>> They're Yeah, they're being forced to move to a different process, but then there's a process within the process that they're looking at adopting as well. that deals with aortionment. That's that's the technical term. Um that makes sure that the member towns have an ability to participate in the decision- making. It wouldn't just be dominated by like one large community, you know, like Framingham. >> You know, you don't want to get in a situation where Framingham has >> essentially all the all the power. So that's what they're worried about. >> Okay. And does MSBA treat a regional school like this any differently than like an individual school project? >> Not that I'm aware of, not that I've seen so far. Um, you know, MSBA process is really really detailed. >> Um, so I haven't seen anything that looks different, but that doesn't I mean I haven't gone that way that far through the flowchart, if you will.
It has to breathe life. Um, and you have to be willing to have an open mind and you have to be willing to keep asking questions and that's what I would do and I would help in any way and when we would as a group get those goals um I would do everything in my power to um make sure they get accomplished, make sure they are monitored, make sure that the larger community knows what the goals are and that they stand behind the goals. So I do think that's important. >> Thank you so much. >> Really appreciate it. That is the end of the formal interview that we have for you and the formal set of questions. Really appreciate your time and your willingness to come and and do the whirl run whirlwind tour of all of our buildings. >> It was great. I thank you.
We've we've lost about 230 bus drivers over six years. Recently what the bus companies did to their credit um and we've had many discussions with them also they've implemented financial incentives for their drivers. So they've given they do paid training for them. they give signing bonus, they guarantee them x amount of hours. So because they've implemented that, it's shifted to an upward trajectory just in this past year. So like from last year to this year, we've increased by 69 drivers. So the financial incentives has produced an increase. I think the issue we have is just us giving money to the contract because they already have the capability to do that. So we don't want to double dip in that. >> Right. So, um, so do you have the staff and the transportation to restore all of the buses that was cancelled, >> the bus routes that were canceled?
We started, we projected and we grew like 30 kids. We were not seeing the day-to-day immigration impacts that we're seeing today. So roll into when school actually starts in August and we saw a decline of 484 kids. Um I have talking points. Yep. And again this goes into my my board budget study. So if you attend the budget study for the board, uh we'll be showing the backend spreadsheets. I would be flipping through like 10 spreadsheets right now. I don't have a PowerPoint prepared just yet. I wanted to give you guys the overview. We're not uh presenting this to the board until late February or March. I think I'm going to move to March. Um so I'm just giving you my talking points uh and you'll have all the backup for the numbers. Okay. Um so those are the numbers. But with ADM, we projected a 4.4% decline in ADM just again based on budget factors that happened.
>> Um, but it's something that we definitely need to keep an eye out on. So now they're they're going to do a feasibility study. Is that what they're >> they're in the feasibility study process right now? Okay. Um right now they're doing the enrollment. >> Okay. >> Enrollment projections. >> Thank you. >> Good. Any anyone else? We're good. Michael, you okay? All righty. All right. Thank you. [clears throat] Well, friendly reminder that all warrant articles for the annual town meeting are due by February 27th, 2026. So, if you plan on submitting uh a warrant article, make sure you get it in by the 27th. 28th is no good. >> It's not even a leap year. >> I know it's not even a leap year. Not yet, anyway. Okay. Next on our agenda, an open space per the town of Hockton special permit, 71 Franklin Road and Zero Cross Street.
>> So thank you. Um, members, I would love for us to take about five minutes, do a bio break, gather your thoughts, and then come back here ready to deliberate since we can we can move ahead. >> All right. Yeah. >> Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I know it's been a long day for you all. So, thank you very much. >> Great. >> All right. >> Yeah. Five minutes. a public deliberation and a vote to offer the position to one of the one of the candidates. Um, I did believe that one of our members would like to make a motion though. >> I would like to move to add to the agenda a second public comment period before deliberations. So moved. >> All right. So we have a motion by member child's and a second by member Deniv.
>> Do we have the drivers? >> Yeah. Do you have the staff and do you have the transportation? So, if your argument is we don't want to pay the contractors where again, it's very contradictory. You guys are famous for giving out contracts, millions upon millions of dollars. uh but to not want to do and to start being fiscally responsible now I think you're late to the party um because if there is anything I think that you should prioritize it's getting our kids to school so let's say we take out the private company element altogether do you guys have the staff and buses to get our kids to school >> so bus drivers are not ours but you're just looking at the number of drivers the private contracted drivers >> so currently I'll give you the the figures for that and we'll compare it to last year.
Uh we declined 5.73. So what the overall effect means is that ADM loss through the budget calculations uh was 511,000. So about 500,000 uh but our staffing decline because we had more staff than the ratio for the kids was 1.5 million. So that's about a little over 2 million loss uh due to declining enrollment cliff. We did not expect to lose that many kids in enrollment. Um so 100 day to 100 day we gained last year 18 kids and we lost 484 this year. That is substantial. Okay. But um I think you've seen that sheet before where we have the five 7.5 10 15 20% for our fund balance reserves. taking this information to the fiscal stewardship committee. Fiscal stewardship committee uh recommended in 2526 a 20% budget balance carry forward uh to mitigate for declining enrollment because we know that these kind of hits are going to hit us and we just there's you can't always save all the money.
Um, we have received uh several correspondences and I know Susan is here. How are you? nice to put a face to the letter and um to support u a matter that right now the old and this is going back to the old folks that that lived in the area. The old Liberty Mutual headquarters, which is now 71 Franklin Road, uh had some open space land uh parcels and part of that parcel was a parcel in Ashland, which is zero cross street. Uh and it was dee it was deemed to be left as open space. Um and per the permitting process in Hopkin, and I'm and I'm trying to make a long story short here. Um the town of Carington voted that to happen that they would make sure that that property stayed in perpetuity as open space and that included the parcel and Ashland. From what we're hearing, that's not totally accurate and there's a possibility that the new land owner is trying to sell that parcel of land uh that's in Ashland that to be built on.
Any discussion on that? >> All right. Ready for a vote? All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? I think it is unanimous. Um so with that then we will reopen public comment.
So we are short drivers right now. We are short 125 drivers and just to clarify like our contracts asked for x amount of drivers that doesn't equal the amount of routes that we asked for. So like for the the drivers we asked for um there's a is 410 drivers and that's to run 340 routes. And the reason why it's different is we ask for more drivers than routes because drivers call in sick. So we want the bench that when somebody's out doesn't disrupt the routes and we can have them come in. So right now we are short um 125 drivers which we're not happy being there and we're trying hard to recoup that. Um and as far as routes we're short uh 35 routes right now statewide. So just to show the difference of what the impact of the financial incentives that the bus companies have done from last year to this year.
You have to put the money in people's pockets but we have to do planning too. So it's a balance, right? So the committee recommended 20%. Um, I came back and said to the committee, I feel like at our risk level, um, I think 15% is going to be more in the bucket of of where we might land. And then we did our revised budget. $2 million was I had to wait for 100 day. I kept telling you guys, 100 day, it tells all. Well, 100 day told me $2 million. So, um, hm. >> No, $2 million was the total of the staffing and the ADM decline. So, the enrollment decline and the ADM decline is $2 million. Um, luckily the difference between the 20% and a 15% budget balance carry forward in our reserves is $1.95 million. So, we almost completely recoup the $2 million with fund balance reserves.
So I know Susan has uh Susan, please come on up and and and introduce yourself and um I know you have some folks here that are supporting you as well. So >> indeed, Susan Thorne, 181 Cross Street, thank you for adding this to the agenda. Really appreciate it. >> It's not a problem. It's it's a concern for us and um we wrote a letter in support and I I did a rough draft, sent it along to town council. Uh I think it's in all your packets. There is a redline version and a clean version and um if we approve that tonight, we will uh I'll send that along to the uh select board and to the building commissioner as well. >> Greatly appreciate the board taking action as well as Michael Herbert's support on this uh topic because you're right, Hopkin had an opportunity to act to protect that land.
Um, so if there are members of the public in the audience right now that would like to come up and give their thoughts for three minutes about what you've just heard, or if there's anyone online, please put your name in the chat or raise your virtual hand. Um, indicate in some way that you would like to give a comment. Now is the time. All right. So, if you will please state your name and your address for the record.
Last year we were short 172 drivers. This year we're short 125 drivers. So clearly not there yet, but it has increased significantly. Now the routes that have been restored, last year we're the beginning of last year we're short 141 routes. This year we're short 35. So, still not acceptable to be short 35 routes, but it has uh resulted in an increase. So, we're hoping that uh the financial incentives that are in place are going to continue to positively. >> So, would you say that the cancelled bus rates has contributed to the absentee rate? >> I don't have any data to show for that, but we we want to have these routes to support attendance. Well, I I think I can safely say that it has contributed to the absenteeism, at least on my side, uh where we're in a very rural area. So, um the city buses don't come, you know, the deep parts of Paka Road or Hakimo Road or real up far deep in where kids have to walk out just to be on a main um strip just to catch the city bus.
It's exactly what they're there for. It is why we put it in place. It did exactly what we intended it to do. uh fiscal stewardship committee was actually very proud of themselves uh because we got to see it in action. Uh plan ahead, plan for the worst uh hope for the best and then have the reserves to mitigate when we have something that we just couldn't anticipate. Um but we did anticipate I mean we did but we just didn't anticipate how harsh that decline was going to be. So now the challenge for fiscal stewardship will be to try to determine how much we think it'll decline next year. uh we're seeing some, you know, we'll be watching this year closely and we will try to make decisions at uh closer to the end of school um and and see where we vet out. So, we're not anticipating another 400 plus student decline.
And when Tony and I back in I think it was 2019 2020 went to the Hopkintown meeting when this whole solar project was about to happen we were assured by Seabard Solar who was the then owner oh yes don't worry about that that's all conservation land including abuing your property and then lo and behold agilityas bought it from Seabard solar and then I've got actually I brought some materials that are supplemental to what I had provided before but um back in 2024 in the registry, they characterized the property as potentially buildable, which I think sort of signals their intent, right, to put it on the market. And then >> they actually put it on the market last March, which was months before the town accepted the gift of the land, the Hopkin land. So, they looked out after their land only, which was disappointing. Um, but they have the authority, right?
Uh, and then you'll have three minutes. And if you'll actually give me just a moment to pull up my timer. Timer. >> Okay. It's um Doug Selwin. Sl 38 Forest Avenue in Greenfield. >> Great. And I've got timers on. >> I'm sorry. >> Go for it. >> Okay. Um, obviously wasn't prepared. Um, first of all, I really appreciate the process and I think that it's really hard to see somebody for half an hour, 40 minutes in this setting to have a a larger picture of who they are. Um, but the focus on who the children are and listening seems to me to be at the top of the list that I hope you consider. um as you're as you're thinking through the candidates um recognizing that Greenfield can't solve its issues alone and that really recognizing and thinking about who the person you choose will be willing and able to reach out to work with other districts and others who are facing similar situations.
uh which in fact since the buses were cancelled and DOE has put money towards uh school um excuse me bus passes bus passes uh that financial burden has increased right so now you folks are spending more money giving bus passes to the students since the as opposed to paying for the bus routes >> so fortunately we're not spending more money because the for the contractors we only pay them if the routes are So the routes that are not active right now, we're not paying them for that. So we have the money. We'd rather be paying for the route active routes, but it's not like we're paying for routes that are not being run. So the money that we're saving from the inactive routes is going to the city bus passes. >> Okay. So when you say you are not, are you speaking for the department as a whole or just your division >> for student transportation?
It could happen and we need to make sure that we have reserves for that. I know. Okay. So with all that being said, Doom, um we have um a process that allows us through attrition to decrease staffing, which will absolutely happen for this next year. Um and it'll be more to alignment with our staffing ratio. Um and then a percentage decline uh and that goes into the budget calculation again. But with the 2% from the state, which is projected about 660, 661, um some potential one-time monies, uh we we just aren't sure on the onetime monies, but they've been coming in every year. Uh but there it's a hit or miss every year if it's coming or not. Uh the governor seems to be indicating some of that will be there. It's on average anywhere from 100 to 300,000 those onetime monies. Um, if we put those a portion of those onetime monies into that 661,000 we're expecting, that gets me on a rounded number of about 750,000 that I think that we will be to the good.