So, tonight we bring to you our annual Chromebook replacement uh purchase. Uh we do this every year. It helps us to re-get the machines that are broken and the ones that are getting tired and have bad batteries to be able to replace those with new machines so that our students and our staff have reliable machines to use throughout the year. So, we're bringing this forward to you asking that you would to um give consent to this to move forward with this contract. There were three bidders. Uh this was the lowest responsible bid. It was about $100,000 less than the next bid.
And that's priceless. You can't put a dollar amount on that. So, anybody who's saying look at the therapy dog program to find money, you're not going to find money there. And the the benefits far far outweigh the costs. Thank you. >> You're going to make me cry. He's he just dropped the mic. Okay. So, I'm not going to I'm getting getting really choked up here because I I know the benefit for the sta students, also the staff with the dogs and the community. So, it's been very well received. board has a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks to figure out what we're going to do with the budget, but I want to talk about a couple of things that are coming up. Um, this Saturday we have Touch a Truck in honor of autism awareness. Uh, it's um, I had it on my phone and my phone just went down, but just give me one second.
Maybe it's better, you know, and it's more effic I I for everything we've seen, I love Harmony personally as well. I don't see foresee any issues. >> Yeah. I mean the it was nice the program the the the lady that actually come talk to us is the programmer like it's not a salesperson and so like overselling us like oh it'll do this and this and you're like no it doesn't actually you know what I mean whatever and so um you know so anyways uh but yeah I mean you're you're right Char they're there they're and and we're going to dig into a couple of these other things because you'll hear this thing and this thing and and and a lot of that is we're trying to get consolidated because if I'm a parent right I've got all these different learning platforms. I've got all these different communication platforms.
Um, on the other end of the spectrum, it's just giving communities um more um choice in in how they manage their finances, whether that is um giving communities a local option if it's voted in by the legislative body to um instead of having a two and a half% cap uh a three and a half percent uh cap. Um obviously uh there would be a lot of push back associated with that too. Um >> I know that you know 25 years ago there was a lot of discussion around having a dedic dedicated stream of funding for education. Um and certainly we well know that public education is uh you know the the biggest player in our budget and and rightly so I believe um you know I do think it's the most one of the most important things that a democratic society does is provide public education to students >> and and somewhat to equal the playing field so that no matter whether what your economic status is um you can have a quality education.
It's back to the top of the lineup. Dylan Cosgrove center fielder, 1 for 3 so far. Ooh, that's a strike. >> Gifted strike one. That one's upstairs. One and one. Good pitch. One and two. Holliston girls softball team cheering on their baseball team this game. Still got a bit to go. That's strike three. Cosgrove was not happy about it, but Michael strikes out a couple. Nope, six. We're going to the bottom of the sixth. Holliston regains the lead. Who's leading off, yeah? Let's see. Believe it's Grady Clark. Grady Clark will lead it off. Clark, Turncliff, and Conroy. They're going to keep Rebello on the mound. Didn't pitch well in that last inning. So, good chance here. Back and forth this game continues. It was scoreless after three. They've had three straight innings of action. Just an inning and a half to play. Captain Chris Bradica talking out with freshman Grady Clark.
It's every single thing. Transportation, facilities, everything. Summer workouts, you name it. purchase orders, all paperwork. Anytime a different coach at any level couldn't make it, I went. And the first two years of that volleyball program, I think Melissa would agree, even though we didn't win as much, it was awesome. Uh, we were tight. We collaborated. We met, went over practice plans. It was fun. Really fun. And I think the kids noticed it. Maddie was part of that. Um, I had a lot more time then. I wasn't an administrator. So, I had a TA that would help um evaluate other film [clears throat] and we would uh we would we would become the other team. So, I would watch the other team and I would tell Melissa, "Hey, this is where they're weak. This is where we can score." And um I you know, Megan says no.
>> Yeah, this is needed for sure. So move to approve the um the agreement. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. And now we're on to E2. It is recommended the board approve the use of the Sierra School Equipment, Inc. request to use the Arvin Union School District piggyback contract 2023 24012 for the purchase of storage shelving and installation at the classroom portables at elementary sites. >> Awesome. We need that, too.
Any questions? >> Yes, so I uh had asked this question and and you had written me, but just so um the public knows, um one of my questions was, do we have enough Chromebook carts um at our elementary because uh board policy has changed in that uh we're not going to be sending Chromebooks home with our elementary stu- students and um but that doesn't mean that Chromebooks won't be available on site. And so um instead of Chromebooks going leaving the premises, they'll be on on site. And so I had asked that question about uh Chromebook carts for recharging and whatnot and if our elementary school sites have enough of those. >> So originally there were carts for all classrooms in the district. Um so the majority do now. I've asked our computer techs to go around and do a an audit of all the classrooms at the elementary level to see if there are any classrooms that are missing any carts that would need them.
It's on Brighton Road at 51 Brighton Road in Clifton. Uh it's by the Clipton Firehouse number five. Uh 10 am to 2 pm. Uh it's in the city of Clipton is presenting it in honor of autism awareness. So uh it's very well attended. Please come out and and show your support for the community. Uh one of the local um special education uh groups are going to be there. I think the recreation department and the health department and a bunch of other uh nice organizations are going to be there. So please come and support them. at five o'clock Saturday night at CHS. We have uh the CHS cultural night. Um so, uh many uh nice events going on there as well. Which leads me into something that's being sponsored by the Clipton Education Foundation on April 22nd at CHS. Um is the film festival and it's a fundraiser.
You're So part of it is like how can we keep this consolidated? So if I'm a parent, whether my kid is in a kindergarten class or a high school senior, >> am I going to the same places or I have to go to different things and different things and different things, right? And so part of that again kind of like putting together our master infrastructure plan, you know, trying to um you know, set goals and whatever. So it's consistent across the board. If you're a family here, your experience looks very similar. Obviously your teachers are different and you know you got grandparents night and you know maybe a varsity baseball game things you know you there's still differences right but as far as the way the district and and our teachers and our staff interact with you communicate with you where you go to find stuff it's going to be much more streamlined.
Um certainly democracy depends upon that but um I'd like to see something like that come back around again. Um even a there was conversation about you know a percent on the sales tax that would be dedicated for education and really you know here we are like I said 25 years later and we've done nothing. I I do think there's an opportunity and talking with a couple of residents a few weeks ago, you know, I think there is an opportunity now to start looking at at those sort of alternatives for for funding public education. And there's definitely a a strong interest at least in a lot of the folks that I've talked to even around Ashland about, you know, uh working with our our partners on Beacon Hill to see what can be done around uh maybe fully or mostly funding public education in a state at state level.
>> Chris has had another great day at the plate. Two for three, he's driven in a run. Came in leading the TVL in batting average and most likely continue that statistic. Clark's over two with a strikeout so far. Here we have our first base coach, Coach McKay walking out to his spot. One of the best first coaches in the game first base coaches in the game. Meeting on the mound before Rebello will throw his first pitch. If this inning goes quickly, they would have That's just kind of confused out there. What's taking so long? If they go one, two, three here, they'd lead off the seventh with Leroux, Bradica, and Schriver. Probably the three you'd want up if the game stays at one run. Ben Rebello will pitch to Grady Clark. Here comes the first pitch. That's a pop up past third. Will it have grass?
And if you know, you know. It's an inside joke. Um, as as I became more involved in my role as an administrator, I did less and less with the volleyball program. And Melissa did do more and more. I want to finish this just with one thing and say I'm not stepping down from administration to coach one season of volleyball with my daughter. I'm stepping down from administration to be a better, happier me with a better happy healthiness with my family and with my relationships. including my relationship with people like Melissa Church where I must take responsibility for my part of it deteriorating. >> Thank you.
Any questions or motions? I'll move to approve the um the piggyback contract for the purchase of storage storage shelving. >> I'll second that. All those in favor? >> I All right. Are there any quest requests for staff followup? >> Almost done. >> No items for future agenda. No. All right.
And then we can work with teachers to see what their desire would be to what kind of cart to put in the room. >> I also had another question. I'm hoping that perhaps um we'll see a decline in need for replacing so many Chromebooks um with having our elementary ki- kids not taking them back and forth back and forth back and forth um and that perhaps uh I know that this Chromebook purchase was a part of the LCAP of last year that was approved um uh and if parents are concerned about um technology and its use in the district, I'm going to encourage them to go to LCAP meetings. Um they're um posted. I I know that um Ms. Keen could probably speak to that. >> They can also write in or call, schedule a time to talk, anything like that as well. Our majority of our season of LCAP meetings is over.
It's $10 a person uh for the actual education foundation. So, it's all connecting, right? You're you're looking for boards. There's a fundraiser going on on the 22nd. Bring your friends, bring your family. That auditorium seats 800 people. It should be packed. All right. We all if we all support it. So, let's try to get out for that. On the April 25th, we you all got a flyer. The Clipton Hero The Clipton Heroes Parade Committee is having a fundraiser at Athena Vets at six o'clock. Uh, anybody wants tickets? Um they're $50 each. The money goes to uh the Avenue of Flags group and the uh veterans that they do, all the events they do. Kevin Gorman 2011757 5956. Um we also have lollipops and uh roses on May 16th at the high school. Um $7 admission at uh 2 p.m. So please come out and support that.
That's the goal there. And so we'll get into that one a couple things here in just a second too. So um but yeah there there's absolutely a learning curve um you know um and I but I think you know for our for our teaching staff that I want them focused on teaching their learning curve is pretty minimal now for the building administrators for Mrs. Piery for Mr. Solomon um you know for for April um it it is going to be a bigger learning curve um because of all the different things we use on the back end that come out of that right because all of our data flows out of our SIS right and so there will be bigger learning curves for us right at the at the end of the day I want to make the teacher's job as easy as possible so they can focus on teaching kids right so they're not having to worry about 40 other things that they can't figure out okay >> what learning system our information system was Mr.
And I know Claudia has worked on this for a long long period of time is that you know the education formula that comes to the cities and towns needs to be re revised and revamped again. Um it was it was looked at and done once before it may need be need looked at again. >> Yeah. I mean, I think that how we fund education as a whole needs to be >> revisited and I think, >> you know, now is a good time because every community is facing these >> the same issues same problems and um >> you know it's through nobody's fault. It's it's >> two and a half% as we well know in our personal lives doesn't work year after year after year. our our costs go up substantially more. >> Oh, sorry. >> Oh, I was just going to say and just to follow up on what Makita said too, as we've been having these budget conversations with folks, they they say to us, "What can we do?" So, you know, you know, I mean, we had, sorry, I had a chewy piece of candy in my mouth.
It won't. Aiden Kramer out there in left will make the catch. One pitch, one out. >> Mermelstein pinch hitting. And Mark Mermelstein will bat. Mermelstein has had one bat at bat this whole season. He'll bat in the nine hole for Austin Turncliff who was over two this afternoon. Rebello's first pitch. That's a strike. He's got a fan club behind the plate, that's for sure. Nothing and one. That's upstairs. Top of the lineup next. One and one. That one spiked. Two and one. Yeah, Sammon's been good behind the plate. Mermelstein ahead in the count, two and one. That's a strike. Mark didn't like it, but it's two and two. You got to swing at something here. Yeah. Obviously, it's the second at bat of the season. Hasn't seen many live at bats yet. We'll see. Here on a two-two he'll just poke it foul. Did a good job to stay alive and spoil that one.
[applause] >> Good evening members of the board. Mr. Parker, thank you for this opportunity to speak. My name is Willie Church and I'm the husband of Melissa Church and the current varsity baseball coach at West Valley. I'm up here trying I'm up here today trying to make sense of the consistency in what we've been witnessing over the last few months. The football team has been drugged through the mud. No coach, no leadership. My wife has been drugged through the mud. Sorry, I tapped my phone. I got lost my voice. Um, my wife has been drugged through the mud and treated poorly. She has been told by West Valley administration not to return emails from other schools that are reaching out interested in playing tournaments or games against West Valley because she is not the coach only to find out that Mr. Bisby Mr. Bixby has been sending emails and reaching out on his own to schedule volleyball games and open gyms.