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Are those things that we could increase fees to help cover? >> Sure. So, can we should we first look at what that reading spec if everyone agrees on that biology teacher? Do you want to make that move? Okay. >> Work so hard on the spreadsheet. Let's look. >> Can we just look like a spreadsheet? >> Can we just take a look? >> So, we're gonna say yes to biology. >> And we're going to say yes to reading specialist. >> And can you offset it with the 30? >> Um, yeah. I mean, we're already over. I I guess what I' I'd like to do is is maybe we come to the table next time and have a conversation because how that money sometimes gets allocated because of the regional agreement. We're not talking about just one big number. we're talking about it like I think the leap on the lunge recess aid was was not hard but I think some of the others may have a little more um those I mean those two are all at Tanto so I mean that choice could come out of Tahanto but um >> the lunch of the recess monitor >> you know I think it would be helpful if if we go ahead if you guys want to add these we approve it tonight I can message to the towns you know we're working on how we're going to pay for these like these were approved you know please take get under advisement.
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We'll get them their assessment letters. It'll be certified by us. And the understanding is we know we have to meet again and probably have a conversation about these things, right? So, I can figure out how that works in with choice applied and we'll go there. I think I think this one's I mean this these two don't seem like they'll be that difficult, but I struggle I struggle just mentally with doing some of this on the fly in the middle of a meeting. Yeah. Um I think it's prone to issues and errors. But if if we add this as it stands and we show the you know we show the the budget that we need I can roll that into you know each assessment to the town and go from there. It will give uh the state and the auditors what they need in terms of a full budget.
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Um and then we can go from there. >> And then we can play around with school. You're saying we can play around with school choice. >> We can play around. You're saying this some of these things might come out of school choice or something might come out of you know somewhere else. >> This way we're in that 45 days to get this in front of the towns so they can help budget. >> So that that brings us to another part of the conversation though is school choice or END wherever it comes from cash savings being used to pay for ongoing operating expenses. If we say yes to a biology teacher and decide we're going to pay for that with school choice money or END money, what happens next year when that school choice money is gone and we still want to keep a biology teacher, right?
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That's why cash for capital >> makes sense. It's a, you know, an investment, a onetime thing. Over the coming years, it might build back up, but you're not going to have a roof next year or HVAC next year or whatever it is, but you're gonna have the teacher salary next year. >> Yeah. Al, are we talking school choice seats on the 24th? >> We are. But to answer Mike's question, then we become a district like those ones you're seeing right now, the Framingham public schools, where they're having to cut all those teachers and do huge layoffs, right? If you if you go that route because they can afford it one year, but they can't afford it next year. >> Yeah. We don't want to do that. That's bad practice. >> That's right. >> And and maintaining and retaining those teachers. But yes, to answer your question, I have school committee.
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I'm going to ask that they have a March 24th meeting. It's on the agenda hopefully to talk about school choice. >> Yeah. >> And so the number of seats that that the committee is willing to take may impact how much school choice we would project for next year. Right. So, I mean, we have a baseline number, but if the school committee were amendable to taking more seats, that would put more money in our projection for next year. >> But that only assumes that those seats get filled and then they eventually they'll graduate and we will have to backfill them. Yes, we would have to bet we would have to ongoing back fill um you know and and we just have you know on on some level the reason why I'm willing to put sometimes that number goes up, sometimes it goes down a little bit.
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I'm taking an approximate number based on a number of years. In fact, the number is down a little bit, but I'm still willing to put 450 in for now and then next year we'll reassess. Seems like those numbers continue to drop. >> Using that 260 to pay for an expense that we know is going to graduate out. Yes. Is a different story than using 90 to pay for a biology teacher who we're going to want for a long time. >> Correct. Our admin team is has their numbers ready. Um there's not much room at the elementary levels for for school choice. There is some room at the secondary level that Rich has presented that I'll be giving to you guys on March 24th as well. >> Yeah. Because like uh to Tannis's point about that bubble, I didn't realize that eighth grade class was so large and we don't want to price ourselves out of like oh well we have a another bubble coming up or whatever the term >> we have a predictable pattern of 8th to 9th grade that that does not stay.
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>> So you think that that might >> it will 100% go down. It always goes down. This is a bigger group for sure. >> They are going to need another section of biology but it's not going to stay >> at 90. I mean, there could be kids that move in, but there will be kids that go to Asabet and there will be kids that go to St. John's and there'll be kids that go to other schools. That's already decided now. >> It's true. But if you just look at the town as well as the building that's going on, >> all the building, >> how many years has it been? >> It's a predictable pattern. You can watch it watch it every year. >> There's two huge apartment complexes that have only come online the last couple years. So, we don't know how that's going to really affect us in the future.
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We should save this argument for the 24th. >> Yeah, it's definitely growing. But we need revenue. Like one thing that we haven't gotten from school choice because it really is important to see what the annual revenue stream is from that to see what actually and I know it's going to change and I know it's going to and I like we just heard it from the elementary schools, right? We're busting at the seams especially in Boilston. I know we got to hire another teacher because we have 66 kids in the class. So, but it would be interesting to see if you have any data on like what we have at least like maybe a fiveyear uh like the next five years. What's the revenue stream from school choice for the next five years because >> that's the best we're going to be able to do given all these circumstances.
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Five years >> and I think it's a great conversation for the 24th of all of this to talk about school choice. >> But even given all that, is it smart to use that for ongoing operations versus capital? Right. Like >> desperate times call for desperate measures. You say that every year, >> but like we mean >> I could see funding the float nurse for two from school choice or END um if it's needed then you know or if it's not needed then you know but we don't want to deplete our school choice but I think if we can figure out what the revenues if the like for example if Aaron is able to confidently say over the next five years we're going to have at least a h 100,000 in revenue from school choice and we know we've got a healthy balance. I know we're using good to use that healthy balance.
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>> I thought you said around >> I mean any of this is because school choice can vary yeartoear like the total we get in there's some variability to it and I want us to have a consistent stream. So instead of playing to the ups and the downs every year and particularly when we have a balance I know there maybe one year we'll eat into the balance a little but then we'll put a little more in eat into the balance. So if you've ever seen you know >> but typically that's not how around here once we >> data into a curve that's what I'm trying to do >> once we've used an amount or said we're going to use an amount >> like it goes up. So this year we're using almost double of what we're taking in. Not quite double, but almost double. >> Yes.
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And some of that is for >> some of that is for a onetime cost. >> Fair enough. >> But that's the a lot of it is not for a onetime cost. A lot of it is to buy down the assessment. >> So >> that's that's approximately what we we we seem to have been getting coming in, >> right? >> Um again, that number seems to be going down slightly. I, you know, I don't chase the small ups and downs because then we we we have a lot of variability. I'd rather be smooth and consistent with that. >> It's feasible to say as the town's populations increase, that school choice number likely will decrease >> possibly. Yes. >> Depends. >> We also got to get the school choice out early enough, right? So if we're going to do this on March 24th, the limited amount of seats we have at the high school, we got to get that information out to be able to get people who are truly interested in coming to Tahhata for the reasons we want our school choice.
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>> They're planning ahead. >> They're playing ahead and not because they didn't get into, you know, at RAS or whatever and this is their their third choice, right? Um yeah, >> again, it's a blind lottery, but we we certainly want to be out there. Um so we still have the decision to make tonight. So we put those two items on there. This is going to sound like a stupid question, but can I just ask you, is there any way we could um like obviously one of the huge cost drivers is the increases in health insurance. Can we change plans and do like more or is that illegal? Can we do a high deductible? I mean, private sector, >> that's a lot of work and conversation we would have to have with our unions. I I have um started to broach that. we were in negotiations with one of our bargaining units, so I wasn't really wanting to jump into that right away.
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>> Um I I will start those conversations. Um I looked at so so there are we we have a plan that um has a maximum out of pocket that's relatively low. Um I looked at going higher and the cost savings were so incredibly small it made no sense. like it was it was very strange to me that there was no savings. Um you know where you know I I was I was initially worried about another 18% increase this year. I'm a little comforted by the 7ome% increase. Um uh but the industry is I think we all know the industry is a mess. Um there's no there's no better way to say that. Um, and I can't be confident that we won't get rates that high again. Um, moving into another program is is time consuming. Um, and it usually would take at least like a year cycle to even like once you start the process to get in.
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So, um, you know, I think I looked at a couple different, uh, areas just to compare plans. uh you know some GIC's rates are a little lower for example there's some other um organizations organizations we can't be members of but they do have lower rates so there's there's a case to be made that maybe there's some ability to look but that's potentially a longer term solution it's just not something that's going to help us this year it's a very it's a very good question it just >> use cash this year with that intent of hopefully that'll be a savings down the road but yes obviously I know it's a lot of work and a year from now when you're going to be talking about negotiations already for the fall year because we're going to be end of year two and starting for year three. That's a conversation with the union.
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Right. >> I'll be clear that the work isn't an issue on my part. I'll do the work. It's just the time it's going to take to do it and what the appetite's going to be because we are going to have to have conversations with our union groups and things like that. >> And let's be honest, we're hearing those are very difficult conversations that the union is right. But we've been asked by the talents as well too like what is the because they're paying insurance and what the percentage they're paying. They're asking what we're paying for our teachers as well too. So, it's certainly a conversation that we'll be having with the next round of negotiations. >> And Aaron, why? Why is that a difficult conversation with the unions? Is because it will create an additional cost for them. Why is it why is it a difficult conversation with you?
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>> It would create an additional cost to them. I mean, it's it's it would change the cost. It could change the cost. It could change the benefit structure, right? So, it wouldn't necessar I I don't think we'd go to a plan that was more expensive, but that plan might have a different benefit structure. Um, most places, like I said, we have a relatively low max out of pocket for individual and families. Most places I'm looking at have a higher out-ofpocket um maximum. Um, and you know, there's benefit to that, right? that there's a a tangible benefit to our teachers having that plan. >> Um, so I think that would need be something we'd probably want to, you know, we might have to impact bargain it or something like that, but there's creative ways in the future to do that. You My daughter works in a district where the younger group that are they're hiring them in have a different health plan than some of the veteran teachers as well, too.
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So there's there's ways of >> and that has to do with splits. That's right. That's what I refer to. Not different plans. split splits. So, >> but before that before those guys come and rip our heads off for this that that's a negotiation. >> That's absolutely we're not we're not saying that >> yeah we can't do it now. That would be >> something that we put in our back pocket and say all right we can maybe use a little bit more choice money this year to offset some things because we're gonna that's a goal down the road. But yeah not be >> I'd have a hard time using more choice money for that without an actual conversation taking place on it. >> Grasping at straws here. Grasping at straws. We have, >> it's a fair question. >> You're thinking, >> we have timing challenges >> in front of us right now.
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We have six months of work from these guys in front of us right now of every penny they could find under every middle school furniture coach cushion that Aaron brought over from the U-Haul truck, right? >> Like that's all that's >> What questions do you have? >> The the time for all these like, hey, what about this? What about this? is like I think like Christina said it's you know September's and >> August >> right >> if we're voting on the ceiling tonight we >> why I think we should also discuss the floating nurse >> okay >> all right >> can you add that one in >> the floating nurse is not is not there yet >> what's the need for the floating nurse Janelle would you like to come up please don't mind Rich sorry thanks nobody Sure. So, I appreciate the public comment um tonight as well that addressed the float nurse position.
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So, the district currently has a float nurse two days per week. The per um the request is to increase that position to five days per week. Um we each one of our three schools has a full-time nurse. The float nurses in addition to that. So, they work in the entire district. They're really critical um to providing the consistent student care um on a day-to-day basis and being able to help students attend school that have um complex medical needs including diabetes, feeding tubes, seizure disorders, etc. Um although we do have a you know a great but small pool of substitute nurses, they have other they have other commitments. they have families, often full-time jobs, and so if we have a nurse that's out sick or we have a field trip that's going out, we have an additional nursing need. Um, we're not always able to get somebody on short notice.
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Increasing the float nurse position provides us a lot more consistency and adds quite a bit um, you know, to ensuring safe access to schools for our students with more complex medical needs. increasingly so all the field trips that go out, more and more field trips that go out um are requiring a a nurse to attend in order to go out. >> That was my next question. Is it required at the elementary level for every field trip to have a nurse? >> It depends on the students that are going and their individual needs. Um but increasingly so the majority of those field trips do require a nurse. >> Why is that? Because what you need a nurse just to make sure they don't get sick or >> Yeah. Well, it depends on like the medication needs um or the um the illness needs like there are where we don't have a medication delegation um policy.
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