Thank you all for allowing us to share what's going on with our ACE family this spring. Have a nice evening. Stay healthy and remain strong. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay, now we'll move it over to the superintendent. All right, we have a a quick one today. I have to say I'm very impressed with all the student speakers tonight. Just the confidence and the boys and the the way you are delivering messages. It's just very impressive. It's just another display of the work that's being done at the school. So, thank you. Um, okay. So, just a a brief update. We're still unpacking some of the recent uh legislative approved funding that has been designated to municipalities and to school districts. Um right now we believe we're getting about $2.9 million in a as a supplemental that should be delivered um from the commissioner to through the municipality and then to the schools by October 31st.
Um, and the recommendation of award was actually in the consent calendar for $170,335. Now, at Ruskin, we're only doing K1 and K2 because historically that roof has been like Swiss cheese. And no matter what we've done it, we've never been able to keep the water from going inside. So, we decided to re-roof the whole thing. um Majestic Way Landscaping Rehab that has been bid and and actually was um approved with the consent calendar. So just like the Summerdale um rehab landscaping rehab project, we're going to be doing the same at Majestic Way. Um and the last on that projects out to bid is the TK toilet conversion at Brookree Majestic and Somerdale. So, what we're doing there is we move TK TK classes and the toilets that are currently in the bathrooms are wall mounts and they do not make a fixture this the correct size for the TK TK kiddos.
We have a choice to chase our dreams, not anybody else's, but our own. Take that opportunity and run with it. Because one day the final bell will ring, and I hope that you can say you lived your life to the fullest without regrets. If you have family here today, tell them you love them. My dad has been there every step of the way. Through early mornings, late nights, long drives, and endless travel to competitions, he never missed a beat. He encouraged me when I doubted myself, reminded me to keep going when I wanted to quit, and celebrated every win with me, big and small. There's no better feeling than hearing, "I'm proud of you." Dad, thank you for believing in me when I didn't fully believe in myself, for teaching me the value of hard work, and for showing me what unconditional love really means.
So to try to calculate the 0 2 over this class and or of this school and the 0.1 over here and the 04 over there. Um it's just easier to say we know that that 280 is going to be spread around all the sites. So even though district office looks a little bit high, please understand in some cases the sites will actually um see some changes in the way they operate. I know there's always concerns about administration and so the reduction in administration at the high school will be a reduction of an assistant principal position. We will move the dean at the middle school up to assistant principal. So there's a slight increase there. We will go ahead and move the coordinator position to title two and CIA. That basically means that it's no longer being covered by the maintenance operation portion of the budget, but rather by title two.
and also I attended Mr. uh Beckett's retirement and again congratulations to you. Thank you for your 18 years of dedication to the district and your I believe 40 years to the education um to education in general. You you are indeed a role model and an asset. You will be missed and but I hopefully we'll see you around. So again, thank you for your your tenure here and um again, thank you for all those that are here tonight joining us. I'm sure you had could have had other things to be doing. So thank you for for being here with us. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you, Vice President Lopez. >> Thank you, President Coutree. Um so first, I have been out for a couple weeks and I've missed being here and seeing you all. I have had a a major surgery, so I've been home healing or trying to as best I can.
And so, this chart here kind of shows that what we're doing, I believe, is working. We always give a beginning of the year reading test. And so in 2024 25 our beginning of the year 38% of the students could read at or above grade level and by the end of the year 49%. So there was an increase. So I feel like what we were doing was working. Then at the beginning of the year we gave the same test. Now there was minimum summer slide which is good because sometimes you come back and they really slide backwards. So we didn't have quite as much work to catch up because they only slid back to about 48%. And by the middle of the year, they they um were 56% of the students reading at or above grade level. And I'm anxious to see what our final scores will be for the end of the year because I know it's much higher.
>> Yeah. So, you know, some of the reason our stabilization fund has increased dramatically in the last 10 years, I'd say, right? Um, and >> and that's something that the community can be proud of. Yeah. And it is intended to help in difficult times. And I think that the discussion and the feedback from the community >> was that minimize it. Minimize this as much as you can. And so that's why that was done is to take it from stabilization rather than adding asking for a 3 point because 3.5 million >> 3.5 million was on on the table at one point >> on the table, right? >> Um and so that was basically um what happened with that. >> Okay. So, and just again to talk a little bit about the state because >> um you know, I've I've written [clears throat] to the governor a couple of times this year um usually involving some of the 40B and the housing issues that we're we're faced with and the struggles there.
Mhm. And while I'm talking about it, I'd like to mention again, cuz my my mother lives there, she gives me all this stuff. Uh I think it was a year or two ago Wayland started this paper called the Wayland Packet List. And uh they they fundraise for it. So, it's not coming out of anybody's budget that I know of. And they got an editorial board, advertising, and it's really fantastic because it's like a a mini version of what all the papers used to be when they were actually What's that word? The fourth estate? Yeah. When they were actually acting with the fourth estate and they were they were called uh they were some I I think it's one of the big papers is democracy dies in the dark. >> Washington Post. Yeah, but you know, but the papers were a way for us to even talk about war and articles or a ballot initiatives by writing letters to the editor and everybody read it.
I'll bring it back just because voting to Perfect. >> update a policy But but here's the reason That's the reason why we're doing it though. Okay, I'm clear on that. No worries. Okay, perfect. Just to have it be have it clean vote. Yeah, we should we should I'll make sure. Yeah, just should say that we're we're referencing the policy. Next agenda. Perfect. Yeah, we we changed the job description then in 2016, uh but we never removed it. We talked about it um in We just didn't move it that way. We didn't vote for it. >> Can we vote Can we um Can that be on the consent agenda next time or because it's a policy does it need to be? I'm not sure. It probably It It could probably be both. We should We We should probably put it as a And we're going to have a couple of policies anyway.
Their offensive coordinator That's the philosophy behind camera two. I can always cut to my camera one. >> [cheering] >> You know, what we're going to be missing is but the better shots often times come from camera two. You know, people like to see close-ups and you know, it's big big plays and If you're doing good, you're pushing a little bit more. In general, yeah, that's that's kind of nice. You know, if you see the action better on your viewer, that's what you're going to see on the screen, you know, so if you're confident, you can follow them running up and down. Go ahead. The director has the opportunity to to use that shot or not. Um because we've always got the wide shot to cut to. Yeah. And that's just the worse The cameras come to know what they're doing. The directors know what they're doing.
Hamilton Pew acts up. How did that guy still have the ball? Good check from Tyler Savarese, though. Seeing the freshman with a nice check. Ooh, what? Your guess is as good as mine on that one. It's going to be Mustang ball. Seems to me like Thomas Brown has it back in that corner. Dishing it up to Pauler Pillared. Pillared getting smacked. Defense from Fiore there. Dishing it over to Barucci. Barucci to Door. Door firing it over to Brown. Brown up to um Behan. Han to Pillared. Pillared shot saved by Absis. Absis White to Whitesman to Nostrum. Nostrum good handling. Nice pass to Atwood. Atwood to Olson. Bobby thought about it for a second, goes back, passes up to Oliver. Oliver on far side marching in trying pass it over to Henry Oh Henry gets it pop loose but gets it back. Henry fires a pass to Atwood couldn't quite reel it in Pillared quick to close in but Atwood still gets it fires it oh oh gets oh my goodness Olsen shot saved by Perella The ref is holding on to his canary I think he's talking to somebody.
Is that the way I'm understanding what you're saying? So, would we be technically charging somebody to use it? Um, or is there an app like a parking app that they they pay for or is that a choice? >> So, for the EV drivers, there there's apps that everybody has that they would be >> down. Mine's not blinking. >> Oh, wait. Now this one's back on. >> This isn't blinking. >> This one This one's back on. Okay. Um, so for the EV for the EV drivers, they all have these apps and maps that will locate uh the individual chargers for them. And then they have specific accounts within those apps that allow them that sets their credit card up to it. So they would just, you know, swipe their card or, you know, hold their phone up to the the charger itself for them to activate the charger.
Is that the way I'm understanding what you're saying? So, would we be technically charging somebody to use it? Um, or is there an app like a parking app that they they pay for or is that a choice? >> So, for the EV drivers, there there's apps that everybody has that they would be >> we're back to all. So, if I could just have you really annunciate that. >> Mine's not blinking. >> Oh, wait. Now, this one's back on. >> This isn't blinking. >> This one This one's back on. Okay. Um, so for the EV for the EV drivers, they all have these apps and maps that will locate uh the individual chargers for them. And then they have specific accounts within those apps that allow them that sets their credit card up to it. So they would just, you know, swipe their card or, you know, hold their phone up to the the charger itself for them to activate the charger.
And so it's my understanding at this point in time that we'll have to come up with a plan on how to use that onetime money. Um I can think of some things uh maybe after tonight looking at facilities or certainly some worthy projects um that could be on deck. Um but as a as a board and as a team, we'll discuss some of the best ways to um to use that one-time funds if once we learn a little bit more about um any parameters that that are attached to that. Um the city is also getting an allocation as well. Um theirs is a little bit more complex because it's comprises of a it's comprised of several different numbers. Um so I'll let the city speak to to that um on their end, but uh we are thankful uh for that. Um, as you know, there's been a lot of discussion around ECS, that's our educational cost share formula, um, which hasn't been updated in a very, very long time.
So, we're pulling those we're redoing the plumbing and pulling it off the wall and making a floor mounted so we can actually install the baby deo toilets. Um, currently to get around that, we've built platforms in the bathroom. Um, and that's been pretty successful. Um, but we want to do it the right way and and install those Baby Dro tots. Okay, moving on to projects in progress. So, B USD warehouse is moving along. A lot of the underground construction is is um go moving and uh I've got pictures to show. A lot of trenching, the electrical, plumbing, electrical plumbing, um sewer, water, um and conduits for data and stuff have all been trenched and and pipes have been laid down. Pedmont asphalt, we completed a section of that over the last spring break. That was the mechanical area. We're going to be um doing a slurry coat and the front parking lot as well as revamping the whole playground um the tennis courts um the basketball courts um that's you know all that asphalt's all going to be pulled out and replaced.
Through everything, there will never be anyone who loves and supports you unconditionally like your family. So, take a moment to thank them. Your parents, guardians, and loved ones, because they helped you get here. And most importantly, thank God for bringing us here today. We are here to pursue our purpose and chase our dreams, no matter the circumstances. Keep faith, keep believing, and taking every moment. Class of 2026, remember this. Dreams like mine, dreams to reach the Olympics, dreams to change the world, dreams to be our best selves are all within reach if we chase them with courage, passion, and persistence. Life will challenge you, but it will also reward you for daring to try. Congratulations, Class of 2026. I'm beyond proud of us all. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Koa, for your words of encouragement. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future.
So it becomes a capacity in and m and again this budget is the maintenance operation budget. When you look at grants from the federal and state level, they're they're excluded out of this budget because they have their own budget. >> Um I have a question. >> Yep. So dean to assistant principal reasoning for that >> just given the um the situations down at the middle school and the number of kids and uh >> are they taking on more responsibility? >> Yes, they'll be in they'll be in there throughout the entire year. As right now it's not a full-time position. So, it' be full-time position to help out during the summer for planning and getting ready for uh it'd be no different than what you would have um at um at the high school in terms of planning and and preparing for uh the middle school.
It's really hard to sit still and not do anything. Um, I did get a chance to do a couple things. I went to MEES's first grade spring concert that was so cute and they have nice little set of I don't know even know what to call them. A bleacher set. Is that what they are called? Risers. Thank you. So much better. I can see all the kids. It was great. So cute. I loved it. It was I loved it. Um and then I went to their uh kindergarten one of two kindergarten graduations and that was wonderful seeing all the parents um being so excited to see their little ones walking down the aisle. I can just picture, you know, in the future when they're seniors and being able to see them at that point. Um, other than that, I don't have much. I have more planned later in the week and for next week of all the events, but um, yeah, thank you all the teachers.
And so, as long as we see that progression upward, then I feel like what we're we've chosen to do in tier one is working. So, what are we doing in tier one? Well, we want to make sure we're being focused and intentional in what we're doing is um effective. And so we have asked the teachers in K through2 to make sure they have a systematic phonics program and we chose EUFly. They also spend 30 minutes in their 90-minute reading block working on our reading series which is benchmark advance. And then we ask for them to s spend 30 minutes on a skill group. As the teachers are teaching, they're checking for understanding. They're doing exit tickets. They're gathering information. and as they see students who are not getting it, not keeping up with the class, and they might pull them in a skill group. In GA grades K through four, it looks a little bit different.
But, you know, the other thing is this the state does is >> way down there in terms of >> in comparison [clears throat] to other states. >> Oh, and what they give back and what they give back. There's been lots of re recently, right? The Mass Municipal Association, which is we are part of, uh, did do a whole report back in the fall that they spent a fair amount of time on showing that we as as t cities and towns have not been getting our fair share of the the dollars that the that the state is is bringing in. And I think that what we heard this this report and this announcement that came on this past Monday about additional state aid. I think they're finally looking at the report and they're looking at the recommendations from that report to say look you need to give some of the money back to the to the cities and towns because we're doing the ground.