Um Medicare is a very underfunded program through Medicare taxes. So obviously when you're not paying your FIC and Medicare, it's your social it's social security and Medicare is what those taxes are used to fund. I'm the number this is going to be a little bit an older number from 2022. Those FIC and Medicare taxes only 35% of it covers Medicare. The the federal budget is covered. The other 65% comes from other places. So when you're not paying the if you want to talk in the societal role of what you're not paying, you're not paying for that that portion of it. But that's a good question. Um so to wrap up here, let's talk employer benefits because we like to be very transparent. Why is the district presenting this? The big one right off the top is the financial savings of the 7.65%. I think we all kind of understand that at this point.
We really don't want it. So that's my only question. Thank you. >> That's good. >> Okay. >> All right. We'll move on. >> Bring that back next month. I apologize. I'm going to walk out that door and try to make it to my son's honor band. So I'm not trying to be rude. >> Yes. Thank you. 9.2 discussion and information on 2526 district uh student enrollment numbers >> just because we moved a little bit uh one week earlier for our um for our agenda today. Um I know I just gave it to you on on uh uh on Monday. Uh but we're holding a fairly similar pattern to what we've we've done throughout the year. Um I'll talk in a second when we talk about the budget and and I know uh Mr. Britt from applied economics talked about numbers uh uh last month. Um so I would say we're we're holding where we normally would be um and where we think we'd project.
>> Even with the new lottery program, we have more students going. >> Yeah. So, um I think we had 12 more students this year >> for a total of Do you know how many? >> Um I don't have that one in front of me. So, I can probably get it to you as soon as I get >> Yeah. So yeah, that was a little bit of a surprise. Um so yeah, so just talk going back to the 20 uh 27 budget and the departmental budgets specifically looking at uh what the $750,000 uh would do to our departments in order to maintain services and really look at start advancing um what the vision was in the comprehensive plan. Um, and where really kind of our core is starting here is public safety. First, I'll talk a little bit about adding an additional firefighter per shift. So, as our population has grown and as we look at some of the um, you know, buildings that have come online like a couple of um, assisted living facilities, we've seen uh the amount of calls increase substantially.
I mean, I think regardless whether we do it earlier or later, we're going to have staff shortages. whether it's the end of the year or we're doing earlier to make up these days. >> I don't think so. I think this is actually going to make a really big difference. Um if if we're now at the 26th and and you know Joyce News is really welcome in this discussion. Um hopefully that'll stick for us. Um and if we >> if winter's over Yes. Yes. um three-hour delay, we we might be able to do it, >> but we could even if uh we had to have school on the 22nd, we could still keep um graduation on the 20th. >> I mean, >> correct. >> And Mr. Bland says he can make the exams. all the 20. >> He he he can you know I I had a a lengthy conversation with him prior you know to tonight and um >> you know we uh he can um I think you know you said it best.
And we we actually require that of our teachers that they be looking for a way to on-ramp these kids to success. So parent view, student view, we're trying to and synergy. We're trying to ask kids, coaches, families to work together with that to look and see in in real time where are you with your classes and uh and who do you need to ask? So at a minimum, you know where you are and who you need to talk to. And then it's and then we have time during the during the day for them to be catching up. >> Yes, >> there there are I truly believe and understand that parents play a factor and that there are instances where there is well show me where it says that that has that that's what they have to have in order for them to play. That's why I think it's really important for us to have that discussion here to give you all the tools, the the handbook, the policy, whatever it may be to stand on and say my hands are what it is.
Um you look at the payouts, again, I use a number close to a million dollars just because it's easier. Um that's just another district that we um h that was a few years ago. Another big thing as an employer is you got to provide a a valuable benefit to employees. Paying for health insurance. You know, like Alexa said, there's you're going to have health insurance costs. You're going to have a few thousand dollars a year that you need to pay in health insurance. And it's really nice to have taxfree money to do that. Um there's no cost for implementation save consortium sponsored plan. So the district doesn't have any costs. All education and servicing done by Precision Retirement Group. Um that's where we do the exit interviews. Um we do those presentations in front of the employees. send them those powerpoints. In a sense, try and un try and let people know this is why you want the money paid out this way so you can get some additional savings.
We're still a little bit higher than what our budget was built on. Uh so that has not uh impacted us. Uh from an ADM uh from a ADM perspective, we're just short of uh 20 kids higher than what we projected in the budget. Um from enrollment process, it's a little bit higher than that. Um, but so unless there's questions, uh, we're just kind of continuing to give you guys information so you see what our enrollment looks like. >> Great. All right. Um, let's see here. So, we have a 9.3 discussion and information regarding the ASBA 2027 political agenda. Looks like it's due May 15th, right? We still have We can come back and >> Yeah. So, it's really just taking a look at what the current one is. It may change a little bit based on what the legislature does or doesn't do. Um, and so you can take a look at it.
And what is happening now is so the times where we have a couple of ambulances out um and a third call comes in um those are starting to increase and so we're finding ourselves in a place where we're not able to answer a third call and we either have to uh essentially depend on mutual aid or it just extends the time the response time uh that it takes for people to um get their medical attention or or god forbid uh some kind of fire related incident. Um so that would bring us up uh and allow us to potentially run three ambulances um if we need to, uh that's just because of the way the shift structure works. Um, additionally, what we're looking um at doing in public safety is essentially increasing by one full-time equivalent um in the police department to look specifically at traffic control.
It's a little messy and it's not easy and you know it's uh more difficult but it's doable, right? So so he can make that work. Um uh there was a question about Good Friday. I I just wonder about that for a couple reasons. I it also doesn't say anywhere on the calendar that that can be an option. So I just don't know if it would kind of be permissible without the board the board revoting on a new calendar that has that in there >> um as a day that could be taken. >> What's that? >> And other bargaining >> and union contracts I'd have to look at [clears throat] too. I didn't look for that day because I wasn't thinking that day but >> it's just you look at it and try and figure >> Right. Right. I think it would be >> I think this feeds into like we need I mean I think we have to obviously deal with the calendar in front of us but I think we need to have discussions moving forward because this is the first time in a long time that we've had a winter like this but starting after Labor Day brings us so late that we're facing this with any snow days.
If you want changes, that's where the board comes into play. And I'm not saying that to be to try and bulldo something. But I do want there to be an understanding that this isn't something that will just become um solely a a a decision of the board, but more or less let's start the conversation if that's I mean to me I I love the fact that we can come together and I see so many individuals in those in the gyms proud, happy and what I also want them to do is do that give that same effort and chance and opportunity to their students on their academic side as well. That they have that same and anyone who's already above C average wouldn't have anything to worry about at this point. You know what I mean? If we're introducing this, it's okay. Well, I'm okay. I'm already at a point where I feel confident that if they do raise the bar as as as as is our is as is our our responsibility to challenge, but I also know that we try to support in as much as possible.
Um option to let the account go dormant. I'll just touch on that really briefly. Um so, you know, let's say we do this for five years and then five years down the line they say, "Hey, Mac, you know, this isn't working out." Instead of they don't have you can just stop contributing to the account. So, you don't have to continue with us as a service. we will continue to service all of the employees that are in the account or that have accounts with us. But if you say, you know, we're going to stop doing this plan with you, the district has the option to let the account go dormant. Um, and they don't have to pay any cancellation fees if they decide to let the account go dormant. >> Wait, how does this work? So, as people are filling up time, the district is slowly putting money into those accounts.
I think the key pieces would just be uh as a district, you may submit one proposal. I think in the past, for those of you that weren't here, I was with a a particular school district, and we had a board member that had a belief that if you weren't on target to graduate, you couldn't get your driver's license. So, that board would bring that forward every single time as a possible legislative uh agenda. uh it never went anywhere, but that would be the kind of thing if there was something that in particular that someone on this board felt was really critical that should be discussed. Uh if the whole board agreed, then that would go into the mix. And then the second part of this is uh in September at the law conference, uh they vote on what the different agendas are, what the different options are for their agenda in 2027.
And what we need to look at a little more closely is to see, okay, does it make more sense to just bring one person on or does it make more sense to expand overtime and allow different officers to use it at different points during the week, different points during the day? Um, still just evaluating data and seeing what makes sense from that perspective. So that's our public safety departments and the total here um was is about $400,000 of that 750,000. Another thing we're looking at doing is um establishing really it's more of a strategic and tactical tool uh called a strategic reserve. Um, and basically this would be a line item in uh the town manager's budget uh of around $60,000, a little over that, 60 and some change. Um, that would really be utilized um in case there were factors that we had not, you know, thought of or calculated um in terms of some of these uh some of these other departmental expenses.
So, I mean, I'm not saying that we have to do this now, but I mean, we had talked about, you know, building possible snow days in, maybe change the language. If we have more than three, we'll start taking from February break because we could have made up two, you know, at least at that point. So, I just think like moving forward after we get through this calendar >> that we look sooner. >> The good news is though, next year's calendar, we do start September 1st or 2nd because Labor Day is so so late. So we like next year shouldn't be quite as big an issue going till late in January. I mean that's for but yeah going forward. The only other question I have is if the seniors graduate on the 20th and then there's two exam schedules. Does the high school do the high school um not non seniors end with everyone else or do they end because of their exams earlier?
And those supports do come with you have to make that effort, that motiv motivation, that initiative to be able to say and to to to able to not look at things as always a an obstacle and more of an opportunity. Um, I think that I've heard a number of occasions, well, you're just going to push kids away from wanting to do it if this is how you're going to do it. If that's how we're going to look at it, then we're never going to achieve anything greater than an F or a D student. Um and and for me that goes beyond us just sitting here and accepting that there's that we're having an eligibility process to say that and still you yourself try to use that in an effort to try and engage with the student to to do more to feel more confident to go and ask how can I improve and yet we don't stand behind you to say no we do believe that that's important and it does need to be more than the D at this point in order to be eligible.
>> Uh, so it's only going to be at retirement. So, let's say let's say you have $10,000. So once you finally retire, they're going to send your $10,000 to our third party administrator who does the 403. >> I'm asking in the meantime is the district has their own separate account where they're putting money into and then as people are retiring then they're pulling from that account and paying it out in the way to build interest on the money. >> No. So it's just going to only be we only work with individuals. So the district doesn't have like a an account per se. They would just send a check to our thirdparty administrator that says, "Hey, you know, you got paid out 10,000, you got paid out 12,000, you got paid out 8,000 and you and it'd be the employees who have the individual accounts. They're all housed under would be housed under like a Kraton school district, but it's not the employer's account per se.
If the people that were there from all representing all the districts in the in the state voted yes for your idea, then it adds to the um uh uh priorities for 2027. If they didn't vote yes for it, then it goes nowhere, which in the case of that one, it usually happened. It never went anywhere. But so take a look at it and then uh we just need to have a conversation and see what you guys want to do. And then you can even be thinking of a delegate. Uh I know Mr. raised on it for several years but a delegate in that we have to announce I think by September. >> Okay. Okay. Um 9.4 discussion information regarding the 2627 Thank you Mr. Vignis for coming. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. um regarding the 2627 Jomes Unified uh school district budget work with.
uh because we really tried to chip away at some of them. Um and we're really kind of cutting it close on some um and so the strategic reserve allows us, you know, the flexibility to okay, if we find out we might need a little bit more money here to shift it over into that department. Um, what I was thinking, and I'm not necessarily sure exactly how we can do this, but you know, if it's coming towards the end of the year and it doesn't look like we're going to need this, is there a way we can look at advancing some smaller projects in the comprehensive plan? Um, that maybe the implementation committee identifies. Um, so that's uh that's a possibility as well. So, moving forward to financial staffing support. Um, and again, this would be under the town accountants office. Um, I've I've said this a lot, just how lean our finance team runs.
>> They they would come back for the two days if they're >> so they so they would come back for the same. Right. Okay. So that's what I was wondering. They >> seniors don't technically end. I feel like the high school exams end school earlier than like CLES ends. Is that accurate or >> probably make the 22nd and 23rd makeup days. >> Okay. So then they would be >> they might actually have the exam schedule that that week prior, keep it that way and make the LA next two days the makeup days. >> Okay. >> Is what I'm anticipating they would do. >> And that makes sense. That doesn't complicate anything for I mean obviously the messy part of it >> it's manageable. I think uh from an educational standpoint some folks will say right you have so many days to get in the content and the skills that's what I'm worried about >> and you want them to take exams as prepared as possible so >> you know that's how many days of additional you know learning I know I know people argue that but we are here for teaching and learning so I have to >> well so to that end does it keep it is it for the purpose of teaching teaching and learning and for curriculum does it make more sense to keep 182 days.
Um, so to anyone listening, I think it's important to say that this is not a conversation that we're going to fix tonight, but it is something that I think is important if we're going to push the push the norms or or really try and see what our students are capable of, which I know that they are, and we have seen them be phenomenal. Obviously the school and some of the letter grades and some of the opportunities for us to be able to shine have shown that we have that greatness within us. But I think that there's also opportunity for us to be able to look at if half of the entire campus, more than half of the entire campus is participating, then maybe that's in maybe that's a a way to really engage them into not only athletics but the student side of student athlete.