Um, and there may be situations where a student may not have totally completed um the >> I do like the idea of the established system of grading and reporting, but I'm assuming that we already have that in place. >> Uh, we do and there's actually a policy that you'll also review later um that talks a little bit more extensively and that's why they're kind of together tonight. um you know graduation, credit attainment, promotion and then uh reporting to parents >> reporting to parents. >> So I would recommend and again this is completely up for conversation that we strike through this language. Um, and I would also recommend the potential of changing this March 15th and expanding it a little bit uh to give some additional time. If we wanted to say May 1st, we but I I would give a little bit more time to do that.
>> No, the building out. >> What's that? >> Right. the the so we go through the RFP, right? And then if it is a DOE school and not a charter school, then it sits in your folks on your folks desk. What is the time period that you're projecting it's going to stay in the DOE system? See, I think so I'll I'll let you answer that and then I'll I have a followup. >> Okay. So So for the schools that we're asking for two of the the um Capo East Capo Elementary School, it's already designed and planned. So we're actually asking for construction money. So when we get that money then you know we issue the RFP we get the contract to build the plans and then it's built out. Uh that can take about three years to build right once we get the money. Um CAM the CAM 3 temp school is is currently being discussed and um planned and uh you know working closely with DAGs and the governor's office on on that one.
So um we will certainly um take your advice or take your feedback um and look into it. So >> thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Is there anyone else from the public wishing to speak? Okay. Um, seeing no additional comment, we will move on to agenda item P, the public suggestions for the 2026 2027 budget. Okay. Um, seeing no suggestions, again, obviously people here would have uh would have would have uh shared if they had, but just for anyone watching afterwards, again, I will reiterate what Dr. Alabello already said in his statement. There are plenty of ways to reach us. um whether it's at another board meeting, um this will be a standing agenda item until we get to our budget as well as the meet and greets. Um um we are as open um with information as we can be knowing what we know and dealing with the timelines that we're dealing with.
So, you say, "Oh, that's only a little bit lower." We had um seven new members this year. And when you come over from a fully insured plan into a self-insured world, you're living high on the hog because you have no run out of claims. So there, so anything that happened on June 30th is the responsible of that fully insured plan. So those districts were all they're all got singledigit increases. So if you take that out, the average is more like a 16 17% which so you guys are on the better side of those more mature um entities with it. Um, now as a self-funded plan, you guys decide a lot of what levers you want to pull because um, and and this committee I assume is making the recommendations because you understand it's more about finances. Um, from a CFO's perspective, I would be making lots of changes and everybody to hate us and everybody be leaving.
So I want to just mention that in fairness to them too. Um, one other thing for the benefit of the public. Uh, even though the hearing closes, the cable act says that apart from the hearing, we can have an ascert a needs ascertainment record open uh on an ongoing basis outside of the hearing. It's a very interesting statute the cable act um you know it really provides for different mechanisms for public input like that. So, if you can't make it to tonight's hearing, the law does contemplate that uh uh the issuing authority, you know, through its uh town administrator keep the record open for other data that we can receive as long as we make it public and share it uh with the with the lency. So, there are further opportunities and uh that's about it. >> Thank you, Bill. Appreciate that. Thank you very much.
But I want to point out that what this small local community TV station does has a huge ripple effect throughout the Ashland community and far beyond. And the ripple effect grows year after year, near and far, ultimately impacting the lives of thousands upon thousands and I might even venture to say tens of thousands of people. So I hope when it comes time to decide on the funding budget from Verizon that you not look strictly at how it affects your profit and loss because it's not always about the money. Sometimes it's about doing the right thing. So, I trust you'll do that. Thank you for your time and as always, good night and go clockers. Thank you. >> Thank you, Rob. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. You're welcome. >> I I know Yolanda, did you want to uh speak anything? >> Yeah, if I could.
Oh, okay. >> That's >> okay. >> Issue use a phrase that Steve member commented presenting the fact of doing our transition on our own. They were they described it worth I would never have described the way that it would be self-sport, >> right? I remember >> I would never have been never said that. I mean, so And admittedly I have also shared that um based on their projection that they were talking about I will give ed to the transportation director Jake Wilson at the time that they they did grow the the revenue generating where we you know they were estimating like 200 grainers there have been some years we've actually doubled as far as generated. So, um, the and then and I don't they didn't say they didn't believe it, but when you look at what Greenfield spends for transportation offsetting what it is that we collect on the revenue for both the way Desi takes it from regular and sped transportation, we are right in the middle as our total cost for regular and sped transportation most of our communities.
Um, time when something didn't go as planned, I think, you know, the most recent was a roll out for um, we did a grading and reporting pilot. This is probably our most controvers controversial um situation that we've had where um coming out of COVID there were a lot of changes that co forced um it forced a growth mindset which was a question that we talked about earlier. It forced a a different approach to looking at student learning. It it approached this whole um perspective of um trying to be more un kind of trying to be understanding and and to a certain degree you know we took some of the guard rails off. There were much more flexible deadlines and and there were just you know there we got a little loose I think with with all of those things for all the right reasons because kids were put into this situation.
It's uh a little interesting to me that there is a similar sentence to the one that Wanita just parsed out um above that uh doesn't get into doesn't uh specify quite as many um criteria >> take into consideration. Right. >> Yeah. The decision to promote a student shall be based on the successful completion of the curriculum, attendance, performance on statewide mastery assessment testing program, other standardized tests, meeting this n sorry the statewide reading standards in the primary grades, maturity, academic potential and student aptitude. Whereas above it reads um modified version of that. The decision to promote a student to the next grade level should be based on demonstrated and assessed successful completion of the curriculum, attendance, performance on the statewide mastery test mastery assessments and other testing instruments. Um I I don't know how others feel about it, but I almost prefer the the second um the second version of that sentence down in the alternative language p pulling out that that particular sentence and replacing the one above.
Uh and then the the plan for is a design. So, we're just asking for design money right now. And so, once we get the design, then we'll come back and and ask for construction money. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, CH. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Thank you, Jesse. Um, so this bill would expand SFA's authority over public charter schools, but my question is to date, has SFA been collaborative with DOE in their dealings with DOE and the schools facilities? I I can only talk about the time I've been here since um September and I know that my team and we have been working with um SFA um on for example the Central Maui Middle School. Um we've identified sites that they're now exploring um for potential housing. I believe there's three sites um that we all agreed on. Um the Billy Lani workforce uh housing that's um being built.
So please um as Dr. Alello said, if there's uh if there's questions, please seek the source of that information. So thank you for that. Um and we will move on to agenda item Q boards. I'll open the floor. >> Okay. Um I just want to say thank you to you guys for coming out and sharing your feelings. We always love when our families come and show up to these meetings regardless of what the topic is, but that's why we're here. Um and Rusty again, thank you so much. We're so excited. I can't wait to All the kids talking about all that new equipment they get to use. >> I'll meet you there. >> Okay. Um, if there's no other board comment, I did want to just um congratulate Miss Pap on earning her certified board membership. So, that is amazing. Of course, I had it pulled up to to read through the list of what it takes to do that.
That's not a good decision. It might be a good financial decision, but there's disruption. And so that's part of understanding. Um, and I would say that a lot of your plans as we were going through them, they're already set up very well. Um, what you're seeing for the next year going forward, the projection is a lot of the costs going in, not a ton of utilization of medical. The RX is higher. Um, but I think I think what we were trying to set the table over over the last couple meetings was the singledigit increases are probably not there for the next few years until something major happens. Um, all those contracts that I talked about at the beginning, they all were approved. they come back up for re renegotiation I think in two years they all had escalators in them so every year it doesn't drop down to the end back it goes even higher so there might be a three four 5% increase escalator of those contracts for the next two more years so that's why Jameson [clears throat] they're seeing that nationally that's why we're seeing and we're trying to prep our miners where we were having single digits two to four% or two to 6% renewals on an annual basis everything was great that is not the future right now.
Um I guess it come down to discussion amongst us right now. >> Do we close? >> Yeah. Will we go ahead and close this part of the hearing right the ascertainment? >> Yes. Right. Okay. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Motion to close the hearing >> there. Second. Second. >> Okay. All those in favor? >> I. That's 5. So [clears throat] this meeting uh the hearing has been closed. Any further discussion on this? No. >> So we're just going to take a vote of support. I would assume at this stage >> I don't think we even need to do that. >> We don't need to do that. We already made a point. >> I think we need to look at, you know, further down the road as we get more information on the >> on the license and funding and stuff is where we'll look at it.
First of all, I've had the opportunity to work with uh >> Rob. I had the opportunity to do a few things with Jake and I just want to, you know, second what Michael has said and what what um Rob has said that WACA really has added to our community in the programming that they offer. But I also think since CO how they've been our partner in making sure that the community has access. I mean, I think about this this right now where people are being able to sit at home and and it's not just watch from TV, but they help us with our Zoom connections and they help us make sure that we get the information out to our residents. So, I think we need to make sure, you know, we go forward and and do what we can to to keep this license going.
Those are the districts that Desi compares us to. So, does that include the salaries and the and the health benefits for 19 people or 20? >> All of them. Whatever benefits are that would be >> is that included in that? >> Um, no, it's not city. >> It's on a city side. >> I know. >> Yeah. >> For everybody. >> Yeah, >> we can I mean I would add it and >> I mean we are solar point but we are solidly recommending the total cost. We are not exorbitant by the statute. >> And for context, talking to people from other districts, transportation cost increases going up is a problem that is universal to Western Mass right now, it seems. And we are legally required to provide a lot of this transportation. So the question is whether or not it's cheaper to contract out versus run inhouse.
We all were um I think a student described it to me best a few years ago when I was teaching a class where she she said we were she goes we had mass shared trauma and I was like wow that was it was super insightful and accurate and I think um with that there had to be changes and so as we started to come out of COVID we tried to pull it rein it back in and start to create some more boundaries for kids. So deadlines started to happen again and we started to look at our grading practices. So what do we keep from CO? What do we what do we lose from CO and so one of the things that we started to look at was you know within our grading and reporting what were some of those practices that made sense within a growth mindset for kids.
I think it's a little bit more comprehensive. So removing if I'm just understanding removing the sentence I have highlighted and uh replacing it with the sentence from below which is has more a little bit more expansive >> a little more meat to it. Yeah. >> Sorry. I'll go back down here. Committee members, are you compatible to that? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Put it up here so you can see it side by side. Give me one second. So insert that sentence and then sorry and strike through that I think that also offers some flexibility to um administration about evaluating students especially in the the the lower grades where maybe there is u you know a maturity issue or something that um is impeding academic prog progress. Does that look okay to everybody? >> I like it. >> Thank you. >> Are we >> Oh, I'm sorry, Kate.
Yeah, that there was you know coordination on that. I'm not going to say that um you know it's not without passion because on both sides we have passion which I think is good because we all at the end of the day want to deliver uh you know some project that is going to benefit teachers and students. So um but it's moving those things are moving. We're collaborating. >> Thank you. >> Sorry question again. >> Okay. >> Yes. Um really quick. So you had mentioned about availability payment. Why go that route and not uh geo bonds route? Um, you know, we looked into this on other projects I've worked on and actually geo bond money is usually cheaper than private sector non-t taxable bonds. Um, so yeah, that's a good question. So what are you getting in a P3 is the real question. Is it um, you know, the operation and maintenance is going to be taken care of over the life of the project?
It is not a small feat. It involves uh 20 20 credits from various NJSBA events. Um, attending at least four county meetings, which considering the county meetings, they only have maybe two or three a year. That's a commitment. Just that one. Uh, attending workshops. Miss Pep, I think you is it two or three workshops that you have under your belt? Three workshops. Um, attending a delegate assembly, attending statewide training um through the SBA. And the last one, which is you would have had this a lot sooner, I assume, except for one of the requirements, is completing a full three years of service without facing any ethics violations. And I think that's probably the only one that's been holding you up for probably about a year. So, um, congratulations on your, um, commitment to improving yourself so that you can help the district improve. Um, we are so very, very blessed to have you on this board and, um, just wanted to take a moment to honor you for that because that is an amazing feat.
Um, and so that's the that's the bad news, sad news. Um, it's probably akin to everything that's happening in our economy and our world right now that everything's a little chaotic and upside down, but um, that is where we're going in the future. Sorry about that. I keep ending on sad notes on things. Um, >> they're [snorts] used to it. >> They're used to it. Okay. I should have started with every time I come to your district and I drive by one of your schools, I love they're so beautiful and they look so good and I love that your community supports you guys. So I should since I've been in Daart, Poria, Littleton, Talison, Higgley, I've been in lots of places where the community does not support a district and so it's nice to be in a good place. >> We only have 15 more.