>> Um and so of course that has led to some clamping down by administration at the high school um including uh but not limited to uh limits on uh signups for bathrooms. Uh we use e-haul pass which is a software to uh have teachers sign up uh for bathrooms. Uh that has been restricted to I think it's around 10 students um in the building can be out of their classrooms going to the bathroom at one time. Um as well as bathroom spots have been restricted. So I think only one or two students could be in one bathroom at the same time. Um, and this has posed some issues for students. Um, of course, because um, I personally don't go to the bathroom too much, but I know students that have to medically >> um, and women especially, they have more uh, bathroom necess necessities uh, than males.
Any discussion? >> I'll just say I think it's a great idea and I do want policy and program to do it. >> Policy and program is happy to do it. It would probably live in the handbook >> and maybe we would see if there is already a policy for it and make those two things connect. >> Wonderful. All right. Uh, please call the role. >> Secretary Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Denive, >> yes. >> Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >> Passes unanimously. >> Woohoo. All right. Item B, motion for member Den, the school committee support bill H1399 to modernize retirey Medicare healthcare for municipalities. Sorry, I just closed my window. >> That's all right. Short motivation and then >> and then we discuss and vote. >> Okay, man. These school Chromebooks, they go real slow.
And the more bodies that put their names to this, the more traction it has and the more that our legislators can say, "Hey, we've got all these people in Western Mass that believe this. School committees, city council members, mayors, what have you. We want to show you that we have support for this particular idea, this bill or this concept." So that's one of our charges as a committee. >> Okay. Having heard that rationale, is there a second for this motion? >> Second. >> Great. We have a motion. We have a second.
We do have that 15 minute wrap time so we don't think we'll need as many dismissal monitors at the end of the day. Right. When I think we talked about finance looking at these stipend positions anyways. Right? Caroline? So I mean And we do. I mean they're We want to keep looking at them. Yeah. And Aaron maybe in addition to the ILT questions at the high school. The other yeah. For the solar savings that's not a guaranteed number right? That's just an estimate like how is So so the the project is set to begin installing this fall as early as September work is starting. So it does not anticipate a like a full year at all. I think at BHS the anticipated savings was like $30,000 for full year full year right of and so I think we're being conservative. I will say we're rate is locked in for the most part through all of next year but our delivery rate as you remember spiked last year tremendously and we were told by like May of this year so at the end of last fiscal year it was supposed to come down.
And then we're doing a comparison against how they performed the month before and how they're performing against the other islands since we have a different distributor on each island. Um and in fact, we had a distributor who didn't provide their local purchasing information for this month and we exercised our contract. We We said, "Let me see the contract language. They're not meeting the contract." And then we immediately got that information. And so I think we're starting to use our voice and and with our distributors to really help them understand how important of an initiative this is and how we can only do it together. It takes the farmers, the distributors, and us all working in tandem. So so what is your conversation with I guess the federal government and how and who they're contracting with? Because my understanding is there was some mis- disconnect with whoever the federal distributors were, right?
It wasn't just a lesson for the students, but also for the adults. Rogers tells me he hopes it'll inspire students to jump in if something or someone is in need of help. Chandler Jingham, >> you know, talk about our our portrait of a learner in action by staff and by students and support they gave each other. That's what Chandler's all about. And uh just a neat example, we have 5,000 employees like that. and uh our parent u parents uh across the district are that and so it's just so proudful that um they were they were able to um capture that you know as well and I'm sure um any of our employees would would have done that chance. So again thank you for showing that 70 appreciate it and that's my update. >> Thank you superintendent. That brings us to this evening's comments and we'll check in with Mr.
So, a year from now, we have a different a different problem. We will probably not know just based on what the federal steps that are supposed to be taken and have already been missed. I would be surprised if we have a federal budget in no or in in October like we're supposed to. I think we'll be playing like we're doing right now the continuing resolution game, but that creates some problems in terms of what does it look like for some of these title programs. I also do not anticipate that we will have a state budget until mid June which may also play a little bit role. So we'll give you the best we have based on in May. And so the recommendation would be here's what we're presenting and then if there's specific agenda items that have to take place they will then be in the um in the agenda on the agenda.
But, uh, it has been affecting everyone and it's it's kind of disappointing, but uh, administration has signaled that they'll be weighing down on this. Um, I think it was after April break it should go fairly back to normal. Um, and see how that that all pans out. But, uh, that's just an update on that front. >> Um, sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing. >> All right. I do not have an update. >> Um, last week I was at the Ashpack meeting. Um, we talked about the budget like we do in most um most meetings, but um it was a it was a fairly short discussion. Um Britney gave a an update on um ESY summer services which are fully staffed uh pretty early which is great and talked about the um the Special Olympics which are coming up in early May. Awesome.
All right. This is the Medicare retirees bill. >> Yes. Okay. Um, I move that the Greenfield School Committee support bill H1399 to modernize retirey Medicare healthc care for municipalities. Um, this is a gift that we can give to our mayor in these very difficult times. This is an example of how we can put our power behind this idea and give the mayor a formal resolution that says that we support this and we could also give it to the city council and to Senator Kifford. And it's a bill that proposes allowing municipalities to move Medicare eligible retirees from traditional group insurance to individual Medicare plans through a health reimbursement arrangement. It aims to reduce municipal costs by 20 to 30% while offering lower monthly premiums for retirees. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee. Um, so I think that the action that I want is to support the mayor, seek the support of the Greenfield City Council for this, and to send the resolution to Senator Kafford.
Any discussion? >> I'll just say I think it's a great idea and I do want policy and program to do it. >> Policy and program is happy to do it. It would probably live in the handbook >> and maybe we would see if there is already a policy for it and make those two things connect. >> Wonderful. All right. Uh, please call the role. >> Secretary Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Deniv, >> yes. >> Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >> Passes unanimously. >> Woohoo. All right. Item B, motion for member Deniva, school committee support bill H1399 to modernize retirey Medicare healthcare for municipalities. Sorry, I just closed my window. >> That's all right. Short motivation and then >> and then we discuss and book. >> Okay. Man, these school Chromebooks, they go real slow.
It hadn't come down but now we are starting to see it come down and you'll see even in next week's finance reports that I'm expecting a little savings in electricity this year as a result and so it's sort of a combination of both of those things. Do we get charged a public benefit? On the bill or no? Is that just to homeowners? Oh for the solar? >> No it's a line item on the electric bill. For the electric bill? For for personal electric bills she's asking if it's I'll I'd have to get back to you on that. And then my question on solar is I know that we had heard that it would potentially start in September at the high school. Do we have a timeline because I don't know how they're going to put up a structure where kids park. So they they we are told that they they put up these canopies all the time in active parking lots.
So then they weren't using them so they're just using state dollars because essentially on Maui what happened was they contracted an Oahu company to be a distributor on Maui, right? And they were bringing all this Oahu stuff and so it didn't really make any sense. So I think there needs to be some coordination between USDA dollars and state dollars, right? To to really make this work. Yes, and we have been we've really implemented that this year as well. So the the the USDA commodity program is called FAVORS. We do have a separate FAVORS distributor on each island. They're based on their island where they're distributing. Um and >> requirement that they're based on the island that they're distributing? Or because I think even though they have a base there, if they're if they're going to bring in other products from different islands, it doesn't matter if they're local there, right?
Inkerson just to confirm. Um, we have no comments that I'm aware of. >> I have not been given any comments for president. >> I have not. So, >> looks like we're seeing nods. So, um, no comments for this evening everybody and we'll jump over to item number six which is presentation of our consent agenda and that will be presented by Superintendent Arduchi. Um, Madam President, um, and members of the board, I present the consent agenda for approval as printed and as published. >> Thank you, Superintendent. Do I have a motion on the presented consent agenda? >> Madam President, um, I move that we approve the consent agenda as presented in item six. >> Thank you, Mr. Heat. Do we have a second? >> Second. Seconded by board member Mon. We have the motion on the table, everyone. Just checking in. Looks like Mr. Boris has a comment or question.
Um, if there aren't any, then it'll just be a recommendation so you understand how we're going to build the budget for next year. Uh, and it will be back to the goals we talked about, which is a balanced budget and built off a loss of 608mm and then we'll go from there. So, just to give you heads up, that's what what will happen next month relative to the budget in total. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. Uh, 12.1 requests for future agenda items. Anybody have anything? I I don't have a request for future items, but I do have a comment that I want all of you guys to know. And I you may know this already because I know everybody sitting out there already knows this, but there is um training for sexual abuse and and all everyone gets it. Um Dr. Middleton when they did the training at the beginning of the year, I asked if I could have permission to all of the trainings just because I was curious because in Mesa we had just a huge list of trainings and and um the through the vector training there is a title n and it is specifically for sexual abuse with students.
>> I don't think I have anything. >> Um I'll just be brief. We earlier today we had um high school site council um very efficient meeting until we started talking about bathrooms and that was about 35 minutes of bathroom talk. >> Um so yeah I mean in short it does appear there is some online challenge of sorts that is causing people to um engage in all sorts of things that are not great for our plumbing system and cause some problems that Abashek spoke about. Um, Kay did share that there have been tweaks along the way and that there were some things that they identified in terms of the bathroom access that Abashek spoke to that they didn't realize, for example, that when they started assisting digital platform for bathroom passes that they were actually reducing the number from where where things were. So, there were some there were some unintentional things and it seems that there's been improvement.
>> Okay. Motion. Is there a second? Second. >> All right. Motion then second. Is there any discussion? >> Yes. Member Goodwin. >> So, I'm going to be voting no and because I've really looked at this and they haven't answered some really serious questions about what they're going to do. I think just to I agree with the concept, but the details aren't there. And so as somebody who is a retired educator, I kind of want the details. And so I've been looking for those. I've been reading probably following this really carefully. And I think it's a reaction to the increase in health care. So your retired people don't work for you anymore. So let's do this. So I I'm really feeling like the details have not been clear. Um, so I'll be voting no. >> Okay. Thank you. Any other questions, comments? Okay. Uh, seeing none, member Webb, will you please call a vote?
All right. This is the Medicare retirees bill. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, I move that the Greenfield School Committee support bill H1399 to modernize retirey Medicare healthc care for municipalities. Um, this is a gift that we can give to our mayor in these very difficult times. This is an example of how we can put our power behind this idea and give the mayor a formal resolution that says that we support this and we could also give it to the city council and to Senator Kifford. And it's a bill that proposes allowing municipalities to move Medicare eligible retirees from traditional group insurance to individual Medicare plans through a health reimbursement arrangement. It aims to reduce municipal costs by 20 to 30% while offering lower monthly premiums for retirees. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee. Um, so I think that the action that I want is to support the mayor, seek the support of the Greenfield City Council for this, and to send the resolution to Senator Kafford.
They only take up I think two parking spaces at a time four parking spaces at a time when they're installing the the beams. So they are well aware that this is an active parking lot that school will be in session and know their student drivers too cuz that part is a little scary. They do know that. The reorganization is that at the high school or that's a just a general reorganization? >> K12 of the current just really looking at the current K12 model that we have for curriculum assessment and instruction and how we support that. Okay. With both teaching staff in the teachers union and administrators union and really just re-looking at that seeing if there's an opportunity there. I just I guess I'm just confused cuz it says or one additional position. Correct or or might be a potential additional position. Um If if that restructuring were not possible to engage in the restructuring I would have to work with a few unions on that and I just don't know what's feasible with this short time frame to achieve that.
So we we don't get to select the the DOD FAVORS distributors. >> I get it, but is there but there's some communication though to tell them where we're going and if they're not on the same page, then there's a problem, right? >> Yeah. So the actually on the neighbor islands, the DOD distributors are the same as our supplemental distributors. And so they're doing that um local reporting for both for both streams. And then on Oahu it's two separate distributors. And we're doing the same thing where we're looking month at a monthly basis how much of the federal dollars we're spending. We're on track to spend all of our um allocated dollars this year and in fact Kauai and Big Island spent all of theirs and are now drawing down our excess funds. Um and so we're looking each month at how much of our allocation we've used and then how much we have increased in local spend.
>> Yeah, as I'd like to do, I like to uh present the people that uh do a lot of the volunteer work for us, but the ACP softball boosters donated $2,600 for a shed for a team there. And the Haley Elementary PTO donated $2,700 for project. So, we always want to recognize thank It's a lot. Um, it's very important to keep these schools going this way and so we really appreciate their efforts. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. RS. With that said, we'll go ahead and take a vote on item number six, our consent agenda. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I.