Children skipped down the steps of the big apartment building. Abuelo, Marco's grandfather, lived there on the fifth floor. But, Mama said there was no time to stop. What could the surprise be that made Mama rush so? We always stopped to visit Abuelo. Abuelo means grandfather in Spanish. Marco watched the flags dance in the breeze. "What is Memory Day, Mama?" he asked. Mama smiled. "It's actually called Memorial Day, but Memory Day is a good name, too. It is a time to remember some special people." "Who, Mama?" "You will see," she said. Beep beep beep. Two girls swooped past Marco. Red and blue streamers fluttered from their bicycles and swished in the wind. Everyone was in a hurry to get to the parade. I wonder if these girls are in the parade with their bikes and the pretty red and blue streamers. When they reached the avenue, avenue is another word for road.
those are being paid through extra funds through this uh stabilization fund. Um so that was a conscious choice this year. Um we had looked at including municipal departments as part of a tax increase. Um and uh ultimately the decision was made not to do that this year mainly because the mechanism was very confusing. Would that have anything to do with the connections or the non-connections between federal government and state government? >> Um I I wouldn't necessarily see a direct nexus the way you're talking about it. I would say in general the reason why municipalities like Ashland one of the things one of the reasons we're experiencing the pressures that we are today fiscally is because of federal funding or lack of federal funding. So basically the administration in Washington does not see citizens over 60 as a important part of life. So from there that from part of the school and I always got asked the questions would the override help the school administration teachers and all that and their their pay raises and stuff like that involved in any sort of percentage work?
If it passes at the ballot, all we'll do is convene town meeting on June 3rd simply to um uh basically end town meeting and adjourn town meeting. However, if on May 19th, um that ballot vote fails and the override doesn't pass, we will come back on June 3rd at town meeting to reconsider a budget that is a non-override budget. Um so, just want to make sure that that's uh clear for everybody, cuz that's a little bit unique this year compared to what we what we typically do. Um so, I wanted to say that. Katherine, did you have anything you wanted to add um related to maybe some of the logistics or or town meeting itself? Sure. So, as Michael mentioned, um this year will be a little bit different. So, we will have town meeting on May 6th at 7:00 p.m. Uh we will go through all of the warrant articles as will be presented to you um tonight, and then we will continue the meeting um to June 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
So, I heard something about this number 22 girl right here. This is Katie Mayhew. Is it >> [laughter] >> Is that how you pronounce it? Yeah, and if she gets a goal, it's going to be her 100th on the season, so that's really impressive for a 10th grader. This is Schneider with it behind the net. Schneider quick pass up. Spalding Oh, just missing on that one. But Schneider there to back it up. And scoring the other way now. This is going to be Lauren Kelly. With some speed coming down that far side. Lauren Kelly going towards the net. Up, she decides to go around. Around Look at this. Fakes. And good defense there. This gets broken up by Rogers. Now look at this speed here from number 19, Elizabeth Williams. Williams with it right down the pike. Passing it off to Sachs. Barrett Sachs coming in.
Um, they do research, they collaborate, they communicate, they come up with innovative ideas like the t-shirt that she's going to tell you about. Um, and um, and they're doing civic action for their community. So, they're also learning about their community while they're doing this. And I lost Oh, no, there's the mic now. Um, and um, it's supposed to be a culmination like a graduation like kickoff, so to speak, that we're sending them off into the world with all of these skills that are embedded in practice throughout the semester so that when we get to the project, they're already ready to do it. And um so I will let them speak more about that. if >> you just want to share a little bit about what the project meant to you. I know you did an amazing job articulating the research and your action steps, but just in general, um, how did you find the capstone experience as a as a senior?
She was sick earlier this week. Okay, I'll do it. It is $250 and it goes to Cohen Hazen. >> [applause] [applause] >> Anita Cummings will now present the Kansas JCI Senate Foundation Scholarship. Hi, my name is Anita Cummings and I am a Kansas JCI Senator number 69380. We give out scholarships every year and the winner for this year um he exemplifies um community leadership and uh it is Jake Lizer. He will be getting a check for $750. He's going to be attending our um 55th anniversary banquet this coming Saturday and he'll will receiving his certificate and his check there, but we wanted to recognize him tonight. So, >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we have the Love Big Like Nate Scholarship Memorial Scholarship. Steven and Sarah Cunningham will present. Sorry, it's a little emotional here. Um my family started a Love Big Like Nate um in memory of our son Nate and the way that he loved people.
And And these are some ethical uh rules that we should abide by. This is our disclaimer. We're not attorneys. I'm not a I'm not an attorney. I cannot give you legal advice. This is information. So, we just have to put this disclaimer up because it's not legal advice. If you need legal advice, because sometimes ethical situations are really fact-specific. Oh, we always recommend that you get that advice from an attorney. Use whatever processes you have to reach out or you reach out to your board president and you can um contact your board attorney if you have questions on a situation that you feel might be um in violation of some ethics act or could be, get that advice from your board attorney. So, the School Ethics Act, what was it? It was put into place to ensure that board members maintain the public trust because you are making very important decisions that are regarding the welfare of children and doing the best things for students in your school and your community.
Here is how our staff is trained. Here's examples of programs that we do that allow us to meet that criteria. There's about eight or nine different areas that we review as a staff. In what areas did we maybe fall a little short? So the three points that we did not earn was the first was in HIV programs, approaches, and other initiatives. The max is 15. We gave ourselves 13 because if you're going to get the full 15, you are supposed to expand your programming, you know, almost at a community level. So when we do the back to school night presentation for parents, you know, that gets us points for parents education, but they also you're supposed to do things like, okay, every volunteer should be trained and we should be doing more community presentations about HIV. So, that's where we lost two points and then the other was in the area of personnel, we gave ourselves eight out of nine.
Marco's eyes opened wide. All the stores where Mama liked to shop were closed for the day. The sidewalks were crowded with people sitting on folding chairs or colorful blankets. Two boys were even sitting on top of the big mailbox. Marco heard someone calling his name. "Go, Marco!" "Look, Mama." He pointed across the avenue. "Jenna is here, too." "Is this the surprise?" "No, Marco." Mama answered. "The surprise is even more special than seeing your best friend at the parade." That would be kind of a fun surprise, wouldn't it? To see if your best friend at the parade where you are at. But it's not that. Marco sat on the curb with Jenna. The sun was hot on the top of his head. The big avenue seemed different without its zooming cars and rumbling trucks. It was like a rushing river that had run out of water.
Well, I know there's some non-discretionary contractual things that they have to they have to address and so that's that's part of any associated expenditure increase. Um, what I will say, and I repeated this at the forum, is I don't feel like the superintendent and his team or the school committee or anybody in a position of making decisions feel like the school department is just asking for money. They are taking this as an opportunity to restructure their finances to make it more sustainable and this is part of that strategy. Um, so I feel confident in saying that. >> So I I'll come back. Excuse [clears throat] me. I'll come back one more thing with the the fire the police department side of things that they are out there essentially where I am in the ashen house next door. I've been here I've been hearing the um fire department sirens, paramedics and all that every other day, two or three times a day and they they are doing more of a serious town issues with the people and emergencies and stuff like that than the schools would try to teach the students who are not ready out there yet.
at the high school. And then, on May 19th, we'll have the [music] ballot question, so the override question uh will be on the ballot. And if the uh ballot question for the override passes, we will go back to town meeting on June 3rd and adjourn our town meeting, close it out. If the ballot measure fails, we will go back to town meeting on June 3rd with a revised budget and a revised general stabilization number and close out the meeting. All right, thank you. Um Okay, if there's no questions from the audience, and give everybody an an opportunity, I'll just move forward and I will go through each of the articles, discuss it a little bit, and then just open it up for questions if anybody has any. Um So, the first article, Article 1, is to hear town reports. This is an opportunity for boards and committees um or or other interested stakeholders to just give an update to town meeting on the activities that they're working on.
Barrett Sachs gets the shot and scores. Raiders off to a quite the hot start right now. 8:11 left to go in the first quarter. It's three nothing. All right, back to the draw. Ball's up. And look who scoops it up. It's Motley. Motley now with some real speed coming down. Going to the outside on the far side. Dish it off. And DS does get it. What a pass there and spin move and a what a save from the goalie. Hey, the goalie's not on the roster. Who's the goalie? Anna Lacey. A Lacey? Anna Anna Lacey. Anna Lacey. Okay, thank you. All right, look at this. Ursuline now with it. Trying to cut towards the center. Does pass it off. Another pass. This Raskin with it right now. Raskin go for an option. Passes it off to Lubov. Lubov coming. Look at So, Lubov apparently Oh, what a goal there and that's her 100th goal.
>> Uh, I found it kind of stressful sometimes >> dealing with work from other classes, my AP class, just dealing with a lot of stuff. But with the research that I made, it was really interested interesting, especially since the topic that I focused on was a topic that I was really engaged on. And well, my experience was good. I don't I can't really speak for my partners that were un were unavailable to arrive, but I found it really fun. >> Great. Thank you. So to touch base on what Christina said, yes it was very stressful working on this project. I don't know about everyone in class. I know as a group we were a little bit stressed and we had our moments where communication wasn't our strong suit. Um but we felt this project was very useful and it does send us out into the real world like Miss Loren said with these excuse me with these um skills and these like abilities.
Um our scholarship this year um is Ben Maddie uh who of course is a well, he's my cousin's son, but he's really my nephew um and he definitely looked up to Nate like a big brother and Nate felt the same way uh about him as well. Um well, he was always watching out for Ben or choking him out, whichever. So, um so this scholarship um it's about heart and character and we think that Ben reflects that so well and Ben we're just really proud of you. So, >> [applause] [applause] >> And this scholarship is a $750 scholarship. >> [applause] >> Next, Mrs. Acton will present the student leadership team scholarship. Um each year we give out a scholarship for the student leadership team president, and this year the president of our student council is Hattie Bergdoll in the amount of $250. >> [applause] [applause] >> BHS sponsors two blood drives each year, and this year collected a total of 75 pints of blood, saving more than 225 lives.
And you need to maintain the public trust. And that is why the School Ethics Act was put into place. And it applies to school board members. The School Ethics Act does not apply to other elected officials. And that is a question we get sometimes, too. Like, why can uh your town committee member post something on social media or do this or that or say this or that? Because they're not under the same set of um ethical obligations that school board members are under. And that's actually something that is special to school board members because again, you are um making very important decisions that impact the welfare of children. So, who enforces the act? The New Jersey School Boards Association does not enforce the act. The only uh body that um enforces the act is the School Ethics Commission. Uh they are the body that is charged with enforcing the act.
Um our staff is already like has been trained and is certified to be trained with certain things, but you exceed and get the full points if you bring in an outside person to train. So, you know, we're very confident in our counselors and their ability and Mrs. Pinetti's training to train our own staff, so that was the other point. So. Thank you. You're welcome. All right, we're good. Budget sign? Yes. Okay, I think maybe we'll go together. Sure. Okay. Yes, yes. There's Tessie. Yeah, you too. Phillips. And it's just there. You know what, let these mouse out. Okay. Um our budget for this year, for the coming school year as usual the majority of it comes from the local tax levy. Our state aid stayed the same at about 7%. Federal aid is point eight. And instead of the excess surplus that we had used in prior year, this year we are taking a maintenance reserve which is of about 145,000 to add to our revenues.
Marco jumped up. "Did you hear that?" he asked. The faint brump bump bump of a drum brump bump bump Can you make a drumming sounds at home? Sounded in the distance. I wonder where the drums are coming from. Marco held his breath as the marching band got closer and stopped right in front of him. The leader slowly raised his baton and the music burst into the air. Horns and drums and the clash of symbols, Marco stood very still. The music was inside him, alive and jumping in his chest. Boom! Boom! He felt a thunder in his stomach. Crash! Crash! went the symbols. It tingled down his arms. Batons flew in the air. Pom-poms swished. Feet stamped to the rhythm, and the band moved on. Marco wished Abuelo could have heard the music. Maybe it would have made his legs tingle again. "Was that the surprise, Mama?" Marco shouted.
Mark, I I think they're different jobs that they're doing. Uh, and very critical to the fabric of our community, all of them. Um, and I hope people look at them that way as as maybe they're different jobs, but they're equally as important to our community. >> Yeah, I'd just like to answer that a little bit too, Mark. I think that that fact that you hear multiple sirens a day um is indeed part of the reason why we are adding four firefighters um you know to the um force um because we have multiple calls at at simultaneously often meaning the two ambulances are out and that we have to then go to um a neighboring community for mutual aid. So that so you know we are trying to address that. Um in terms of you know students is are there emergency situations with students? Well certainly sometimes there are um but that's not the main objective of the school department.
Um I'll give an update just on a lot of the projects that we're currently undertaking or some that have been recently completed since our last town meeting. Um I believe the Stormwater Committee is going to have a report. >> Yes. And is anybody else going to have a report, do you know? I believe CPC will speak. I don't think they have a presentation, but they will speak. Um that's all I know of so far. Okay, so we plan on having three town reports, um myself, the Stormwater Committee, and our Community Preservation Committee. Um and Adam, who is the moderator, tries to encourage us to keep those as brief as possible. Um we challenge him each time we can to uh to see how how much we can push it. Um so, Article 2 um is the first of our money-related articles. Article 2 is a transfer from the General Stabilization Fund.
No, it's not. Oh, she needs one more. Okay. So, yeah, Katie Mayhew getting closer to the 100th. Glad we got these Ursuline girls in here helping out. All right, ball's up and looking for it. Whistle blows, going to be Raider ball. Nora Olsen quickly passes it off to Schneider. Schneider on the 10. Running back by the goal line. Passing it off to Sachs. Sachs looking Oh, just off the pass to Williams. Scooped up by Ursuline and here's some speed right now from Maddie Lubov. Maddie gets good pressure. Gets the ball off, though, to Luber. Luber coming in. What a save there from Moral. Ursuline still working it. Lubov says, "Let's slow it down a little bit." At least that's what I think. Coming down now. Lubov good move there and I don't know if that missed the net or was a save, but it's a good opportunity.