I think these are great discussions and we should have them. >> Mhm. >> Anything else on the front? >> Okay. >> All right. >> Thank you. Uh, so then we get to the backside. Uh, and the backside opens with uh, kind of the the white rose uh, with the the blue uh, writing and those would be the reductions that we realized, right? Um, that were great um, between the health insurance uh, realization, um, the solar energy, um, and the professional services. So, those were all reductions that we were able to make that helped supported us get down. Um, but then we made some investments too, which are very important. Uh, we know that we need support in the area of occupational therapy. Um, so I've I've shared that with you from the start and I continue to promote that that is a need uh, and an area we need improvement.
And then over the last two years, I hear people complaining, "Insurance premiums are going up. Insurance premiums are going up." Now you have 800 or so staff members getting free sneakers. They think it's all great. It's great for them. Yeah, sure. But now they're bilking the insurance company for this money. And now, what happens to your premiums? We're already at a high-risk premium place here in Garfield for people who use the health care. What is that going to do where every 6 months teachers can go and get a new pair of sneakers? $2,700 and they give they give back the insurance covers 400 454 to 55 dollars and change. And that check is supposed to be handed over endorsed to the office? If you want, I got the email. You don't find something wrong with that? Kurt, there's nothing wrong with that? I I I I mean, this guy I have to have an answer here.
Again, makes it way easier for us to differentiate and kind of access all of our diverse students. Is Gizmos like a thing or is it a online platform? >> It is an online platform. Yeah. All right, our chemistry team. I'll let you guys just read them. I'll keep moving. So, this is living my chemistry. Uh so, we're looking at their fourth edition. This is from DFW publishers. This again will be a physical text and online uh ebook with platform uh that'll be able to house student data for how they're progressing through again our NGSS. Uh this is the author here is actually one of the writers of the NGSS. So, it's a absolutely great resource uh for our efforts here. So, that first bullet point is uh very lightly stated, right? So, I it she wrote the NGSS. Uh so, uh again, it is from that perspective and that approach.
And I want to point out Kelly Wilson was up here earlier. I saw her back in the summer in July and asked her how it was going and she said, "It's great. We got seven or eight new students this summer, all but one of which is who is behind schedule to graduate in time. And these are for seniors this year." And she said, "But we have a plan for every single one of We met with every family. Um, and I believe just more than half of those students had left for a virtual program before or a homeschool program. So, that's one that I I think we really need to address through legislation and programs that enroll students from other communities, don't make any progress with them, and then send them back to the the district they came from. And then I will point out the uh the um go back to the last slide, the alternative diploma.
Allen. >> Thank you. Good evening. Um Friday of next week, so not only is it educator appreciation week, but on Friday, it's also school communications day because there's day for everything, so why not that as well. Um I just want to take a second to thank the more than 350 staff members who have submitted good news to our communications department this year. Um 1,500 pieces of good news, in fact, that we've shared reaching more than 4 million people online. In particular, I want to thank our social media people within the buildings themselves because not only do they share that content to help reach family and community, but this year they did it with some new guidelines for accessibility required at the federal level. So, it's not just as easy as posting pictures with the nice content, they also had to meet some new um descriptive text things that we had to do internally.
It's all what you get is what you get. So you know, someone says the bus didn't stop. I can't change the information in it. Like it is what it is. We use it for our time and attendance so our drivers clock in clock out on their tablets. That's how they get paid. So their timesheets are created from their tablets inside their buses which also comes from their GPS. So all that's date and time stamped. They approve it in their buses and then we approve it so there's no paper. So no more paper. So that's another piece of it. This contract renewal will get us all new equipment. So we'll have new tablets, new LMUs, all new everything and they install it. So that's a big no cost on our end. So. Any other questions? >> Who I I have one question to you too. I see on here that it does a diagnostic so will your mechanics have access to that data too and be able to see what's going on?
>> [applause] >> Thank you. We have a long history with our community of honoring certain parameters so that our families can plan year to year for their school year and we have this listed here. Of course 180 student days and 185 certified staff days as per our CBA. We do not start in July. We do not do that. We start in August and we try to always end before Memorial Day. Of course this year is an exception. Every Mr. Kuznik's going to have to six to seven years we the way the holiday falls we go past like this year but otherwise we prefer before Memorial Day and we honor staff professional development days. We try to keep our parent teacher conferences on the same fourth Thursday of September. We observe federal holidays. We no longer have snow days but instead do e-learning days and as you've probably heard we we are an election site often and so on even years we look to have the election day be an e-learning day asynchronous.
All those in favor? >> I >> opposed. Last one. Out of state travel for Nicole Dilla, health assisting instructor to travel to River University Nursing Department for juniors to tour their nursing facility and partake in guidance simulations on May 1st, 2026. Estimated cost is nothing to the district. I believe that's in New Hampshire, right? >> Yes. >> University. >> Yeah. >> So, it's just a for the travel. >> Yeah. >> Can I get a motion for this, please?
I shared with you last time how we learned that more students were accepted into the VOAG program. So, we're obligated to pay that. Uh, and I shared with you also and you know, we we voted on a full-day pre-K moving forward and so that is is going great. Uh, but it it costs a little bit of money, right? And so those are the investments that we are making in in our organization. >> Just one quick thing there. Sorry to interrupt. Um, and it also still includes the TESOL and the two paras. >> Correct. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> So, the yes, the multilingual teacher is still included in this as well as the uh, the uh two paraeducators. >> Okay, from the original budget. >> level. >> Okay, and the firewall upgrade. >> Yes, and the firewall upgrade, right. >> Stephen on this OT, I mean >> Yes.
This is ridiculous. And you guys want to keep the budget, keep the budget, keep the teachers, keep How do you do that? How the insurance down goes up to another 20 something percent? Another 30%? What do you think, Scott? You think we can go to another provider after that? If we want to bring health costs costs down? Guys, this is this is economics 101. My father was a detective. He investigated fraud like this. Who's getting the kickback for this? The sneakers ain't costing 455. They do free measurement at the at the at the Road Runner store. They're not going to a podiatrist. And they probably have a deal they have a deal with what sneakers you get. And they guide teachers to the type of sneaker they get. You don't think they're getting in bulk and are making a killing on this? And they're And you're bringing people in.
It's going to be phenomena-based. It's going to be story-driven. Uh kids are going to be referring back and forth and learning more in an integrated way through the different uh through these different courses. Uh and what's really special about the online platforms that we've been looking for is that differentiation and that ability for us to uh kind of switch between different skill levels and different skills that are being taught throughout. And then, also having that access for our multilingual learners. Here's the money again. Same thing. So, future costs the Gizmos program is something that we pay for right now, uh but we pay for it kind of uh in my opinion inefficiently. Uh we do it on a one one-year renewal every year through our own budget. Uh but this what what we'll consider moving forward is being able to purchase it on a larger scale to help support what we do.
um there is a 1% cap on the number of um alternative diplomas that a district is allowed. And so because you know we see have you see that we have fewer than 900 students in our cohorts collectively um that means that those students who are usually students who are in life skills programs um non-verbal development developmentally delayed um and don't have the skill set to perform in a classroom in a traditional way. Um, so that means four five of those students will not count towards our graduation rate. And so we'll have if if that number stays at 13 and our cohort is still under nine, we would only get eight students that could qualify for an alternative diploma. And then the last thing that I'll mention is that um as these teams have um achieved that 93% reduction in the number of students on the credit deficient list, they are able now to start shifting some of their resources to uh upstream problems and to focus on the whole spectrum of our student population.
Those individuals are Pam Rector, Jenny Myers, Rachel Bruno, Heather Corsey, Alicia Bellamy, Jenna Connell, Brandy Newell, Mary Jones, and Lisa Keen. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Allen. Move on to item 6.08, Superintendent Dr. Terrell, Superintendent of Schools, sorry. >> Thank you. Uh this evening, echoing some of the thoughts that have already been expressed regarding Marion Bucko and her retirement. Uh Marion is an amazing educator and I truly believe has impacted thousands and thousands of kids and people across our communities. This year, her 30th year, they're doing different groups are taking a week and doing something for her on the big wall as you walk in and it's just like the perfect swan song for her as she heads off into retirement and wish her nothing but the best. Also, in our personnel report tonight, Marty Freeman has decided to retire. Um Marty is our director of transportation.
Yeah, we have that now. Cool. >> Yeah. Yeah. Our drivers do their pre-trip and post-trips in there. We also log our fuel usage in there. So when they go to get fuel um we're we're anti-paper. We're in the same building with technology in case you wondered. So we kind of try to do everything electronically. So when they go to get fuel they enter that into their tablet as well. And then same way with pre-trips and post-trips. So if they were to have an accident that's for one of the first things that state troopers ask for is was this bus pre-tripped? And that shows and they know it because they have to turn on their lights and there's special things that they have to do and our GPS tracks that. So we know if they really do their pre-trip or not. Thank you. Yeah. Any other questions for Vanessa?
That is for safety and to allow our staff to vote. We try to be consistent in our fall break weeks. That assist all of our extracurriculars. Whether that be performing arts, athletics, robotics, you name it. They all count on us having that fall break, spring break on a certain week for by weeks and whatnot and we have our graduation scheduled in June. So these are our parameters. Thank you.
Any discussion? All those in favor? >> Opposed? >> I just trying to keep track of this for sure. Um, admissions report. Mr. What are we doing? Yeah. >> So, you just have in your packet a list of uh where we're at with um the applicants and what school they came from and how many students have been accepted.
>> you're not going to hear it from me, but um What do we So we have a part-time and a part-time. So we Like what happens to those positions? Do they stay? >> Right now, um we are reducing um So this $100,000, uh it would be more uh if you consider insurance. >> Yeah. >> But we are reducing a 0.5 quota >> Okay. >> to achieve a full-time OT. >> Okay, thank you. >> Yes. Any other questions on this section? But you can see that brings us to 456 now, right? And so now we have to reduce from there to get down to the 396. >> Actually, one more I'm sorry. One more question. >> great. >> Um [clears throat] around the Vo-Tech tuition. >> Yes. >> Is that because we have additional students attending? Is that because tuition increased? Is it a >> So it is right.
You're bringing people in from the outside to do this? That's not insane? That's all I got today. Does anybody have an answer for me? Or are we going to wait till the end? Okay. Have a good night. >> Thank you for your comments. Are there any other public comments? Seeing none. Any board member comments? Oh, I'm sorry. >> Ben Forcarino. Garfield, I would like to commend all the individuals, the teachers, the paralegals that received an award today. It goes to show you >> [applause] >> It goes to show you what Garfield is all about. We have a large county, we have a large state, but Garfield is always there. And I have to give them a lot of credit, and I give the principals and the superintendent a lot of credit, too, and the board. You work at it. Naturally, I'm here to congratulate my son on the award today, and uh I would hope that uh each and every one of you could appreciate that he he's showing what we in Garfield can provide and it makes the board look good, too.
And then, we have our Earth and Space Science Earth and Space Science team. Okay, two sources here. First one on your left is going to be Earth Science the third edition. Uh this again is going to have a very uh diverse uh online platform. It's beautiful in its design uh and the SmartWork GeoTour's Guided Learning Explorer 3D. It uses some really cool technology for us to explore uh via the internet since we can't pick our kids up and move them around the world to look at these things. They have some really cool uh the GeoTours and uh the Guided Learnings and Explorer 3D are really cool resources in order for us to really engage with some of the Earth Science. And then next to it is the laboratory manual that goes along with it. So again, it has uh NGSS aligned uh lab experiences for our students to engage with.
We challenged them from day one. You had two jobs, make relationships and graduate students. and they did a tremendous job of that, but allocated obviously a disproportionately high amount of their time towards students who were behind in credits earned to graduate. Now that they reduce that number, they're able to spread their time both looking at their future cohorts like these senior uh Mrs. Hester and Mr. Mrs. Wilson that were just here. They're spending now time with their eighth graders this semester to help build relationships early on and then also to pay attention to things like uh college credits earned um the students at the top of the spectrum, many of whom we saw here tonight. Anything I missed there from themes that we picked up there, Charles? >> No, that is uh ridiculously thorough. Um but that's why you're in the seat. Uh the other thing I'll say is that the 93.5 reduction that is over the course of three years for uh the senior cohorts.