We had to cut a vice principal to stay in that ratio. In the last two years prior to this one year I was principal and HR director and then the year after me Mr. Mason was principal and director of curriculum instruction. So they counted two positions. Um, but we will monitor that and and as our teaching population hopefully doesn't decline, but if it does, we'll have to make adjustments. That's why in other districts they have us, you know, Mr. Boot wears two hats, Mr. Shrina wears two hats. >> In larger district, they have one person doing those roles. >> Well, and that's what I was wondering because some of our class sizes are so low like um our English and different core classes are low. here. And so that's what I was wondering. We don't need the teachers, what are we going to do, too?
The economy is constantly changing. The federal constantly changing. So, you're never going to have complete data that you want. So, I'm saying that based on what you what you had in the this past fall, the year before to see a trend and not that you're not going to look at the numbers in >> that come in in September or August, but then you can be started already. you can start and you can almost pick out the 10 schools if that's the number or five schools that in that trend and when the numbers come out in August then you can say okay yeah this school maybe no but this school definitely I mean come on you you have a you have an idea right based on the current data >> no you don't have no idea >> I think there's definitely schools that are the potential Senator I I agree there's a you definitely there's trends that you already see.
Um, this is how you maintain staffing at five and six per level is that you have an overtime budget like this that can help back field. To answer your question, um, I doubt it would go down. Um because when you get new uh firefighters on, you have to plan on covering for their their vacation and sick time as well. We don't backfill for or it's not a mandatory backfill for everything. It's uh is it mandatory for sick? I forgot. >> No, for vacation, personal time. uh the chief has uh contractual obligations to backfill for vacation and personal time but not for sick time or training and we have a lot of members that go to training. So a lot of times we are down to five instead of six. um the recalls and station coverage. Uh if we went to seven, there is a higher possibility that when we have the two concurrent calls that we would have three left at the station and that would provide us with enough coverage until one of those ambulance was able to clear.
Because then we need to reduce the staff. So then that's going to reduce more teachers, too. So it's not going to help us. So that's something I was wondering. And then we had to give back 280,893,000 for the instructional minutes. Yeah, >> I am going to file a waiver for that and I feel pretty confident that we'll get that. Um I do have to meet with CTA first um and get their input on it and then once we do we'll bring it back to the board next month. Um it has to get approved before I can submit the waiver to CVE. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And then I didn't realize either that 50% of our expenses should be going to the um be spent on >> yeah classroom teacher and we spent 47.3%. >> Yeah, we were 2.7% shy of meeting that 50% threshold. um state law requires that high school districts spend at least 50% on their general education expenditures.
I think one of the things too that we are looking at is we wanted to look at trying to get the number of schools down the cluster of schools to study down to a low number as possible in order to give due diligence to we doing the studies. >> Yeah. But then you have to change change your your your requirements or change the the data points that you're looking for. Not necessarily just waiting for the numbers. See, the problem I have is they do DOE keeps delaying and delaying and then in the future we should have sent letters out for the bus companies years ago. We should have been doing this. We don't. We keep >> dragging our feet and we keep waiting for more data and it it it constantly changes. So some at some point we got to bite the bullet and you got to make the decisions.
So potentially depending on what the first two calls are, it we would be able to reduce that recall coverage. >> It's my understanding too that you have a another ambulance that can be brought into service. >> We have another ambulance that is uh it's not outfitted to the ALS standards yet. That's that's so it's it's it's our ambulance there in case one of the other ambulances goes out on maintenance. For us to staff a third ambulance would be very challenging right now even with seven members >> especially if it's Can you just explain briefly the difference between ALS and BLS? >> Absolutely. ALS is advanced life care uh intubation being able to give uh medicines um cardiac versions um it's a basic EMT is able to do basic life support where an advanced or a paramedic is able to do advanced. So basically that ambulance is like a traveling hospital.
And so it's not necessarily that we didn't meet um on the salary and benefit side. We had more expenditures um unexpected expenditures that skewed that ratio. So that again is something that we're closely monitoring and um I will be um applying for that waiver which is on the board agenda as well. >> So when they said we had to deposit 581,71 to the county superintendent of schools, did we have to do that then? >> No, I've already been in consult with um the county and provided them what they needed. I can't officially give them the waiver, but they um said it will likely be approved. So, we will not um have to uh you know make sure because what happens is if we don't get that waiver, then we have to just ensure that we spend that much more on expenditures uh to make up for what we didn't do last year.
You know, it's going to constantly change. You're not going to please everybody. There's going to be people that are upset and I don't care what kind of deep dive we do, it's it's got to happen. So you guys got to pull the trigger. >> Understood. >> Sooner better than later. >> Understood, Senator. And I think one of the things that we definitely, like I said, we did our presentation to the board with an updated timeline and it's something that we'll make sure we continue to communicate with the stakeholders and keeping the ball moving. >> Yeah. Because I believe according to your report, the reason why school consolidation was even on the table is because you folks were looking at the past 10 years of uh enrollment decline. >> Correct. >> And so now we're shifting based on one year of an increase where you guys have been looking for the past 10 years.
We can do everything in that ambulance that you potentially could do in the emergency room. So, as they say, time is muscle, especially when it comes to cardiac care. So, the ability of our paramedics to be able to treat somebody uh immediately is the difference can be the difference between life and death. And these guys have shown it and proved it over and over again. Um, so it's it's it it also goes to the fire side too. Nowadays with how the furnishing is and how the buildings are built with lightweight construction, synthetic furniture, the fires are hotter. They're they're they're burning faster, which reduces our ability in the time we have to get there faster. It used to be fire doubles every minute. Now it's every 30 seconds. So again, it creates new development, new buildings. The way they're furnished creates new challenges for firefighters.
But, uh with the information that I provided the county um they're confident that we'll get the waiver and that doesn't go to CDE, that goes up to the county. >> Okay. And then what what kind of since West Valley had findings two years in a row for the student student body accounts being in red? >> Yeah. >> What are they going to make us >> are do they want to see some kind of fiscal plan so that won't happen again? >> Well, yes. And that's part of what's in the corrective action um you know that I worked with the sites on any of their corrective actions. they were required to um provide me with what they will do to ensure that moving forward it doesn't happen again. Um but we are not uh we can't have a negative ASB account by the end of the year.
Again, kicking the can down the road, we're talking about continual operating budget costs. We're talking about staffing costs >> just to go year by year. Mhm. >> Um and so yeah, it's a little >> understood, >> frustrating. >> I I I hear you and it's something that we will continue the momentum on. >> So I'm trying to get to the bottom of what what is the policy right now? So I'm reading the BOE policy. So it says there's a trigger for a consolidation study. >> So are any of the schools? So I assume so I don't I'm trying to I'm it's murky in my mind of how you're picking these schools on a consolidated. Are you following the BOE policy on which schools that trigger the consolidation study? >> We our meth our current methodology does follow the existing does follow the triggers. What we did was we also identified um when we w communicated it, we identified what we wanted to do was bring the number of clusters that we initiate to study down to as smallest number as possible.
So it's it's uh it's a challenge all all the way around, but getting to the scene uh as quickly as possible is paramount. And obviously with concurrent calls, a lot of the times it it makes it challenges because we're relying on mutual aid to come in. And as I mentioned before, that's a 13minute delay, whether it's a medical emergency or whether it's it's a fire related incident. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Yeah. Yeah. Appreciate it. >> Awesome. Thanks, Deb. Um, yeah, I hope you don't mind. We got We had a couple of other things, but I'm just trying to be cognizant of time. And I think I I think I think you're learning uh some some cool things here about our departments. Um next uh is the Ashlin Police Department. Um and the appropriation above the level funding required is a h 100,000 for one police officer, not a traffic officer, a police officer.
So we're ensuring that that will be positive uh before the end of June. So that's how we're going to correct that. But moving forward, there are several things that um myself and the accountant are working with ASV on uh you know to go over the various items that were not um that were you know findings >> on that. So can you guys come back and let us know what kind of plan that they're going to do? Let us know. >> Yes, I will be bringing that back next month on the agenda. >> Okay, that was Jackie's question. >> Yeah. find out what >> I can say now that the principal's library account is unrestricted funds. So before the school year closes, we're going to withdraw from the principal account from that site to make those balances positive. >> Yes, we just have to get board approval.
But but isn't there a criteria of which ones trigger a study though? >> Correct. Under the board >> polic and I think one of the things but one of the things that we wanted to do was not just study schools individually but we want to study them in clusters because I think it's really >> but that's not what the policy says though >> but it's how we are allowed to does allow us to study them in clusters cuz one of the things >> is that in the policy that allows you to study in clusters. The study identifies you the study allows you to identify schools but we are allowed to bring in other schools into the cluster because when you close a school it's going to have an impact to other schools. So for example the last part of that HAR is you have to do the comparison of the school and the opportunities to its neighboring schools in addition to not allowing additional CIP or additional factors.
I just want to make sure it's it's known um about that. And before you know, I think the chief's here and we've got some members of the department. I was meeting with some of the union members today. Um gosh, you know, talk about a turnaround. I think um it it's been really um I I'm really proud of everybody in this room, but I'm really proud of of just kind of the initiative. I think the the police department um under Cara's leadership and and Mike's uh Mike's working, everybody on the staff there uh has really I think it's something that Ashland can take great pride in. Um, I I don't think I've ever seen like a turnaround in so short a time and so dramatic. And to know that uh your department was once uh viewed very unfavorably by many across the state to now um being viewed very favorably and we're able to get people in uh that are great uh caliber candidates really speaks not to the work that I do or our team but really to the work that they do every day.
So you'll see that on the agenda next month. >> Okay, >> those are my questions. >> Okay, thank you. >> Any other questions? >> Can I get a motion? >> I move to approve. >> I'll second it. >> Second. All those in favor? Hi. >> Hi. >> 613. Request for the waiver for current expense of education compliance requirement. >> 61. >> No, that's >> Yeah, we skip 613. >> 613. >> 63. >> The waiver. >> Oh, yes. Thank you. Yeah, this is the this is the waiver. And once you approve it, then I can submit it to the county um and they'll sign off. >> Cool. Move to approve. >> Yeah, please. >> So, do they let you do that like once or is that something that they'll let you do? >> I wasn't told that there's a limit on this particular waiver. There are some limits to certain waivers um and uh this again came straight from the county and with the guidance of their help um you know, I provided what they requested first to even see if we would qualify um which they did let me know that we would.
And so for enable you to study that you have to look at it in regards to >> okay so how many how many are you studying at this point? Well, how many have triggered the consolidation study? >> I can't think of a number off top of my head. I have to come back to you. >> But you have a definitive number. >> There's if we look on previous data, there would be numbers that would be potentially is potentially triggered for study. >> Okay. So, how many years? So, so when it's hitting the three triggers, at what point do you know when to do the study >> or is it are you just waiting and being like, okay, maybe we should do a study and okay, let's go figure out what schools and do a study because I was assuming it should be a rolling basis on when the study should be done based on the board policy.
Um and it I think it runs the gamut. One of the things I don't have the slide on uh but certainly people here can talk about is just how the mission has changed. I mean uh Kirsten's here. We just did a report on Kirsten's work. I mean the amount of of work that she has done from a jail diversion and like a social work standpoint in the department is really um it'll really blow you away the amount of work we do and the amount of need that's out there. So, um I don't know who's coming up from from police. Um Chief, you're going to you're going to take it uh take it with us and we'll start u I think it's very important to talk about um calls and what those calls are and what these mean. You can explain that a heck of a lot better than I can.
So I'll second it. >> Second. All those in favor? >> I I >> I unanimous 614 Redwood National State Parks and Redwood Park Conservy grant request for transportation cost reimbursement for campus. That's what we just heard about part of it. And we approved the transportation request already. I don't think Mr. Mr. Boo addressing this. >> You want to speak to this? >> Yeah, this is for the camping trip that we have coming up at the end of the month. >> We've been going to the same place and now they um will find us to go because we just enjoy having students come out and >> so it's uh just for us to be able to continue that at very little cost. >> So you have transportation in question already. >> Yeah. Yeah. the the trip itself has been approved. This is just to accept the reimbursement for >> motion.
Right. >> Correct. And I think that's one of the things that we did communicate to the field based upon the heart. It is something that we admit that in the past it became a thing that we did 10 years and then we didn't do again. But we do feel it needs to be a multi-phase consistent evaluation. >> So that's what you're doing now. Are you correct? Once once those three triggers are hit, you're doing the study. >> Correct. We're going to be starting to get into this process of whenever we have new enrollments and new projections. >> So when did that start? >> When did that start? We started doing the analysis last year and then we started rolling out the methodology with the field in regards to how we would take through this approach and then we're looking to now initiate it with this upcoming fall data.