Um I I agree with Mr. Rule. I know he would love to start school much later and and I would too because I'm I'm a boat we're a boating family. We would love to start school much much later uh because August is a great boating month. Um but because of our alignments with some of our co-ops um and then and then trying to get as many instructional days in before state assessments um things like that and then also to try to balance semesters. I know um that's something you know some of our high school dual credit teachers always have to work with partnering universities about trying to balance semesters and how many um grades and how many assessments you're supposed to have per semester. There's just a lot of challenges um with that. So, I think you could and and I don't know that I'm ready to give you a recommendation to do that right now because I would want to kind of go back and look at maybe another two or three calendars moving forward too and just say you're always going to punt it to the weekend after Memorial Day.
The school will now be conducting a lockdown trip. Please go into lockdown mode at this time. This is only a trip. Again, you're going into lockdown. or you know we're almost done. >> Yeah, we're almost done. >> Yeah, >> we're locked. >> Yeah. So, >> unlocked. I get it. That door is locked and the other one outside is locked. I'm >> just saying, [laughter] >> but yeah. So, it seems like our our plan of action right now is to meet again beginning of March to go over more detail that and we've already we're already going to be updating the budget calendar. We voted on that. So, are there any other budget update questions or things we need to know right now? >> Just really regarding anyone look at the chapter we are now back to receiving just the minimum amount that per people because our foundation enrollment went down by 55.
They had a call blitz today from 11 to 1 just on that one bill trying to clog up the um, phone the phones at the legislature. Um, so those are most of those. I think you know next at the next meeting on March 2nd legislature will be done. So they finish on February 27th. Um but I do encourage you to pay attention to if you're in education organizations or whatever to the bills they're talking about because this is this week is really one of the last times that we have an opportunity to have input. Um so we want to make sure that if there's something you feel strongly about that you do call. Um they do listen. They do count. So if you know today I had a hundred people call about this one thing and usually I only get two you know that indicates that something's going on and maybe I need to pay attention to that.
Uh we uh increase of operational cost. Uh I I was sitting the other day with Leah when they were looking at new buses and she's talking about the cost of buses. Uh I I have I I don't even want to tell you uh how much they've gone up. Uh but I'm guaranteeing it's more than 30 or $40,000 in the last five years per bus. Um and that's not counting utilities and everything else. We still have to do those things. We still have to provide transportation. We still have to heat our buildings. Those costs keep going up. And then of course we didn't have a successful refer revenue in uh 2025. So there's only a couple ways to do things and one of those is to the only way to address that is is to increase revenue or cut costs. So uh the increase in revenue there's several ways to do that.
Um because I think sometimes you may run up where there are years where that would only leave you a day or two. You know, if you just said you're always going to have it on the Friday after Memorial Day, for example, then there would be some years that you would be like, "Oh, shoot. That really puts us up because school would get out really close. Other years you're like, we've been out of school for like a week and a half. Will, you know, will they come back and, you know, how how do we get the kids back to get them to graduation? Uh, and and I think probably the average person says, "Kids will come back and graduate, right?" Yes. Yes. We'd have time to have to drag them back like, "No, you still have graduation. Remember?" So, um, but I would like to at least go look at a few of those.
So our chapter spending increase is only 122,325 and then on top of that our choice and charter sending uh choice went up by 20 students or to the tune of $458,188 and the charter went up by four students but that because of their formula that increase of charter spending is $210,170. So right that choice >> setting in or out >> out. Okay just >> so the total >> it's a loss >> make sure everybody >> total coming off the top amount is 668,35. So right there is like >> just >> it's going to be brutal. >> Yeah. Come on in. >> Everybody releasing you from the lockown. You want to come see us? >> Yes, we love Frank. >> Nobody comes out till the budget's set. [laughter] >> Okay, we have to come up with a budget really fast. >> Yes, comfort dogs in every class.
So I think it really does matter to call in bigger numbers. It also means that I think as of Friday like the 19th is the end of committees. So again, this is the week where they'll finish up their committees and then the last week will be reconciling the House version with the Senate version in either a conference or they can concur and they can say, "Well, the Senate changed our bill, but we're okay with that." So they can agree or they can say, "We changed it, we can't agree." So they will get together and they will then have a private conference in which they will decide how that bill is going to go. So those are kind of the next processes that come and as I said they have they have set their own deadline to be done on February. That is what I got.
Increasing enrollment. Okay. So we were up I think 14 kids this year from where we were. That's still down. Uh but the good news is it's not as bad as what was projected. So, we're ahead of the demographers, but the demographers are not calling for increase in enrollment anytime soon. We're supposed to lose a hundred more kids, I think, over the next 10 years. Um, take advantage of advertising. So, if we have somebody who's willing to to give us money to put their name on something, we probably need to think about that. The uh I believe the uh state legislature just passed uh information to put advertising on buses. I'm not saying, again, I want to be clear. I'm not saying we should do that. I'm saying we have to consider those things. Uh, and again, putting $500 advertisements on a bus is not going to make us healthy, but it might pay for free trips and maybe a little bit extra diver pay.
Um, just to make sure before I would just say, "Hey, just, you know, always put it on the Friday before something like that or always put it on the Saturday after, you know, or whatever." Not before, sorry. But, you know, to always just say, "Let's put it on there after. I don't want to just change it right now to some random date and then all of a sudden it doesn't work." Um, since we've already put this out since October. Um, I would like to go look at a few more, but I I am not opposed. I've gone to graduations the weekend of the weekend before. I mean, for 15, 17 years now or whatever. Um that I've been doing these. It matters not to me when we graduate. Um Memorial Day weekend's always too cold to vote anyway. So I don't, you know, it doesn't bother me.
[laughter] >> There's something to >> So, yes, we had a lot of money on porch going up. We know that. So I'm going to present some things to you in the future about choice charter privacy. >> So >> when I knocked on a lot of doors in the town >> and I asked why of parents who took their children out for one reason was class size two was bullet. >> So those are the two things and class size has been big in Greenfield since long as I've been here. I mean they all talk about how many kids are in their classes. Um there was a question parents um at the middle school there was a social studies class of 29. I don't know if that ever got fixed. >> Um and then just basic question is science and social studies year long at the middle school.
Anything else? >> Is there a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> Second. >> Any extensions? >> All those in favor signify. They operate
Um, we have to invest to maximize revenue. You heard tonight we we got a little bit more money out of a bond sale than what we thought we're going to. I think we have to continue to look at those things. Uh, have another referendum when when we can legally. Right now, we can't legally do that. I don't know when the next year is, but we can't do it for a while. Um, but I think as soon as it's possible, we need to look into that. Um, if that's something the board chooses to do. Uh, teams and organizations paying part of their gas b gas fees, paying paying some money to to to go to places. Um, again, that's that's a big deal. Um, I think we can decrease expenditures uh in several ways. First is reduce administrative staff. We literally already start started doing that.
So >> So the way this is it's going to the last day of school is going to keep getting closer to that Friday night date, right? So we couldn't be consistent with that, >> right? Yeah. So like on this particular one, it's the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Um, and again, this is a really early one. Um, you know, I think sometimes it's much later than that, you know, whatever. I And I know there are some districts that punt it, you know, a week or two after school gets out and they that way if you have snow makeup days at the end of the year, you just never worry about having to move it. You know what I mean? There there have been different, you know, things I've seen at different districts over the years. Um, one district I worked at, it was by God come hell or high water, Saturday of Memorial Day weekend at 11:00 a.m.
>> Thank you. >> So >> just have one one >> that is a gold star for Roland >> but it's year long >> one. Yeah. They each have the whole seventh grade 100ish kids. Okay. of one science teacher and one social studies teacher and one math teacher which if you ask my child she's very happy just to be very clear. >> That is excellent news. >> Was one of my and then so Andy had said to me that in last year's budget stuff they had staff list. So, I went back. I saved everything and I found the list and and the middle school listed 10 more teachers than the high school. So, what was just >> that's that listing is redistricting. >> Okay. >> This be undone. So, if you look at the >> Oh, that was with the four extra teachers that were to be hired.
you you folks didn't replace me with a full-time administrator and and and that has helped produce staff. Um I think we need to talk about consolidating elementary schools and all the associated things that come with that. I think we have to think about natural attrition of staff when people leave. Uh do we need to replace them? Uh how do we replace them? In what manner do we replace them? And how can we be more efficient if we replace them? And I want to be different between natural attrition and reduction. reduction is, hey, we're going to say we don't need that program anymore. We're gonna we're gonna touch that. Uh, and I think those two things are different. Uh, I think you can have a moratorium on field trips that aren't that are paid for by anybody in the school. So, I think if PTO's have funds and they want to send kids on field trips, maybe we do that, but I want to be clear on that.
I mean, it just was, you know what I mean? Um, but in that county there were four high schools and everybody had their time slots and nobody moved them. You know, everybody had agreed for teen years that's when graduations were going to be. So, um, but I would like to at least go take a look, you know, a few more years to come. >> You looked into that, too, when the county schools have theirs. Didn't you do that last time? >> We did that with this one. Yeah. Trying to see who else. move. >> That's what I thought to get it away. >> So, but I'd be happy to go look at those. But I would like to approve this change revision just with those snow makeup days just so that's out there. That hasn't changed or whatever because I know like this time around I think we had a few staff members that have kind of planned like four day like little mini holiday weekends things not reading the calendar that these may be snow makeup days.
>> We have post nonred redistricting but change that to the mayor >> because that didn't make any sense to me. I mean 10 high schools usually have more staff because they are doing AP and stuff. >> Okay. >> So I think based on what I'm hearing everything we present about increase we need to explicitly link to the people and the class size. I think that is the only way we can frame it for people to really understand the consequences and what the human cost will be if we're not able to >> make things better for children. >> Yes. >> But it shouldn't be shaming either. >> No, it shouldn't be shaming. It's just more of >> shaming. No, that >> and everything that was awful. So I just can't that again. Think >> it was bad. >> Well, no. And also the mayor does not have a money tree that she's ever revealed to me.
Again, same kind of thing. You still have to send kids to Impact. They still got to figure out what's going on there. We got to figure out how to pay those bills. Um, I think we can look at minimizing extra utility charges. Uh, simple things like when I walked around the building that I'm principal in, uh, the principal had a fan under his desk all the time because it was hot in here. Well, you know what? Maybe we need to think about if we have a 100 extra fans running all day long. We need to probably think about that. That's a whole lot cheaper than or a whole lot less painful maybe than cutting staff member. U, so I think we have to look at that. I think things like Christmas lights up all year maybe need to be thought about. Uh we need to restrict overtime.
So, >> can you add snow on that perfect? I can, but we might make them up for other reasons, too. Like we might make them up for fall or ice or >> if Yeah. the flu or if we had a if we had a water man burst or you know what I mean? So I just >> Yeah. >> I move we approve the calendar with the verbage change of the makeup days. >> Second. Moved by Katie, seconded by Amy to approve the calendar with the uh change in wording for makeup days. Any more discussion? So, we're planning on going back and revisiting graduation date. Okay, there's no more proceed to vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Opposed? Motion passes 6. All the business we have items from superintendent. >> Yep. Uh just a few different things. Um the Michigan Town lift station improvement.
>> She's got nine grandchildren. She [laughter] is the first mayor to really I'm going to tell you like sits at the table with us. Okay. Most of them never even showed up at the table. And actually, you can see her what was it? The fire panel. I could see her head going doing the math and she said I I got that people were still arguing with her and she just said she was paying for it because that was important. >> Well, it I think it so from a nonshamy I think the framing is just like we are asking for this money and this is why this is the impact for the kids. This is these are the people whose jobs we can save. So I I think keeping it framing framing everything on people not shaming. >> Exactly. >> And with all of us going in eyes wide open that the state aid isn't where it should be.