name, but it's it's awesome. It's super appreciated and we also thank you for the cooperation for making sure we we do it the right way and for all the work of the district and um um Dr.
And so, we're passing that savings on and that program. [snorts] So, that readjusts the numbers a small amount, but 1.3, 1.5, and $860,000. We're going to do the same thing and divide by the total number of member months to get a cost uh 158, 194, and 220. And part of why I was saying the RX spend is high. The benchmark for RX is 170. So if you're above 170, your uh pharmacy spend is high. And you could see in the middle year at 194, you're above and this year you're way above. And so the the RX spend is really pushing a lot of that um higher cost coming in. Have to do the same thing with RX, which is trending it. And so doing those calculations, you're now at 212, 236, and 249. and then also doing the weight from 2030 and 50 with a partial year splitting that back up and a combined projection of 23409.
And we had a great show. Uh it was a police and fire show and um you know those those were the beginnings and I know Barbara you uh you brought up some great things all the different programs that you provided us all the live streaming from all the different holiday festivals that we had Ashland Day um Connor spot some of the programs that have been initiated over the years thanks to you folks people who weren't able to get to see it live were able to watch it later on in the Okay. All the different meetings that you can't go to every meeting, but you can take a Saturday morning and sit back with a cup of coffee and listen to what's been going on uh throughout the week. And it's all because you folks made that happen. And Verizon, you folks I wasn't sure who said I think it was I think it was Mr.
>> He can unmute himself. >> Oh, >> there we go. >> All right, [clears throat] I did it. >> There you go. >> I'm not I'm not too techsavvy like your youngsters. [clears throat] >> Can Can you hear me? >> We can hear you fine. >> All right, let me see. if you want. There you go. My WACA TV's shirt. Uh um I'll try and be brief. Um just want to speak a little bit about why, you know, we should continue to support WACA and the impact that we make on the community. My name is Robert Silver. I'm a volunteer announcer and field reporter with WACA TV, primarily covering fall and winter high school sports. I volunteer because it's not always about the money. It's about doing the right thing and helping the community. My affiliation with WACA started back in 2015. My children grew up in Ashlin with their mom and stepdad.
Um so kids haven't gotten those services that that need to have services. It's happened year after year and then that's just because we don't have enough people. Um and I'm not criticizing that because but it's bottom line is a good strong reading program takes reading specialists. If we could hire two more reading specialists, it's definitely for Newton because it's the most underperforming. Probably federal and I don't know how high Four Corners is scoring, >> but at least two more for each of those schools. And then you have supported classrooms. The teachers really I think it would take off. >> We put in a new reading program. It's a core and there's no magic core. Um, a lot of money was spent on it, but what really needs to happen is to give the teachers the support they need. And everything I'm hearing is class size is up.
We do that when we go into negotiations and we do that when we're going into budget season. Um they will sometimes come to our budget meetings. I always offer to go to theirs so that their towns know how their money is being spent because I think it's really frustrating for those member towns to um to feel as though they don't have a say and because ultimately when we set our budget if there's no if there's no back and forth interaction or if we're not listening to where they're struggling and what the impact is going to be on their schools and on their other um you know town budgets. then you know basically they pay the region and it becomes very one-sided and the the relationship can deteriorate very very quickly. So um having those informational sessions and the listening sessions becomes really really important. Right now we're in the process of working through um with our we actually have a a Google form out to try and get a meeting together.
So, I would uh also update that. Again, we can make decisions earlier, but this is intended as like the hard fast stop date for that. >> May I ask a a question here, Kelly? >> Absolutely. Um the the sentence there reads parents will be notified um as early as possible and in you know with exception uh with few exceptions no later than March 15th. That's not a hard and fast that the child is going to be retained. It's just a notification to parents. >> Correct. Um, is it safe to assume that there are other communications that are going to be happening between the the teacher or other personnel in the build, educators in the building and the parent prior to that, you know, around this issue and so is a formality almost to to put it into the policy this way? >> Yes. So, um, I would say typically no later than February, we're engaging.
Um you know, if there's a fight or something, there's no privacy. You know, these are the kind of things you're going to have to reduce so you can get to that. I think I heard 40 million. Um so, those are the things that you're going to have to give up. Um but again it might be workable with with charter schools which have more flexibility and not such a huge portfolio and program uh that requires certain dimensions um in order to offer the curriculums that we have. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So but this measure does not require DOE. So it could be all charter schools. >> It could be right and to that extent we support it. >> The other thing is you know I I have to beg to differ with you. The cost is the cost because there's ways of delivering it that could be a lot less without having to sacrifice on the size and the cost.
Oello and Miss Henry to make sure we do it the right way. So, thank you um for everyone involved. Um any further discussion um one through six. Okay, seeing none please. >> Miss Thank you. >> We do not have anything in agenda item O policy. So, uh we will now open the second public comments. Miss Meredith, you can please >> Miss Bas, I'm sorry about that. >> There should be a little button you might have to press. Please, please state your name, uh your address, um and then you can um adjust the board. Thank you. >> Okay, great. >> Uh my name is Meredith Busage. My address is 16 Charles Foster Drive, Bordontown, New Jersey. Good evening, members of the Bordontown Board of Education. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm reading a prepared statement on behalf of my husband and myself. We currently have one child, a first grader who attends Peter Mutual Elementary School.
And so between that that's around 633, but we've been talking per member per month and um the way Valley Schools we do a fixed fee on employee um count. So we need to convert this from the member to employee. And so that's uh down below on the current membership 668. We divide that total amount uh the four the 399 plus 234 times the 668 and then divide by the 5.49 and that has a total cost um per employee per month of $770.40 per employee per month. The [clears throat] uh Valley Schools fixed expense is the $100.60 60 which has a total cost now of pushed up to $871 because we do um services to uh ver you know 34 different districts. Not all are with UHC. So of the UHC on um our contract there's um 24 districts. The average on the total fixed in claims PM is around $900.
Silva that said something very very appropriate. You know, the bottom line is one thing, but your outreach is far greater than your bottom line and touching all these different people that that are affected by WACA and those who appreciate the work that you all do and look forward to it every every day uh to see the different things that have been going on and get updated on on a a daily or even weekly basis. I would I strongly support it. I always have. I always will. And um you know we have different other other programs when we do uh when it comes to elections you have open open mic night and uh citizens participation there and asking questions and Makita I've sat with you on different times and with your with your uh your shows that you've had podcast like Michael had on on different ones.
At the time, my son Jake was a freshman at Ashland High School. He wanted to become a broadcaster and WACA gave him the opportunity to get his feet wet. Announces were needed for winter and spring sports. the executive director, Barbara Chisum, brought Jake on board. Eventually, Jake would ask me to join him for a basketball broadcast. I've been volunteering ever since, about 11 years now. I want to speak about again why uh WACA makes such a big impact on Ashlin community and beyond. I'll start with a personal note. My son Jake, the announcer, was diagnosed with cancer towards the end of his sophomore year of high school. During his junior and senior years while undergoing treatments and surgeries, he continued to work for WACA. I truly believe this was a major part of his motivation to pursue his passion, graduate from high school, and in the fall of 2018 enrolled in the communications program at Springfield College.
We don't have enough paras. Kids need more support. Behaviors, you know, again, more support for the behaviors. Um the high school also um feels they're vocal about it that they don't have support pair of support in the eighth grade which they had for those kids when they were at the middle school. So I think there's it would lower our ratio adult per child. Um, but it also might also solve a sub problem by putting a parent in each classroom because we know at Newton there were two third grades that just didn't have a teacher all year because people were out for different reasons. >> And then then we're looking at their scores and saying you're underperforming but you didn't have places. Right. >> Right. So, it's kind of like at least with a parent in that classroom, there's some consistency, some routine for those children when instead of all of a sudden >> and would you eliminate a building based sub?
Um, we've been talking for several years about getting a a rolling average because right now towns pay based on the number of students that they send and it's this up and down from, you know, one year to the next. A town can get hit really really hard on, you know, whether or not they're they're paying a ton this year and then less ne next year and it ends up being um really really challenging for towns to plan on what their budget's going to be. So, we have a um ad hoc committee on rolling average and we're um we have a meeting set up with our select folks and with our um our mayor and our town manager from Mansfield. Um we're in the process of setting that up to have a conversation because we found a way without changing statute to work together to um potentially look at just a a rolling average of taking the average over five years and setting that amount so that they can be more planful in their budgeting and not so um variable in what they have to contribute to the region and hopefully not um have their staff on pins and needles every year wondering if they're going to have a job.
So, January is mid-year benchmark assessments where we're seeing where a student is in the middle of the year. Usually in February and March, these conversations start with parents. Um, and then, uh, really it would just give us the decision- making. And I'm not saying to delay notification to parents, but a final decision. And we might want to even, uh, specify the language a little bit differently as I'm hearing, I'm rereading it, and I'm like, you're right. We, you know, we could still make a decision after March 15th. We just want to make sure to have parents um, be in the loop, but also give some latitude that we're not making a premature decision for some for some students. And can you remind me please when um student uh sorry parent teacher conferences uh are happening um in relation to this? >> November is the first conference um and then again in the springtime after this March date.
I mean one of the ways is to cut out cut out consultants, cut out, you know, the inefficiencies, cut out the change orders. There is so much waste going on and what I'm concerned with DOE is that you folks are so stuck in the way it's done. It's done the same way over and over and it's a cookie cutter and there's no change. And if we're going to try to do something new and move forward and never in in all my years I thought that schools would turn into health centers but basically that's what it is that the nurses would be giving out medication at schools. The times have changed, schools purposes have changed. you know, there's ways to put um teacher housing perhaps on the campuses, but if we're not going to open up our minds and doing some of this stuff and if DOE is not going to try to look at how do we change the way of delivering facilities as well as education, then we're going to be stuck into the role that we've been in before and we're not going to progress ahead.
We are here this evening to bring to your attention that not all students in the Bordontown School District are being permitted to attend afterchool events hosted at certain Bordontown schools. Last year, as a family, we attended several events, including Breakfast with Santa, bingo night, and the special person's dance, among others. This year, however, our family has been unable to attend events such as the spectacular Breakfast with Santa, bingo night, and the upcoming Sweetheart Dance. While we understand that these events are not held at Peter Mitchell Elementary School, they were held at other schools within the district and fall under the one board town plan. As a result, our daughter has been left feeling excluded and quite frankly discriminated against simply because she's an only child and does not have a sibling attending the school hosting the event. Our daughter has been looking forward to the sweethearted sweetheart dance since attending last year with her father.
So you're just on the underside of that comparison. Um we have some that are at the 600, we have some in the thousands. Um and so they've had some really challenging years, some uh high cost claimments um that will push that up. But so you're I would say you're right around average of those 24 districts. So that for his projections that means that he's looking at an annual a monthly spend of 478,000. uh projected annual he needs 570 or 5.7 million. Uh currently this was generating his calculations of 5 million. So that shows a increase of 677,000 which is that 13.4% that we showed on the first page. So that's how we come around to that whole thing.