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>> Yeah, we have to prioritize. That's right. I get that. >> So, we just sort of put them up there and no particularly random order. >> Yeah. As far as the reading the reading specialist, I know it's like a it's a an evolving need, but is this like is there a cohort of grades that need this for a specific amount of time to catch them up and then the hope is that an ELA coach would stop that from happening when they arrive at Tanto? Is that a bad idea to think about whether a reading specialist could be a shortterm? So, so the reading specialist, as I said, and I know people are willing to talk about this, is really geared towards the students and and helping them with their instruction, >> but is it a spec are are we seeing it at a specific time because there's they haven't had an ELA coach at elementary school, so maybe the teachers haven't had the support they needed to help the kids before they get here.
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>> Is it really just is it the eighth, ninth, and tth graders specifically, or is it a lot bigger? >> Yeah, I mean, you know what? We I if we could just start maybe coming up here just because I I think what Lisa said and I'm glad Mike captured it. I think people aren't hearing it. That's what I'm getting messages that people aren't hearing what we're saying. So if we could just Sorry, Rich. Be happy to be the first one come up. I'll take the seat. Um so to to answer your question, I mean this is a districtwide need, right? Uh we're identifying this as as where we're having a giant gap. Uh it is predominantly in our middle school as of right now, but now it's trickling into nth and tth grade. Um, our ninth grade is probably is what we've been planning for and prepping our entire school for for the last since I've ever been on board uh of having the greatest needs that we've ever seen.
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Uh, as Peter talks about, one of our finest teachers that we have there in terms of our demographic is evolving and our student needs are evolving and our kids are coming to us with these with these proficiency gaps that we're unable to close without specialized support. Um, there's a whole pocket of kids who are not getting what they need. And this is we talk about these tier twos and developing all of our uh MTSS and all of our special education program to support this. It's a huge piece of the puzzle to be able to offer. And when we talk about in terms of the future or what can we do with it? I mean I I know as of right now the gaps is is what we need, but I would love like a dual certified ELA and reading specialist. So maybe we have the best of both worlds.
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Maybe we are going back to doubling up a little bit uh while also offering those small groups. What can it evolve to? Obviously, there's work that needs to be done in the elementary schools, too, as we get our new programming and our new curriculum in ELA coaches to support that work. Um, I would hope that we could evolve maybe that into the ELA coach up here, too. More coaches so that we can continue to uh grow and progress in areas that we need. Um, we look at this year to year. We constantly are evolving, look at what our new courses are and reallocating our resources to best serve our students. So, that is always a topic for discussion as we go over year to year. and answer your question. If we have an ELA coach at the elementary level working with our teachers, having them work with diverse groups of kids and teaching them how to teach those kids, that will definitely have an impact.
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But that's a long trickle effect by the time it works its way up to the high school. But it will right but you have to invest in that future. So five years, six years from now, you'd see you'd see the impact up at the high school in those. >> Three years ago, we did have a reading coach, did we not? >> Yes. >> Yeah. But you were specifically asking about the specialist >> the reading specialist >> is that >> like is that something if you funded it with >> for two years is that >> hold on hold on so we can't have all these side conversations. So this was first >> right I and I don't know that that's necessarily a good idea. I was just trying to think like is there are are there any other short-term things that we could fund with school choice?
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So if we were to say we're going to fund this with school choice for two years in hope that we can >> boost >> but I know school choice for operating is not ideal. >> So so I'm going to the job market right competitive right now if you have if you're putting this out publicly saying I just need a reading specialist for a couple years come work for me for a couple years that they're not going to come right they're going to go somewhere else where they know there's going to be some guarantee there right so I'm just I'm just giving you the the realistic of what's happening all in this competitive market. So the challenge we have right now tonight is we have this level service budget right which is basically what it's going to cost next year to have the same school you have today and then we're before we even talking about that which we already even though we don't have firm numbers from all the towns I I I'd place a bet with anyone that it's going to be higher than what they say we can do right so how can we get that fast and but we're already starting to talk about these investments here without even having a plan for that number.
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So, I mean, there's a lot of voters in the audience tonight. I mean, what do you feel about that? >> I do not think uh in Boilston, I cannot speak for Berlin, but I do not think in Boilston that uh an override will pass on the ballot. So, I think that if we go for anything that's going to be different than what the fincom is um is endorsing. So couple years ago, Jackie, you remember Jess? We >> Yeah. So they won't pass it. So if we go that route though, so you're what you're suggesting then is we have to talk about what to cut out of the correct service. >> I think we need to figure out to Beth's point. I mean, I just thought of another one. What about the legal stuff? You know, like we got to figure out I don't know. Right.
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Again, I don't want to talk too much about that, but there's going to be other things like to Beth's point. was trying to make the point and I don't want to put Aaron on the spot now and maybe we vote on a higher number with the goal tonight because I know we need a number tonight with the goal of looking through it's a line by line thing and saying yep this is something that hopefully will go down in the future we can >> you haven't looked at line by line yet this year >> I mean I I I I unfortunately really have I mean it's not so I mean legal you will see I mean we spent we we over that budget amount right now. We've been over that budget amount for quite a while. I am budgeting that in hopes that that becomes our ongoing number at some point.
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If it if it doesn't, we're going to have to have some serious conversations about what we're spending on legal on an ongoing basis. So, you know, I mean, I I don't have the number in front of me, but last year's legal is well over 100,000. Oh, >> right. I mean, this year's budget would probably be in that ballpark. So you're under budgeting on legal hopes that by 27 things will normalize. I'm not budgeting for what are effectively I would hope could be one-time instances, right? Because those come and go. I mean, we have a budget that's on the order of $25 million. I can't I can't predict every single up and down, but I can guess that some things are going to go up, some things are going to go down. Ideally, at some point legal will go down a little bit, right? I mean, we've had, you know, a little bit of luck here and there on, I think, some energy costs, things like that.
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You'll see our increases to energy are are not very significant. Um, when we do that, um, so there aren't there aren't one-time costs built into this right now. I mean, I I will say that overlap is kind of a one-time cost. Um other than that I really I I will go through it and I'll consider that. Um >> but we have really hardressed to find >> everyone in this room we have gone through >> item by item for that for the level service. >> Yeah. >> Right. Again no one wants to have the conversation about the fifth grade teacher or the third like we we >> you know we we are very fortunate that our class sizes are very small. Right. We're we're we're extremely fortunate. Um but no one wants to have those conversations and that's what's out in the news. That's what what Aaron gave us example.
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That's what you're seeing happening in Framingham. They're getting larger class sizes. We want to keep our class sizes low, but there's a cost to that. And we know that lower class sizes get high performance. Kids do better that and a high quality teacher. But >> you got to be willing to have those tough conversations. No one wants to. But >> I think we're there though. I think we're there, right? You know what I mean? I think we're there. And is there anything else we can cut? And again, I don't want to make that decision, but I I'm and I'm not trying to put it on you. It's just what would we cut? You guys are that >> would this be the time that we might consider not being a onetoone district at the elementary level >> for tech? >> Yeah. >> Well, that that would pull some money out of capital.
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Like right now, unfortunately, all of our devices, I've made the case they should really be on operations. They're on capital. So those get funded through the capital process every year. So unfortunately that wouldn't save us operating budget. >> Yeah. >> So looking at that that that's that's the hard part. >> I mean we we are getting a superintendent that specializes in reading um signs of reading and then also forming pathways too. So I mean if we're not able to do an ELA coach, our superintendent hopefully would have some hand in helping us in that department. And that was something we were looking at. >> Is that his contract? >> A superintendent. >> I mean, he's a national speaker on it. So, I'd hope he'd share some of his knowledge with us. >> For PD and such, >> overseeing and managing a group of people who do that work is one thing.
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I think what you're asking is for him to step in and do that work and then who fills in for him at the central office. I think maybe she's saying that maybe that's something you wait until next year and that he might have a better thought process on how to fund it. >> That's fair. >> Then funded or a creative way. I mean I think that's where >> so maybe that's this is not maybe that that is in more in his wheelhouse. No offense. No. And that truly >> and that maybe that's a that whole aspect. He might have a really great creative idea of how he's going to make those changes and that might not be a great while a worthy investment right this moment would be a better investment next year. >> I think the biology teacher I is like a non-negotiable to me.
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>> Yeah. >> Um I don't see I'd hate to see another year. I'd hate to see th those eighth graders come up and like they said it's 24 kids to that classroom. I personally would like my kid to be taught biology by Miss Canning. I would like my daughter to be taught chemistry by Mr. Cavino. Like those are the correct people to be teaching them. >> Yeah. I mean, in my mind, I think the biology teacher is a level service item. Um because last year was not a good choice for us. So, I mean, I agree with biology teacher. Don't agree with that at all. I think maybe the reading specialists at Tahanto would be something else I would argue for that in the moment it puts the help where it needs it and it's direct place student affecting um but again you know I think going high and then trying to um could we so for elementary band we've heard I think at one time or another during the year from both elementary principles that while it's an amazing program it creates some issues for the teachers his children are pulled out.
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I'm wondering maybe we could change that program so it's like a parent paid after school type thing so that we can retain that hopefully retain that position and parents can pay for private lessons for their children. I just added up what I pay for private lessons for my children for instruments and I think you know you have 20 or 30 40 50 families many you could fund that and that's something that we don't have to necessarily cut. We still have it in the district, but we're kind of shifting that to parents and then that frees up a head that we could use for this biology teacher or this reading specialist. >> So, from a budget perspective, the suggestion is cut the the band teacher, move it to hopefully the parents come together and pay for private, but we would have to decide to cut that.
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>> I don't agree with that at all. We've already cut languages in the middle school last year. >> No, no, this was in elementary school. >> No, no, I know. But we're in terms of arts and suicide rates, they're directly related when cuts are made. So I do feel fairly strongly about not cutting the arts. >> I wouldn't want to cut it. It would be more like if we could we were going to have to get creative with more like it would be more like a self-funded before school after school thing. But >> but you would have to make the decision tonight to either keep including it or cut it and then work on a >> Well, I think tonight we're never going to get to that point because we need more information. We're going to have to vote on a higher budget. My opinion is we should go in on a higher budget tonight with the intent.
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>> So you're not suggesting cutting band tonight? >> No. >> A future conversation. >> I think we need some more information on cuts from the district. I I'm not going to claim that I know what we need and what we don't need. We need these people to come forward and say, >> well, that's what I mean. We've been building up to that all year. That's what tonight is. This is like Al just said, this is >> they're ready. >> They've been working. I know your first meeting was what, October, November, something like that, right? October. >> Everything's in your drive as well too. The community drive every >> So like the when we started in October it was like I don't I don't know you said 11 12% or something right now we're at what is it eight I think >> now something. >> So that's the work that they've been doing to cut and cut and cut and we're kind of at the point now where it's our turn to make decision.
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I know you don't want to make a decision or anything but it's our turn to make the decision now. >> You guys have been quiet tonight as well. they didn't work. >> What's that, Jesse? >> Last year, we asked for cuts for admin because we were trying to counteract the 18% rise in medical insurance and it didn't go well. So, I mean, I think again the biology teacher I consider an at level service >> service I you know and if there's a need for kids that are not able to read, they're not learning. So, >> I know >> I have two things. First of all, you guys have been quiet. Do you want to say something? Well, I made that point about Yeah, you did. But I do have another question and I know we don't like to hire consultants. We like to, you know, hire employees, but is there any way we could reduce the cost of the leading specialist?
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I mean, it sounds like we really need that by hiring a consultant and having it be part-time. Like, I I have no idea that that's that's an option, right? So, so here's what we want, right? We we're saying we we need this. And by the way, they're they're prepared and ready, right? They they're ready to answer any question that that hopefully school committee is going to ask us tonight because we know you have to vote on this tonight. Um the other part is this is your budget, right? One of the major three major roles you guys have is your budget.
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We're ready to answer any questions. We're giving it to you guys. more prepared to answer any. I I think we we'd like that full-time reading specialist there, but to to a point that Beth made and Megan saying that that you know, we're not going to say no to that. >> Maybe we maybe that's the way we could do it is hire a consultant if they're available and use the, you know, the funds like you said. >> Yeah. Use the 30,000 for that instead of the recess aids. So the other thing So the other So it sounds like >> biology teacher and meeting specialists are pretty popular. >> Yeah. >> Show of hands if anybody going to support it at town meeting. >> Some I don't see all the hands up. So >> um >> other things on here right the night custodian al this is the sport athletics and nighttime events.
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