Um, so it's nicer for the parents, too, because a not touchscreen is only, you know, $10 to $20 for the parent to to pay versus that 110. So, >> any other questions for >> Are there other tech expenses that we're looking at that could also be impacted by the rampid price increase? >> Well, I was talking to Craig about that earlier today. We our scale server node, we have three of them. Um, they are about 5 years old. Um, we'll be looking to upgrade those in the next couple years. We did have one that went down last week, but I have it set up in a way that if one goes down, the other two will pick up the load. Um, they it's a 5year warranty, so they're actually going to send us a new chassis next week, um, under warranty. Um, so saying that, I used to pay, you know, 10 15 grand for a server.
>> Great. Thank you. No, this is good. So, so let's move away from, hey, we don't have an operational override. It doesn't pass, right? And the the number that that I feel comfortable presenting to the school committee, and I've said that to you before, is a 2.55% increase over the FY26 appropriated amount. And that's going to to involve certainly tremendous amounts of additional reductions within um the Ashlin public schools. I don't see foresee forecasting tremendous amount of revenues coming in at the town level. That's the reason why the 2.55 to me is a number I've settled on. It it for lack of a better um comparison to the 2.5% increase in in property taxes. it just it's might be easier for folks to understand. Um so in this instance, you know, it's going up um you know about a million dollars. So what does that look like then?
We forecast our special education out of district tuition projections based on the rates determined annually by the private provider and the student count of those currently enrolled in our out of district program. Due to conf confidentiality, we do not publicly publicize know publicly know how many students these lines cover. Is there any impact on the budget when students opt to attend CTECS Oliver Walcott tuition or transportation? The district is responsible for transporting students to Oliver Walcott. There is no cost to the district for tuition. When and how are question 16. When and how are expenses related to ES5 program incorporated into the budget? Extended school year costs are embedded within the operation budget across multiple lines, including certified salaries, nursing, and within consults, therapy, contracted services, and specialized transportation. Eligibility for ESY is a PPT decision. If a student requires ESY to receive a free appropriate education faith, the district is legally required to provide those services at no cost to the family.
So those boilers have been working extremely hard to keep those temperatures arise. But hopefully if mother nature and uh you know cooperates and we don't look at you know 15 and 10 and 12 degree days, we can get the ambient heat around the 70s in the units and and make it to the spring. Hold out till March. >> Thank you. >> And just to confirm, when you say units, you're meaning actual in a unit in a room. >> So the un Yeah. Yep. The univary units that are in the room. Uh the hot water comes across, it's a hot water system, not a steam system, comes across the coil and then the blowers blow the hot air off of it. >> So it's really extremely limited impact. Maybe two to three rooms at any time >> currently. Yes. Two to three rooms. Yes. >> Thank you very much.
I don't care. Nobody has to do it this way at all. I just would I do care about can we make it very loose on the how often people are checking. Yeah. Who So it would would that mean that your AP would be responsible for the behavior contracts? So when we were I don't know, cuz when I was a middle school teacher, I did them. So like I was the team lead, so like we had like a sports we had be the a sports behavior plan, and it was like, "Okay, this is yours, and this is like this is your an assignment kid. So you got to get this many assignments in." And then we just like passed it out. And then the kids would get them filled out, like they get their grade checks filled out, but they would do it um like based on their need.
We appreciate the opportunity to share our work and welcome any questions or thoughts from the board. Board members, any questions, comments? >> What's the uh the initial feedback that you got from the staff uh on this? Did this kind of help them um pull the lessons together a little bit? >> I I think it's a way for quickly review concepts um and warm up a lesson. Um, so like anything we implement, we had strong implementers and then staff that needed add additional support and I think differentiating that is a key. >> Gotcha. Great. Thanks. >> And the number talks that's done K through five, correct? Every >> Yes, every day. >> We try to bring them to prek in a prek appropriate way, but yes. >> Okay. >> Awesome. Thank you so very much. Oh, >> do you have a >> not a question, just more of a comment.
He try He tries to reflect it. Is he going to do it again? A >> too far away. >> Ah, he Yep. Yep. >> He's trying for it. >> Yeah, that's why he's ducking that way. He just needs to press the B button. Ooh, tries for a grab, but King K will answers with a down smash. All right, forward throw and a forward air. Oh my gosh, that forward air spikes so often. And a dash stack and another forer. Oh, but he gets Oh, >> he's always attempting those forward airs. >> I mean, I can't say I blame him. It is so freaking spicy when he lands those. >> Yeah, I've been hitting by actually combo is meant for Hyra. Uh, he reflects my sword at Pyra and bites me off stage. >> Yep. Yeah, that's what Mario does. All right, he's at 79% and he's got a whole flood pack.
You're looking at like 20 25 grand a server now. um uh switches. We we just secured a deal with uh -ate and that pricing looks about what we expected um compared to last year. But yeah, I will say I mean it's going to start kind of bumping up with AI. >> Yeah. Scheduled big purchases. >> No, we do a pretty good job on staying on top of the refreshes. >> Yeah. >> So to answer that more thoroughly, e-ate, are you familiar with that? >> I've heard of it. It it is a subsidy program is what it is. So federal government subsidizes >> here at Meccan we pay 20% of sticker price. So for switches, access points, battery backups, mechanical is only um the the government will pay 80% of that cost and that's based on your free and reduced lunch count. Um and then we pay 20% of that.
So it it actually goes to 20.6 FTE reductions. So, we added a few more in here um based on needing to reduce our budget from um the level service amount to a to a um a number we feel comfortable with. And you can see I I tried just again a different type of infographic here. You tell me which ones, you know, share it with you and say, "Hey, ju this makes good sense, Jim, versus this this one here, etc." But um the additional positions include obviously you know at the at the high school uh you'll notice um some additional positions um a literacy coach at the at the district level um another teacher at at Warren School um so there are still significant retirements like at Mendes the majority all the positions are retired positions doesn't We couldn't use another, you know, fifth grade teacher to reduce class sizes.
Question 17. Inquiry on school construction reimbursement beginning July 1, 2026. The active school boards are down accountabilmies municipalities that meet certain housing and plan related requirements 5 percentage point increase to the local school construction grant reimbursement. Do we meet the certain housing and planning requirements to receive this 5% increase in reimbursement? And if so, how would this impact our budget from C CIP? Beginning in July 1st, 2026, the act provides a 5 percentage increase at the state school construction grant reimbursement rate for districts that meet housing and planning requirements related to affordable housing zoning and disco planning compliance. At this time, it is not yet confirmed whether the town of Kent meets all of the qua qualifying housing and planning criteria for the additional 5%. Several of the required elements such as compliance with state affordability house benchmarks, adoption and implement implementation of required plans and demonstration of progress towards state planning object objectives must be formally reviewed against the most current guidelines.
>> I'm assuming even the weather didn't help with all this old units and the weather was really brutal this year. >> It was definitely a perfect storm for the negative. the snow, the cold. Uh, you know, if I was standing here at 100 years old, I sure I wouldn't be able to give a speech nearly. >> I guess I guess this one was a good wakeup call for >> the district and the border. >> Where's global warming? But [laughter] yeah, where is it? >> And how's the pipe over at ECLC? The pipe that froze on the roof. So ECLC have two um uh rooftop units that so that's a much I mean ECLC is an 18 to 22 year old building. I know this building and that building were two years apart with the SDA. So I always seem to forget which one's 18, which one's 20 years old.
Or we did like you just had to get 10% higher was like another thing we do for like the promotion contracts, too, was like, "Okay, you got to get on your next test, you got to get a 43 instead of a 33, and like work our way up." Yeah. But it really was It really depended on the kid, cuz some of the kids it was literally just like, "Did you, you know, it was all about participation and like how they were acting in the class." Yeah. I mean, I think if I mean, if you're suggesting that we allow flexibility in the in the policy for something like that to occur, then I I mean, I wouldn't I wouldn't be against that. I would be a little uncomfortable about requiring it, though, um only because I'm not I I I I would say that that would be something cuz ultimately someone's going to have to be responsible for that, right?
So, listening to some of the words that you use to describe the interaction, I rarely hear encouragement conversations and words like that around math. So, that really stood out to me because it it is making math a normal part of the day. I'm a little old. And so with that, it used to be, okay, you were either good at math or you were good at English. And it's hard for many people to understand that. But the fact that it's part of a conversation that you're encouraging just participation overall, not right or wrong, I think is excellent. [applause] >> All right. Now, we have a work study. We're going to talk about the English language arts curriculum adoption. Dr. Scott. Good evening, President Coutur, governing board Dr. Lopeman. Tonight we have the pleasure of sharing the ELA English language arts textbook adoption process with you. And I would like to introduce Mr.
Oh, but that flood pack is probably flooding open now cuz his stock just left. does a down tail into a forward smash. All right. Oh, does a forward smash. Mario answers with his own forward smash, but King K Rule answers with his own down smash. Tries to reflect it. Oh, and runs right into the blunderbuzz. All right. Air dodges right through him and uses King K Rule as a makeshift shield. All right, King Ku punching Mario all the way, sending his crown out, but the crown not quite reaching unfortunately. Does a down throw. Oh, tries for a forward tilt. Oh, but the forward smash takes out Tanner. That was a pretty crazy match, I will say. >> I will admit he was doing good there. >> Oh, yes, he was. Both the King K rule and the Mario were doing spectacular. All righty. So, if my numbers are correct, we have one more person to be sent in afterwards.
So so that's really to keep us up and refreshed um with today's stuff. That's how we can do it. Thank you. >> Yeah, >> great job, Chris. Thank you. >> Okay, with that being said, I'll entertain a motion for the one to one device purchase. >> So, move second. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Dave Shlo, >> yes. >> Bington, >> yes. >> Rex Bner, >> yes. >> Alan Wilson, >> yes. >> Tim White, >> yes. >> Andrew Adams, >> yes. >> Robert Dane, >> yes. Thank you. Thank you. >> That brings us down to item 8.5 26 27 food to school co-op contract. >> This is the time of year Julie Windsor loves to speak in front of crowds. So next couple are going to be hers. So Julie, you want to go over that? >> Yes, everybody knows. So, um the this contract uh for the food to school co-op, this is basically the second of a four-year contract that I signed last year for our main suppliers for food service commercial and um Deans Company.
All of this will have impact on class sizes. Let's just remember that, right? I think, you know, Kate Alman's on here and she she had talked to you about how it would impact class sizes. >> Um, I do not feel comfortable going any further in terms of reductions to the national public schools than this slide here. I would hope the school committee would support this. Um, and that's, you know, part of what I'm I'm angling for tonight in terms of getting ready for a public um budget presentation, but I have been tasked with the town to look at a level funded as well. And I I have to share that and that's sort of um will be coming next. But but you can see there's significant impact here to our our programming um to the high school uh world language and and at at the middle school um our adjustment counselor um the district level uh the director of that was in the last iteration as well uh but a literacy coach we've been working hard um we need these physicians but we have to make decisions as well and they're really difficult and uh and challenge challging.
Determining Canton's eligibility will require a formal review of the state's criteria against the town's housing and planning status. This will be part of the study we conduct this spring and summer. With no plans for construction next school year, there's no impact on the budget for school year 27. Question 17. There's also 15% bonus for building a facilities used ex exclusively by school boards for special education program. Does bridges qualify for this? While I know we don't own the bridges facility, is this something we can benefit from costwise? Per the eligibility I mentioned public act 25-175, Bridges does not qualify for additional 15%age point reimbursement focus. The statute applies when a school building project involves a new construction, renovation or expansion of the district own building includes plans to expand or create in district special education programming services. The school building project for new building renovation or expansion of existing bridges is an off-site school program that is not located in district own school building project.
Um the two units on the roof, it was simply put we found a heat trace line that currently was not hooked up. We repaired it as quickly as possible, turned the heat trace line on. any of the valves that had broken and failed and given out. We were very lucky. It kicked over to the other RTU unit and you've been running on that one. So, those are dual units. They're hot air and so you have forced hot air and you also have the baseboard heat which is radiant and ambient heat and then you have air conditioning. So, the one RTU was doing all the work. We then were able to fix the other unit. We put a bypass unit on top so that the only one unit was only getting all the hot water. repaired the other one and now you're running tandemly cascading between the two units.
Either the AP or the classroom teacher, they're going to have to create those behavior contracts. So I would before I would be be supportive of that, I would ask that that that brought be brought to the APs to talk about to see if that's something that they would be support But if you just want to put the flexibility in there as an option, I would I would think that would be I I wouldn't have an issue with that. Yeah. I just want to I want it to be more flexible at how often we're checking grades. That would be like my apparently the hill I die on, cuz there's been a way too much time on this. >> [laughter] >> Um but that would be my the thing. I I do think it needs to be consistent from school to school, otherwise we end up with, you know, a parent whose child moves from one school to another, and well, my old school let me do this, but now you're applying this different rule to me, so I don't have a problem with creating a work structure that's manageable, um provided it's still keeping students focused on the importance of their academics.
Wade Watson and Dr. Mona Barry, who will go through the process with you and explain all the wonderful things that we did to get to this point. Our focus aligns with the district strategic plan. Goal one, every student graduates with our students at or above grade level. We align our initiatives with the portrait of a graduate framework, emphasizing our commitment to the five key attributes: communicator, innovator, resilient achiever, principled leader, and critical thinker. Tonight's presentation sheds light on how these initiatives contribute to developing these essential qualities in every MUSD graduate. For example, in developing innovators, the curriculum we teach must reflect our dedication to nurturing innovative thinking and problem solving abilities. This curriculum should provide engagement activities and tie to real world scenarios. As part of engaging students in the content, we will encourage students to explore creative solutions to complex challenges, preparing them to adapt and thrive in an ever evolving landscape.