Board of Education Meeting

001a global society through proven and innovative learning experiences supported by its strong community whose decision-m is based in the best interest of all students. Um I know that there's uh someone who wants to add something to the agenda. I've asked that we delay that until after um the student representatives and the student recognition occurs, but we'll start with the student representatives, Miss Victoria Statlo and Miss Liza Murphy. >> Okay. So, for the first event at Palm Dog last week, we had uh the student council hosted a Valentine's Day initiative by having all the students and staff signed their name onto a heart. And then we created the murals with the words empower, connect, and inspire that you might have seen while walking in. And then for LMS, Miss Suski's fourth grade class achieved the most

002minutes read in the Connecticut um in Connecticut during the national regional competition. And then for MMS students are highly engaged in a wide range of after school activities including volleyball, crochet, math, debate and student government which is and more showing student engagement. And then the unified sports team successfully hosted a basketball event tournament featuring u schools such as RMS and the Swift School. And then at Pump Rock Elementary, the fifth graders raised over $4,000 for the American Heart Association during the jump drum rope for heart event. And that like showed really strong student involvement and community impact. Um, and then they also hosted local officials from Southbury and Mbury, including First Selectman and members of the board of selectman to highlight the need for new uh school construction. And at RMS, students and staff are

003working towards an ambitious goal of 80% of students meeting or exceeding proficiency on the ESBAC assessments with schoolwide incentives. And then programs like the Frozen Musical, Art Club, Hornhole Tournaments, March Madness, 3v3 tournaments um continue to gauge engage students after school and they have a statistic of 60% of students are engaged after school. And they're also working collaboratively with the PTO and sustainable Southbury to bring in additional programs to support their curricul. >> Um, next we have a student recognition. Superintendent Smith, >> I'm gonna invite Mr. Walsh up and we will talk uh and have him talk. We're gonna celebrate some student uh I won't call them geniuses just yet. I don't want to put too much pressure on you, you know, but some very proficient math. >> Good evening members board uh parents and

004students. Uh so each year Perarch High School students, select Pontarch High School students take part in the American Mathematics Competitions. These are uh international competitions where they join over 300,000 other students from over 400 4,000 other uh school districts um around the country um to join in and they compete in the what's called uh the AMC uh competitions and uh there are two there's the AMC 10 um which is administered to students 10th grade or below and the AMC 12 is administered to students uh in 12th grade or below. Um so this year's AMC 10 and 12 amazingly took place last uh this past November. Um so they don't get the results out right away. Uh and then we've had some delays with the weather as we all know about. So we're finally here um

005tonight to recognize the student finalists um from the high school. Um I am pleased uh to recognize all the all these student finalists. Uh and I've gotten to know a number of them over the years. um some have become uh uh veterans and uh so I'll say that and then other are newcomers and it's just great to see all all the students who uh take the time out of their classes to join in an academic competition. Um so tonight we want to recognize a few of those finalists from the school. Um so I will start when you uh when I read your name you can come on up uh and we were going to give you a special gift and you can make the rounds here. Is that correct? >> Yeah. Well, thank just the

006board members would like to say congratulations. >> Very much so. >> Okay. So, for the AMC 10, third place went to S andul Gabriel Cass. And first place this year for the MC10 school competition of the Catholic South. >> Congratulations >> for the AMC 12. Uh third place this year went to Shiny Ch. second place this year went to Barc 12 this year is Brandon And so for those uh veterans who uh might be moving on from us, uh congratulations. And for those who are uh just still coming up, I encourage as we do all of them uh to come back next year uh try again. I'd love to see you up here next year. So congratulations to all the participants. Number Yeah, it's hard. Um, as I said at the beginning of the meeting,

007someone had asked me if we could add something to the agenda and I asked if we could just wait until after um that you know uh the math finalists were honored. Um so go ahead to put something on the agenda. >> Sure. So I would like to request to add a discussion on picture fields based on the significant amount of emails that we've received to have that part of be the discussion tonight. So we as a board just >> you mean the second chart field? >> The second field. >> Yes. >> Second that. >> Okay. So Sally second. Okay. So, um, we could, if the board votes on this, with twothirds of the board voting, we could add this item to the agenda. So, is there a discussion on adding this item to the agenda

008or is everyone >> just asking? >> Go ahead. >> Like discussion and that we're gonna talk about it's wanted or it's what's the discussion? >> Sure. So what I would like to do is us have a roundt discussion on where everyone stands, right? We're all elected officials. We've gotten more emails on the turf field than anything else in the past year and a half, right? From a total perspective, more than the schools coming up, more than anything else that we put forward. So they've started a not for profit. The website has significant traction. So, right, they're asking us to put this on referendum for the for the student for the student for the voter population to vote on, right, to put as something separate on there for a second term field. So, and I know

009that we have minimal time, right, as we're on March 9th, but I would like to discuss where everyone's thoughts are on putting this basically on the agenda and then on the ballot for the public to vote. But first for tonight it's only adding it to the discussion on the agenda for tonight. So I don't vote tonight just a discussion >> and it would come after the bond presentation. >> Um it would it would come uh >> something for it. >> Yeah. No, it would be after I think we should do it after the bond presentation. Yeah. Between so be like 6A. >> That that's where I think that's a good spot. Any anyone have any other comments? >> I just have one comment that if people really were interested, they would send individual emails and

010not one email with their name on same emails, >> right? >> Yeah, we can bring that up in the discussion. But I think everyone has the same points that are coming across from the community. To disvalue someone based on an email that is well written and hits all the points, but you want to hear seven different versions of it or >> I want to hear what anybody feels about it, not one email at least 50 times. >> Yeah. Point noted. Um, so does anyone else like are are people leaning towards vote like allowing this on the agenda or >> Okay. Okay. Ready to vote. All right. So, um, and again, it's, um, twothirds vote, so just pardon me if it's going to take a little while to figure this out. So all those in favor

011>> I >> So >> I'm sorry. Can you All right. So we just got all Okay, everyone but John and Okay. So the all those against >> and any extensions no right so it carries. So we will add a discussion on the second Turk field after the bond presentation. Okay. Um, all right. So, next, thank you everyone. Next, I have a motion for approval of the minutes for February 24th, 2026. So much. >> Thank you, Heather. Second by Shannon. Any comments? >> Go ahead. >> Just a minor correction. The um PTO advisory met February 5th, not March 5th. So if we could just make that clarification that great >> they meant March 5th but just >> that's okay. >> Thank you. >> Got it. >> All right. Any other comments? So all those in favor

012with the correction. >> I right it carries. Thank you. Next we have our bond presentation. So last um Thursday uh uh made it to the joint meeting with the board of ed and the finance committees from both towns that were invited. uh we toured I guess GES and had a conversation around um the question that I think a lot of people have been asking is kind of what's the pocketbook question on the school construction box uh which is a hard thing to ask a lot of Barry wants to fill into it and so uh Barry's put together um kind of a debt analysis uh that we can use as a as a talking point again we're talking multiple years in advance of this so you know I would continue to remind people. These are based

013on variables as we have them today. U and then Mr. Rybeck's here to talk about u remember Glenn from a couple years ago when we did the renovation bond. We came and worked with the board on what the referendum question would look like. So based on uh Barry's conversation around debt and how that works, Glenn will u carry the next flag as to how we get from um conversation to the recurrence. And with that, I guess >> Sure. Um if you could just go to the first page I um you can go over I'll just go over quickly uh before we typically look at the actual impact um just go over some some assumptions. know that this debt analysis looks at the the region's existing and proposed debt service. The analysis will analyze just the

014projected net cost of the project, which is roughly estimated at it's estimated at $90 million. Um, all of the debt scenarios include both short-term and long-term borrowing costs. Short-term cost, we use the acronym called BAN, bond anticipation note. Um, and we looked at three different scenarios. um one advertising over 20 years, another 25 years, and another 30 years. And the interest rate assumption was at 3.25. You've seen recent bond sales recently at 3.10. So, this is not overly aggressive. It's very conservative. And um for allocation among the member towns, we use roughly one-third for Mberry and 2/3 for Southbury. Um just quickly, uh the interest rate chart that's up here, uh it it's um kind of a busy chart. It looks at the 10-year Treasury over a course of 56 years. Um on the left

015hand side is um 1981 where that green circle is on the right hand side where the green arrow is is the all-time low during COVID. The takeaway from this chart is that we're not at all-time lows. But from a historic perspective on the far right hand side, we're not that far off from all-time lows. And that's going to bode well for any boring that any municipality or regional school district does. you go on to next phase part of short-term boring cost. As I mentioned before, a big part of this potential financing from talking with with Joe Martino is that a lot of it is uh the grants, potential grants will be delayed from the state because the state takes some time. So, there will be a number of these bond anticipation notes and and this

016chart just shows short-term interest costs on the lefth hand side. Again, during COVID, short-term rates were zero, literally zero. uh then they went up quite a bit after COVID inflation uh took off and on the right hand side you see short-term rates are coming back down again that's going to bode well for any financing uh that um the region does and if you go on to the next chart um the overall interest rates are relatively positive but the next main factor that determines the region's borrowing cost is the bond rate just like our all of us have a credit score um South Berry on the left hand side is rated AAA by standard force. On the right hand side is the Moody scale. Mberry is rated what we call double A1. They're one notch from

017a AAA and the region is rated double A2 which is uh one notch below Mberry. However, uh being in that upper range, it is a very very good place to be. Uh when the region 15 issued bonds earlier this year, the rate that the region got was comparable to Greenwich's rate. So all of those rates are are it's a very good place to be in the upper range of the rating scale. And what factors go into determining uh bond rating? If you go to the before that's just so everybody's aware, the district can never be the same as either member town. We're always the highest we can pay is one notch below the contributing tax. >> Exactly. And that's because the region itself does not collect taxes. You're dependent on the uh the member towns.

018And and what they look at is is you know management practices. They look at the economy and demographics. And that number three there, financial performance. Um both Middlebury and South Berry very very fiscally conservative. They very it has very high um reserve levels. Um regional school districts are not allowed to have the same high level of reserves that the member counts have. So that that's also plays to factor in having kind of a notch below what the member counts are. But again, the region is very very positive in in all of these uh debt metrics. So, uh, interest rates are good, bond rating is good, just a little pie chart that shows how all those factors come together to determine the bond rating. Now, we get kind of to the to the nitty-gritty is uh

019if we go to the the next page, if you go back, yeah, it's it's a little busy. I think if you look at your uh handouts, it's a lot easier. And and I apologize for the last time we met. you know, when I was in high school, I I wasn't one of these students that got the math award, but um uh again, on the left hand side is the region's existing debt. And as you go from left to right, that column um titled in your handout, column C is the proposed principle and interest for uh a $90 million financing over 20 years. And then we have a column there for something called bond premium. And as we go from left to right, thank you very much. As as we go from left to right where

020the rubber meets the road is the last two columns, you'll see in column L, this what's the annual impact um for resident in Mbury and Southbury. And in column L shows Mberry for every $100,000 of assessed value. We're projecting uh those amounts there where you'll see that the mill rate will go up. The tax rate will go up about 31 $32 per year uh for each year that it's in blue. Then after the debt peaks, it starts to come back down. So someone's house is assessed at 500,000. They would just have to multiply those amounts by five. So, I think this is a good um explanation, a good estimate as to what the impact will be to the member towns. And I think maybe we might have touched on it last time we were here.

021I know working with a few other regional school districts. Sometimes I feel that it kind of empowers uh the member town sometimes when they see what the impact is going to be two or three or four or five years down the road for them to take some actions themselves, start setting aside more reserves to help mitigate those impacts as it comes down. I know region 14 uh Woodbury uh did that when they did their high school project. It it uh it showed a lot of collaboration between the the region and and the memory towns. You show them what the projections are. So, um, just going to stop there a little bit. Um, >> I don't see how you could have any red because you still got to pay something every year, >> right? But if

022if we turn to page nine, maybe it it'll help show why it's red. Now, the the blue bars at the bottom are the existing debt that the region issued earlier this year. So, those are locked in already. Those red bricks are the proposed new debt service for this $90 million. So you can see it for the first several years the African debt is going to rise and it's going to peak at about 2033 at um just over $8 million a year. Um and then each year after that it starts to go down again because at that point there's no new debt coming on for this project and the interest cost starts to go down because you're paying off principal. So, so that's why it is obviously someone who's here in 2036, 2039, they are going

023to be paying more than the region is paying now, but the incremental cost will not be increasing. The incremental cost, >> right? So, I think this shouldn't be the incremental cost. It should be the total cost because every year you're going to have to pay money towards that debt on your taxes, >> right? It's it's it's maybe you're gonna go down less than before, but you're still going to be paying money every day. >> No, no, I hear you. It's a good argument. I mean, the reason why we do that, like for example, um if we go way back, the region had issued bonds many, many years ago. Those bonds were recently paid off and we issued what was it Joe? About 10 five million >> 10.2 million of of new money, >> right, for

024the the swimming pool at the high school. the incremental impact to the debt service budget was already wasn't anything because it just layered it in. So, sort of like if you have a a a car lease and the car lease is up, you're paying $400 a month. The lease is up. So, yes, you could say, "Hey, listen. My lease is up. I'm not going to have a car anymore." Then that your debt goes down. But if you rent a new one for the same amount, it's sort of like you're still paying the $400 a month, but incrementally you're staying same. So, so you're right. Incrementally or inaccurate. >> I got that. But, but again, a middle grade taxpayer is going to want to know this school is going to cost me $31 a year if

025I have $100,000 house. It's not going to cost me minus a dollar a year and 32 33. It's still going to cost me money on my taxes. >> And and I think to add to that, right, it's because it's 31 times six >> plus 32 time six, right? like it every year it's going up. It continues to go up, but this kind of makes it look like I totally agree with you, John. This kind of makes it look like it's only $31. It's only $32. >> But yeah, it looks like you're going to get money back every day. Right. Right. But but again, if you go back, >> the only thing I would say, so we don't know that, right? So theoretically, >> and Mr. Mr. Martino and I would not recommend what I'm about

026to say, but last year we we took our our debt service account and we're building we're paying the cash for a roof right now. Instead of putting on a roof, we could have reduced the budget by that roof amount. And again, you wouldn't necessarily pay less in taxes, but it would offset the increase in insurance or salaries. So like when that when that starts to turn red, the district will have a choice to say, are we going to rebond something else at no additional cost or you could start to use your debt service line to offset the budget increase. Okay, >> so like that's the like the reason that we do it this way um is because there's choices there and even the aggregate like again this is where you get it's hard to do

027these things which is why we're a regional school district. We don't tax anybody. Uh but depending on when you live here, you may or not that aggregate number of what it costs over seven years assumes that you're here all seven years. Also assumes flat grand list growth and there's all kinds of assumptions which is why we don't >> I'm most concerned with middle because their mill rate is will fall with the revalation like their calculation is going to get complicated. I think this only based on current year mill rate. >> That's what I was going to ask like how is Mberry going up more than Southbury where we're only picking up a third of it. The challenge is >> middleberry also >> mill rate is more >> middleberry is only was worth 1.3 million per

028mill where south is worth almost three million per mill. So a mill in south is worth more as part of the budget size. >> I'm sorry if you said this is the is the bond rate floating or fixed? It >> it will be fixed. >> So once it's locked in it's locked in. the region will have an opportunity down the road um to possibly refinance these bonds if rates are lower, but they can never go higher. Um but but just to go uh >> can I ask one follow? So after ref if the referendum moves forward and if everything goes forward, when would we get locked in at the bond rate? >> Um >> from a timeline? >> Good question. Joe Joe has a uh projected time cash flow analysis. Yeah, we're probably probably three

029years out, two years out from actually lock hard lock rate. >> Yeah. So, it's three years from now get to really understand what the rate is. >> Yeah. Because we're only going to issue short-term debt because you you issue bands until you get all all the the major payments out there. >> You know what my next question is, but it's too early. >> What interest rates are going to be? >> My magic. >> It's very volatile right now. So, that's right. >> I mean, so that first slide with the graph is great, but it could all change tomorrow. Yeah. And and it's we're not going to say like the school construction's done. We're going to lock in 80 million all at once. Like there'll probably be like this 80 million in approved money will probably

030end up in like maybe two or three correct bonds by the time we get there. >> Okay. So, so you could have a gain or a loss either way. >> And there and we have some flexibility and timing too. Like we like what we did with the the school renovation bond is we stretched out our ban our short term because rates were volatile. So when Barry says we beat some of the AAA rates, we there was I can't remember exactly what it was happening. I feel like it was December. Correct me if I'm wrong. >> No, that was April when Trump came out with the uh the administration came out with those tariffs and the market really went crazy. So the week we paused. So we stretched out our ban till the market calmed down

031and then we issued the bond and we locked in at 3.2 strategy. That's what I'm hearing. We have strategy reevaluate the market and >> yes, >> thank you. No one's gonna have to bond today. >> That's true. >> You know what it looks like in three. >> But but all the questions you said are absolutely true, right? Because there's going to be different revaluations. It's going to change the mill rate. There's going to be timing. Inter's going to go up. But you know what the the purpose of this I think is just kind of give people a rough estimate, a general idea. you know, we have draft up on the top just to give them an idea because when sometimes people here can borrow $90 million, you know, in in people's minds sometimes like you're

032going to borrow all at once and next year the mill rate's going to go up, you know, $5 million and and that's not the case. We're going to layer it over time. And if you look at column C, column C is the proposed new debt service. So, so what we could do down the line is to say, okay, how does that impact the the the mill rate, you know, what component of of that debt, how many mills are required from Mbury and Southberry to pay for that debt service. >> That would probably, >> right? We we we could do that in there, too. What we find is mostly what impacts people is what the impact is, like what's going to happen next year and the year after. once it's built in. And it's ironic if

033you look at column C, we actually have $900,000 for this project, which hasn't even been approved yet in uh the budget for next year. Now, for debt service for next year, if you go to column E, the debt service budget is the same for 27 as it is for 26. I think that's great um job that you all did with this because some regions or municipalities would lower say lower the debt service. We we need to break to mitigate everything else, but then you would just pay for it twice as bad the following year because you would have to come back up again. They don't like to see that roller coaster up and down in debt service. Try and keep it flat. And the region did that by by but keeping debt service flat for

034next year. You're actually building in some projected debt service for this new project already. When you say they don't like to see the roller coaster, who is they? >> The rating agencies don't want to see the up and down, >> right? To try and mitigate that. That makes it even more difficult. You have all these challenges all the time with medical costs, with bad winters, with all these expenses, special education costs, all this stuff, the last thing you need is for debt service to add another layer to that. So, if you kind of keep it as flat as possible. Now, when you're borrowing $90 million, it's impossible to keep it too flat. But, but the first step was keeping debt service flat for next year was very, very prudent. These numbers are much better than

035last week. >> Yes, they are. I know. I owe you all a big apology. But but um and actually just to clarify Sharon, I think I'm seeing up very one of the other kind of decision sliders that we have as we get closer depending on where rates are. You could go out 25 years or 30 years and you'll see the impact to the mil to the average tax, >> right? And and that's uh if we go to page nine is just simply a graph of uh what we just looked at. It get kind of gives you a visual. And if you look at um those bars are kind of climbing uniformly. That was one of our goals to try and have it uh a uniform increase as the debt is coming on until it peaks

036then gradually run down. Um, if if we go to page 10, it's exactly as what we just looked at for option one, but option two just says for all these bonds that we're issuing for the $90 million, they reach. So, let's advertise those over 25 years instead of 20 years. So, what that does, if you go to the far right hand side, those annual impacts are less each year, which I guess is a positive. The downside to to this scenario compared to scenario one is just that because we're extending the buff to term the bond issues, the regent pays more interest over the life of the loan. So if you look at the total of column C, it's $138 million versus if you look at the total total of column C on page eight, it's

037129. So it's almost $10 million more in interest um over the life of the loan. Well, I I don't think there's really a right or wrong answer. These schools should last a generation, right? Uh an argument can be made to advertise them up to 30 years, I think, because the school should last 30 years and and if the cost should um equal to to stretch it as long as possible and it in 30 years is the the limit. >> 30 years is the statuto limit. >> And then on page nine, you see a simple graph there. I mean, obviously all the graphs go up, but if you look at the peak um for the the peak for uh on page 11, it's less than what the peak was for option one. So, the top of

038the mountain is not as high because we're stretching it out. And if we go to page 12, which is our last scenario, we look at a 30-year amortization. And if you go to the far the last two columns on the right, again, those are mitigated even more. They go from 30 to 20. Now, these go down some of them below $20 uh a year incremental increase. So again, I see that as a positive. What's the downside to page 12 is if you look >> Yeah, another 10 million. If you look at column C, if you're So, it's sort of like a 15-year mortgage and a 30-year mortgage. Everybody likes to have a 15-year mortgage. You pay off your mortgage quicker, but a 30-year mortgage is easier to to maintain. and are and and you know

039if we were going for a police car and you said we want to advertise it over 30 years that would make no sense right because the police car won't last 30 years but if it's a a schools they should last that long so argument is perfectly fine whether you want to go 20 years 25 or 30 >> but we don't have to make this decision for probably another three years if if the referendum passes we still would have to make a decision 20 2530 and I imagine we'll have input from our four towns board of finance on what they would prefer. Um, but the purpose of this is just to show because we always get the question, how many cups of coffee, >> yes, >> is is this whole project going to be. So, this

040kind of helps us understand a little bit better of a range of what it might be. >> Exactly. That's exactly what I call. Is it going to be exact? Probably not. Probably definitely not because interest rates could change, mill rates will change. But I think it gives people residents a good estimate as to what their impact will be from a debt service perspective. Absolutely. >> Joe, do you know when South's next rebell is? >> No, I want to say two years where you it's every five years. It's the end of 2022. >> Yeah. >> Any questions? Thank you. >> Now, now we're up to the really fun stuffs. It'll give you a side note of it. Um, procedurally, um, it's going to be very similar to what we did with the other with the capital

041projects that we did a few years back. Um what's going to happen is that the board is going to essentially call a uh district meeting to conduct a public hearing on it. At that point uh the project will be laid out, the costs will be laid out. People who are uh you know stakeholders in the district will be able to come ask questions and and such. Um sometimes you get a lot of people, sometimes you get five. It you still have to hold it regardless. um after the public hearing uh which on what you see gosh if I could trouble you just to pop me up one page um in the packet is a calendar that I had laid out to the goal was to get to a referendum that coincided with the budget referendum.

042So even though we're kind of coming to the same point that the budget comes to uh bond authorizations have their own path if you will. Uh so in our case what the requirements are is like I said on the 18th uh or 23rd rather we would have a public hearing. On the 18th the board has a meeting scheduled that day. um they can call the meeting, call the uh district meeting and have the public hearing, conduct the public hearing. After the public hearing gets closed, then the board would be meeting. They have regular meeting set for the 23rd. Then that's when you would either approve or disapprove. Uh and at that point, it's going to be the full resolution like we had with the capital projects. Um, and then the other piece of that is

043is that's when you're going to say we're sending this to a referendum. Uh, what that would trigger is the statutory timelines that are required for a district to carry out with their member towns. Uh, we would have to notify the town clerks in both Middlebury and Southbury 30 days in advance of our intended referendum. Uh, it's a 30-day minimum. if things are ready to go 33 days out, 35 days out, we can certainly do that. It's it's really just kind of the deadline to get that out. Um, and I would prepare all that paperwork for you. So, it's really just a matter of kind of I hate to say filling in the blanks, but that's what it is. We send that off to the town clerks in the in the two towns. Um, they're going

044to be charged with posting the notices for the referendum, the warnings. Those are done uh between five and 15 days prior to the referendum. Um but that's also that's that's going to be the town clerk's responsibility to do. Um and then we would have the referendum on the coincides with the budget run. Um in let's see if you want to pick me up another one a question while we're still on. >> Sure. >> Okay. So two questions actually. So the public hearing that we have on 323 is that when we would have to decide language specifically like so or I don't even know if this is possible right so we're building two schools maybe two separate questions on the ballot like is that when we'd have to decide that or can they not >> it

045you can do there's no law or statute that compels you to do it either way um both projects are related It's schools that are under the district's control. So, you can certainly do one question, one resolution contain the two school projects within that or you can certainly decide to do two separate questions. Um, and it'd be two separate authorizations. They would actually be independent of each other. um by having one just to kind of as a a I don't want to say convenience thing, but let's just say one project ran a little over, one project ran a little short. We can transfer funds or at least and authorize somebody to be able to make that decision within the one authorization. If one if we're in two separate ones, we would have to go and amend

046one but or amend both actually and we'd be back at a vote for something like that. Um you also having two questions open up the possibility of let's just say and we're talking the two schools we're talking about is Pomperog and Gainfield. Gainfield wins, Pmparog loses. Um now with you know you you really only have half an authorization or at least what you intended to do. I don't know if that causes a problem between towns or districts. Um, you know, maybe you get one passed and everybody's really agitated, then maybe you don't proceed with the, you know, I don't know what that does because I don't know how the ground what's on the ground here as far as people's uh what their reactions would be, but from a legal standpoint, you can do either. >>

047Can I ask a question? What is the date that the language has to be set by? I think that's kind of where you were going, right? Is this the 23rd? >> It would be the 23rd because that's the day you're going to you would approve >> I'll say resolution or resolutions and what you would also approve when you send it to referendum is you would be approving the question or questions that are going to be on the ballot. So just to follow up to that, say theoretically, it's a very theoretical question, a turf, a second turf fields bond goes on this, like could that be something that would would that have to be noticed as part of this public hearing is for schools and a turf fields and then that would be something that we

048would have to vote on the 23rd. >> I'll say yes kind of hypothetically or conceptually. The dates and the notice requirements that we have here meet statutory requirements. If you were to put something else on another bond project, you would have to meet those same that same criteria. Um, in regards to one, two, three questions. Um, still one big loan. If you were one big bond package, like it's not like if there was more than one question, we would double the work for the borrowing of the money. Like you could still borrow, you prove 250s, you can go and borrow for 100. >> What what we're talking about from this is just purely on the authorization side. Let's just say you authorized four projects. You can group those when you go to borrow at that

049point. >> And then um on that spreadsheet, it's the second row or the first row with the red text. This is the last day. Best practice is to publish a day or more prior. Can you publish a day or more prior without having the board I mean the board hasn't voted. So I'm assuming can we actually publish a date prior? >> You could I wouldn't recommend that. I would recommend that the publication date is the same day that you would approve it. No. But I I only because I think it's easier for people particularly voters in your your district here to kind of conceptually understand chronologically things happening. So to say that you're going to post it and then prove it three days later. I mean uh the chair is going to sign that notice.

050So >> there just some best practice is to do something. It made it seem like it's not best practice. >> Not for you guys. That's my I always have that in calendars that I do because I try not to let people go to the fifth day if they can help it. You know, it's because you never know like sometimes that falls on a Friday and sometimes their town hall is not open on a Friday. Um, you know, it just it's a cushion. Thank you. >> Okay. I just want to make sure that I have an understanding of here like so the public hearing is going to be on March 23rd but we have to publish before March 23rd what the public hearing is about. >> Correct. >> Okay. So then on the 18th is the

051last day that we have to decide what the resolution is to be talked about at the public hearing. >> Yes. I mean, it's it doesn't have to be down to the to the the nittygritty sort of thing. The thing what you're going to want to notice public hearing about is to say we are either sending the $224 million to new schools project for public hearing or we're sending the and I'm just going to split it. So, $112 million game field and we're also sending the 112 million pumper order. I heard something different earlier in my question and that was on the 23rd we have to set the language. >> That's right. >> I'm sorry. >> Go ahead. >> So that that's I think where Shannon's question is going. What is the date that the language

052has to be set? And I had heard that that was the 23rd. So, I think that the the followup question is if we're going to propose the language to the public for that discussion on the 23rd, does that language have to be posted in the public hearing on the 18th? >> We're going to post the notice for that, which is going to mirror what the final language is going to be, but it's not going to be exactly the same because part of the reason for a public hearing is if people say something that says, "I don't want um you know, the board to be in control of this or that or whatever. They're really looking at it partly for that, but mostly for the project itself. So, the description of the project should be pretty

053much in place by that point. But we're not approving or we don't have a ballot question for that night. We don't have to have that. Um, and we would frankly we don't have to have the final resolution that's going to be acted on on the 23rd or on the 23rd that night. So, when is the final resolution that the wording that's going to go on the ballot? Because I think that there would be potentially one, two, three questions. So, there would be a general description on the 23rd. When would the language be finalized going to May 6 referendum? >> 23rd is when we block everything in. >> Yeah. So, basically, if even from coming out of the public, you have to manage it on the fly that the meeting on the 23rd. >> That's what

054you're trying to figure out. So, you basically have to have it pretty much carved out in the 18th with minor adjustments based off the public hearing. And I'm assuming from a legal perspective, we would have representation on the 23rd to help us navigate the language. >> Well, that's what I would be preparing for you with all this. I would be in contact with Joe and with Josh if there was anything that came up that if you want to say upset the way I understand it right now which I'm sure between now and the 18th we're going to be talking maybe fine-tuning if there's any idea I because I haven't talked to the any developers I haven't talked I've really just got kind of a a pre-top sort of thing here and >> you have a

055draft tonight and we'll get what I was going to show you was what you're going to do on the night of the public hearing and then what the uh or not the night of the public hearing night of the 18th and then kind of I also framed the question already doing a single project and just to give you a feel for what question would look like that's not going to be determined until 23rd. So, we're going to look at a draft tonight. You got from now until the 18th review and think about the drafts on the 18th. We can make modifications between now and the 18th draft that we all agree to on the 18th what we'll start 23rd with. >> Yes. >> And if people are okay with that, then at the end of

056the 23rd, we can decide that we're all good or between the 18th and the night of the 23rd, we have to make changes. when you on the the current assumption that we have opportunity to weigh in on is on the 23rd the board's going to take a vote to say this is the question questions that are going to go on the referendum for May 6th. So that's kind of the timeline that we're working on between now and the 23rd. >> Just a quick clarifying question. It says that notice must be posted and published at least five days prior to the public hearing. So if the notice of the public hearing we vote on this on March 18th, the fifth day >> is the 23rd. So does that qualify? >> Yes, it's five. You count back

057and you don't count the meeting date. >> So it wouldn't be published till the 19th because it would be public. It would be published the 19th, right? If we meet on the 18th, >> the publication date that's the 18th to meet for the 23rd. It would have to be published on the 18th. The 19th would be too late. >> But how could we publish something on the 18th if we haven't voted yet? >> That would be either you would prospectively look to publish it and take a chance or the better bet might be to meet a day or two earlier. >> I'm I'm so sorry. >> Yeah. This is like >> this is this to me >> is not been clearly presented. I'm sorry. >> Yeah. And I'm sure you must we're all smart people.

058I just don't just like I I I don't I don't want to be I don't want to miss a date. So when you're telling me on the 18th but we should have done it sooner than tell me to do it sooner. Like that's not necessarily on you but oh my god like how do we not screw up? Please give me a time. This is way too complicated. When does it have to be the public? When does the language have to be final and when do we need to make a decision on it? And that's it. >> If we meet on the 18th, that's at we meet I believe at 6:30, 7 o'clock or whatever on the So this is the evening of the 18th and we vote on the notice of the public hearing that

059doesn't get published. Can we publish it on the 18th? Is that that No, we have to publish it on the 19th, right? Or Does it have to be an artich? >> I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm asking you to. >> No, but I won't speak. But um my assumption is when it had to be post like posted by the 16th and 15th like to be published in a paper newspaper be >> me sending it sometime next week or this coming week. Friday 14th, Saturday the 14th or Sunday the 15th to be posted in either Sunday's paper 15th or Monday night's paper the 16th because that gives you one two three four I mean five business days is the 23rd. >> Okay. Does it have to be business days or can it include weekends? >>

060Can't include weekends. >> Okay. tech. >> Yeah, but I think if we were looking at a conservative try to make a kind of give ourselves a cushion because the 18th was chosen to try to correspond with a meeting that you were already correct going to be having. It's tough to get people together sometimes. Yeah. And that was the suggestion. >> Um if you did it on the 16th, say a special meeting >> then or whatever. I don't know where that falls so I don't want to anything. then you can probably have it to the newspapers and whatnot that day and then it would definitely be published by it's got to show up in the paper by the 18th. >> Okay. And Okay. And and what needs to show up in the paper the notice of

061a hearing is it that that the second page like the res this >> No, I've got a draft similar to that. It it would be what what is it that has to show up on the I have an idea of what we can do here to >> Yeah, it what would what it would do is we it would have something very similar to what the second pages that the number part of it would be in the warning. The warning itself would say like a notice to all uh voters and people you know able to vote in certain elections and whatnot. It would say that the a district meeting is being called for the purpose of conducting a public hearing. >> Yeah. >> On the following items and this would be all under one item. It

062would be the way this is written up. It would be one item that's uh construction of two new schools. We'll just say then that's the that's kind of the nitty nitty-gritty piece of it. >> Yeah. >> The what projects are, what the dollars are, what the borrowing be. >> Okay. So, in conceivably we could if this is if this is a proposal for doing the two schools together, we could vote on this tonight. If we added this item to the agenda, we could vote on this tonight and that would be set for that would set a notice of a public hearing to be conducted on March 23rd and that can get published in the paper. That would be enough time. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Can I So that's the actual draft language because I

063think that if I read a room and and I don't know if I can, but we're talking one question, two question, possibly three question. >> Correct. You'd have to hash it out. >> So that would be tonight. >> We'd hashion that out tonight. It's >> a good thing you added your topic. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, yep. I mean, we could resolve this in theory tonight. >> Okay. So, go ahead. This feels very rushed. >> I have to say >> this feels very rushed relative to this. And we are now being placed >> I just I disagree. No, but we're being placed in a situation where we're actually hashing out dates that if in all honesty should have been presented to the board with this is when we need this, this is when

064we need this and this is when we need this. And we're now agreeing to to to staying here to align on language and that's okay. But I think that there's a better way to do that. And I would concur with that. And it doesn't like if I feel like if our community knew that this was happening tonight, I'd have a full people. or we still have room to >> but all over like right we're saying we have to hash out language to >> but the room full of people can still be here on the 23rd and then we could decide to go from one big question to two small questions or three questions right >> but I think we have to have the language I'm I'm hearing that it has to be buttoned up >>

065by the 23rd that language has to be pretty much aligned and the language has to be final on the 23rd so between now and the 18th we have to make a decision if it's one, two, or three questions. That's what I'm hearing from this conversation. >> And on the 18th, we still wiggle. >> On the 18th, we can it'd be a broader description, but if we're doing one question versus two separate questions, >> we should know that before the 18th. >> Okay. So, we're going to decide the name. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Can we start with discussion? Forget about the torque field for a second, but do we want to have one or two questions >> on schools? I mean, I don't think that's the big decision. >> Yeah, like I I think Glenn

066has to finish his presentation and then John, I think I I hear your point and I want to get to it. We need to find the right spot. And then on the last page is what the question it's kind of the goal where we're going to would be this question has been placed on the referendum balance. This is drafted as a single project with both schools in the same project. And what it does is and the question is really kind of a call it it's not really a summary, but it it it's statute requires that we ask it in a yes or no fashion. And what they're approving while they're going to say yes or no to the question, it's going to be approving what the final resolution is going to be. And that's we

067would know that well before that's the 23rd type. So at this point it's what total amount would be and we included um that it's not just appropriation it's got a borrowing authorization that goes with it. And then uh so that you know similar to like what we did with capital projects, we're authorizing the bond issuance for the the whole amount. We are never going to issue the whole amount. That's why I put in the language that says currently estimated to be 64.2%. That's the grants we're we're looking at. What that's going to mean is is that when we do bonds, we're never going to exceed what's not covered by grants. I when you wouldn't be allowed to um to both federal and the state government would frown on that. Um, the reason we have that

068piece in there that's covered by the grants is because the state re the state grant program is a reimbursementbased program. And so you have to spend the money first before the state's going to approve it because they're going to go pick through for eligible costs and non-eligs and everything else. That's where those short-term notes that Barry was talking about come in. you kind of keep that I don't know what you want to call the grant kind of portion of it is always you want that always kind of in the grants because when you do get the grant money federal government doesn't want you to be out there with tax exempt debt we can easily pay off notes within a short period of time so it keeps you protected in that regard >> and we add

069the dollar amount as well as the percent amount >> absolutely as long as it's a reasonable estimate >> yeah we can certainly that we say 6% equals 90 million tax. >> I mean, so this way people know and when they're voting and what's would be available to them at the town clerk's offices would not only be the warning and the question, but the resolutions would be there for them to take a look at as well. >> I'm assuming that 64.2% is inclusive of our state reimbursement plus the 15% for prek but not the space waiver. Is that accurate? Correct. It doesn't include the space waiver. It also doesn't include the additional 15 to special ed. So that's where we feel that this is both accurate and conservative. What we did want to do was kind

070of go super aggressive with that and then be in a position where we there's a bait switch kind of narrative. So we feel this. >> So the reality is we will know the uh result space waiver before the referendum. Theoretically going to know where the same day the session ends >> if they vote on the last day of the session. >> So the implement bill is typ typically where this is the implement is like 11:00 on the last day of the session. We actually they know the referendum before the >> if we know beforehand we will definitely >> that that's the challenge about where we're headed but these are guaranteed reimbursements that are not up for u approval. >> So the space waiverss short answer yes. The problem with the space waiver is it's not

071really doesn't increase our reimburseable rate. It increases the amount of square footage we can build at a reimburseable rate. The 224 is uh the the total square footage school. So that's where like that's where that number comes. >> Any other questions on the technical part of this? Okay. So I guess then my question to the board is do you want to talk now about the resolution that goes to the district meeting for the 23rd? Do you want to talk about if it's one question >> or how are we going to do this one or two schools? >> I'm sorry. Say this again. We do individual questions for the two schools or one question for both schools. Good. Let's start with that. >> Let's start with that. Okay. So, where does people fall on that? I

072>> I say one >> one. Yeah. >> One one >> one. >> We have a discussion about it. >> Sure. >> I would right. So, I am transparently leaning towards two because I have heard a lot of push back. So, what I'm concerned is this is a big number in one spot. I didn't realize, right, that like if one went over and one didn't, we couldn't move money around. However, I am worried that this does not pass and then we lose both schools. I feel based on feedback I've gotten that GES is going to be a slam dunk. I think that that's going to be an easier cell than PES. And I know that PS is in more dire shape and that would be the priority. However, I am worried that if we lose both

073of these, because I think this is going to be a tight vote, right, then both are gone and we could potentially lose that banner. So, my thought process was if someone's going to approve one or two or whatever the pieces are, it depends who comes out to vote that having two separate questions insulates us a little bit from risk. Can >> I ask a logistical question? So, let's say we go with one, it fails. We can do another referendum with two. Correct. We could go back, >> right? And vice versa. >> Okay. >> And how much does that cost us though? >> I would say if we went back out like in November when there's an election cycle already, midpoint, >> but that would also the timeline. No, actually so the advantage of this process

074is that we could submit the state construction grant in still by June 30th and say our vote is happening in November. Um if it passed we got it all set. Um if it failed then we'd have to resubmit again next year. But you do have the ability >> that's pushing everything out though. >> So the the school If if it passed in November, it wouldn't push everything out because the school construction grant is due June 30th of 26. The approval of those grant funds will happen in the next legislative session. So, we really have the next legislative session to get our referendum passed. If we don't get approved in that legislative session, then it pushes it out. >> I could use the I mean, I hear what you're saying, Shannon, but I think that the

075same arc could use just split it. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> Yeah. >> But knowing that we have a second chance to go at then I'm fine with it. Right. Like I'm worried >> about this passing transparent. >> Yeah. >> That's Yeah. >> I think we're all worried. I think for me, you know, part of the urgency of addressing both at once is, you know, going on those tours and seeing the state of both schools. And I think part of it is public education about what's going on in each of those schools. GES may be the slam dunk because it's older and it's not in the center of town, but it has aged much better than PEES. And I think if we do delay these projects, you know, with any on any substantial timeline, we're

076talking about doing substantial work at possibly non-reimburseable or not as generously reimbursible uh rates. >> Totally with you. >> Yeah. So, >> I'm to like that was my having the second chance >> is >> Yeah, I mean I I do think you know there's some urgency here. Uh I'm I'd love to for it to go at first go. Um I'm prepared to have second go at it. Um and I think we need people to understand you know that this the state of the schools has costs um beyond this you know we've done a lot of work here already you know um planning this project and talking about numbers and what would be included and excavated but um you know part of what we need to communicate to the public as well is if we did

077do nothing. Those costs don't go away. You know, that remediation doesn't go away. Um, so I think we just need to put our best case forward and try to get them done at the best possible in the best possible scenario we can come up with. >> I think with the numbers we got today versus last week. >> I agree. I agree. >> Come back in a couple weeks. Yeah. So, what I'm looking is later on in the agenda, perhaps we could add a vote um on the resolution for the two new schools in one together, but we have to figure out the second turf field. So, what I think we should do is move on to the second turf field and then depending on that discussion, decide what we're going to vote on later. Does

078that make sense with everyone? and we'll add that item to the agenda. >> Okay. All right. So, unless there's any other questions on the bonds presentation before we move on to the second turf field, can I just ask about just kind of bridging the two, but with the like in a referendum question, can you make it almost like a the turf field dependent on, you know, if this passes, shall we add x million for straightforward yes or no and that's it? And it's a single question. >> It can't be no. >> Okay. The contingent is is that if it passes and like on a lot of authorizations, it doesn't mean you have to actually carry it out still under your control whether you know say you pass not to say the turf field because I

079know nothing about turf fields and all but let's say you you passed that and you decided some new study comes out and says turf fields should really be made of this rather than that. you're not compelled to carry out what was passed because now circumstances have changed. However, you know, you've got to respond to your voters, I guess, is the ultimate on something like that, but it's permissive. >> But if we had it in there, this this gets back to Steve's question, and it passed. It could be added into the bond for the schools. >> Yes, bonds can be aggregate of multiple projects. Um, that's kind of almost like a separate from the authorization. >> Correct. So then then the question is is if if we do decide we want to have like put to

080referendum a second turf field, we want that added to the bond. Does then that can be two separate questions because then it would be the schools the two schools together and then a turf field question or can you combine all three? um the in in in the instance that we're looking at, I guess theoretically you could say maybe yes, but I think that opens it up for people to question it because when I think of a new school, I don't really necessarily think of a turf field and I'm thinking of two schools. In this case, a turf field really >> isn't as tight of a relationship. So, I would think that the the more prudent path would be one school question, one turf question. It makes the partial message that it's at the high school,

081>> right? >> So, Glenn, you're talking two elementary schools and the second field would be the high school. >> Yeah, I think >> you have >> I think that gets a little tenuous as you start >> Yeah. >> moving out like that. So, I I would think it's two questions. >> Um, if I can just I'm sorry to interrupt. Um, I was thinking just to make sure procedurally if you do want to act on this, it would be uh page two or the my second to last page that that couldn't pack in. >> So the board it would be move that the board of education approve the following resolution authorizing a district meeting to be held on March 23rd. That whole page has to be read. >> Yes. >> As a motion. >> That would

082be your motion. >> Added to the agenda. >> Yes. So you'd have to add it first >> and then vote on it. >> Both and then vote on it. Nothing we said here changes anything. Uh >> because this this is for two schools together on one question. >> Yes. >> Okay. Can we read that entire page? >> You can read it. You can >> fine >> wave reading it. Um I would read it. Make sure because if not, you're going to have to take a vote to see if people pass on waving it and then make sure it's part of the minutes. >> And I would still make it part of the minutes anyway. You >> read all of 16 and then whatever we decide on 17. No. Does So, so does the question that's

083on the ballot does that get read? >> The last page did not act on that's not for tonight. Um, it's just that Barry's page 16. Yeah. I didn't have to know what the page was. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Well, you're not going anywhere just yet. We're going to keep you here for the turf field discussion. You never know. That's why we have cookies, too. I don't know what's going on. Next logistical question on the 18th. was here on the 18th. I >> you have no Yeah. So, not me, not Jack. >> I won't be back until like the 30th. >> Yeah. I just want to make sure. >> Can you guys call in? >> I don't know. I'll >> Romania and Croatia. But if if we get this done tonight, >> I just want

084to make sure procedurally I understand what's happening on the 18th and if there needs to be anything voted on the 18th that there's adequate representation at that meeting. >> Got it. I agree. But if we can get this done tonight, then the 18th is becomes less important. >> Absolutely. Correct. Got it. >> Yep. The 18th just becomes just the deadline to have things published. >> It's not a meeting. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. So, we're going to move on to the next agenda item which is now added is um the second turf field. Um so, Shannon, since you um requested to add this, you want to talk to about talk about it? >> Sure. So, and I think this have been a conversation and we've been getting emails for several months now. It started

085kind of in September. There was a bunch of emails and parents reaching out and I think more recently as parents realizing we're going out to bond they would like add it based on I think we got over 50 emails right a second to our field added into the package and when you think about right the schools are needed right but from a perspective of a parent of people who aren't benefiting from those schools right there is no one in our district right now with kids in second grade plus right and a lot of our emails came second, third, fourth grade parents, right, that are going to benefit from these new schools. They're definitely needed for the town. But a turf field is something every soccer player, every lacrosse player, every field hockey player, right in

086these schools, football players in this community at this high school are going to use. So while now, I don't think it's prudent to say on and they mobilized their own not for profofit. They've gotten quotes on their own dime, right? parents in this community have one got quotes for that second field. I don't think it's prudent to go out a$2 million million dollar bond by itself and it's not something where we have enough funds where like we can just write the check but since we're going out to referendum my thought process is right in in my personal opinion is what's the harm of putting it on the ballot so that our voters and our parents can speak and if it doesn't pass then like it doesn't pass right but if it passes right then at

087least we're doing an improvement here that I mean we've received two emails on new schools. We received 53 in the past two weeks, copy and paste or not. The new schools, some of those were copy and paste too on sec that second turf field, not including the 35 that we got back in September. So like from a community perspective, that's what I'm hearing loud and clear that people want done as the next step as we renovate this space. Um I I think um there's a lot more people than people who have emailed in who are interested in a second tur field. I've heard that I've heard it from >> um other people. Our PTOs have talked about it >> as well. Um I I did speak with the gentleman who started the pack for the

088second turf field. um just because I wanted to un you know understand uh you know where he was coming from where he felt that you know where he wanted to fall and I don't know if the timing was uh essential to him he just wanted um a hope that we would be interested in the second turf field um and I think what's important to me um what I said to him is this second turf field. I'm I'm interested. I'm, you know, I I do think that there are people who want it. Um, so I'm certainly interested in exploring it, but where I see this is originating from, it's a it's a community need. It's not necessarily a region 15 school district need. I think it's a community need in terms of um feeder programs to

089region 15. And I think that's really important. Um, but what I said to the gentleman who started the pack is I really would love to hear from our two towns. Um, in terms of what would they be willing to kick in to have this happen? I think the Pop Park High School is a good spot for it because it's like a nice in between spot between the two towns. Um, but I I would very much be interested in having a conversation with both First Selectman. I don't know. um he said he he did talk to the first selectman, but I I don't know um what their position is in terms of that. So, I'm not saying I wouldn't be interested in this. I'm saying I need more information and I don't know necessarily that we

090have the dollar amount that can go into the bond resolution at this point. I mean, it's very nice that they presented us a quote, but we have to do our own due diligence as to how much it's exactly going to cost. >> So, just for clarity, this originated with the high school. So, like this started not with the community. They engaged >> community theater programs, but I heard this the first time ever from people at the high school. So, this was our high school, right, athletics program saying like, why don't we have a field? we're practicing over here on the dirt like it's not conducive. Soccer has no place to play, right? This didn't start with the communities themselves. They engaged the community say like, "Hey, this should be done because we have the space

091at the high school." And I think it started with that finance and facilities presentation that was presented to finance facilities about the second tier field back in September or October that was included as part of a update that we did. Yeah, it's in there. Okay, >> because that's when the community engage and that's when the high school shut. So, right, I'm just saying my my thought process and why I'm bringing this up is because we're already going to vote, right? We're not going out to bond again, right? We save ourselves significant costs and like by saying like the town's pitching in like people are going to vote on. If it votes no, then like the community has spoken and votes yes. Taxpayer dollars are taxpayer dollars, right? they're going to vote on. It's not like

092it's not like where we said we're going to do um the roof project which didn't go out to vote, right? That was a choice here that we chose to do it this month. This I'm just saying like not our choice. Listen to the community. We'll put it on referendum. You guys go decide. You want it, you don't want it. That's up to them. >> But why can't we make this our choice? Like why can't we own it if this is what we want? >> Two million dollars. >> Yeah. Like you know instead of like you know we have we have Hold on a second. don't don't have a hard like okay so we have like an I we have a plan for using our debt service for roofs right like there's nothing to be said

093that we can't look at putting a second tur field as part of our capital plan and figuring out how we move for from there you know >> I think the cost is more too >> and I I think the >> and I don't want to get messy but like the question I have in my mind is lights no lights I mean there's a lot there bathroom space we have currently if you're running multiple events down there doing more like those are things like in my mind and I thought through it in the process with that. So again, I don't um so I don't want to wind up at a hard number of like million at four. >> Well, we still have original turf field that needs to be placed on our capital land still have

094the track that when we go to replace that tur service again I don't disagree. I I do think when we talked about science labs, we talked about like a bunch of things. Um, I feel like we talked about that even here back in September about other capital large capital projects. Um, and whether or not this should all be lumped into like again the renovation bond that we did two years ago was the first time we did a major capital in 20 years. I think that we can't go and every 20 years like there has to be something aviary. can't look at the fact that we're gonna bond hopefully these two schools and then we're done with all major project and Sharon asked before like what are the other big things air conditioning unit it's like

095big six seven digit numbers uh this is one again we work at your leisure we can kind of adjust to where you want but I I think that our concern is throwing around kind of a number uh and not having good line as to what that includes and what what's left off. I mean, we we firm up a number, but just I do think there's a couple things down there that you need. >> So, this is the piece about and about the comment about feeling rushed, right? Exactly. Because I look at and say the optics in May is the budget. Does the educational budget pass? Big number there. Does the bond for two schools at million or whatever pass? Huge number there. >> And then to add a third because I I would not be

096able to support it being part of that second question. Full disclosure. >> Agree. >> I don't think it's a standalone. >> Yeah, >> that's another big number and I feel that while it is a very important conversation for the community and wholeheartedly I support a second turfield. We have no numbers to actually tonight walk away and be like, you know what, I feel confident that that's a $6 million project. That's going to be question three. Is it six? Is it eight? Is it four? I don't know. And that's the piece where I think that these are important. I would love to have a third question on the bond, but what is that number? And how does that then play into all the other stuff? I could also say, hey, put in a second field. And

097while that's getting done, then you can fix the one that you have. I just think I'm I'm just looking for a number of what that would look like because those are three huge numbers that are going to go to the town. >> I know >> in a really e economically volatile situation. >> Yeah. And and the concern always is we talked at some point about an estimate like getting getting anything like that done. Again, drainage down is always complicated. You kind of don't know what you wind up. But if we say that this would be a tur turf field at an estimated I don't know is it 15 million I don't know my numbers keep on going up. >> I'm just saying like whatever that is if the community passes it the community passes it.

098I would not want it to be at the expense of the school building project that is imminently failing. I mean that's the piece I'm very concerned about when I see three big numbers line item line item. >> We have people out to vote like I I >> Yeah. Because but and then my other question is right like so if we can't get a number then if none of us waste our time anymore tonight like I wanted I I appreciate when you're like let's stay on track like can we get a number by March 23rd and how many is it 100 people in this building is it 300 people like what will make us say this is important enough to the community for them to be here during public hearing because they're asking me right now

099blowing up my phone how many people need to come here because it's important I'm I'm >> to answer the question for me personally, the whole community could show up honestly. Like I just and I agree with with the like I agree with both of you like I I'm I'm all for like we can put it on the capital projects list like we like we need air we need a whole lot of things and yes people may want a field now and and it is sexy and they probably would vote yes for it but like I can't go put you know a million dollars for a failing air air unit on the high school that'll shut us down. I can't put that on referendum. Like, so it's it I I I just I would put it

100on the capital project list. I agree. I don't really know the cost. I think the towns absolutely need to um buy at least chime in on how how they feel about buying this because if this was were not a regional school district, they this would the towns would have a say like they would be part of this whole discussion. Um I agree that it's with what you said, it's not it's not part of our program. like high school it is part of our programming but it's more of a feeder element what you were talking about um and I just I feel I feel I just feel rushed with this but I'm willing to I'm not saying no but let's just talk about it after this is all over >> can I make a is it

101possible that between now and the 18th there could be some hard numbers so that we can agree on the first question as presented and then have at least an agreement or discussion I know many of aren't here on the 18th, but like if we have some harder numbers to say if we do lights, if we do a turf field, I'd love to see a third question on there, but I think it's hard to do that without any clarity. >> Yeah. I don't And then you get like scope creep and we wind up with, you know, that's >> But can we get if we can't get it? >> The district has like three architects under under contract for various projects. So, I mean, Jeff from Tecton is under contract for the two schools. um that would

102not be possible to do. I don't think Jeff >> right again the only hesitation I would say is it's easy for like I have no idea what their workload is. I have no idea how like can we do it >> maybe, you know, but I get to see here tonight and I can get a definite number in nine days without at least the architecture be like >> then I would flip it the other way. Create the language tonight. You don't have to make it public until the 23rd or whatever when that comes and between now and then you figure out the numbers and you can always mix it in the back end. Just full disclosure too, we went the full journey. We got different ideas and options of UV filters. Again, turf's kind of a

103turf. But I think when you get into different things like oh it be great if we had that or you know you just I get mindful that we come to a numbers you want growing then then we overflow the 3 million. So again yes we get to a number. I just I wanted I want to make sure explore the options. I said one of small concerns is like that bathroom space down. I think you're running multiple things one set that kind of thing. We're already running multiple things. There's already stuff happening. >> Look, I mean, and architects count random things. So, you know, >> yeah, a couple of things. Um, I'm sensing some hesitation from the people that would have to have with me on back of a night where, you know, and no offense

104to Jim at the end of the table, we had real trouble understanding this on the back of a meeting where we had real trouble understanding the bond rates, right? I don't really want our attention diverted at this point if it's going to suck up resources. I don't think we have the manpower. I'm not This hasn't been a smooth ride to this point. This is the most we've been working on this for three years. >> Yeah. >> I say I think I I would be in favor of eyes on the prize which is not to say again I'm echo a lot of the other sentiment like I'm for the project. I think you get one shot at it. I don't think you're taking your best hurtfield shot in seven days or whenever the is required. I

105think you're taking it in in 50 weeks. Um, I I think the other thing we would signal if we were to include this with the bond is that we are ready to pay for it. That's a conversation we need to have because I'm not ready. I don't know that it's the entire responsibility of region 15 to pay for a secondary field. We heard a lot from the community, but only one or two of those folks acknowledged they were high school parents. It was all you youth sports. as you look at models in other towns and some of them were quoted back to us in the emails that were different. Um, New Town, New Town did a lot of private fundraising with a group very similar to this one and on their website, they're not fundraising

106yet, but imagine what they can do in a year's worth of time. Uh, Brookfield, you talked about drainage show, did a very creative thing where they've gotten some grant funding to address drainage as part of a turf field project. So I wouldn't want to commit to we're going to pay 100% of this project. I think there's a lot of avenues we need to explore and we're not going to do that tonight. The the other question too that exists obviously working out of our current bond deadline. So, we've not up that the new schools, the the walking around dollars once we approve in May, the architect bill alone is about six or seven million for next year to get all those pieces. So, obviously that will go against our current deadline. That's probably what I we

107haven't studied it either. Well, Tom's point is if we issue a ban against because obviously if the turf passes in May, the turf won't construct You won't see a Turk probably till the following year. So I'm trying to say there's there's there's no way it'll probably launch full drawings, full everything for a bid package that we bought in June or even in May. >> True. >> So like I mean if I think of like again whether it's a room for everything like if you're not at least kind of ink drying on the wall on a set of drawings designs it's really almost impossible to get that. So I think to Tom's point about pipeline even if it goes in May the idea of getting something bid done and shovels in the ground for June I

108think would be would be a lot there. Joe, it's fair to say that if he shelled this for now and put it on referend next, you could have the drawing and everything like shovel ready. >> You could refer me. Not a big deal. It's just a question. You won't see that till the fall. It'll be much like if we put a next base referendum referendum 27. >> Yeah, we could do all those drawings over the course of next year and be like shovel ready. That's easy. So like from a I'm just saying from a community standpoint, the actual ability for people to use the field in theory is going to be the same whether you went out this May or next. >> I don't think people are worried about like I think people just want

109it, right? Like if no one No, I DON'T THINK ANY person was like, I want a shovel in the ground in a month, >> right? >> So your high school coaches here definitely want that. >> People that >> Yeah. But like I think people realize it takes time. I think we've just been talking about it for a while and people are excited about it. They they want it and it it so >> yeah even even passing May of 27 getting out of the gate on a bid is is still on the late side even there. So I mean I guess the other fear is if you don't move soon you could be two or three years away from from that's the other >> Could it go November? >> Sure it could. It could. Yeah. >>

110Like >> it's got a random it would stay out there as just >> random, right? But like >> could it go November? >> It could. In theory as a school board, we can do a referendum on our timeline. We tend to piggyback that to the town just because voter turnout is higher and cost to run it is less because shared three ways. We have to cost on our own. that we had the ability to go to whoever said it before if we ever had to go back out and ask another question. >> Okay, go ahead. >> Um, this is not the >> Sorry, Sally. You're right. >> You're right. I'm so sorry. >> Um, yeah. So, well, my first question, just following quickly on that, is how would that be financed then if it goes

111out as a separate question? Because then I mean are we didn't we just say we don't do like a bond for a couple million dollars like >> so I mean isn't that sort of some of the impetus to do it with this? I just want I just want to clarify that that piece of work. So there is well again without knowing how much the turf costs right so going for 2 million at this point I >> I don't have a ballpark crystal ball >> I find it hard to think we put in a turf field about 2 million right >> be a substantial project like would it be something that could >> well fortunately for us there's lots of broken stuff that if you needed to put together a bond back included updated science labs

112or air conditioning like again >> it would probably not be cost effective just do a nature field and not fix the field that's down there. >> Yeah. >> Again, it's part of the challenge to kind of when we spent years getting I hear people that feel rushed some of the last minute. >> No, and I I understand that feeling rushed and I like I'm kind of middle of the row here, but I just want to make a couple comments as someone who spent a large percentage of my life on Earth, my young adult life. Um I mean I certainly did. There were a couple I actually thought the most moving emails were from high students and you know having coaches here like it's late at night you're turning off the lights you're walking to your

113car you're getting here at 6 a.m. Saturday on Sunday morning because it feel you know there's a need for it from the high school students and when we think about sleep deprivation and all of that like there's a it's more than just youth sports but I but I do think um so I just want to make that that point but I do think that this was something that um Shannon had said to me I'm not going to steal your your point and plagiarize it but that you know and I think in middle there is a sense of like they're indeed at two schools but they're in Southbury there you know what I mean and yes we're a region but there is some of that and even students I can imagine at those schools, we're going

114to be out of here by the time that's these schools are there. So, I mean, I do think one argument for considering it again, I understand the rushness, but I want to just throw it out there is that it does kind of provide something more tangible to people that have been going to school with leaky wounds or kids, you know what I mean? there there's a large segment of people I think who would latch on to this as something a little bit more tangible and that kind of felt like it was granted distributed to people who are athletically inclined which is not everybody but it's a um it kind of fills a little bit of that space where I do think like it's a harder cell than a town where those two schools aren't going

115um so um I just wanted to mention that and then the other thing is just the timing of it I mean if we're talking about okay like in a few years maybe we'll go out bond for that that's exactly when these payments are going to be hitting so I mean I think the reality of of potentially passing something like that might also I don't want to overestimate that. So I just put that out there but I think without a number >> I don't want to hold up the board's debate. We can we can we can work on I know it's not it's not an impossible task. Um we can engage tech fields get built all the time. They are kind of a little more simpler than building like well um there's no hback involved. Um

116we could certainly explore that. I mean, if the board wants to keep baiting that, I don't want to I'm one person and that was sort of my thinking. I also support whatever. >> Yeah. >> You know, >> I think it's gonna get like it's going to get people out to vote like parents >> doesn't mean they're going to come out. They can vote yes for the field and no how parents are going to vote. >> You don't speak for all parents. I know you you have your you think you do, but you don't. >> No, no, but I'm just saying like people who go out, right? I'm not saying it's true for all parents, but like people see it as like I want improvements and so would I want to. >> So I think we

117can >> I think can we all just we do I agree to just can we just go can we wrap this up? >> What is left to talk about? So, I guess my I I my my answer to you, Steve, is I would like to add an agenda item later under regular business about having a resolution which is going to be a notice of public hearing for March 23rd. And sorry, >> I left the last conversation was are we getting to include a second question in that action or not? That that's what I was just explaining because we're adding about language for the referendum but but is it going to include the term >> that's what I was just explaining. >> Okay. >> Right. So I what I was saying is I would like to

118add later on the agenda a a a motion for doing this resolution calling for a district meeting to be held on March 23rd that has at least the two schools in the one question. Right. So, the reason why we're still talking about it is are we going to add a second question to that agenda item and the notice of public hearing? That's why we're having this discussion. >> Can't we just add it and then if we decide no on the 23rd? No, we don't have a number. >> I'd rather do it now. I won't be here on the 23rd. Won't be here on the 18th. I'd rather decide now whether we're going to ask a question about >> But Jeff's not here either and he he wants us. So like right now that's >> I

119think we need more than our numbers. We need you know the numbers. We need some background what schools have it which schools don't have it what other things we have to fix or not fix and just pick out a referendum for one thing a turf field go but it makes sense like >> I don't I I'm okay with talking about a field like later like you know after this is all done you know so next year I guess. Um, is it possible to just see like it doesn't matter? I I I would vote no to anything related to having this dealt with tonight like so other people are of the same mindset then maybe the decisions already made. Maybe other people are like in the middle because they want some numbers like can we figure

120that out? >> Okay. So like so then the question is is there is there consensus to add a second question to the notice of public hearing for March 23rd? Like do people want to do that? Second question >> question. >> Second question being the turf field. We're all set on the first question. Two schools. Is there consensus for adding a second question for a second turf field? Well, I think both of those questions would have to be added to the agenda. >> Correct. >> Which means they would both require two vote. >> Correct. So where the consensus I get you >> is that something we can decide now. >> We can I guess we're going to add it or not. So we're voting whether we're going to add it to the agenda. What the heck?

121>> No, we're not we're not voting. What I what I'm we have enough votes to add an item to the agenda to set a notice for hearing for one question involving the two schools. What I'm asking is that is there enough people wanting to have the second question of a second turf field to be added to that notice for the public hearing? >> I would vote that. I would not vote. >> No, I would. Yes. Yes. Oh, yes. Yes. >> Yeah. Um, I guess I I would add it to the agenda, but I just feel like I said my piece same on the same I'd add to the agenda, but this Oh, yeah. >> You know what I mean? like we just discussed it. So could that be part of the discussion rather than like

122returning to the discussion? >> Do we need a number? Like that I'm confused too. Like I don't know like we're adding it so that we Yes or no, but we could only go yes if we had a number and if we don't get it, it's a no regardless. >> I'm very two agenda items. The first is the language and the second is are we voting to put the turf field on as a second question? Yes or no? And then what do we need to do to make it be able to make a decision about it? Right? because we are agreeing on the first question. I think it's about second agenda items. >> So again, I could try to add some clarity reason that you would create language tonight so we can >> Yes. And then

123by adding it tonight, you have between now and 23rd to gather data and decide whether or not that's what shows. So if there's consensus to move forward with that, we would do the due diligence to get information. If there's not consensus, no matter what the data is to add it, then there's no correct time pressure to do the due diligence to get off. >> Yeah. >> If I may go ahead, please. Um, with regards to the turf field, we would have to have a reasonable number and a reasonable description of what we were doing and that would have to be part of the notice >> for the warning for the public hearing. So, we would need it before the 18th so that it would be in there because people need to know what they're attending

124public hearing for. >> Okay. So, then >> also that the board wouldn't see the number by the time. Okay. >> Okay. That was helpful. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Feel free to interfere. >> You could have saved us the water. >> I think something to charge you. >> I agree. You okay? >> All right. All right. Uh information and proposals policy and curriculum committee. Miss Heather Dwire. Is it short? >> At least there's nothing for me to discuss. >> All right, let's start. Once upon a time, there were some policies. I do apologize because we did have a little bit of a backlog as we figured out post our policy review how we were going to validate um the coding and the legal references of policies as moved on from and from that project.

125So we are getting kind of a hodgepodge of activity that has gone through the policy curriculum several months. Um so I am not going to read these policies to you. this is this is on you guys uh you know um but I will uh talk briefly about what's in this packet because it is a few different things um I'm going to skip right over the first one because I want to address that when I talk about a later policy investment of funds is something that we had you know we had discussed um in regards to the educational expense fund and what policy and curriculum did was um kind of tighten up that policy um to be about um capital funding and special education funding. So um rather that you know rather than have that fund

126um necessarily be um you know just a general um fund that could be used for any number of things. We you know um wanted to keep it pretty close to what had been our practice which was only saving for a capital improvement. adding in that special education so that we could actually have more of a special education contingency. Up until this point, our special education contingency had really just been a budget item um that we could have shot on or under and and wasn't really sustained year-over-year way um money over time as a contingency. So, this kind of gives us that ability. Um so, we had talked about this but um in other meetings. But here's the policy before you first meet. Um, you know, we also received an update on um, Title Nine. Uh,

127there has been some movement in Title N back and forth over the last couple years. We did receive recommend recommended policy from Shipment and Goodwin when we went to that policy. Um the next group of 5,000 policies 513.13 5120 5132 5142 5145.14 these were all the last bit of um that general policy review. So those were the last 5,000 series policies that we reviewed. Um for the most part those are um those are cave recommended policies uh with some minor amendments. you have any questions, happy to answer them next meeting. Um, the next group, the 61612.13 and4 are a response to legislation from last year regarding um challenging library materials. So um there was legislation about uh what sort of process districts should follow should uh library material be challenged. Um and we have taken

128those recommendations. Those recommendations were fairly close to an existing policy that we had and I will go back up to the top now. 1312 public complaints. Um the the amendments we made to 1312 were to clarify um that the 6161s are for library policy. 1312 still a public complaint policy um and also um a policy people can reference for complaints about curriculum or really any any other um concerns. Um and lastly we have 9273 civility code. Um this is K recommended policy. It is also a policy you need to be a court of distinction. So um that's why we added it in there. So um sorry for that but there you go. Um the policy curriculum committee also met tonight. You know obviously we've been talking a whole lot about test scores as school board.

129um we kind of took that back to policy and curriculum. Um did a little bit of a deep dive into one aspect of how we are addressing scores and that is um how we have you know integrated the use of IABS and FIABs into um practice in classroom. So we had a discussion about that. We also had a discussion about perhaps the future structure of policy and curriculum and how we kind of maintain focus on curriculum 3. We are meeting again on April 6. Um, and we will probably be doing a deep dive into a subject to be determined be either ELA or that's it for me. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions for >> Great job. >> Good job to you too. >> Next we have PTO advisory. So the P2 advisory met on

130March 5th. Um I understand that the conversation was around the budget presentation as well as school construction timeline. The next meeting will be held central office April 2nd. Thank you. Um any questions for sure. >> Um next we have a GSPS building project update. Superintendent Smith. I wanted to share tonight's um pretty much had to update you know all meeting but uh we are ready to go live with website here. This is the website that we talked about that's specific to our uh school construction project. Um and um so starting tomorrow we'll start sharing this out. Want to share it here first. Um and I think you know these are the questions that um are being asked by the community. Um and then on here uh some key facts about instruction. There's a lot of

131photos of the current uh state of our schools and then go through all these that more pictures. So uh some of the questions here schools uh why renovate versus new which will ask for u this will be where we start to talk about u referendum question the specific data mentioned is here you saw tonight >> just I think those numbers better match what we But it's correct once. So you know we're moving in parallel, right? Like we didn't have that before tonight. So here's uh again the cost and tax impact is going to be driven a lot by where the discussion that we had tonight. Uh then same thing with like the plans and drawings like what will be uploaded here are the drawings that we have. Uh when you go to uh reasons that

132we're doing it there are pictures here. I think we'll talk about the conditions of the schools. If you scroll through here, uh you can see some of the infrastructure problems that we have in the schools. Uh that should help people understand why we're having conversations about this now. So, we'll both be continue to update as we move forward. uh and we'll add spaces. Uh one of the things that's really uh kind of the needle we're trying to thread is people want to see plans and drawings. Uh according when in our conversation with the architects, we'll show samples of current schools. We show samples of uh the inside spaces. Um they don't design the outside of the building because that comes once the referendum passes. As part of the work that Joe talked about over the

133course of next year, we'll be getting community input. What do you want to see? Uh, one of the concerns about putting committee designs and plans out, people get locked into this what the school is going to look like. Um, if it's a polarizing design one way or another, will then referendum based on what they want the school to look like. And so the iterative process of what that design comes after um what what doesn't come are, you know, plenty of pictures of the conditions of the front schools. So, uh that will start sharing out the community tomorrow. >> All right. Next, we'll move on to board member comments. Sorry, I made notes. So, um, this past weekend I had the chance to watch the compar robotics team, team 2064 compete at week one New England,

134uh, district minute man event in Billa Massachusetts. >> She's the expert in Massachusetts. So after an extraordinary season last year, this year's team is younger, newer to the competition and the robot had some kinks to work out early in the event. But it was what was so great to see was their advisor and their mentors coaching the students through each of those problems and students in the ch the stands cheering for every iteration that came out onto the field. And by the end of the weekend, the robot was stronger, the team was stronger, and in an amazing twist, they were invited to join Alliance 3 as a defensive robot in the playoff matches. So, it was just great to see the mentorship, the perseverance, and all students coming out to support one another. Team 2064

135will compete again um March 21st through 22nd, which I know is the same dates as the school production of Freaky Friday, but you know, make it a weekend, folks, because we will be at Willby High School in Waterberry um with qualification matches beginning Saturday at 10:45 a.m. So, if you have a chance, come see the team's action. It is really exciting. Go 264. I can't follow that. But I did see them working really hard that night that we were here. >> Defensive robots. >> Yeah. >> All right. Any other comments? >> Yeah, I can't really follow that but swims at states tomorrow 1:00. So everybody cross your fingers. >> Okay. Um comment that I have. Sally Romano has graciously agreed to go with me on the cave day on the hill on Wednesday and we

136were going to have some nibbles by our state, you know, legislators on, you know, we're going to meet with there's a pre meeting at Cade with Cave at the Bushnull and then we kind of go off and meet with our reps. So, we'll see how that goes. Wish us well. team >> as we try to remind them that bridge is >> here. All right. Uh next we have comments uh from citizens. The board of education will recognize citizens from middle and south and citizens are asked to state their name, their town of residence and to limit their comments three minutes. Any citizens? No. Okay. Next we have regular business requiring board action. So, at this time, could I have a motion to add an item to the agenda regarding the motion to approve an authorization

137for a district meeting to be held on March 23rd? >> No. First, we have to add it to the agenda. >> Second. >> Okay. So, I'm sorry. Shannon adding it. >> Heather Rogers second. Um any discussion? We need the twothirds vote. All those in favor? I. Any nays? Any abstensions? Okay. It is unanimous and added to the agenda. So next we're going to go ahead and make a motion on that. So go ahead, Heather. move that the board of education >> are we talking about this? >> Oh, okay. Sorry. move that the board of education approve the following resolution authorizing the district meeting to be held on March 23rd, 2026 for the purpose of conducting a forward hearing with respect to the appropriation and borrowing authorization for construction of two new elementary schools. resolved that

138the officers of the board of education and the superintendent are authorized to cause a district meeting to be called for the purpose of conducting a public hearing at the Prague Regional High School Media Center 234 Jud Road in Southbury, Connecticut on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. With respect to the following recommendations of the board at $224 million for the costs of the planning, design, acquisition, construction, furnishing, and equipping of two new elementary schools to replace Pump Rockog Elementary School and Gainfield Elementary School. the project. The appropriation may be spent for planning, design, acquisition, installation, demolition, construction costs, equipment, furnishings, materials, athletic fields, playgrounds, traffic, parking, sidewalks, lighting, utilities, site improvements, surveys, architects fees, engineering fees, remediation, project management and contract administration costs, insurance and bonding costs, grant application and administration costs, cost, moving

139and relocation cost, contingencies, consultants, training, testing, legal, administrative, financing, and other costs, including the preparation of schematic drawings and outline specifications for the project. The district board of education shall appoint a building committee that will be established as the building committee for the project. The district board of education in consultation with the building committee shall determine the final scope and particulars of the project and may reduce or modify the scope of the project and the appropriation may be spent on the project as so reduced or modified that $224 million bonds and temporary notes of the district be authorized to finance the appropriation. The amount of the bonds or notes authorized shall be reduced by the amount of grants received by the district or the project and applied to defay project costs currently estimated to be

14064.2% 2% of costs. That the chairperson, the treasurer, and other proper officers and officials of the district are authorized to take all actions which are necessary or desirable to complete the project and to issue bonds and notes and obtain further funding to finance the AF or said appropriation, including but not limited to applying for and accepting grants and other funds that may be available for this project. >> Thank you. Do I have a second? >> Sorry. Second, Sally. Um, okay. So, the what we're voting on, just to be clear, is authorizing a district meeting to be held on March 23rd with the purpose of conducting a public hearing regarding this resolution that we're putting forward. So, we're not technically voting right now to construct two new schools. We're just voting to set a notice of

141a public hearing about constructing two new schools. Did I say that right? Yes. >> Okay. >> Any So this overlays my finance meeting just so that my finance meeting is Monday. >> I wish we have to move. I'm just like >> you look at the >> March 23rd 6:30. >> Okay. So then we're have to Yes. Just letting >> Sorry. Any other comments or discussion? >> All right. All those in favor? >> I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? It is unanimous. So now Jennifer, you'll publish whatever needs to be published. >> Okay. >> Thank you everyone. Um, next, may I have a motion for approval to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services for a grant for the proof placement state project number 2150089R at Long Meadow Elementary School resolved at the Pomper PMPOD Regional

142School District number 15 authorizes the board of education to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services and to accept or reject a grant for the roof replacement state project number 215. 15-0089R at the Long Meadow Elementary School. >> Second. >> Thank you. Um >> all all four of these motions are for the we have our state approval for a grant award which $4.1 million of the $2.2 million roof. These are procedural motions that we have to make that now reauthorize the building committee against your approved state project number. Um >> any any questions? All right. All those in favor? I. Any nays? Any abstensions? Unanimous. Next, may I have a motion for approval to establish a roof replacement state project number 2150089 at Long Meadow Elementary School. Resolved that the Pontrog Regional School District number

14315 Building Committee is hereby established as the building committee with regard to the roof replacement state project number 215- 89 RR at the Long Meadow Elementary School. >> Joe, anything to add? >> Nope. Say exact same three motions you made before um to get 1.1 million. This you'll make these same motions for the when the school's passing. >> Okay, we're going to have this memorized by the time >> before it memorized one for solar journey. >> All right. Um any questions, discussion? Right. All those in favor? >> Any nays? Any extensions? Right. Unanimous. Next, may I have a motion for approval to prepare schematic drawings and outline specifications for the roof replacement state project number 2150089 RR at Long Meadow Elementary School. Resolved that the PMrog Regional School District number 15 hereby authorizes at least

144the preparation of schematic drawings and outline specifications for the roof replacement state project number 215-000089RR at the Long Meadow Elementary School. Second, thank you Heather. Any questions or comments? All those in favor? >> Any nays? Any abstensions? All right, it's unanimous. Next, may I have a motion for approval of the final plans and cost estimates for the roof replacement state project number 2150089RR at Long Meadow Elementary School. Resolve that the PM Rock Regional School District number 15 authorizes the board of education to approve the final plans and cost estimates for the roof replacement state project number 315-0089R at the Long Meadow Elementary School. Okay, any questions or comments? All those in favor I nays. Any abstensions? It's unanimous. Next, I have a motion for approval. >> Okay. A motion for approval of the final design

145and cost estimates for the Long Meadow Elementary School solar project. move that the board of education upon recommendation of the building committee approve the final design and cost estimates for the Long Meadow Elementary School solar project as presented. Second. >> This is to apply for the solar portion of the roof because the state decided to split the roof and the solar projects apart. >> Okay. Any other questions? >> There's a typo. Is that >> y um all those in favor? >> I >> Any nays? Any abstensions? >> Keep it up. I'm going to take longer. Um next, may I have a motion for approval of the final education specifications for the Long Meadow Elementary School solar project? Move that the board of education upon recommendation of the building committee approve the final education specifications for

146the Long Meadow Elementary School solar project as presented. Second thank you any questions discussion. >> All those in favor I. Any nays? Any abstensions? >> Next. May I have a motion for approval of the Connecticut Healthy Food Certification? >> Pursuant to uh CGS section 1021F, the regional school district 15, Board of Education certifies that all food items offered for sale to students in the schools under its juris jurisdiction and not exempted from the Connecticut Nutrition Standards published by the Connecticut State Department of Education will comply with Connecticut nutrition standards during the period of July 1st, 2026 through June 30, 2027. This certification shall include all food offered for sale to students separately, rum reimburseable meals at all times and from all sources, including but not limited to school stores, vending machine, school cafeterias, culinary programs,

147and any fundraising activities on school premises sponsored by the school or non-school organizations. >> Allows you to sell soda at at outside event spacer. This is part of the um it regulates the what you're allowed to sell during your screen. this every year. >> Every year, >> which is why Steve was able to read it so quickly, >> right? Any discussion or questions? All those in favor? >> Any nays? Any abstensions? Right. That's unanimous. Next, may I have a motion for approval of Connecticut Healthy Food Certification? Regional School District 15 Board of Education will allow the sale to students of food items that do not meet the Connecticut nutrition standards and beverages not listed in section 1021Q of the Connecticut General Statutes provided that the following conditions are met. One, the sale is in connection

148with an event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend. Two, the sale is at the location of the event. And three, the food and beverage items are not sold from a vending machine or school store. An event is an occurrence that involves more than just a regularly scheduled practice meeting or extracurricular activity. For example, soccer games, school plays, and interolastic debates are events that soccer practices, play rehearsals, and debate team meetings are not the regular school day. This period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day, location means where the event is being held, it must be the same place as >> second. Thank you. Any questions or discussion? >> All those in favor? Any nays? Any abstensions? Right. It carries. Next, we

149have announcement announcement of future meetings. Wednesday, March 18th, we have a budget workshop at 6:30. Great. We will be discussing people services, student fees, and capital plan. Monday, March 23rd, we were having financing facilities. Um, but now I guess we're having that public hearing at 6:30 right here at the high school immediate center. and that'll be followed by our regular meeting of the board of education at the high school media center that same night at 7:30. Wednesday, March 25th, we have a budget workshop with both of the board finance from both towns starting at 6:30. And there will be a public hearing following that um on the superintendent's proposed budget um or 7:30. On Monday, April 6, APNC has a meeting at six o'clock. Also, Monday, April 6, we have a regular board of ed

150meeting at the high school media center at 7:30 where we will have a vote to adopt our budget. I have a motion to motion to thank you. Second, >> second by Steve. All those in favor. >> Have a good night. All right. Thanks. >> So, take care. voting tonight.