Uh we had a wonderful activity where board members in central office were invited uh as leaders to sit with their students for a little bit of a lunch and leadership activity where we had a chance to to be interviewed by Pemrook students um who were interested in leadership asking us and challenging us on things uh you know the way that we make decisions and when things are hard. Um, and I thought it was just such a wonderful event. Uh, it was well organized. The kids were so mature. I appreciated the questions they asked. Got to know some of our board members a little bit um better in that process. And I just thought it was it was so well done. And it's a a real reflection of how schools build community um and also how they prepare students for the real world. And I just appreciate it.
>> Yeah. I mean, I think that we owe it to the community to to, you know, stand up and say what we believe and what we think. And like I said, that is our responsibility to try to put forth, you know, the best path forward for the community even in difficult times, as hard as it is. And um that's what we've tried to do. So, >> so I'll motion. I'll make a motion to um vote to to support the the $2.75 million operational override for the Ashlin Public Schools for the FY27. >> Second on that. All those in favor? >> I that's 30 and two absent. So the select board supports the the override figure and the efforts that are going forward. And at this time I want to thank the citizens group that got together to really work provide the information. Spend many many hours of sitting down talking with people being available to answer questions and those are the two young ladies to my far left.
and I appreciated the the participation of both central office members and and our board of ed members who were able to attend. So, thank you. Um, and then I have a very nice update and I think everyone would appreciate this and I did have a conversation with Mr. Flynn. Um, but I know that the the there's been some stressors at the middle school level on the on the middle school bus schedule, particularly for Westside Academy with the earlier start time, probably more so than the combining of the buses was the earlier the earlier start time and the length of time that the that the bus takes to go around and collect all the kids on the combined route. um you know we've re our some of our numbers our bus our uh enrollment numbers have dipped a little bit and with the combination of that um and the the number of uh riders and our wrership number um Kelly Watson did a tremendous job in reconfiguring what we think will be the runs preliminary runs for next year um and with that we feel very confident that we can get Westside Academy back on the regular middle school schedule and not do a combined run uh which I think checks off a few boxes for folks who had had some concerns.
Thank you both for all your efforts in doing this amongst everything else that you're doing. That's greatly appreciated and I'm sure you know we haven't got a lot of push back because there's information out there that's being provided that is answering questions before the questions need to be asked. Thank you for doing that. Okay, moving onward. I can't say upward, but moving onward. >> Um, review the debt schedule, >> Michael. >> Yeah. So, this is uh something that was asked to be put on the agenda and that we'll also include this as part of our um budget document, you know, going forward. Uh but just a a relatively simple debt schedule um that shows you um the date of the issue uh what the original balance was, what the outstanding balance um is would will be as of the end of this fiscal year um and what it will be at the end of the next fiscal year.
It I have to say it was really running rather smooth. Um that the students were really well behaved together on the bus. that was really not the driving force so much as it was the time um particularly during the winter when we had um increased parent drop offs and the line that was that were backing down onto Mil plane and the traffic concerns and all of that really put the pressure that was the real the pain point this winter. So, um, we really did go back and tried to see if there was any way we can ek out, um, some more bus, uh, space in our runs, uh, without really combining or adding more to the budget than what was already needed for next year with the high school. Um, so we're just we're happy to report they're able to do that. Mr. Flynn, uh, notified the staff yesterday that this was a possibility and then we'll be sending something out to parents.
and essentially kind of what the category is and um a more specific description of it, whether it's inside the limit or outside the limit. Um and then um also the date that it falls off on the far right, that's the date it falls off the debt schedule. Um so just, you know, there's a couple of big issues. I just want to issues meaning bond issues not issues as in problems um but one in particular like you'll see one for um you know the 6 um 6.8 eight. That was the um Menddees roof. But if you go down a couple, you'll see one that's like for 7.9 originally, one that was done in in 2019. Um so that was a combination of um of different projects. I don't remember exactly which ones, but we could we could get those. But but a number of like smaller projects that we rolled up into one issue.
So, okay, that's it for that. Well, I do have one more thing. I just know if there's any questions. >> Any questions? >> Okay. All right. And, uh, just one other item, and I know um, you know, over the last couple years, from time to time, we've brought up um, you know, how do we continue to, and this is a conversation that Luis and I have been having, how do we get more parents to come in and more students to come in to our board of ed meetings? Um, you know, Glattus and I talked about that as well, like is the start time an issue for folks? Would we get more um would we get more people coming in kind of right after work, you know, willing to stop in after work uh for a bit? Um, you know, is it uh that the our board meetings start too late perhaps and once families go home for the evening, that's it.
>> So Michael looking at these looking at these figures some of these be coming off >> Yeah. If you look at the right Joe >> That's when they fall off. Okay. That's all right. >> Thank you. So one thing that would be um helpful on this too would be what the co the cost to the taxpayer. So, I don't know whether you would do it uh whether it would be by again by per thousand of your assessed value or if it would be better to show it just as an average home value or >> Yeah, we could probably do it based on what the average home value is. Um I think it would be hard, especially the ones that say where it's both inside and outside the levy. I think it'd be tough to split those up. Yeah. >> Um, but we could provide like for each of those issues, you know, what it would cost for a taxpayer with an average single family home value.
They're not coming back out because they have little ones. So, we've been talking a little bit about the start time. There's been a lot of school districts. if you look around um certainly have a much earlier start time than we have here in Danberry. Um and I think it's something that we should seriously consider. Um there are some schools I think Louisa will will mention um some experiences with the visit she had but um 5:30 5:45 seems to be a time when folks get out of work around 5 4:30 5:'lock and can make a swing past a board meeting and maybe more willing to participate and engage with the school system. But I do think uh our very late start time does exclude a lot of families uh from coming back out once once they get the kids once they cook dinner and get the kids off to uh to bed and in the shower and all that stuff.
>> Yeah. I think that would be helpful for people to see in terms of debt exclusion numbers, how much they're paying every year, right? >> Yeah. Even if it's not a debt exclusion, even if it's just something that's paid inside the levy, to see how much your tax is going towards that would be helpful. >> Yeah. And then um so yeah because there's a lot of inside the debt limit here. Um and then in terms of um the public safety and the mind school building >> so mind still has I think worst case scenario $6 million left to bond which won't be bonded this year. It's not going to be bonded until next year. >> That's correct. I think that's the worst case scenario. Like you said, Claudia. >> Yep. And so everything else for those two buildings has been bonded. >> Correct. >> Right.
So, it's something that we'd like for everybody to to seriously consider. And um I hope that that improves some of the participation. >> Yeah. To add to that, um, when Al and I went to Waterberry, their board meetings start at 5:30 and you do see an increase in their attendance because it's right after work and they're picking up their kids and they're this was out of school, so they were there for Spotlight Your School. So, it was um it just made it more conducive to bringing to what our goal is to increase our participation. Um, uh, also I just when we were at King Street, I was speaking to the PTO president there and and I talked to her a little bit at the book fair and I told her our goal was to try to increase um, you know, parents coming. And the first thing she said to me was, "Your meetings are too late." She said, "It's hard." She said, "It's very hard for us for kids for parents with small kids to come back out to your board meetings." Um, so in talking with Carara, I, you know, we could give it a try for the upcoming year and see how it works with a 5:30 start time and um, you know, try it out and try it out for the 26 27 school year and then take it from there.
Because because even though you know, for example, Mindas was 84 million and what was the final number on the 27 on the public safety? >> Um yeah. So total construction Yeah. 233 is what we bonded. >> Yeah. So, so there there's significant savings there as expensive as the buildings were, right? We had a lot of we received a lot of from especially the school building association funding. >> Yeah. MSBA I think they provided like 35 to 40. Oh, was it 50? >> But you know what? No, I'm not going to say that and take it back. I'm not sure. I think it might have been >> Yeah. And we were >> 37 38. And uh you know I remember when we did the public safety building bid we were very fortunate to and that was very rare >> thanks to co >> all the construction of materials.
If we see that it's not you know, doing much of a difference and we feel that it's too much of a burden to come then we can switch it back. But um you know I'd like to get everybody's um idea of what they think about this because unfortunately we've got to get the schedule done for next year. So we're kind of need to know um where everybody falls on this um for the coming year. So I'm going to just open it up and see if anybody has any comments. >> Go ahead. >> I just am concerned because we have a lot of meetings before the meeting. >> So then how would we >> Well, a lot of our meetings now by Zoom. So, um you know, we've shifted a lot off in person into Zoom meetings, finances on Zoom, um policies on Zoom. Um I think sites sites we're doing in conjunction with our spotlights, but we also have other sites meetings that are Zoom.
>> I know but then pre then pre-co >> cuz then right right as co hit school building got >> killed construction folks were smart enough to realize that they saw something coming down the road and they >> well some of it's just lucky timing. Oh, it was lucky timing and we'll take it. >> So, Michael, the the 2021 project that was like 11.1, it says multi-purpose. Do you know what that one is either? >> That would have been a number one a number of issues that that had rolled up. I don't have the exact ones, but I can get those at the projects. So, when we say it's outside of the debt limit, um did we were those were those things like um the Valentine estate like or like I'm trying to kind of because those would have been on the ballot, right? Because it's excluded debt.
So, um you know, superintendent evaluation, I think, is the one that we have in person, but we could schedule that around there. So, you know, and then >> I just like to see the meetings in person, even those other ones. But that's I mean that's my opinion. So >> and we could still do inerson meetings. I mean that's not an issue. >> So we would just have it >> we would just do it on another time. Yeah. Exactly. Go ahead. I think it's a great idea because um I interact with families and most times when we ask them why do not go to a board meeting the first thing that they say it's our dinner time or you we can't step out that's very late. So, you know, something to try. Absolutely. You know, we should because the whole idea is to open it up for families and uh find ways to do it.
>> Um so that's what I was thinking is like things like you know the Valentine is on here somewhere. >> Yeah. Um, yes, >> that might have been the multi. That might have been the multi. >> That's why I'm thinking it's got to be in it's got to be pulled into something. >> Yeah, it's it's one of those two. Um, that was done in 2019 or 2021. >> Okay. >> The energy conservation bonds, uh, that's the one that's actually saving us about a million. That was for the performance contract. That's the one that's subsidized that we were awarded. And then what what I was uh having a hard time with is um and I finally figured out what it was. Uh the 6.8 um that was all refunding. Um and what what is refunding? Well, that's a that's the municipal term for refinancing. Why they call it refunding?
Anybody else? So, do we want to try it out? >> Yeah, we good. Okay. All right. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. >> Yes. Go ahead, Glattus. >> I'm going to do whatever it is. >> I just don't think it's um you're changing their time. Okay. It's going to bring more people into the board meeting. And we have seen over the years that people only come at a p a specific time of whatever they're interested in. They come in and make their statement and they leave. And we saw that at Hazetown. We only had one person. Uh the staff was there, the presenter was there. And when that happened, they left. when it was at King Street, which was a hell of a place to get to at night because they was working and had detours everywhere. We only had one pen. Okay, now it's 5:30.
I don't know. Because it It's probably the same reason they call free cash free cash. >> Yeah. You're talking about the one that was 2011. >> Mhm. But anyway, hopefully this will um this will be helpful for people. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Especially seeing when it falls off. >> Yeah. No, that's very helpful. >> So, thanks to to Cindy putting this together. >> Yep. Absolutely. Thanks, Cindy. And then I think uh budgetarywise the last one we have is the high school >> high the athletic fields. >> Yeah. >> And so I'm going to try to explain this as uh as simply as I can. So [snorts] the enterprise fund for the fields was created through a home rule petition. So it was created through special legislation. We cannot take the money in an enterprise fund and transfer it to a general fund department. So what we're looking at doing is right now is actually transferring the maintenance and the scheduling of the school fields back to the schools.
It's going to work for this board. I don't have any problem trying. But what I heard tonight was people do not understand at this point where we're having our board meeting because every board meeting is at a different t place. So then you take the the meetings where you have had the the uh meetings at and who was there? We didn't have the community there. And to me, if you want to bring more people into the boardroom, look at it now. Look at it when the the people did their presentations and left. So, I just don't think changing the time is going to make a different who comes to the board meetings. Um, I certainly I certainly agree with the idea that when folks know there's a regular time and a place to be that it's uh uh likelier that they're going to show up and participate on a regular basis.
Now the enterprise fund contains a lot of that revenue and expenditures related to the schools. But like I just said, we can't take money from an enterprise fund and give it right to a general fund department. and the superintendent's plan uh calls for um making some capital purchases to help with their maintenance. So, they need money right away. So, what we what we're doing is we're transferring 200,000 out of stabilization to go towards the schools to make those capital purchases. Next year a warrant article will be filed that that dissolves that enterprise fund and the balance of it will then flow because it will be dissolved will flow to free cash and it'll go back to stabilization. >> Okay. >> Was that um I tried to make it as unchanical as as it could. So >> yeah, I think that makes sense. >> Okay. Great.