>> I guess the question would be why would it not be approved? Is this is part of their decision making to make sure that the schools, the new schools are well equipped with >> necessary supplies. I agree. >> Okay. >> So, I have a a separate question even beyond that. Do you um >> does the town ever have access equipment and then they end up do we ever share with the town? Not just staff but actual equipment as well. >> That's a great question in terms of what sharing is happening. >> At times the parks department does do the fields. Well, here's So, I'm going to put I take it from a slightly different perspective. >> You have a mechanic. They have a mechanic. Their mechanic doesn't know anything about a lawn mower. They're great at public course dump trucks and snow plows, but they don't necessarily know lawnmowers, commercial lawnmowers.
Can we legally have a board of ed meeting that is not streamed or recorded? >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Yes. As long as we're taking the minutes at the meeting, we have no we don't have to have it um streamed or recorded >> and it's public session. So the the meetings are noticed. The public is invited. There's an open public session. >> Yeah. The the streaming is is a >> more of a more modern >> addition uh but not a requirement. >> Could I ask a question? Will board members be able that uh to get on by Zoom? We should be able to to have a laptop available. Yes. You know the the quality the some of the concern would be around so if when we are in the gymnasium whether or not there is a strong Wi-Fi signal there is you know each building is very unique.
Again, I've been I've been in I've been working for a business administrator since 1997. >> Here since 2001, took this job in 2011 in this position. And this is this is one of the worst times um that I've seen for sure. So, um that's where we stand. That's the last of my section.
That be that forced us into a position of increased reliance on local tax to local taxpayers, budget reductions, and one-time revenues. And then here we go. The formula says this year EPHAM should receive 14,621,262. That is the state's own adequ adequacybased budget calculation for EVHAM. What we're actually getting is 7,589,488. We are artificially being limited by state policy. That's an over $7 million reduction. So, the school funding reform act, the state's own formula recognizes EPHAM should receive $14.6 million. They said they're they're doing victory laps saying, "Look, you got 6% more. A 6% growth cap overrides their own formula and the result is that nearly half of our calculated aid is being withheld from EUAM." All right. So, what is the preliminary tax that we're proposing tonight? And again, I want to preface that these things can and possibly will change. You'll see the 2526 school year tax at the top, the 2627 school year proposed tax just below that.
Kaden Wolf, we I'm honored to recognize him tonight. Um, Kaden is not only a star in track as well as cross country, but he's top in his class here at Andrew High School, giving the very best of what a student athlete is through the balance of rigorous coursework, athletic performance, and his leadership in our co-curricular speaks volumes about his character and his determination. Uh, Kaden's hoping to run cross country at Depal University and he's a future pipeline special ed teacher. So congratulations to Kaden Wolf. We are super proud. He is our only male IA I AA recognition for our southwest suburban area. Congratulations. We're moving to the fine arts. Our next recognition is the Scholastic Arts Awards. Um, I am honored to present to you tonight. It's my pleasure to present to you our prestigious award. The Scholastic Art Award recognizes uh the talent of students, their skill, the ability to communicate ideas through virtual arts as well as each recognition highlights the significance of their accomplishment.
Do I wear what do I wear?" type of thing. So we felt it was safe to go with a school color for that. And then um on Monday, the some of the senior leaders, they sit down with Mr. Doyle and Mr. Ash and they then talk about kind of what they're going to do. So when they kind of talk through things and stuff, they came to the conclusion that it was good to focus on looking ahead and stuff. maybe not so much backwards um but look ahead at you know what the boys have to accomplish that day and just keep the focus there and stuff and so at that time they decided that school colors was where we needed to be on that one. >> Yeah, that's good. >> Good call. Um, next meeting will be Tuesday, April the 21st at 6 o'clock, but before that on Monday, April the 20th is the ISBA meeting and stuff.
So we need to be able to have that schedule opened up a little bit more for them. Right. >> Provide more opportunities because it was capped before based off the number of sections you have. So, UA classes would be able to open up some other possibilities, your choir, your band, whatever with >> Yeah, we're looking at >> shorten their class sizes though probably >> a little bit. It'll spread the students out throughout the building a little bit more. So, right now, every every grade level has two periods. So the whole sixth grade right now is on >> is at first and last period and then seventh and and eth and so on. So what it does is it will give us in the seventh and eighth grade particularly the ability to spread students out amongst those UA courses. So right now, if you're a student that enrolls in our school, we have to put you on a team and then that dictates where you're going throughout your day.
Did they agree on an answer? Did they say one person answers? But it felt like >> yes, they could actually listen because they weren't trying to respond on the spot. >> Yeah, I think that's great. I think that encourages listening. I have listened to some uh I like to listen to the local other towns to see how they're organized and I think they're actually organized pretty well. I notice the people in Hopkin, they're invited to come and sit at this table >> and they are allowed to speak. >> They can speak. I've seen people speak for five minutes, even longer. >> The one I saw did have a time limit. In fact, they brought two people. They said, "If I hit my limit, I will go." >> Oh my god, that is so ingenious. Maybe that's why I thought it was longer because there was two.
Um and so should you want to speak, please reference our board of ed um website before coming to the the meeting. So >> correspondence to right purpose of that >> um we do have the correspondence email. So the BOE um contact at treasure.k12 page all that use. Is there a way to shorten that ultimately because it's a lot >> that that end of our email address have to give it a lot and it's like you need an intermission about halfway through our email address. It's a little overwhelming. Um I know the town just shortened theirs. We could look at if there's a possibility moving forward to shorten ours. I think make life like a little easier. >> Yeah. or just hyperlink so it goes straight to >> I'm sure Scott can do so. >> We can link easily off the website like a mail to link but you know just giving out the email address is a little cumbersome >> right >> thank you Dr.
school board doesn't have to deal with the snow plows, but your mechanic is great at um at the lawnmowers, fixing them, >> then just sort of getting extra like couple years out of some of that equipment that may not be of particular use to the town. That's I guess what I'm wondering about. >> Yeah. >> And I don't you don't have the answer right now, but just generally to be aware of that. And just to go to to your um point, Mark, like there are agreements in place, especially as we talk about ball fields versus mowing the grass. Like the parks and wreck generally takes care of like the infield and we take care of the outfield and then the the remainder of the the grounds, >> right? >> Yeah. I don't know if we have John, do we have the the the machine for the infield in the schools?
Some of our buildings are rather old uh that don't have as strong a systems in certain locations of the building. So depending where we're located. Um we there may be more challenge uh in some schools than others. Haztown, you know, having uh wireless available uh at the I think we may be able to have um maybe a hotspot or or or something like that to to accommodate that. Glattus I think for the >> again I want to add just add my question is if I get sick at 3:00 and I can't make the board meeting is it adding way that I can be hooked up too soon. >> I believe so. I believe so guys. >> Okay. Okay. >> I believe so. >> The rest the rest of you know since it's not streamed no one else will see it but you know you can be set up at the table.
Does anyone have any questions for me? All right. Can I have a motion and a second to approve business and finance items A through J? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All right. No questions. Uh, Mr. Golden. >> Yes. >> Mr. Phillips. >> Yes. >> M. >> Yes. >> Miss. Juliano? >> Yes. >> And Mr. Davis? >> Yes. >> All right. Thank you guys. I do appreciate the support. I know it's not easy. I know it just stinks. Um, all right. Committee. >> Yeah. Old business. I don't think we have any old business. Uh, new business negotiations. Uh, we have another meeting coming up next week >> with the um Burland Township Education Association. So, we're moving along with that. We're We've met a couple times already. Nothing right now for BTPSA, which is our principal and supervisors association. Uh, finance committee. We didn't have it tonight.
That is a dollar increase of one point just just under $1.8 million. That represents a 2% increase for the average assessed home in Eve Sham. That's $89.39 a year as an increase or $745 a month. And then I just wanted to put some notes about the our preliminary submission tonight. This is a statutory requirement that the board is fulfilling their requirement to submit this to the county for review. This appro this is they are not approving the budget tonight and it does not limit their ability to continue making adjustments prior to the final adoption. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. And I'd like I'll add to that that um [clears throat] as a board we've identified uh Monday, March 30th from 4:30 to 6:30 back here at the Macy as the time for our um work session as we continue to put the work into um adjust the budget to its optimal um distributions as we try to close what essentially is a budget gap.
Uh we are delighted to have with us Dr. Doug as well as Miss Carrie Citz. Come on, where are you my art people? Ma, I'm doing all the talking and no one's standing and no one's highlighting. Right. I'm going to introduce Miss Carrie Cites, our art teacher, who is going to share about the Scholastic Art Award. Come on over. Hi, good evening. Um, this is a regional award. Um the winners actually are then forwarded on to a national award which we have had national award winners in the past. This year um we had two students win a regional award. Um Ma Leech is one of them for um one of her pieces that you will see in the video. We also had another student Ally who couldn't be here tonight. She also won a regional award for Scholastic Art. So it's a very prestigious award.
So, I can get that sent out to you as well. I think 5:00 is when the registration opens. >> That's on the 20th. >> The 20th. That's on the Monday. >> Make sure I put that in my calendar this time. >> So, we will be back to back. Okay, other than that it questions, any other comments? I'll make a motion to adjourn. I'll second that. All >> in favor say I. I. >> Thank you. >> Nice to see you.
And it could pigeon hole us into putting a student in a class that's already rather large where if there isn't that teameing structure, then you have the autonomy to put that student in whatever course um is the smallest number of students at the time. So it gives us a chance to balance classes a little bit better. And that's also an area where um we're looking forward to, you know, hopefully starting next year to bring in more stakeholder input um when we start talking about different programming or different electives or courses like that. Um, you know, that's when we want to, you know, talk to our students and our parents and really, um, show what what kinds of opportunities there are and um, and see what we value as a community um, and offer those things. >> We've talked about, you know, adding Project Lead the Way and making a career path that or just a pathway to the high school, you know, that feeds into our high school program.
>> It was a similar topic. >> Yeah. So anyways, it's just it's just really refreshing and I think, you know, maybe we should take a look at ways to improve the process. >> Yeah, improve the process instead of just yelling at us, whatever. Um, all right. So, the next one that is related is I'm go back to my um page. It's our uh our form of local government. So in 2007 and I was not at this town meeting. I was not able to be there. I don't know maybe you were there. Uh they changed the town meeting government from a regular town manager. You can towns can have a town administrator, a town manager and then the strong town manager for McGuffin. and it took power away from the select board and ultimately the people and just gave it to this strong town manager. And you know, you you can see what they do.
Seeing no audience members, we're going to move to committee reports. And the first committee would be curriculum. Miss Collins, the board of education uh curriculum committee met on Monday, March 9th, 2026 at 7 p.m. Um committee members present, myself, Dr. Herrian, Tim White, and Heather Fitzgerald. Um also Cheshire Public Schools staff was represented. um our assistant superintendent, curriculum coordinator, high school principal, and assistant principal DOD middle school principal and assistant principal. Um the meeting was called to order at and um our first order of business was to discuss uh field trips. The first one under new business was an outofcountry field trip uh that the um school is going to Costa Rica June 23rd through the 29th. Our world language teacher Gina Curado shared that um the trip is aligned to the curriculum provides an opportunity for students um to use the language um practice the language in real life scenarios through immersion.
>> Yes, >> we do. for for like baseball, softball and field. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> So, uh especially at at the high school, we do >> all our own fields. >> Okay. >> Um and uh in terms of the other schools, it's we we cut all the all the grass. We do we do the Dodd fields for Dodd's games, >> but then the other infields we do not. >> Thank you. So, I think um I'm gonna skip turf for right now and just >> go back to the parking lot for one second, which is Yeah, we if that is to go back to referendum, it needs a very different approach to it. >> Yeah. Um, >> and what I can do with that is for the next time we meet, just have some few samples and so you all can give feedback on on what makes sense and you know what we need to edit so that you know it's it's more understandable and palatable.
I I would just add that the concern is that the the amount of bandwidth a streaming video takes up is much more significant than what a what a Zoom connection would be. So I feel fairly confident that a a a Zoom we could have the owl set up in there. Um and at the very least the audio would would be working. We could set that up through a hotspot. Um and we could even run that through a through a cell phone if we if we really needed to and and have that connected to a mic. So Kenny and I will come up with a few troubleshooting scenarios uh just in case that that sort of issue arises. Um but I don't anticipate it being a problem. >> Thank you. >> Louisa, was your hand up? Yeah, I just wanted to um just point out that, you know, these schools were already scheduled for Spotlight.