So I I don't know that two meetings that'd be pretty hard to >> but we have another meeting on the 25th. >> Yes. >> As a whole. Correct. >> Okay. >> So um >> do we want to meet before that or after? >> Well, we'd want a meeting before the 25th. >> On the 23rd >> in between those two. Yes. >> Um would Monday the 23rd work? I cannot remember what days Andy is in Greenfield. >> Okay.
So we will try to schedule for uh the 23rd for this subcommittee so that we'll be able >> that is what we will try to do to discuss any questions that have come up uh from the meeting on the 16th anywhere where the school committee is asking for more information. >> I think that's good. Do you think by then we could actually see like the part which is here's a school here's the people who work in the school >> salaries and how many kids is that >> or is that too >> I mean you get pretty close to that yeah that would be awesome because that's when you're making the hard decisions >> we have this budget is off I mean if you were to see the size of this and half salaries instead of just tying it, you know, to the >> kids and also I say this if you're see what it looks like.
It's, >> you know, it's a roar shack painting of different colors because of the vacancies and where it is that we have of things. >> Um, it's just then of getting that, you know, clarification from the administrators that those >> classizes class size. >> And then one other piece of information which would be really great is what materials are sitting in a closet in a school that shouldn't be bought again. Because teachers are clear that there's tons of materials in closets, in schools that nobody should be buying again. I don't want to cut a person's job to buy materials which nobody is using. I mean, I'm a zerobased budgeting. I kept track of how much paper I used at Newton. We were using 20 cartons of white paper every year. I think somebody needs to go into those schools and see and the principles should be doing this.
No, like you have a closet full of Crayola markers for the next five years. >> Just because when you look at supply lines, they stayed the same in Greenfield forever and a day. Five grand. um instead of one of the things I'm concerned about is reading. I need to know that the we have the staffing to meet the needs of our children who are struggling to read. So knowing how many of them at each school are below proficiency matters to me because they need a reading specialist, not a special ed teacher, not they need somebody who actually knows how to teach them to read. That is something that has to be addressed in this budget. Personally, there's a lot of us who living in a place that charges the amount of money we pay for taxes and our kids can't read is offensive to us.
So, that is something that this budget should address. No matter what, we need to be library books. We've never had money for library books. That's what our grants paid for. our ELT grant, our Discovery School. I used to spend $15,000 out of ELT money for library books to meet the needs of our kids. Those grants are gone. And I bet we're not buying new library books, but Magic Treehouse is still got to be there. >> So, I think some of this we might be able to get into when we do our discussion of goals and budget priorities. >> So, like it all on the table. say like there's a significant investment in that in this year's budget in that and it's not in reading specialists. It's building the capacity of all of our teachers to teach students to read because we've treated as a tier one problem because when 67% of your students can't read, there's not enough reading specialists out there.
So, we're building the capacity of all of our teachers to not be literacy specialists, but to understand like what has to happen at foundational literacy. And actually my report next week will talk a little bit about this work specifically, but that was one of our priorities last year's and we've invested significantly in that this year because we know based on as Andy has said thousands, tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars in vacancy savings that we may have had. It's not about having a position. It's about building the capacity of the people that we do have. So would that be something we could include in our cover letter specifically the links to literacy because that for where we've invested more in literacy or you referring to the budget for the year that's ongoing. >> I'm referring to this I >> to this year >> this is about this current year's budget.
>> Okay. >> I think member Goodwin's correct. We need to continue that investment in FY27 but I'm talking now about FY26. So I guess my question is do we do we don't do more investment in that in this budget. This is just the level service maintaining and continuing as opposed to >> substantial level service there is an investment >> there is yes >> building these structures I think that's been our goal this year is to be more systematic to build a structure around our >> rather than literacy and reading not just intervention but literacy development um and that's where a lot of the time effort and money has been spent this year Okay. Um, one other note I want to make on this because it will come up. People will 100% ask you why it is that Four Corners has a higher budget than Federal Street and Newton.
And if you look, you're going to find the answer is in line 48 horsey sped paraprofessional from the ACES program, the 101. That's a lot of salary. Just because that question will come up. It comes up every year. Is there any is there any way um this just came to me I guess this is kind of for Andy but we are talking about retention of like staff when we're talking about like >> putting that in the cover sheet that we do have a lot of people who have been here for a while or higher >> I'm not sure we do anymore >> for education >> you're talking about like >> you said like there we're paying people like top >> tier percentages >> I was just thinking like you know because you want to know like oh we have teachers because people always like oh who have such high turnovers.
But you know, do we is the question. >> Difference I guess difference in that we might be I'm talking about the fact that we have we might have people that have only been here five years but have had 12 years of experience. So >> yes, >> so they're at the top scale. Um >> but I feel like that's still an important note notable mention. >> That's what I'm that's what I'm getting at. I thought I hear retention. >> Well, both both. Well, >> yeah, we can also probably look at data hires. >> That would be great. >> And do some of that like some generic ballpark zero to five years, five to 10 years, 15, something like that >> because we've all been down the road where you put all this money into training somebody and then they go they leave. >> Um, >> you know, I mean, that's something to look at because it's where we are.
So what we have here um before it gets posted on Wednesday, will there be any other real changes here like um the FTE1 and two being swapped in 68 and 168 169 or is this solid and done enough that this should be what we study up on and do our cocktail napkin math on questions? Okay. >> Whether or not any you know just again for >> for I mean it's just a matter of I I would rather us address it all at one time as far as the 26 revised FTE with the 27 ultimately proposed FTE that we'll add you know. So that's just my >> So I guess my question is should we study up on this for understanding and quest to find questions to ask or okay this is what will be posted >> because this you know and I think what I would caution all of us to do >> and depending on how your numbering system is or something right call the version >> live number >> yeah version one or we actually date it right today is uh >> 326 right because maybe on 316 you're going to get up to 325, right?
You're going to get one. >> You just made like a binder of these. >> Yeah. You know, >> depending on want to track your changes. Yeah. >> Because there's no doubt things are going to change like you mentioned. Um >> one of the things that it's minor minor thing would be the instructional lines at each school, right? Why they're different. I I have a little formula based type scenario maybe to work out by number of kids, that type of stuff. So, um those things are going to change, right? Um >> I thought I was the only one. >> No. Dollars per child. Dollar. Yes. I mean that's pretty >> Yes. >> pretty um >> been around for a while. >> Been done. So that's not reflected here and probably won't be reflected on the 16. >> But as Andy's mentioned, we're going to have oh multiple changes coming from the 25th.
And then I'm not saying as we wait because your good work will keep continue on in April, right? But as we wait and then then the mayor comes through later on, I say late April, okay, here's what we're going to give you, right? We kind of know like, listen, we don't I don't anticipate we're going to get the 1.7. Candy does or Stephen, right? None of us are all the water breaks. >> We're not, you know, we're not that foolish, right? We we get it. >> And we know there's going to be some pairing, right? And tough decisions are going to have to be made not only by us to present to you, but then by the school committee. >> Yep. >> Um as well. And maybe we end up with I'm making this a million dollars over or 500. Who knows what the number is going to be above last year's budget, right?
Yeah. >> And then we'll have to get there through decision- making, >> right? And I think as a city, we're going to face hard decisions. >> Um it's not just about schools, it's about other things. And I guess as a city, one of the things I want to commit to is the money gets to the children in the classroom. >> And I don't think we've had budgets like that in a long time. Um I feel like it's just been I don't know um different. You know, we've faced bankruptcy once as a a city in our schools and they were rebuilt and I just feel us like with declining enrollment and a lot of everybody else is facing the same problems which is in my head and putting statistics together. Um, you know, we've lost we used to have three of everything at each elementary school when I was principal.
one year we had >> and now you're at two in some places you could probably >> correct >> but I don't see us you know when you look at the state the desi site you know you see a loss of teachers but you see an increase in administrators that is not where I am >> you know that we can answer all those questions for you >> that's what we need answered >> it's still here >> we are still on budget >> date but we should probably >> be on warrant >> going on warrants >> please go Okay. Yes. So I believe updated and we look forward to the full presentation. >> So um next item is school department warrants discussion uh timetable on you know when basically we will review and discuss warrants because timelinewise when the warrant comes in there is not enough time for us to call a meeting to discuss it.
One of us will have to sign it. Um, are we thinking like one meeting a month or two standing meetings a month where we review all of the warrants and then report to the main committee? How are we thinking this would best work? Uh, how frequently in the month and what time of the month do we usually see the warrants? I should have just >> It's okay. I did ask I did go in and sat with Vieira um which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was nice to be able to have questions answered in like real time, especially being new to this whole process. And what I had gathered, and I mean Andy can correct me if I'm incorrect, was it's almost like an every other week process or a twice a month process. They come out on Tuesday, they need to be signed by Thursday. So if we were to have a meeting to look over the warrant, it would likely need to be on a Wednesday.
>> And I was in there for like an hour. I don't think there's like multiple copies. She has it all organized. It's very well put together. >> So, >> and there's like two piles. I was looking through the food service. >> So, is it the same every So, every other week is that routinely is it always this week and that week of each? >> Is it always like the second the second? >> No, no, it's not. It's I think it's every two weeks politely versus twice a month because it's 26 times a year. >> Okay. So I guess the question is does this subcommittee want to meet the Wednesday afterwards go over them and then have >> I think we should at least do it once >> at least once >> once a month I would think. >> So do but should so do we want once or or twice?
>> I guess I mean Andy's been doing this a long time and Rol has been doing I guess and you've been in other districts so what is the practice other places? actually just talk what's the issue? >> Yeah. >> Well, it's so the way that we do >> I don't really think there is an issue. >> There is an issue. The way that we do warrants right now is not proper. Uh we are supposed to include all of the warrants to the public in a way that we don't do. That's the one thing I say say I think you're missing the piece. What end up happening I say in the 16 districts that we are current what they doing is they do they follow the law where it was assigned one person as the approval to review the warrants and sign off on. So they do that but then the next step is that at the subsequent school committee meeting they are ultimately brought forward and the full school committee does vote.
they vote to say that you know they authorize the warrant number X number and the payroll warrant and that's that completes the piece >> that's the piece that seems >> what if what if they don't pass I mean they've already been paid so it's almost like a >> well actually no that's things like they it needs to that's there in lies the rub regarding the law that was passed as far as giving the authority >> it ultimately is you're right it is the de facto uh a rubber stamp getting so but at the same time >> I'm going to say the levels of checks and balances both internally and even when it goes over to the city center because they're ultimately the ones that come to checks. So when you look at the fact that we have the the requisition of purchase order approval approval by me approval the building administrator's approval >> then it ultimately goes through the process of the payment reviewed and or ultimately approved by a school committee member.
Then it goes to the city where the town the city treasurer and you know they do their side of the things to make sure that you know we're adhering to whatever it is that they may require. So the levels of checks and balances internally into the system although what I'm describing might sound cumbersome quite honestly it's very effective. The one piece that I've seen that is missing here is the ultimate presentation to the full school committee of saying and what ends up happening regarding your question member good is I've seen it happen where um a school committee member will ask whoever was designated to be the one to review did was there anything that jumped out at you as far as anything that you had concerns or questions on you know and either you say yes or like you would you know I sat down with beer and we walked through and looked at things like the leaks in the in the elevator discussed that to find you and then it it gave that assurance that that person who was assigned to do it was actually doing it.
>> So >> I didn't share with anyone what I >> know you did. So what I what I'm hearing is what we have assigned it to the subcommittee. So any one of the three of us decided >> which I think is >> would it make sense for us to have a standing meeting the Wednesday before school committee meeting for us to discuss the warrants and come up with anything that stood out.