So, at this point, um can I do a motion, a second to adjurnn the meeting? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Um all those in favor? Oppose or abstain. All right, guys. Thank you. Keep everything, right? Just snot these in.
We we value our partnership with the lenipy district. Um but those are stuff tough steps that we've had to take securing property sale country farms to the township. Thank you again to the township for their work with us on that. And we are awaiting state approval on that contract imminently. And then also working with our county on the purchase of the handover road property which is about a half a mile away from Country Farms down Greenbrook Road. Um and uh so that is taking longer but again whenever that gets finalized we will always be able to use and need that that those funds. Solar panel cell tower health benefits reimbursement I'll be sending out a survey again to staff shortly uh to see if we can generate uh some savings that way. We tried that about three years ago. And then subscription busing. Again, we tried that some years ago.
in class we discuss so many ideas and so getting to like discuss that with somebody it's just a great feeling. >> Well, we've had a long-standing tradition at Andrew to make sure that the students work gets out into the community just because um they're putting so much time and so much effort. Um and it's an opportunity for the community to see the things that we're that we're doing here. >> When student work is out in the public, it um provides students with a voice. It um tells us who they are. >> When my art's on um display, it's really cool. I love hearing like the feedback from people to see how like outsiders perceive my art. >> And we've added over the years different types of art competitions to make sure that it's not only viewed nationally, but also globally >> out in the community.
And now let's go back and make sure it's been working for this individual. >> So you're going to get So you're going to get into how does the child like >> how does Bill go through the process of struggling and then now >> because I I can see how like teachers that have them saw I saw Bill then you saw Bill you saw Bill you know they're like let's talk about Bill but yeah just I just want to understand that >> yes so MTSS across the entire staff it's just not administration have do it teachers have >> correct teachers are so when you think about and again I know they have a slide in here but think about it in tears two and three and that bottom tier is the classroom. So that is the classroom teacher and classroom teachers are very involved in tier two as well at the middle school level because that's where the reteing and the additional support comes in when the assessment data is indicating that there are skill gaps or there are strategies that need to be closed if you will.
>> Any questions on this trip? That one doesn't need approval right now. >> No. >> Okay. And the next um three trips are Chapman, Dittle, and Norton. Um Chapman is going to Ivory Town, Connecticut, and Dittle, and Norton are going to Charleston, Massachusetts for Nature's Classroom. Um they will be attending the Nature's Classroom trip. It's all the uh the same company and again um you know we went through what's needed from parent permission. There was a question um about Highland School. Highland has surveyed families regarding field trips and they are continuing to offer in-house or in town handbook adlesu field trip experiences. So those are the four um elementary schools for their fifth grade students end of the year field trip. Sixth grade. >> Sixth grade, >> isn't it? >> Sixth grade. Yes, >> sixth grade. I'm sorry. Sixth grade. >> And wait, are you saying Highland is not participating in um >> Highland is doing um not participating in those particular trips, but they are having a in-house or in town hands-on field trip experience.
uh at least if if nothing else than simply in the communication of explaining it was the loading dock which really was my concern like that's what the referendum should have said right >> and then people could have looked at him and like oh yeah that is actually a little bit rather than parking lot which is like >> right >> and I think if we could get the word out that there that's not a solid concrete slab >> it's on scaffold >> some pictures >> I'll make sure to get pictures of those so two things I'll make note of for um next time is like framing some referendum items and just being really clear with you all about which of these items would need to go to referendum because that might impact your um desire to approve things in year one versus year two. You know that this is a challenge that we had last year was the loading dock went against the turf and there were a lot of referendum items and it was overwhelming to voters.
Um, but both of these are available. We'll have a safety advocate hit at at the main entrance here, the public entry. We'll also have a safety advocate here at the gym um letting select people in um down by this uh gym entry here.
Um, but these are just examples of things we've tried. We are always open to ideas and and like I said, our district given our financial situation, the conversations about budget, the work to find efficiencies is 12 months, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. All suggestions welcome. Um, feel free to email me, Mr. Yates. and uh because anything that we for one reason or another doesn't fit for this year stays on the list for future years because we know we're going to be facing gaps continually in the future as all districts do. The unbridgegable gap between a 2% tax levy and 3 plus% increases for salaries and benefits plus even greater increases yearly for special education, transportation, so on. Even for a former English teacher, the math will never add up. Questions uh from the board. Dr. Smith, I'd like to add one quick thing and thank you for that because some of the direct feedback from the board members are on that slide and I want to recognize the collaboration and trying to continue to work to make it better.
It's displayed in local galleries, regional art competitions, national art competitions. Last year I got two honorable mentions for um a few of my advanced drawing drawings. >> Last year at the Samberg art show I got first place for ceramics and I've been to the Governor State Show every single year so far. That's been awesome. It's important that we get our work out in the public. We want to create a relationship between the classroom and the community. Um, so we find that it's important that these students who worked really hard and put a lot of effort into the work get your work done. >> I walked in thinking I was not going to win anything and they just appeared with this new new award that no one's heard of and I just got the the visionary award. So I I really like that they liked that I was very creative.
We're trying to close that gap and our assessment data is telling us that there are students who haven't mastered certain skills and so there has to be that reteing. That's the next level up. So it's kind of like I get this and then I get more. When you get to tier three it's it's this and more and more. So it's not a replacement. It's trying to add more support to that student whether it's academic or social emotional or behaviorally so the student can thrive within educational setting. But to build off yours, so if I'm struggling in math, my math teacher says, "Boy, Bill's really struggling." It's not a behavior thing. It's just he's really struggling. So So my math teacher then reports me, I guess, to our support uh team and and then they'll look at everything and then they'll come create an an individualized plan for me, >> you know, that hey, Bill, it looks like you're struggling with this.
the um the school has um surveyed families regarding um field trips and they'll continue to offer what they've offered in the past. That's what the parents at that particular school have agreed to. >> That's unfortunate. >> I just have a question comment again. Me, can I speak? Yeah. >> Yeah. No, I just wondered do you they revisit it every year specifically asking if nature's classroom is an experience that they parents either do or don't want for their children. I just want to make sure we're giving them ample opportunity to raise their hand to get back on the nature's classroom train. >> Dr. Solen, I believe you were involved in the discussions with Mr. Jeffrey. I know they have not done it since co and I know they have surveyed families multiple years in a row and provided something that they feel is on par like low ropes courses bringing in some more dynamic opportunities.
So, you know, what is the strategy going into this next year? Just one thing to keep in mind for me is like um literally I mean I don't see how we would even have any good idea of what will end up going out to referendum because regardless of what's in last year's year 2 capital plan if we end up with like a flood in April, we could easily we could easily have bridges that get blown out in town that each are individual projects that cost more than half a million dollars. like just events that occur um could end up being like far more urgent than the loading dock or the turf or anything like that. You could easily and we could easily end up with seven or eight items that are all deemed urgent in some way just depending on what happens. I mean I I don't know what I don't know what year two was a year ago, >> but things could change.
So, any questions about the the logistics? >> So, let me be clear. If I park right in the front and I think I've been over there and you can enter in the first front door, you can go straight to the gym. >> Yes. >> Am I correct? Okay. >> Correct. Thank you. >> Yeah. You'll you'll be you'll be right back here, Glattus. We're going to make sure you have a spot right back here by the door. >> All right. >> Oh, Mike, I have a quick question. >> Yep. >> On the translating devices. >> Yeah. because I know we've never had translators at at our board meetings, at least the last five years that I've been on the board. So, can you kind of um is are are these the AI ones that we have >> and and how do they actually work? >> So, yeah, that's a great question.
>> Excellent. Yes. which is a a great reminder of what we'll do more of on on March 30th. So, >> any other questions or comments from >> Dr. Smith? I don't have a Well, I have a couple questions, but this isn't really a question. I just wanted you to kind of repeat the situation with the properties because I think there was just some because I wasn't unaware either. So, those properties, the sale of the handover and country farms is not complete. It's in process with the state. We don't have those revenues yet. I don't know. I don't know that that's clear to everybody. So, I just wanted to reiterate. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, uh we don't have those revenues yet. We anticipate having that approved from the state very soon. I want to say Mr. Yates, the deadline is next week. >> Yeah. So, um the township engaged us with an offer for Country Farms of $170,000 as is.
>> I think um displaying artwork in the community gives students confidence. confidence in who they are, that their work is is good to show to people and to um tell their story, to see joy and beauty in the world, and to um be safe and able to express themselves and who they are. I just love to see students involved in the art program. I love connecting with the community and filling off our amazing artwork because they really do put in so much effort and creativity and time into the pieces of work that I do. Encouraging anything is possible as long as they can put into effort. I really like um making people happy through my art makes me happy that other people are happy when they look by like like the colors and all the um creativity that goes into it. The story behind it too.
We're going to develop that plan and you're going to get that inter vention in your win class and that and so my plan might be different than Jason's plan because he struggles with a different part of math and so right or he's going to get that in his win class I'm going to get that but it that identification happens at the teacher level so that doesn't really change anything our teachers are still expected to identify that and they still they still re kind of report that to our support teams that a little different and sorry guys are going to go there is from the current team model is there's a designated time during their day where I can say hey Jane I really struggle with build does he struggle in your class and if the answer is no I might say well what do you do different in your class is it a subject that they like do you have a better connection and that time is built in their day where this is just going to look different than Dr.
>> Yeah, that's that's been a constant uh annual point of of conversation I think is the um number of students at Highland grew. it became harder to get um chaperones that many chaperones to go without significant disruption to the school. We're hopeful that you know when we kind of right size next year that it'll kind of come back to uh being an option for us. >> Yeah. I just thank you. I I would love to see at least the opportunity present itself again that maybe they can go. It's just such a >> Yeah, we think it's valuable. really valuable experience and memorable. >> Yeah. >> And the kids still talk about it. So, it's unfortunate that we couldn't go. I I hope it's not a financial situation either. >> It didn't sound like it was financial at all, but rather um this is what the families have have approved and have wanted.
A bridge easily cost them more than half a million dollars and they have they do get flooded out sometimes because they're hitting they're getting to that age then you get a flood and it's just like >> in that respect is there no contingency insurance for such like emergency situations. >> I will look into that because if you're bonding for specific projects I don't know that that can be reallocated even in the the event of an emergency. Um, so I'll check into that because I I don't I don't know if that's that has happened in the past, but I don't think say we got it approved at referendum for $ 1.5 million the turf and field. If something happened in town, I don't know that that money gets reallocated because I would think that if it's bonded for that, then they can't use it. >> Oh, no.
We have the AI devices, but we haven't fully tested them, so I'm not comfortable putting them into play yet. The current AI devices we have, it's one device per phone. So the the person using the device has to have the app on their phone. They have to download it. Then it has to sync through Bluetooth. It could be a little cumbersome. If someone's pretty savvy, they can do it probably in a minute or two. Um but if we're trying to, you know, coach a group of 15 people through it, it it it may get a little clunky. So um Ken and I are doing some testing. Um and we're also reaching out to the company to see if they have a sort of hub that would let us control, you know, 10 devices at once. um we don't think the AI ones are quite are quite ready for um prime time in the board meetings until we do a little bit more testing with them.
Right. That's a win for us. Um we went through they had the resolution. We had a resolution and then it goes it has to go to the state department of education and the uh special division for approval because it was considered a school's property. >> So they have to they take 90 days. The email we got from them was um they're backlogged but here's the person you can email to ask for status updates. We emailed over a week ago never heard back. However, that deadline is approaching early next week, after which time we'll work with our architects who are running point on that to further that sale. The township has already asked us, hey, what's the status? We anticipate that revenue in this fiscal year, which is why we're not including it in next fiscal year. The Hanover Road property is uh offered to the county.