Uh I don't blame them. Um but there has to be a mechanism, and there has to be a process, uh and that's one of the things we're doing now is pulling together procedures to ensure because what's happened, Ashland has blossomed, as you can see by the the Michael showed the slide, the number of residents, right? Our youth sports, 6 700 students playing youth soccer. Yeah. They don't have enough space. The comprehensive plan says there's not enough space. So what we're trying to do, what I'm trying to do from the school perspective, is think about, okay, we've got our Ashland public school athletics, and then we've got our community teams and and events. Before we even think about renting out to any other, we've got to take care of our people first. And so we're going through that process. I didn't have control of it. Um we're just working through, Michael and I've been working through details.
Now, what some of you may be thinking is, what does this mean for me? You know, the beach isn't everyone's favorite place on Earth. But not only is marine pollution taking out most of the world's beaches over the past decade, but it also puts urban populations living on the coast at risk, especially us. That large red dot along the east coast of America represents the 10 million plus citizens whose lives will be at risk by 2050 due to unstable living conditions. Much of this pollution is caused by human human activity. Landbased activities create over 94% of ocean pollution and nearly half of that comes from chemicals released by industrial plants. But this pollution doesn't just affect us. It intensely harms the millions of unique species in the ocean. The ocean is their home, and unlike us, they have nowhere else to go. But the good news is, it's not too late to help.
And yes, thank you to everybody who worked on that. There's a question in the chat. I know we typically wouldn't take them. I just wanted to make sure we're aware it's there. Yeah, these are comments from a school committee member. Yeah, I'm sorry. From a community member which are here for everybody to see. Okay. And >> and we'll get clarity in the next meeting on the status for choice at Ammerst also. >> Uh yeah, let me make a note for that one. on when they're going to vote. >> Yeah. Or if they magically have it in the next week and a half. >> Yes, I'll do that. Okay. Well, I think it was a really good discussion tonight. I really appreciate everybody's thinking about the issues and being willing to speak up about them. Um, and I think that's about it for tonight and we will come back together on April 7th and >> that meeting's in person.
Uh and Doug Small and and so we're working through it, and I'm hoping in 2 years we look back and say what a great move this was. Yeah. Yeah, Deborah, I think um so regarding the slides from the last presentation, I think all of the slides are up on the FY27 budget page. The new one that you just said was going to be posted tonight? So the um the website's already up, but we're going to add >> find it. So if you go to the main web page, the main town web page, and you go under like the news section is probably the easiest way to get to it. I can't just do a search. I have to go to a specific If I'm at the search bar right at the top, town of Ashland, Mhm. can I I can't I typed in fiscal year 27 proposed budget, and I got nothing.
By understanding the problem, we can help protect the ocean that covers over 72% of our Earth. And in my presentation, I'm hoping to open your eyes to a newer and healthier environment. Now, what is marine pollution? Most people may picture a piece of plastic or trash floating in the ocean, but it actually goes way deeper than that. Marine pollution is the introduction of harmful substances in the ocean that damage marine ecosystems, wildlife such as land animals, and even humans and local communities. These materials affect over 41% of the ocean, destroying marine habitats, food sources, and the overall colorful aura that the ocean carries. Toxic agricultural chemicals are straining the bright and vivid life out of the ocean's atmosphere. Oil spillage is coating marine wildlife in toxic sewage and sludge. But the biggest outlier above all polluters is something that is used in everyday items all around the world.
Yes. I just want to >> be an in-person meeting. Yes. >> Okay. Well, then I am going to move to adjourn tonight's meeting, the budget hearing. >> Second. >> Thank you. Uh, uh, William, >> yes. Rachel, >> yes. >> Sarah Bess, >> yes. >> Jenny, >> yes. >> And again, thank you to everybody else who is here. Thank you to the community members um who listened and who made comments and to all of the staff involved in putting all of this together. Thank you very much. And I say,
Our search is a little wonky, to be honest. >> under accounting finance? Yeah. Government? Okay. Or through the main page. I think the best way to fix this is to bug us. Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I'll raise my hand and I'm if you send me an email, contact me, I'll try to find it. >> And you're Paul? Yes. I'll I'll I'll bug Michael until and at some point Well, I hope it's sooner rather than later, so that we have time to go over this before May 6th. Yeah. So, I guess that's And any information we can get you, reach out and we'll It's painful for us, we'll get it there. Yeah, everything is in draft form at this point anyway. We haven't We've had So, there will be there will be lots of opportunity to talk about this. So, our website is very hard to navigate and I complain about it all the time and what I have found to be the most effective thing is to just do Google searches and frequently it'll take me to some place.
Something that is mass- prodduced and overused in numerous ways. Plastic making up 80% of marine pollution. Plastic is an issue that keeps on growing. 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year. That means over 1 million tons of plastic being produced every day. and less than 10% of them are being recycled. That means over time plastic just enters the ocean and without being properly cleaned out. Plastic gets broken down over time into invisible pieces called microplastics. Unfortunately, in most cases, microplastics are far more dangerous since they cannot be seen and transport through currents faster. This gives them a higher chance to be consumed by marine species. With all of these causes of pollution working hand in hand, they tend to sabotage the ocean's environmental resources such as seafood, our drinking water and many coastal tourist locations, as well as destroying essential marine habitats, disrupting food webs, and causing widespread death among species in the ocean.
>> tried those before, too. It's very hard. I mean, we we don't have a dedicated person and I think that that's part of the issue. We want to hire another person. >> [laughter] >> Deborah, your point is well taken. Okay, but with regards to the I mean, it's so the salaries and everything. Why aren't we transparent with that? Other towns list, I mean, it's public funds. We're paying you know, I mean, that sounds terrible. I would never say that to you. You know, if a policeman stopped me walking, "Hey, your salary." No, I would never say that. You know, it's definitely throw my ass in jail, but excuse me. >> [laughter] >> Deborah, I don't think they'd do that if you said that. I'm just saying. So, I'm just asking, are we going to do that and if not, why not? Okay. So, you know, I think if you go to our next request system, you can find the salaries there if you wanted to >> Another place.
So, what are the major causes of pollution? In order to solve this problem, we first need to understand where it's coming from. One of the biggest causes is plastic pollution. Plastic can easily reach the ocean through wind, rain, and waterways like rivers and storm drains. Once plastic enters the ocean, it travels through gys, which are large circular currents created by the earth's wind and rotation patterns. There are five major gys in the world. The North Pacific Gy holds the most plastic pollution out of all five. It is located here between California and Japan. This gy is also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It holds over a 100,000 tons of plastic. However, it's not a solid island like most people would expect, but it's more so a highly concentrated soup of floating plastic. And most of this pollution comes from things like microplastics and fishing gear such as nets and lines.
Oh, and fair fair enough, public records. >> [clears throat] >> I mean, we could we can put that up there just, you know, like a straight salary salary line. Is that what you're looking for? Yeah, where I mean, other towns and that I'm familiar with have listed out, here's all the teachers' salaries, okay? Here's your salary and all the town employees and it's listed by name. It shouldn't be a secret. I mean, I agree I agree I agree. And also um But I mean, this is an ongoing thing. It's not, you know, be updated annually with, you know, the contracts and everything like that, so that you can see where are we going? You know, you know, whatever. So, Good points. I do believe I know my contract's online and if you just go to town manager's contract, it'll it should take you right to that.
Fishing industries and aquaculture farms are what play a major role into this pollution. The distribution of toxic chemicals in the ocean is another effective example. These chemicals can damage marine environments in many ways. A well-known example is the Great Barrier Reef located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. This reef was once a vibrant and colorful home to millions of marine animals. But due to severe stress and loss of coral from pollution, the Great Barrier Reef has been declared dead and it cannot be restored. This is often seen through coral bleaching, which is causes the reef to lose its color over time. The major cause of coral bleaching is chemical runoff. This happens when rain washes fertilizers and pesticides from farms into the river, which eventually reaches the ocean. Another major result of this is algae blooms, but they're also known as dead zones. While normal algae supports marine life, too much of it can become very harmful.
Okay, I guess it's the verbage. Okay. [snorts] Okay. You feel like you've got a good Okay, but thank you. >> Thank you, nice to have you. Hello. Hi. Keith Ferguson, Old Country Path. Um I'm wondering if you can tell me if you know if cuts at the federal level have contributed to this at all and if so, how much and just how what percentage of my IRA should I direct that way? It's a significant percentage already, but I'm willing to up it if need be. Also, for Mr. Adams, if you could explain a little bit more about the the school choice money. I'm not don't quite follow what that is exactly and how that contributes to the current problem. Thank you. Sure. I I can hit both those. So, currently we fund five positions. Chris, is that right? Out of title one? Or three positions there out of title one.
Algae blooms are caused by excess nutrients in the water which create toxins that can harm marine mammals, fish, birds, and even humans. This is why these areas are called dead zones. Another source of pollution is oil drilling. Oil is a highly demanded energy source which leads to constant drilling in the ocean. This process involves drilling into the ocean floor extracting oil and toxic gas, but it often results in pollution. Oil can leak slowly or spill in major disasters like the Deep Water Horizon spill which happened in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is extremely harmful because it coats marine animals in toxic layers of sludge making it difficult for them to move, breathe, and even survive. So, we're starting to see a pattern here. Many of these harmful pollutants are caused by human activity. So, what are we actually doing to marine life when we pollute the ocean?
I'll use title one as a as a federal fund that we get, right? So, so we have three positions, three different schools and right now we we bring in just a couple hundred thousand dollars for title for federal >> [music] >> grant there, right? Or federal fund. We're anticipating that to be reduced by about 110,000. So, 50% of that. So, so we will have to then within our budget figure out how to take that 110,000 of loss. We won't know until the fall or July if that truly transpires or not. So, so we'll have to figure that out within our budget. But to answer your question on school choice, school choice is is I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Students from other communities who want to attend the Ashland public schools apply through a process if the town decides or the school committee decides year over year to allow school choice students in our district.
This pollution has a huge impact on both marine animals food sources and their habitats. Coral reefs are home to more than 25% of marine animals, including over 4,000 unique species of fish. Often called the rainforest, oh, often called the rainforest of the sea, reefs provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for many species. But today, many reefs like the Great Barrier Reef are being severely damaged by pollution. In many places, conditions are becoming too harsh for marine life to survive. Without healthy reefs, studies show that up to 75% of fish populations can decline after severe coral bleaching. And it's not just reefs. It's the ocean as a whole that's being affected. Without proper cleanup, trash and plastic build up in the ocean every day. Large pieces of floating trash are a major threat. They can trap animals causing entanglement or suffocation. Plastic is also often eaten by marine animals.
And they don't have to and they can choose by grade level. So, in April I will actually do a presentation every year and say, "Okay, we can we can afford to open up 10 school choice seats, if you will, as at the freshman level at Ashland High School because we know 17 kids are going to Keith, right? So, we've got we've got a opportunity to add some students. You get $5,000 per child. So, it's $50,000. Assume all 10 kids came. Doesn't happen. Our our our fill rate is less than 50%. So, you can open up 10, we may get 4.5 kids. No, five kids, right? And so those funds, however, it's the only revenue source that we have that can be used for any purpose under education. So, we can use it to to fix a field. We can use it to fund a salary.
When animals mistake plastic for food, it can block their digestive system and lead to death. And when plastic breaks down, it doesn't disappear. It turns into microplastics, which can still be extremely harmful to marine mammals. When marine animals ingest these tiny particles, it can cause internal injuries and chemical poisoning. Because of pollution like this, many marine species are now at serious risk, and some are even on the verge of extinction. For example, Hawaiian monk seals are located in the Hawaiian and Pacific islands. But today, fewer than 700 of these species remain. Albatross are large seabirds located in the North and South Pacific. But now some populations have dropped to as few as 3,400 individuals. Another example is the North Atlantic right whale. Only about 366 of these species remain and less than half are females. This makes it very difficult for the population to recover.
We can use it to pay for books. We can use it to pay for heat, etc. So, that's how school choice works. I will tell you this, in 2007, it was before I got here, the Ashland public schools, it was a it was a financial crisis then and what they did at that point in time was they cut out of the budget all supply and textbook lines. They've never returned. Here we are, 2026. They didn't return. They funded them through school choice. So, when the students come into our community, we're taking those funds and then distributing the funds to different schools. So, the Warren school gets $30,000 a year to pay for supplies or for books, similar to high school. So, that's how we utilize those funds and that's really what it is. Does that answer the question? Okay. Okay, great. Is there anybody else online that would like to ask a question?
And marine pollution doesn't just affect ocean life. It also has serious consequences for humans. The ocean is our huge part of our environment and it provides us with many important resources. In many ways, the condition of the ocean can directly affect our food and water quality. A major impact is on our food supply. Around the world, over three billion people rely on seafood as a major source of protein. And for some, it's also a key part of their culture. When fish and shellfish consume harmful chemicals and microplastics, these pollutants build up in their bodies and move up the food chain, eventually reaching us. In fact, every person in this room has microplastics in their body. Studies estimate that the average person consumes between 74,000 to 120,000 microplastics a year. And although it may seem like a big number, it's hard to notice because of how invisible these microplastics are.