Now if we don't rehire that position, clearly we can reduce that salary line item in the overall budget. However, there's an impact on the rest of the fifth grade classes, right? So those classrooms get larger in in size. So there is uh and will always be some sort of uh impact. We feel comfortable in administrative team uh in conversations with principles that where we landed in terms of the restructuring if you will or financial realignment uh we're we're really comfortable with. However, the the override is what's critically important to uh close gaps that exist in the operating budget, close the gaps that exist in athletics, but then also provide such great opportunity for the Ash public schools to move forward in a lot of areas. And I and I'll share that in a moment. But you'll notice Michael will probably present some numbers a little bit later uh where it's a an increase of about 2 uh 25 or 2.5% increase.
So these will not be talked about further tonight, but we want to keep them on the table. We want to keep them known as items that we think will help move the needle. thing which should happen with this in developing the strategic plan priorities two and three you should be seeing next year at this time as well too and hopefully those will be moving up to priority ones and priority twos but it's certainly something that should be like Aaron said constantly on the table and looked at >> so I am going to move over to quickly we have an external spreadsheet that will recalculate um it's not something I always love to do but this will recalculate the assessments based on the school committee's choices. I guess I would ask to the school committee to consider each of these sequentially. Um, I can work with a few curve balls.
Any questions from other board members on the financials? >> Sure. >> Just for clarification. So I think it's what you mentioned make sure I'm not mechanic correctly. So the special education cost um the additional 8,486 is a direct correlation to what's mentioned here and the other the other 17920 is correlation of both the substitutes and the other >> um um the substitutes and others just a note to mention that we're um that we are closing out purchase orders. So that has that doesn't have a Okay. Correct. >> Thank you. >> Other questions? >> Okay.
The path that she has built over the last four years with the parent community is now a path that we can offer all the students who deserve the same opportunities. We are immensely grateful for the work that we did together and I'm proud of her advocacy and resilience. Miss Greer's passion for our children and our community is a major part of our school's positive culture and climate improvements over the years. Her leadership is empowering and nurturing of other parent leaders. As new parent leaders emerge thanks to her work with other parents, we will continue to see growth in agency, voice, and parent engagement at ISUSA High. The sky is the limit thanks to her tireless energy and concern for all students. We are truly blessed to have her family at our school. Once again, join me in congratulating Miss Greer on being named the ISUsa High and ISUsa Unified Parent of the Year for 2025 2026.
All things that we've discussed on governing board operations and since some of you just went too we have updated information as well. And this is a uh the next one is uh is an action item for the fifth grade to looks like they want to start an annual trip to Boston. I did not review that. >> I have several questions about it. >> Superintendent, do you want me to defer your questions first? No. I think you can um ask the questions that you have now and that'll help us clarify. >> I have several questions in regard to the expenses, the funding of them, uh air travel, hotel, food, local transportation in Boston, how many students, uh how many chaperones, and when would this occur? series of questions. >> Mr. G, do you feel comfortable going to the podium and sharing the information that you know?
Uh high-end we had on that with the addition of equipment and new flooring. So then there could also be some speed and agility work. You know, I know I don't need to tell you. Um, generally they'd be looking to put the equipment on the sides of the walls. That way it still kind of leaves the middle of the floor uh open for some kind of speed and agility training as much as we could fit in the weight room considering its size. But um yeah, I can get you guys the firm amount um that we have for the weight room equipment and flooring and I could put that in FYI. Yes, Jamie. it. >> In addition to the lighting there had for the auditorium, there had been concerns with the sound system. Is there any funding in there to replace the sound system? >> Um, if that came from me, I may have misspoke.
The number we're working with currently at the national public schools and school committee is a 3.25%. With if with no override that's increased if you remember the last time I was here it was around a 25 2.55. This is through conversations at our last school committee meeting uh taken into account from principles just further conversations about the complexities of our budget and uh and momentum that we're creating in specific areas. So, I know he'll present that in a little bit, but I have these side by side, um, as we say in Vermont, side by each, and you'll be able to hopefully recognize the fact that, um, no override means significant um, reductions or reductions in our revolving accounts, right? So, we're still losing the 13.2 individuals. However, if the school committee makes that commitment to fund additional positions, it has to come out of revolving accounts.
I'll let you know if I can or can't work with that particular curveball relative to something. When I choose something as a yes, whoops. It automatically goes to the appropriate column and is assessed in accordance with the regional agreement for Tahont, which is the first one I chose. That split is 35.28% to uh Berlin and 64.72% to uh Boilston. Uh if you were looking at this previously, I think I had Berlin down in the Boilston section uh in what I shared on the school committee uh drive. I apologize. I copied and pasted and changed the formulas but didn't change the name. So that's on me. So I am prepared for the school committee to start having these discussions and once we are done all of that will pipe over to the um motion that we would be asking for the school committee to make and vote um to approve the operating budget.
Hearing none, I'll take a motion board of education approved the February 2026 financials presented. Thank you, Jordan. Thank you, Felicia. First and second. Any other questions? So, the motion is that the camp board of education approve the February 2026 presented. All those in favor? I. Russell, are you on? >> Yep. I'm sorry. Hi. >> So, we have everybody. >> I know. Thank you very much. So, new business, we move to the continuous improvement plan in the high school. Just echo Dr. Gman's comments on how well that went the other day. We really enjoyed the students perspectives. It was a little bit different, which was which was great. Um, and but yet there was a presentation made. I think we had six or seven board members there. He was great. So I'm calling u I don't know if there's anything you want to lead into that.
I would now like to pass the microphone over to our parent of the year, our Isuza Unified parent of the year, Miss Lynn Greer, for some comments of her own. My son Leo started at Magnolia's tw 2013 2014 school year and Miss Kamacha was his teacher. Leo has Down Syndrome and our resource center club 21 said students who have Down syndrome need to see other students model the routines of life. He was included in general education. The first year especially was was challenging. One day I was crying and two amazing moms from his class, Wanita and Margarita, encouraged me so much and told me, "You got this." Additionally, Anna, Gloria, Renee, Alejandra, Betty, Alysia, Joseph, Audriana, Monica, Miriam, and countless others were so supportive. Um, Leo learned a lot with his fellow classmates, kindergarten through 12th. He went to rallies. She danced with Jasmine who um at her kinetta.
>> This is this is replacing our Washington. No, this is an additional. >> So, I'll try to address all those questions the best that I can. Um the fifth grade team organized a meeting, an interest meeting with parents where one of the companies that potentially could end up with the contract talked about what that would look like. For those that have been on the board a long time, it is the same structure as our Washington DC trip for eighth graders. Um but since you're new to the board in the district and hasn't haven't experienced that, I'll kind of go through the basis. a company that we become a partnership with essentially sets up the trip for us. All transportation is taken care of with them, including getting to the airports, the air airfare, all of that is part of the package deal. Okay. Um, as far as lodging goes, when we're there, we stay in very, very nice hotels and good neighborhoods.
It it we upgraded the sound system there recently. Correct. Just >> new board in there. Um, it was actually just the lighting. So, I apologize if that came from me. So I think to clarify in that 464 is there sound some is something going to be done with the sound or no because if it's already been done um the one thing I didn't mention that we were at last Thursday for the black history the sound was awful. >> It was horrendous. and not once, not twice, but about five times the the the back feed, the the sound. So part of that could be in a redesign because whoever's in there now moved everything in behind the brick walls and you can't if you go to So if you go to any concert, look at where the mixing table's at. at all the show choir competitions I went to, even the one we hosted.
And I'll share a slide with you that's pretty scary um in a few moments. If I can get to this here is um again, how does an override help us? Um it it picks up about $1.1 million that we're spending in our school choice funds currently. Uh next year we're projecting about $79,000 of salaries uh that we're using this year and then $450,000 in operating expenses. So pulling that those funds into the operations again, that's where they belong. We've survived this long by utilizing revolving accounts to pay for these salaries, but they do belong in the operations. Part of the the financial realignment is moving some of those positions, if you will, right, out of um the operating budget, saying, "Hey, retirements, positions that haven't been filled." Uh you know, they're sort of taking that place, if you will, uh of of the uh positions that we're we're moving, athletics.
So if you make no changes it will stay exactly as it is at 26137728. as you change things, those will pipe over to the assessments. At this point, everything is an above uh minimum contribution level. So, it all just flows into that share uh at to directly to the schools, right? There's nothing else to to do. So, I will leave it in the school committee's hands to consider these items. >> Aaron, thank you. Just appreciate it's really risky doing this live, right? But but we know this is I see people shaking their heads in the audience knowing that when we're making changes live on this, but we know this is something that school committee wanted to see and the community wanted to see. School committee members, I'll ask you if you have something specific about each in one of those priority ones. I know and I'm not putting them on the spot because they've worked really hard these last few months today in preparation.
>> We'll go to Mr. Pip and Dr. Kidwell if you'd like to talk and give the rest of the board just an overview. >> Think we actually meeting >> again. Yes. So um yes I I do I was going to start with that. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk on uh since and um you talk to say it was a nice back and forth able to express both the positive products and what we're working on share hope that you walked away with sense. Um so thank you and thank you for tonight. I think it's great um that you're all there to see, you know, us step up and really uh represent a nice event for our students and our players. And now we plan on Friday, which is really exciting, too. Um in in preparation for tonight, you know, we felt like we answered most of your questions on Thursday, but there's a few things that we didn't really have time to mention in advance time.
He threw a football at lunch. There were there were so many times I wished I could bring Leon's school peers with me to show other people in my life this is how you include without being told these students knew things like how to give a turn but not every turn. You know I mean it's amazing. My younger son Cal is part of the early college program. I'm so proud of his determination and grateful for who he is. For the past three years, I've gotten to be part of a support group called Better Together. For those students who have an IEP or 405, Lewis, Raone, Ingred, Marshia, Oelia, Yawandra, just to name a few, Anthony Garmmo. These parents have a universe of problem solving at the ready. We can build a place for future parents to show up when they need support. There are so many teachers and I won't name everyone, but so many amazing teachers.
Um, security is on each floor. So, wherever we have kids, there is security that works it through the night. As far as your chaperone question goes, um, there will be at least typically uh, a minimum of three staff members would go. One administrator would attend the trip and then in this case right now, two of the fifth grade teachers are planning on attending. It might be more than that. A lot of times when there's kids with parents that are staff members, oftentimes that want to go as well. Um, parents also have the option to go on the trip and pay for their trips separately and so they would also attend and that's that model is the same for our eighth grade Washington DC trip where we actually take quite a few parents. I would say Mr. Schumer probably on average anywhere from 10 to 15 um parents attend for the eighth grade trip.
Center of the stage, right at the bottom of our bleachers is where they sit. They're in the middle. They're not tucked away behind brick wall because you can't hear anything. So, if we're going to spend this kind of money on lighting and and we're going to redo it, I would like to make sure that we do it the right way, right? The lighting and the sound is right. But I'm telling you, if you guys haven't been in there, Janine, you were there. Mr. Brown, you were there. You heard it. >> And as hard as the the director's uh work and the kids students work, it was it was awful. >> Okay. >> So, just if you can look at that. >> Yeah. With your blessing, I'll be glad to look into audio, >> too. That just goes to show you how well our kids played that with the sound being awful, we still they still sound good.
I've had lots of conversations with folks about athletics. We traditionally run and this is about a $300,000 deficit in athletics and we scrub athletics in terms of looking at, you know, where costs can we um can we cut out? Uh we got middle school sports, we got high school sports. We have a lot of athletic opportunities for our our student athletes. Um do we look at raising our fees? We we traditionally bring in about $297,000 of fees. We are overall the highest fee uh per sport in the Tri Valley League, our current league. We we have the highest fees. Uh we don't have a cap. I've I've heard folks say, "Hey, let's, you know, charge $1,000 to play football." Okay, what if that family has $1,000 times three kids? there's 3,000, right? And we have families who are and have kids who play three sports and numerous kids.
If there's a question about the biology teacher or the ELA coach or something like that, they'll be prepared to answer questions for you as well too with the best they can. If they don't have the answers for it tonight, we'll get those answers to you. I'm going to ask them if there are there is a question asked from that they join Aaron up there at the table and answer those questions as well too. I know lasting meeting there was some questions asked about ELA coach and the recent monitor and the specialist that I fumbled my way through. Right. So there again the expert help answer those questions a lot more. >> Aaron, um I know the original plan was we were going to discuss this right now and vote on that. Right. uh kind of rethinking that a little bit. I'm sure people in the audience might want to chime in on some of these particular issues or maybe others.