All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye, motion carries five to zero. This brings us to 6.1 third review of the 2026-2027 maintenance and operation budget. Ms. Rushcamp. President Wade, members of the board, tonight we will take our third review of the M&O budget. Um this will look very similar to the previous two um presentations that we looked at. So, this slide we have seen again. This is the third time. There are no changes made to this slide. We again we speak a little about AEL. Um our known budget implications. And then as a reminder for our budget transfer from M&O to capital, we are reducing that a little going into next year down to 3.25 million. And again, that's to pay for our middle school leases. This slide has changed slightly. The top portion is still when we came in December and revised the budget for this current year 26, we were just under 119 million.
So, I um I totally hear that this feels like weird timing to do this, but I don't see any substantive reason why we would resist a movement in this direction where she's, if anything, demonstrating an even greater commitment to helping support our school committee and community. >> Thank you, Jenny. Um I am going to take some responsibility for the fact that we are this far along in the year as the chair of the committee. This came to us in January. we were at not as specifically written but um we had a meeting in January about the goals and we as a committee did not take any action at that time. Um so I will take as the chair I will take on some responsibility for that because I think Dr. Z has been wanting to make some changes and we have not responded with an action, meaning we haven't said yes or no.
They are a responsible bidder and um they're uh they're they're proposing to do it in April. So, we're looking to that. Uh we're just in in Berlin, if you're listening, I'm going to come calling. We do need someone to sign the contract on behalf of Berlin. Well, after you said 230, did that say above the 323? Say that? Below. You said that it came in at 230, right? It came in around 230. >> 230. Almost 100 grand below. >> Yeah. Okay. Yeah, he said above. Sorry. Yep, just wanted to make sure. Yeah. So, getting to Boylston, uh we still have the bathroom, the parking lot, and the play area wood chips. At our meeting with Boylston FinCom last night, I know Megan was there and then heard this. They're feeling pretty tapped out with the roof. That's going to be a big lift for them.
I mean, overall as the policy, I think that this one makes sense. It's a road potentially to nowhere. And I actually think about like movement around that space and I don't know that it it's adds additional value in terms of circulation. Um, but just knowing how tricky it is and how expensive it would be to acquire additional right of way overall, it feels a shame that we don't that there's not revenue that can then be circulated back into the purchase of new right of way in places where we do need it now for Yeah. So overall, I support this and it's more about the policy, but I don't think that that is actually in the UDC. Is that right? About how vacations work? Yeah. >> Uh, thank you. Um, uh, rightway vacation or street vacation is a, um, process very specific to a plat. The city did not purchase this.
Martin and and speaking with Dr. record and and and kind of the some of the negatives of changing at this point. Um I I won't make a motion to change it. >> Any other discussion on this? Well, I I appreciate that because I think that, you know, um we can look at when we do the next calendars, we can look at that carefully, but I I have been also gotten feedback from the community that people have already planned for that spring break. So, >> appreciate that, Blake. >> That's some serious planning. >> Yeah, I'm I'm a I'm a planner as well, so I I plan out and so I I can appreciate that. I guess what I I would just state is uh for me I'm I'm definitely not a hey we we vote this once and and we will absolutely never change it again.
Now going into 27, so July 1st, we will start that budget cycle. This has increased by $450,000 up to 111 million 400 and just about 43 thousand. Uh 200 of that is additional one-time funding for the former prop 123, which is now a supplemental and that's just increased and it it's still conservative, but just based on the different meetings I attend and additional information that has been received, um feel pretty confident we will get be getting a little more than what had previously been projected. And then also looking at our budget balance carry forward for this current year that we're in, um we'd been projecting 19 million thinking it will come in slightly higher than that just based on where we were at last week. So, that makes up the 450,000. Also new to this slide is the knowns from our January budget meeting where or our board meeting where we had the 3% compensation increase for the salary exempt and the 4% compensation increase for the classified hourly.
We haven't had a vote. Um, I guess I would also like to say that if you look at the work she's doing in her other districts, it it's really tied to the work that's happening in the district. And for us, the work that's happening this year, a big chunk of it is around the budget. And I think that these goals, what she wants to to add into these goals, reflects the fact that that's really important work this year and continuing into the coming year. Um, so I I I'm in favor of accepting the transition. I think we have to give her an opportunity to have goals and I feel like these are going to give us more information with things that weren't in the original goals. while she's continuing with the idea of the programmatic review. >> I see that Rachel has her hand up.
They are trying to do that without the need of a debt exclusion override, things like that, which are prone to failing. Um, so they're really trying to do that out of cash. The roof is huge. We will continue to revisit these items. It may be that they get pushed off. I think the big thing, the bathrooms are pretty significant. We'd really like to see those done. We'd just really like to see all three things done. I mean, but at the end of the day, if we were to have to prioritize, I think our biggest concern right now is is those bathrooms. The roofing project we're working with the MSBA on that, but it's not scheduled till now, spring of 2027. Right now, even I think late spring, early summer of 2027. The cost just keeps going up for them as well, too, each time that we're delaying it.
Um, when you plat land, um, which is almost exclusively done for residential purposes, but it could be a commercial plat. When you plat land, you know, some of it is is shown as u public right public rights of way and some as platted lots and the the developer generally sells off the platted lots but dedicates the land the roads to the local jurisdiction. Um for right ofway that we have purchased or the city has purchased or somehow they're acquired, it's a different process. Street vacation is a very specific process related to the plat act. Um, and so it's undoing a portion of a plat. So I can almost guarantee that the city did not purchase this particular right of way. And it is the plat act that specifies how you both uh record a plat but also do a street vacation. And um when both sides of the street come from the same plat, the process is the the right of way gets split straight down the middle and little pieces go to each side.
So I I think that the hope is that you don't change it again, but I I think as circumstances arise and so um so I think we should do things as early as possible and as best as possible, but um when when people say like they have a a board approved or contractually approved, well, I guess that I guess that came true last week, but it wasn't true prior prior to last week. Just because just because the board had approved it doesn't mean that that that's contractually what it's going to be. >> That's always going to be what's >> what's best. So you don't think this rises to the level of of wanting to make a motion? >> That is that is what I'm currently feeling. >> Okay. Well, I appreciate the input, appreciate the discussion. Um, okay. All right. Let's move on to agenda item number four, our consent agenda.
Those are coming from M&O. Uh the certified staff again will come from classroom site funds. So, taking where we were in December, projecting where we'll be July 1st, it's a $7.4 million deficit. The fixed cost increases, a few of these have been trued up. We've heard from the trust for our property and then our work workers comp, um what our rate increase should be. So, those have been changed to those estimates. Health insurance, we're still working on health insurance. Um we know we will have an increase. Right now, we're projecting the 600,000 out of M&O. But again, um by the end of this week, we will have a firm number on that. And as I've mentioned before, the schools and departments, we are holding them um we did not take any funds away and we did not give any M&O funds going into next year because they did have a larger reduction this year.
Is it okay if I just say something really quick? >> Yes. >> Thank So, first of all, thank you Margaret and Jenny for the comments that you just made. I think they were really helpful and Jenny captured some of the key context and priorities here. Um, and then I just want to give you guys a little context that I think would be important and then unless I've asked a question, I don't think I have anything further to say. Um, but important context to have is just kind of how the cycle of evaluation works within the district and how I think in some ways that's relevant to um, some of the comments that were made about the timing of this. um because it is the practice for all employees to have a minimum of a beginning of a year evaluation meeting midyear and end of year and I'm actually engaged in that process um in which I am evaluated by the superintendent and I had to set goals at the beginning of the year and I too um identified that there was a need to revise some of my goals and part of that um which anyone who has worked in education or in research would understand is making sure they are smart goals and that they are specific and measurable.
But, we are working with the MSBA. Roof needs to be done. Work with the MSBA is giving us some support there. So, that's that's important to get that done. Yeah. So, Tahanto parking remains here. It will remain here. You know, as we've had more and more events and we've had snow and things like that. The parking here can be very precipitous. You know, I've seen it mostly in sort of rain and mud and things like that, with people parking on the 70. Now that we have snow, it's really even worse, people parking on the 70 are out almost in the middle of the road. So, you're representing a lot of And Al raised I think a very good point. There are more and more families because of work situations and things like that are coming to events in multiple cars, right? Mom and dad will come in a car, grandma and grandpa might come in a car, the student may come in a car.
But uh it it depends on where the land comes from because if you're at the edge of a plat and all of the land came from the one plat and you have an adjacent plat to the other side, land doesn't go to those other plat people or lots. It only goes it stays within the plat and that's a procedure that's specified in the plat act if that makes sense. I was speaking fast. >> That and that's a state law. The plat act is a state law. >> It is correct. Yes. It's a way to subdivide and sell off land. That is very interesting. Thank you for teaching me today. >> Thank you, Planner Do, sorry. Um, Commissioner Weatherbe and then Commissioner Hammer. >> So, I think this is maybe more for the petitioner. Um, one of the things about this as someone who lives in that area and has noodled down John Street many a time.
All those in favor of approving >> make a motion. >> I'm sorry. Thank you. It's been a minute. Uh, is there a motion to approve tonight's consent agenda as outlined? >> So moved. >> Thank you, Miss Humphre. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Miss Murray. Uh, all those in favor of approving tonight's consent agenda as outlined, say I. >> I. >> Thank you very much. >> And we're going to go ahead and adjourn our I guess. Is there a motion to adjurnn? Like I said, it's been a minute. >> Is there a motion to adjourn uh our brief board business meeting? >> So moved. >> Thank you, Mr. Brainer. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Miss Humphre. All those in favor of adjournment, say, "I." >> I.
So, the total of that is just under a million dollars, 980,000. So, we take the 111 million dollars we were looking at and knowing we had a about a 7.4 deficit um from the January 20 27th governing board meeting that we had and we had looked at uh position reductions. It was voted on the 3.5 million. So, that reducing our budget by that is going to take away from the negative. And then we had the pay increases for um salary exempt and classified hourly that I just mentioned. That was about 1.1 when um mandatory payroll taxes were added to it. And then the estimated fixed cost that we just spoke about. So, right now it's looking that there will be about a $6 million use of fund balance um because we are budgeting to a deficit. So, this uh for the next meeting April 7th, that will be our first look at the capital budget.
And one of the key things that I see here and that I had to look at with my goals was that um Dr. Z made it more specific and more measurable. Previously it was a little more general um and incorporating those things. Uh part of that the intent there was to improve the goal as a whole. But um that was all I had to say and if you guys have any further questions let me know. Rachel, >> I just want to emphasize um the the first like coupling of things I said. I think at this moment for our district, the way that our town is engaging in this process of figuring out what is necessary for the school and the budget um which which is being out outlined effectively as a multi-year process like the school futures committee has a full year to just do research which is going to be followed by probably another year before there's recommendations and then more time before any decisions are made.
So, we may have one family represented by four cars at an event. Um and that's pretty taxing on our parking. So, uh we are going to continue to pursue this. I don't think it's realistic that this would be a project we would do this summer. Um we are still looking at the grant. There's a technical support grant that we are we continue to be told that we have. Uh we have just not received any official notification of that grant. The very first thing we would do with that would be hire a formal engineer, a design company, and and look at doing some of that prep work, potentially putting it out to bid. Uh in order to put it out to bid, we would need, you know, some sort of assurance from the towns or somewhere that that money exists. But, we could do that during the course of next year and and presumably have it slotted for next summer.
It does make kind of a really big block. And and when we talk about like street vacations and what's going to happen, I'm I do get concerned that then this will just be a big monolithic block that is no longer permeable to the average person. Um, and I just didn't know if the university had any, you know, is this going is cuz you've got the space on the other side, too. And now this is in a place where people walk through often like it's getting chunkier and chunkier for the average pedestrian to sort of get through. And I think um, you know, there is a lot of stuff on both sides that would be nice to get to. So I don't know what the if there is a specific plan that will allow for sort of non-motorized transit through that quite big block. >> Well, if you look at how um and I think one of the images shows phase one, Commissioner Weatherbe, and there will be an internal way to get through as well as an external along the railroad, what they're calling um Wolverine Way.
>> Any opposed? >> All right. Thank you. We'll roll right into Does anybody need a a break before we go into our work study? >> No. >> Okay. We're going to roll right into our work study. I'll call this meeting to order and we'll go to agenda item number seven, our district continuous improvement plan update. Dr. McCord. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Governing board members, uh we'll start off with Dr. Ryan. I believe he has some other people that are going to help him present this evening. Um as you know we have our uh district continuous improvement plan uh which is um constitutes a lot of individuals from within the district and it's something that um as the title suggests we're continuously working on and um they just want to give you an update of where it's at. We've made a couple changes to it and additions and so I'll turn it over to Dr.