I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. Move approval. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed? 6.01 passes. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have uh 6.02, consideration to approve [snorts] parent pay rates for pre-K, Tony Hamilton. Good evening, Tony. Good evening, President Duckworth, members of the board, and Dr. Hoover. Tonight, we're back again. The Office of Early Learning recommends establishing parent pay rates for the EVSC pre-K program. A review of regional providers was conducted to ensure the proposed rates are competitive and aligned with the local market. Establishing these rates supports program planning and enrollment. Specific program sites will be finalized in the near future. Move. Second. We have a motion and a second. questions or comments? I have a comment and and a question.
Any discussion? Questions? Okay. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Item D, [clears throat] construction update. Superintendent will update the board on the upcoming construction project. Yes, we got those middle school those vertical units that we've been talking about for almost a year now. Um this time has been great for them. They've been able to get into the middle school and find out the little nooks and crannies of what they need, uh which has been great for them. So, when it is time to go, which is that Tuesday was the June 2nd, um they have a leg up. They know what they need. They know the material that that needs to be there. They've already studied the building. Um so, that's going to help, you know, our goal is to have that construction done, all those vertical units done before school begins. It's a big task, um but they they got the people to get it done.
And so we if we look at data um it's kind of alarming. It's not only it's not a problem only Ammerst you know or in our district it's all over the country and so we really need to figure out what what is why why is that happening what can we do as a district where is the disconnect um and provide the supports you know so we're we're looking at providing summer we do after school right now we do after school um club we do summer but what what else how can we identify those gaps and how could we help them so that they are um at the same level as their peers because as of right now um their test scores are alarmingly low compared to their peers in the district. >> So I mean we could always say the the most obvious is oh the language right like language acquisition but we also talked about language and content is two totally different things.
Galashaw and his team have been working diligently on uh performing preliminary walkthroughs in each of our school buildings to assess potential additions and upgrades to security cameras and prep preparation for what's going to happen over the summer. As we know, that's when a lot of sort of the infrastructure work is happening throughout the summer and we have to prepare for that to happen. So, I thank him and his team for that. under our family and community engagement. We already heard we heard about the heart the art show. They've hosted an art show, but that we have um I think it was May 12th that there is a community art show. Um we're also pleased that we are going to be presenting meaning at least Mr. Kylie and I here a town sponsored citizens academy on May 20th. This is something that the town has instituted recently and different departments including the school department throughout the town have been asked to participate and present and we will be doing that on May 20th right here in the Dartmouth library.
Pick it up and turn around. Julia Illingsworth gets herself another hat trick. Back-to-back games with Illingsworth getting hat tricks. Spartans up 15 to 3 with 5:32 to go in the third quarter. Marino on the draw. Ball goes up. Good grab by Giovani one-hand that, get the ball up to Pazinski. Pazinski looking, she does goes by one of the Spartans, just her and Julia Gray that was a nice goal by Pazinski to go low far post on Gray to get her second goal of the game. Pazinski again. Spartans up still up 14 to 4 with 4:30 left to go in the third quarter. >> Marino and Giovanni on the goal up on the draw. Ball goes up. McKechnie comes away with it. Gets the ball over to Parsons. Ball goes to Sand. Sand to Pelletier. Pelletier all the way back up top to Marino. To McKechnie.
There's like, okay, you know, you can actually let the president know or the superintendent, you're not going anywhere, I can work with you on pulling it and then we can have a discussion or whatever that looks like, right? So, um I think that's where I'm landing on that too that I think it's important that all board members feel supported when they have certain issues and there's different ways and mechanisms to getting to those >> without, you know, consistently having to pull and >> go into this um big conversation. So, that might be helpful. >> Do we know if Miss Marquez is joining us this this evening? >> Um I do not. She said she was going to try to join online, but I'm not sure. >> Oh, okay. >> To that note, well, let me pause. I I won't go there yet. Let me ask you for the next part.
Um and I just can't believe 4 years went by so fast, and a year went by so fast on this board, but I mean the one thing I have learned is I didn't realize how much decision-making and effort went into everything behind the scenes. Um you know, you I so I first started going here, I'm like, "Hmm, I wonder what Dr. Thieman does in a day." Oh my gosh. >> [laughter] >> Oh my gosh. And that goes for everyone, all of our administration. So, that is like one thing I've learned is like every piece of decision-making that goes along has always been student first, but they think about every single perspective that leads up to that. And that's just one thing I've learned and the importance of that, and I just want to celebrate that. So, thank you. >> Thank you both. >> Um I want to second Ryan on that really quick.
Um, but I did so the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, you know, on their website if you go to their website, you know, they have each of the schools and what they have calculated the losses are going to be to each school. And so they have in their estimates have calculated that we're to lose 2.3 million dollars across the three years. Um, so uh, I didn't I didn't put that in there because like Brock said just leave the AV flat for these projections because we just don't know what it is. It could be less, it could be more. Um, um, so he thought it would be more realistic to just um, look at the AV as being flat. So, I also put um increased the um levy for our operations 4%. So, in the past um that was the max. The It's the maximum levy growth quotient formula um and the max that you could go up would be 4%.
I just appreciate um how diligent you've been looking, you know, looking at the rates and with the understanding that it's difficult for parents even an extra $10 um a week, but um my daughter works at an early learning center and they have risen their rates so very high that parents are withdrawing their students. So um we understand that we that, you know, prices go up on a lot of things that we've seen we're seeing at the gas pump, the grocery store. So I really appreciate that. And then I guess my question is um as you're looking, you know, ahead I think we asked in a previous meeting if you thought there might be some additional um rate hikes in the near future, but could you remind me just because I've slept since then? Yeah, we can't guarantee um anything, but just like with the week here, we take all of that into consideration and any decision we make will be thoroughly thought through and investigated before we make that decision.
Uh so, we're excited for that. Um and then we're looking forward to next summer, uh believe it or not. Um we that cool unit um that is in the pool, it does not dehumidify the air. Um it is it's shot. It needs to be replaced. That's a pretty uh expensive um unit that's up there. In the wintertime, it's not bad, but in the summertime, it gets really warm in there cuz we we can't dehumidify it. So, um that is the next thing with that bond money that uh we're currently getting uh bids out for that, and we're looking at that happening uh next summer. Questions? Item E, uh affidavit payment. Superintendent recommends the board approve the affidavit for payment as listed on page 87. Do I have a motion? I'll make a motion. Jason, any explanations or a second? Yeah, that's just our um psychological um payment that we have uh every month.
Um do they take the testing in their native language or do they take it in English? So if we're testing their um English proficiency like the access and the tell they will take the test in English. Okay. >> Now when we do science MCCAST um we >> they we do have it in Spanish and English for the science MCCAST as well as the math. um they it's kind of like in both languages but Spanish is not our only language right and so when we have MCCAST or when we have other tests um standardized tests we are able to provide um desi approved dictionaries for them that they say yes they can use a dictionary um that is wordto word it can't have sentences it can't have phrases but at least that will provide some support as well as when a student first moves um here and registers into our our district.
So, we're looking forward to that. Um May 15th will we we will host the Special Olympics at the soccer fields and there will be 10 other communities welcomed to Dartmouth and more than 600 student athletes for a day of competition and really a day of of celebration. You heard our student representative talk about the high school drama me a high school musical mean girls and four packed performances this weekend. I did get to attend one of them Friday evening and it was just wonderful. Every year I think that that it they can't possibly um even match what they had done in the previous musical and every day they just exceed every year they exceed expectations. It was a lot of fun and there's just an incredible amount of talent on um at Dartmouth High School. I think we have 50 had 15 seniors who participated in the most recent high school mean girls.
Back to Marino. Pellegrino with the ball. She's looking to do a little split. Gets ball over to McKechnie behind the net. Over to Parsons. Parsons looking to make room. Nothing there. Ball gets knocked away. Parsons kicks it over to herself. Stays with it. Good job by Parsons to stay with that. Sand with the ball looking to do a little something. Nothing there. Gets the ball behind the net to McKechnie over to Sand. Sand sees a little space. Goes in and out. Sand turns around. Takes a shot. Good job by Marino to back that up. Good grab by Pelletier. Wow. Nice grab by Pelletier to turn around grab it, pull it back, and fire in the back of the net. Put the Spartans up 16 to 4. Peltier's first goal of the game, 14th goal of the season. Spartans now with Eight different scorers. Max got six goals, Illingsworth got three.
You have that document in front of you. You should have it which is aligned with the framework, vision and goals, values and guardrails, monitoring, accountability, communication and collaboration, continuous improvement, and other. I think it's on the is it third page? It's the graph. >> Oh, yes. >> Yep. Page three of your document. Now, not trick questions, but an opportunity to work together as a group. When we each one of these agenda items, which I've kind of summarized for you, those are your options. In other words, call the order and then uh President Kario asked that you not do this because you should be very familiar with it. So, I'm going to ask the rest of the room and Miss Katie, you can do the same. Where would call the order fall in in these categories? Is it a values? Is it vision and goals? And then the descriptions you see are to the right.
Um first of all, again, thank you all for the opportunity. And again, just seeing the work that you guys put in, I think honestly, I don't think you guys get appreciated enough for the time and energy you put in. >> I agree. >> [laughter] >> Second. Second. >> Everyone agrees. >> [snorts] >> Um so again, I just want to appreciate you guys for truly all the hard work you do and I've noticed that you truly do care and that truly means a lot as a student. So, thank you. >> everything all the decision-making has always been the student first, the student perspective and I think that's important to know um from the public and community perspective. >> So, thank you. >> All right. There'll be a little more celebrating both of you in a little bit, so stay tuned. Well, I I will just commend the two of you.
They are They are getting rid of that um that threshold that and I think you can go up as far as you know you can go or whatever, I guess. Um but I put in a 4% increase cuz that's what we've been getting over the last few years is we've been increasing it by 4%. Um and I maintained all of the other revenue um miscellaneous revenue is is the same. So, we're still you know we're still unsure of the full effect that SEA 1 bill is going to have on our operations fund. Um like I said earlier, Baker Tilly is um working with corporations. So, if we want to talk with them about that um and maybe then doing an analysis on ours so that we kind of know better plan of you know what's going to happen and how we're going to be affected.
The rate that we have that we're proposing is aligned it aligns with week here. So we don't want parents to be paying more than our employees will be paying. Okay. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor do so signify by saying I. I. Those opposed? That carries. Thank you. 6.04 public hearing on additional appropriation for the 2026 I'm sorry, I jumped ahead. 6.03 consideration to [snorts] approve the agreement with Kinder Education. Tammy, I'm sorry I didn't mean to jump over you there. No problem. Good evening President Duckworth, Dr. Hoover and members of the board. The Office of Schools and Instructional Core recommends the approval of an agreement with Paper Education for their grow high their grow high impact tutoring program. And this agreement provides access to the Paper platform from May 5th through June the 26th to support our third-grade students in preparation for I read.
They broke those payments down, um and then there's a reimburse reimbursement on there for us where we put some money up front uh in the the beginning of the project that we're just reimbursing ourselves out of our bond money. Further discussion? All in favor say I. I. Opposed? Item F, donation. Superintendent recommends board approve the anonymous donation in the amount of $5,000 to be used for the elementary science nature center. I'll have a motion. Motion. Hearing second. I'll second. Jason seconds it. So, I had Michelle and I write out just a little bit um for her vision that she has of um the trails that she has back there. So, she's been walking through with the kids. I think this even went back to last year, didn't it? About naming the trails. So, she started naming the trails. They're actually taking steps out there to see how long the trails are, which is which is pretty cool.
Um, they get an exception of one year where they don't have to take the ELA, MCCAST, but they do have to take science and math no matter if they just arrived. >> So, what I'm hearing is there's equity, there's access, but then there's still some challenges in terms of how are they retaining the information or sharing it back out. And that's where the SEI strategies and everything else comes in. Um, but I also heard you're you have your finger on the pulse and so now it's for a deeper dive around what it is that's occurring. >> Yes, we need to take a look at socioeconomic factors. We need to take a look at political factors as well as the state of what's going on um in our country and in our districts. And um there's there are a lot of other factors that play into why students are testing or doing the way they're doing in school.
Uh but we also had one student who's a freshman who had one of the leads. So you can see us building toward the future. Um so again, a lot of talent, dedication, hard work behind the scenes under budget and capital improvement. Mr. Kylie has a couple of things that I think that he was going to update you on. I don't know if you want that, but it's up to you. >> Um, I've got it. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. S Magcguire. So, the capital improvement planning committee finalized their recommendations for town meeting. So, the um the items from our 10-year capital plan that were supported by the capital improvement planning committee are flooring replacement project, $200,000, technology hardware replacement, multiple schools, $325,000. Bathroom renovations, multiple schools, $100,000. HVAC upgrades, multiple schools. That one is $400,000. And um the school bus replacement, $150,000. So that's on there just in case.