And so, we are suggesting um two um school choice numbers to bring that to a total of 80. Um and um eighth grade, 83 residents, seven um school choice students currently. Um that gives us 90 moving into ninth grade. Um and we're saying no school choice for that cuz 90 is um that that's a bump. That's a big number. For 10th grade, 66 + 7 gives us 70 um Oh, ninth grade, 52 and 10 gives us 62 going into the 10th grade saying that we'll bump that up to four to 66. Um and um 11th grade or for for the current 10th grade going into 11, 66 and 7 gives us 73. Um saying we'll recommend one school choice with a total for that grade at 74. Um and then we have 60 residents, 11 school choice um in um that will in our current 11th grade that will be going into 12th grade giving us 71 um no um school choice there.
Um but we have um meetings scheduled through the end of May. You are all welcome. They're public meetings. They're on my town government. Um Dr. Z was voted in as vice chair. I was voted in as chair. We're rotating secretarial duties but Sarah Segura is holding the responsibility there. Um It's a great group. Everybody's really excited. The other people on the committee are Ann Nugent. Mhm. Who's a long time pediatrician and I think chairs the Democratic Committee um and Cara Castaneda from I have a question. Can you set up a YouTube to stream those and record them? Dr. Z, if you're still there, I think you said that you'd be able to work with me on getting it on our screen next time. Is that true? It did. Yeah, he did. >> Okay, great. Yeah, we'll try we'll we'll work on that and um I can just share an update once once we're there.
We um rarely if ever recommend um school choice numbers for um 12th grade. Um currently um of our 70 um of our actually um 74 seniors, we have 61 residents and 13 school choice people. So 13 kids 13 school choice students we're graduating from Tahanto this year. So we're recommending nine um school choice spots um at incoming sixth um the um next year's eighth grade, next year's 10th grade, and next year's 11th grade. We've tried a couple different ways to try to present this stuff that's clear. >> I tried to make a chart last year. It's a nightmare. Between like oh I I sympathize. >> So we tried the the best but so that's why we we're this was explained the way it was so people have an understanding of how we >> Right. Cuz it is cuz you want to have an understanding of the the current residents, the current school choice, and then what that is going to be for the following year to recommend what we should open up.
Um the next meeting the next meeting's not till the end of April. We should I think we'll be able to get there. It is it's in April, but I think I just saw your email. So, I will put Megan to set that up. I don't know which ones you wrote down. I have Sarah and you and Dr. Z. Um Sarah Segura and Cara Castaneda. >> Yeah, yeah. I have a question. Yeah. You You said to me tonight about a 10-year timeline. Yeah, so we have a one-year or not even a one-year, we have till the end of December to We're doing research for the next 10 years of Pelham Elementary School and that me This is relevant for everyone to understand. This is a research committee between now and the end of December, the committee is charged with doing research on four topics that that the Select Board presented.
So that is Tahanto. Those are the recommendations from the administration at Tahanto for school choice for next year in the grades that they offer. And so when kids leave eighth to ninth grade, that could be always revisited. So now, can you confirm that so if of if the rising if they're considering entering that are going to ninth grade, there are seven school choice kids. If of those seven school choice kids, four of them decide to go to St. John's, does that make four school choice spots open up for that grade? >> Yes. Yes. So there is more flexibility in these numbers in the fact that if we lose school choice kids, our budget is based off of assuming that there's a certain amount of school choice, we have the flexibility to open up spots when that happens. >> But these are added spots and I think that's the confusing part.
I've been going since 6:00 a.m. I'm sorry. Yes. Um but four topics from the Select Board and we started populating a list of I think we're going to land on five others, so it's a total of eight to nine topics that we're trying to do a full scope of research on, but the research is on the next 10 years of cost projections for those things. It's not going to do a whole lot for um like the immediate future of the school. My understanding is that the select board's vision is that next after this research is put together, there will be another committee or perhaps this committee would extend to make recommendations based on that. Okay, but the research is have is due in December, not 10 years. >> Yes, yes, yes. Okay. I'll blame that on 6:00 a.m. for you all. Oh, it's like 10 years.
If if there are current school choice people that exist, we will always say, "Okay, we have a school choice spot available." Because it it exists. It currently exists. What we vote on each year are additional spots. And and we have to maintain what you're saying that because the the financial part of that, right? We're counting on those school choice and the money coming in from that. >> So people should whether they see that we're adding spots or not, they should continue to apply because you don't know if kids are moving out. >> 100% yeah. Please, can I just have one quick question? Could you talk a little bit so is the guest of the superintendent, is that something different? Did we change so can you is that included in these numbers or is it other kids that >> So it's two separate things. So school choice goes through the process and it goes through the public education, goes through all of Aaron's office and Aaron's world.
Like >> Yeah. But it's But like Yes, I just wanted to clarify that Well, of course the next one to 10 years will be included in there, but it's really a long-term vision. Right? Got you. >> Right. Yeah. Um, okay. Subcommittee consent agenda. I move to approve the school budget agenda. Second. All those in favor? It's unanimous, five. All those in favor unanimous. Okay, and then future agenda planning. Um, Sarah does I Well, I just wanted to mention we are going to have some joint meetings between now and sometime in June. And some dates will be forthcoming. Yes. We're looking like one in April, one in May, one in June. Um, there are a bunch of policies, first and second readings that will need to happen. We are looking at um trying to let the new superintendent evaluation tool for this year. They're in the um historically in uh we will we have a joint meeting to uh for the superintendent to present discuss the um artifacts.
Guest of the superintendent are employees that work for our district. And whether it be a teacher, administrator, or or the union that asked me also and I have a I just talked to school committee, even parents that are looking to say, "Listen, we we would like to be guest of superintendents so far kids. We work here. We like our kids to attend it." That's a really good thing. We want to promote that, right? People that can come to work here and bring their kids here as well, too. But that we put that in the language through the union and we put it as guest of the superintendent. So that's separate. So if there's like a teacher or something, they don't have to go through that process. They go This is just for That's right. But I think it's it's a a worthwhile note that we cannot collect tuition that's our guest of the superintendent.
And then also uh I think in May we I'm not sure if say. Um to discuss the superintendent's goals for the following school year. So, we are not planning any of it. Um so, there will be the chairs are working on coordinating all those things. They will be an additional meeting outside of the regular meeting schedule cuz there will be that too much stuff already. Sorry. The evaluation is May or June? Like we do the evaluation in June? Yeah. I think Yeah. This We're working on having the tool approved and then I think I think the way we have it discussed set up is the tool to be approved in April. Start the discussions about next year's superintendency goals in May and then the presentation for the current school year um in June. It's June. And then June we'll have to have a subsequent meeting for Phelan.
Correct. Ah, right. Thank you. >> is our only means of collecting And that and that was a little muddy before. So that's why >> Yes, that's why I asked for clarification. So we put the the guest of the superintendent as in the teachers' contract as And that's what I thought. I just wanted clarification. Okay, thank you. And at at some point, I don't this is I don't know if this goes through policy or if this what this is, but can we have a conversation about siblings? Absolutely. >> Prioritizing siblings. I think those There's nothing better than getting an entire family there. That's an engaged family. I think we really need to find a way to start. I don't know if that's a policy or There's multiple things we need to look at but Aaron will will give me a hard time about this but he and Wilburn we did twins, right?
Will each of the districts need have to have a subsequent meeting to present the findings present the findings from the evaluation. Yeah. So, um I I would hope for May that we can spend some time looking at the school committee goals. Um Yeah. So, I mean that is goals. Um for future though, I know last summer it became impossible, but I would love it if we could schedule a retreat. Oh, we will definitely have a retreat. Um my hope is we might get some assistance Yeah. From MAS C. But I just just if we could start the scheduling in April or May. So, I think that he knows when it's going to be and that makes a lot of sense. So, let's talk about that next. Great. Um Or I guess in my next meeting. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz our next meeting will be in May.
So if I if you know, one person got in cuz to a school choice, we also took their sibling as well, too, as a twin. Right? So there's ways that you really need to be looking at school choices as a school committee deciding, you know, working with the administration, obviously, but looking to see like family members. So if a family if if Mike gets in for a school choice, then does his sibling get to come in or do they have to go through the school choice policy? That So that's stuff that we really need to talk to you guys about. But there's also I mean it has to be the lottery, too. So there's the legality of that, too, right? >> But there is a a clause in the school choice from the state that says that you can prioritize siblings. Before you go to the big lottery.
Okay. All right. Okay. Thank you, everybody. I move we adjourn. Second. All those in favor? I. We're adjourned. Thank you, everyone. >> Thanks. Everyone have a
But again, school choice is always a blind fire, right? And so there's a spot because like some of those classes are big. 92, so. You can look at middle school and say that's big, but you know that they're going to leave. So so that's what we're recommending right now, two two four and one. Nine students total for Tahanto for school choice. Question. >> recommending for that 92. What's that? I said we're not recommending spots for that 92. No, I know. I meant like if there's a sibling that wanted to get into a big class like that, I we'd have to when we discuss that, we'd have to talk about how we would handle something like that. With those big classes, you wouldn't be recommending spots. It's only if a sibling if there's a spot available. Not not to make a spot for a sibling. I see.
It's prioritizing prioritizing for open spots. It goes back to Jessica to say that they still have to go through that process. Does anybody like the numbers? Want to change the numbers? I think they're fine. If they're good, then fine. Shall we vote by school? Uh I have some questions just for the committee. So what as a district, what's our goal for taking the school choice? What's what's the goal that we want to accomplish with taking school choice? There was a document in the drive explaining the perils. I don't know who wrote that document. So what are they? What are the goals? >> Generates revenue for the district. >> Okay. With little to no cost. So you have to figure out is it a you know, they're they're not taking up there's no as they call it variable cost adding the kids. It's just >> flow.
Yeah. All right. But it's also culture. If there's a decreasing diversity, there's culture, you know, growing up here, there was school choice kids and they added to the culture of the school. And yes, you cannot guarantee that, but they participate in band and the theater shows and so >> that's the argument that I've heard ever since I've been here, right? So if we didn't have school choice, we wouldn't be able to have certain things, activities, clubs, actions. Is that the case? Should I'm trying to make an argument to add a lot more. Feels off. Yeah, I mean I'm looking at these numbers. And and if we do add any school choice over zero, what you know, so far we've just sort of had it as a savings fund that we use here and there like we had this whole conversation tonight about how school choice is being used, right?
Should we not look at this if if we're doing it as Megan says it's just cash flow revenue generating, right? It it's like we're basically becoming a a for-profit entity like we're taking in seats to generate cash to offset the budget. Should we not have a plan for that money? How we're going to use that money? Should we not have a goal? Or should we just say we're just going to keep it in a fund for offsets against the budget like Aaron had today. So I imagine it's part of our school >> Is what you're Is what you're getting at that we should I I agree we should have instead of just accruing it and then saying, "Well, why don't you use your school choice funds to offset the operating budget?" It's not a bad idea to have a plan for Cuz the goal only using it.
The goal from five, six years ago was you need to improve the culture to get kids to stop leaving in ninth grade, right? And then the conversation is well, there's always going to be a certain number who just want to leave for legacy issues or whatever issues, right? The parents went to a certain school so they want to go to that school. But there are other kids who want to leave. We saw the exit data from a couple years ago. They want to leave because they didn't feel like they were getting a good education. And and I don't know how tonight's budget conversation is going to affect that, but the goal was to get to a point where we didn't lose kids for culture things, right? Sports, things like that, right? So we talked about this last year, right? Setting up a plan. So what is the plan?
What what is the goal for school choice? Cuz we want to add 10 to sixth grade, two to eighth grade. We're still coming up with different numbers in those classes, right? Like 86 versus 80 versus 92. Do we maybe want to set a number? 90 I think is the number Julie threw out, right? A couple years ago. Right? Like we're at 92 with one class, so we wouldn't do any there. We're at 90 with another class. What 66, right? In 10th grade. What Why don't I add 10 or 15 to that spot? And then we can take that money, offset some future project at the building. Right? Cuz that's 75,000 a year for you know, three more years. If we're looking at school choice simply as a revenue generator, let's crank it up. Is there a reason why that number for 10th grade is >> That number is low because we had to cut a biology teacher last year, so they couldn't afford to have more kids [clears throat] in the class last year.