Georgia from the 1980s. Let me walk you through it. So, it started with Danny Bearden, a 19-year-old with only a ninth grade education who was not able to read. He plead guilty to a simple burglary and theft charge. Now, addition to his, you know, prison sentence and all that, he was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $250 in restitution. Despite his inability to pay, he was still ordered to pay that. Especially when he lost his job after a sentence and couldn't find another one due to his new felon status, it made making those payments all the more difficult. So he got arrested and imprisoned for failure to pay those dues. So it was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court and they ruled that people cannot be jailed for inability to pay fines or dues. Unwillingness is a totally different matter. But if they are proven to make a quote unquote bonafide effort to pay, they cannot be incarcerated for that reason.
So, I just used my straight core. And it's that was that and it's a vintage ball, so I really like it. >> If you forgot or didn't have your equipment, would it be acceptable to rent from the thing from the >> Well, yeah, you can rent and do use a house ball, although it's not preferred. So, um, the rental stuff that's included in our $50 fee we play paid u do the sport that includes our jersey if we have to rent shoes or balls and just the use of the lanes. So, um Caleb Wilson, um who used to go to school here, um he uses rental shoes for practices at least, um and he doesn't have to pay for them each time he goes to practice, so he can he can just grab them and well, he asks for them and then he just gets them.
Whether you're doing sports or other extracurriculars, she cares about your well-being, and that's what matters the most. Yeah, I've taken uh her a mechanics class and her animal science class and I find that she is very very patient. Uh very patient. Uh many people in the a mechanics class weren't aren't like into the agricultural stuff. They're just doing it because they kind of have to or they're they're just interested. >> Um and me I was terrible. I wasn't great and I got better at it and she was very definitely like patient and was very helpful. Um but my welding and beating and just that was horrific. My woodwork was okay, but pretty horrific. Um, but animal science was great and I really appreciated that kind of a new experience and she definitely was patient with people in there who may not be interested in it but knew that they had to do it and it was a very great class.
We got under the hood of a lot of different unique segments and called out some real unique opportunities. So, I think the challenges from this budget will lead us to better days moving forward, 2026-2027 and beyond. I just like to take a couple of minutes to go over just some of the key metrics that kind of make up the budget. Again, the total budget for 2026-2027 is approximately 70 $76 million and change. It's up about $4 million year over year. To put that in perspective, our medical and prescription went up $4 million year over year. So, our budget is up $4 million year over year and our medical and prescription went up $4 million year over year. So, you can get the message that the real challenge, the real challenging metric, was the rising cost of the medical and RX. It's been a challenge over a few years.
Um cuz I think that's what really is the concern is after school students like staging and then filming fights. And so I was kind of on the same boat too of like do we need to like have it modified where there's like a little bit of more flexibility cuz it is you know there's you're always navigating the conversation of like well my mom called me cuz she told me I needed to go to this different spot. Um and so that was my wondering. Or my mom told me to grab my sibling cuz we're in line right now and so it but you're still on campus and then it's caused issues of like you have your phone out and I I don't know what it the rule was before, but before this it was like no phones while you were on campus. So it just causes a lot of um you know and and most most staff use their judgment and say okay you're just messaging your mom and she's telling you to go here and she you know, but it it it I just want it to be cohesive and consistent and so that's why I just wasn't quite sure, but then also when students are entering campus technically it's before school and the bell hasn't rung yet, but you're on campus and you shouldn't be using your phone during like morning recess.
Um enrollment is relatively stable. However, what's fluctuated is the number of residents of Pelum that are in the schools. And right now um we are outsized in terms of school choice students versus uh Pelum students. So that has been a trend over the uh past couple years for Pelum um with the low being 58 and 20 uh FY23 in terms of students of residents. Um, like I mentioned in terms of uh our special population groups that we can speak of, uh, you'll notice that I talk again about the economically disadvantaged and our, uh, students who receive special ed services. When we think about the pressures of Pelum, the pressures of Pelum are really about um, it's the assessment data that you can't see. It's what's hiding. That's really where pressures lie which is important around curriculum. Um we also have um all the positives that are happening.
Um, and so then we will move on to to to Q&A. Okay. So, before we get into the numbers tonight, I just wanted to share um a quote from my colleague uh Claudia Bennett which I think was is is appropriate for this evening. Um, a strong connected community is built on in the everyday moments. Neighbors checking in on neighbors, shared spaces that bring us together, and local services and events that make it easy to belong. It's what keeps families supported, seniors less isolated, kids engaged, and volunteers showing up when it matters. When we invest in the places and programs that connect us, we're not funding extras, we're protecting the relationships and quality of life that make Ashland a place people are proud to come to call home. And I think that's really appropriate. I think um so Claudia is a a colleague of mine on the select board.
However, it didn't stop in the 80s. There it goes. Since 2015, in the modern age, there have been 10 lawsuits against local municipalities for incarceration of debtors. And that's because of the escalation of fines and fees and interest that these initial offenses cause. Like the fines, for example, why isn't this working? There it goes. The fines, which are the penalties for the original offense. For example, a traffic citation or speeding ticket. You get a certain amount of dollars to pay as a fine. or fees, charges for court costs, public defenders in some cases, and even in rare cases, room and board for being incarcerated in the first place. All compounded by ridiculous amounts of interest, sometimes up to 12% on these costs. with this traps people in a vicious cycle of incarceration to debt to incarceration again. These unpaid fines lead to warrants, arrests, more jail time, and more fees.
>> No stealing, you know. >> No, no stealing. But another good thing about bowling is the food you get. You can get food at like the tournaments and stuff. Like I get funnel fries. >> They're so great. >> That sounds good. >> Mhm. Uh do you use any special super professional techniques for bowling? >> Um techniques? Not really, but I do have other stuff like the powders. So I have grip, which is like climbing chalk. Um so it gives me grip on my first two fingers and then on my thumb I use what's called slip. So it makes it more slippery. Um So, because I have wide thumbs, so they so it comes out of the hole fast, faster, and easier. So, I don't actually hold on to it and like launch it down the lane. Um, but I do bowl onehanded instead of two-handed.
>> Yes. >> Um, but you kind of spoke about competing and stuff. So like uh you've been to conventions both of you. Um, kind of how are uh the conventions and like what does a day at a convention kind of look like for FFA? So at state convention there are how many sessions are there? I think four >> four four or five sessions and it's basically watching the state officers and getting uh awards and things like that and then uh we have chapter delegates uh selecting our state officers and things like that throughout and they so they attend special sessions uh to watch them grow as people as well and that's very fun to do. You want to talk about national? I was I was going to talk about I mean nationals is the same pretty much the same setup just at the national level.
It really raised its ugly head this year. We had a 32% increase year over year and an absolute increase of over $4 million, which challenged the budget. Um Some key line items that we look at each and every year, we look over a three-year period. Line items such as instruction, which includes regular and special education, teachers, extracurricular activities, athletics, really all the salaries that make up the business, we're up about >> [snorts] >> $1 million year over year and that's really driven by contractual obligations. Um Operations of the plant, which is essentially sal- salaries, supplies, outside services to maintain the buildings, it's flat year over year. Salary for technology, business office, superintendent, professional services, architect, legal, grant writer, flat year over year. Okay. Transportation costs, bus drivers, bus aides, maintaining those buses, flat year over year. And remember, our buses, our transportation business, creates revenues by taking other schools such as Palisades Park, Ridgefield, and Fairview.
I just didn't know how to word it and I wanted to bring it up or am I getting too far in the weeds on this? But these are all things that have happened. Yeah, no agreed. Um maybe we just do like a round table. Evan, what are you thinking? Um I have similar thoughts. I I know we haven't really had too many cell phone issues um at Kennedy yet. Um but I I agree maybe like some more parameters in terms of like I don't know. Cuz right, it doesn't make sense. Like if it's if it's communicating with your parent about pick up, drop off, whatever, like that seems okay, but for the other reasons, no. But I don't know how to phrase that. Are they allowed to use phones on the bus? Sorry, this makes it seem like they are. So it does make it seem like they are.
It's a small school. You know I told you I'm from a very small town. So rural schools are important because they have small small numbers. They have rigorous academics most times and Pelum is one of those schools. We have a strong tier one. We have uh inclusive classrooms. we have inclusive practices and there's a close partnerships between families and uh students and the school. So I'm going to pass it back to Shannon and we're going to talk about where the financial realities are for fellow. Thank you. >> Yep. So um on within the budget we have included as you've you've heard all of the these things before increases for staff based on uh the union contracts. We've had a big increase for our health insurance that's settled at 8 12%. We have some other operational increases. Um, and we've had some significant costs within special education this past year that I think we'll continue to see in FY27.
She's also um a a retired educator in Ashland, um retired uh school principal from the Mindess Elementary. She's raised her family here in Ashland and they're raising their families here in Ashland. So, um it really I I thought that um you know, really as we begin tonight, it's a good reminder of some of our shared values as a community um and what makes Ashland just such a special place. And I think that's why all of us up here um and all of the other members of both school committee and and select board that are in the audience tonight um and all the people that work for the town of Ashland, that's why we serve the community. So, um okay. So now let's get into the numbers. Okay. So, where are we in the budget process? Um you know, I know that this is something that probably wasn't on a lot of people's radars um until pretty recently, but we've all been talking about this for a really long time.
It's nearly impossible to get out of once you get in it. So, let's take a bit of a closer look. As I've mentioned, there are very few databases based on this phenomenon. However, there are some prominent case studies I'd like to walk you through. A woman who went by the alias Mrs. Smith from Texas in the in 2008, she received a citation for driving without car insurance. What would be a simple citation compounded because she could not afford to pay that initial fee. So, her driver's license was suspended. However, to get to work, to make money, to feed herself and her family, she drove on that suspended license. So, she kept accumulating citation after citation after citation that she could not afford to pay off until she was arrested and detained over 10 years later. Alana Kaine from Louisiana. She had to pay restitution and court fees because she was charged with a felony theft offense in 2012.
So, two-handed you you're kind of it's kind of like how one of my friends described it as launching a baby um >> or like rocking a baby like this, while I do the classic um back and forward with my one hand. And if you have a two-handed ball, um, you don't have a thumb hole because it's like illegal to use a thumb hole if you're bowling two-handed, which is kind of interesting and I didn't know before this year. So, >> do not commit bowling crimes. >> Nope. >> And don't cross the foul line either. >> Yeah. >> And you'll slip in the lane. >> That would that would hurt. Um, what's your what's your best score? Well, keep in That is my first year. But um so mine was actually at regionals or league league. I built a 114 which is actually kind of terrible given the fact that a perfect game is 300.
>> So you just have all of the state representatives that voted for the national >> leaders and then >> I wanted to talk more about the networking available. I mean it's it's nationwide that you can talk >> to somebody who might live in Iowa or something and you you can connect on a level that you both were in FFA and you do the same things. So, it's really cool to be able to network with people that you probably will never see again, never have seen, but you can already just walk up to them and just have a full conversation. >> Yeah. Kind of having that connection through FFA and being able to meet new people, whether you'll, like you said, talk to them again or not, but just knowing that right away you have something to talk about and can definitely help each other for the long run.
They piggyback on our buses to similar routes. So, we actually it's actually a revenue earning business, transportation. Those costs are flat year over year. Instructional support services such as child study team, OTPT, purchased professional services, that's up about $1 million year over year. Again, child study team along with prescription and medical are the two most challenging dynamics [snorts] of the business right now. You don't mind paying for child study team because it's about our kids, providing them services. What we're all struggling with is the challenge of medical and and prescription claims rising at extraordinary rates. And our grants, which is our Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, and IDEA, they help our students with English as a second language, students that have some disabilities. They're essentially that's flat year over year. So, you can get the gist here that our our our expenses are relatively flat with the exception of some of our salaries and our child study team expenses, but really what you challenge the budget is the medical and the RX increase, which is $4 million year over year.
And at Monta Vista, we've basically done like door-to-door. So like if if you're like off campus cuz you're walking, you can go ahead and use it. But if you were on our buses, we were counting that as on campus. But when I read this, it's a little bit looser than what we are currently doing. Yeah. >> Um Justin or James, what are you thinking? Just your initial thoughts on especially a before-and-after-school situation. So Oh, go ahead. Okay, sorry about that. Um I think that it's hard to word it to where it covers all situations. And um I think that um it'll be difficult to to verbalize it to where it covers every single situation that that came up even just in the last minute of talking. Um how much of this is is a case-by-case, you know, like what what a school defines versus what the policy at the district level defines?
Um, so this is the I'll try to zoom in a little bit. Um, this is the operating budget. So at the top we have the total salaries. um and the total costs for substitutes. And then we move into the expense lines. Um and I I mentioned this before, the reason why there is a decrease in special education um and an increase in other programs is the other programs is our um tuition or our school choice out. And we do um have a student that is choicing out of the district. Um one that is not a Pelum resident. So Pelum will ultimately be reimbursed for that cost. Um and then one that is um a Pelum resident and also charter is within um the charter expense is also within the special education. Um we have an increase in regular education and that's partly due to some of the I Ready curriculum um materials that have to be purchased and uh the PD around that.