001Good evening. Today is Monday, April the 20th, 2026. It's 6 pm. I'd like to call the special meeting for the board of selectman to order. >> Troy Lamir, >> Kevin Bishop, >> Paul Marino, >> Paul Harrington, >> Todd Archelashi, >> Glenn Alonicius, >> William Hester, >> Cheryl Hernand, >> William Poso. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance. Pledge >> allegiance >> to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Before we get to citizens comments, town manager has an announcement. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I did ask for quick two seconds. Um couple weeks ago, we went to referendum for the Pearson school roof project. Shortly after that, the board of selectman uh has
002decided to put a building committee together. Those applications are due this Friday, the 24th. You can find the building committee application available on the town's website. Currently, we have two applications in. So, this was a pitch to what I figure was going to be people that are excited about the Pearson school roof that if you have any interest in joining the building committee, please put your application in, they are due to the town manager's office this Friday, which then I will forward off to the board of selectman and they will form that committee on the May 4th board of selectman meeting. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> The applications are available. >> Applications are available online. So, really quickly, if you look at any of the TV screens, if you go to our town's website, there
003it is. Sneak down to the bottom feature announcements, click on the join the Pearson, and then you can click right here. It is a fillable PDF. Send it right off to uh TM office at townchester.org. It'll come directly to me and I and I'll get it out to the board. And like I said, uh they're due this Friday. Um we are here till 12 on Friday and I'll get it right off to the board. uh for decisions on the fourth. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Thank you, sir. Item three, citizens comments. The board of selectman welcomes public comments. It's anticipated that there will be many individuals who wish to speak tonight. Therefore, to be equitable, please try to remain within your three minutes. You may speak once this round. >> Sign sheet, too. >> Uh
004the there is a sign-in sheet up here on the table. Please sign your name and address on it before you speak or when you speak. Uh, this portion of the meeting is not intended to serve as a forum for debate. It's for you to get your questions and concerns out. Any questions be raised will be referred to the town manager's office and he will address them in a timely manner. Should a board member wish to speak, those comments will be made in selectman's comments and reports at the end of the meeting. These procedures are established to promote fairness, order, and full participation. All attendees are expected to conduct themselves with respect and decorum. Expressions of approval or disapproval, including but not limited to clapping, cheering, or booing are not permitted. All remarks must be delivered
005in a respectful manner. Please, this is a public meeting. Who would like to speak? Come on. Uh, just turn the microphone on before you begin. There you go. >> Good evening, members of the board of selectman. My name is Barbara Sario, 219 Walnut Street. I'm a lifelong resident of this town as well as a proud principal of Pearson School. I have dedicated 26 years to the field of education, including the past 12 years serving in this role. Over that time, I have poured my heart into supporting the students and families of this community. As many of you know, I will be retiring effective July 1st, which makes this moment especially meaningful to me. During my tenure, our WPS team has worked tirelessly to improve instructional practices, recruit and retain qualified staff, strengthen operations, and build
006a positive culture and climate in our schools. These efforts have has been grounded in a commitment to providing the highest quality educational experience possible within the constraints of our budget. I have seen firsthand what happens when we have the financial support necessary to do this work well. Our students are staffed approps are staffed appropriately. Our educators have the tools they need and our students benefit. I've also experienced the opposite. What happens when we are and underresourced. The consequences are not shortterm. They create lasting setbacks that take years to overcome and directly impact the quality of education our students receive. I stand before you tonight to urge you in the strongest possible terms to bring the superintendent's proposal school budget proposed school budget to the voters without any further cuts. Our schools are already facing significant
007challenges particularly in special education staffing and support staffing. Any delay or reduction in this budget will create a devastating ripple effect beginning this July and extending far beyond. It is critical that we begin the school year with functional fully staffed system. the work that must happen over the summer. Creating time efficient instructional schedules, hiring staff to fill vacancies, placing students into classrooms, planning professional development, preparing instructional and operational materials, establishing plans for a strong culture and climate, and confidently communicating a comprehensive plan to staff and families cannot be delayed. There are not these are not optional steps. They are foundational. If the school system falls behind at the start, recovery will not take weeks or even months. It will take years. There is not a minute to waste. I respectfully urge you to pass the
008budget as proposed and allow the residents of this town to make their voices heard. And I urge our community to come together to support this budget on the first vote. Our students, our educators, and the future of this town depend on it. I will leave you with these words from Nelson Mandela. There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children. Thank you for your time. >> Who would like to speak next? I think we need to move the sheet over to the other table so that people can sign up. And then My name is Elena 1187 Hill Road and I find myself with a heavy heart and sadness as I'm here speaking for the neurody divergent community. For this is not only the month of
009autism awareness, acceptance, and aspiration month, but is also the day to propose a budget which will not only eliminate special ed teachers, administrators, and parents, but in doing so directly threaten and attack every child, teen, and young adult in the school system, as well as the neurody divergent community as a whole. I had hoped that having a few selectmen who are parents with children in Winstead school systems would enlighten the rest of the selectmen who have been based on the current decisions have a non-empathetic mindsets to the decisions being made through a parent's eye. So now the only true way to have you all understand the consequences of cutting special ed staff members is to see life through the eyes of an autistic. To leave a neurodeiverse student without true guidance, resources and advocacy will
010result in two paths. Either the stress and overwhelming emotions within the school system will drive them to a burnout and meltdown in which a student themselves or both are hurt which will lead to a lawsuit against the school in the town of Winstead as well as parents decision to seek advocacy and resources out of district increasing what the has to pay for the out of district's fed students. Or the neurode divergent student may resort to camouflaging their autism masking, which may seem like a great idea to neurotypicals until years later when the mask breaks and all the emotions and struggles are released all at once in the form of a panic attack. In my case, three years ago, a heart attack or worse. Going through that is bad enough without adding the other traumatic consequences
011of masking which include burnout mentally and from the mask breaking a high chance of skill regression in which they'll lose social skills such as communication, cooking and or driving. And so by making the decision to cut special ed staff, each selectment that agrees to the cuts will be in the violation of article 3 section 302 ordinance in which the board of selemen have the power to enact, amend or repeal ordinances for the preservation of good order, peace, health, and safety of the town and its habitants. For how can any student of Winstead, both neurotypical and neurodyivergent, feel safe and at peace when resources Advocates that protect their mental health are being threatened by the few selectments who have no empathy for them nor understanding of the struggles as well as triumphs of being neurode divergent.
012For getting through a school day without losing all their energy to be able to do what they love is a triumph. We will all hate for for it to come to a point where parents will have to file lawsuit against the talents including both the board of education and board of selectment. But we don't go out of our way to show compassion that can cause a chain reaction of the same proportion as Rachel Jose Scott with would have wanted in all schools. Then we will have two choices. Either we go through and ride the ship with the consequences and lawsuits or we have to basically give up. But I know that the parents, advocates, and the neurody divergent community will pursue the advocacy and support that those like me need and deserve. Thank you. >>
013Who wants to speak next? >> Hi, my name is Tim Stra and I actually brought something for each of you select to look at. My son will be we have our next PPP for him coming up May 15. He has he has a severe disability. He was born with hemihydrily. And so I just want to read you the uh email that my wife has composed here. Gavin's story began with uncertainty when he was about six or seven months old. We began to notice that he was developing differently than other children. The milestones her parents often watch for rolling, crawling, babbling, did not unfold in the ways we expected. But in truth, our journey had begun. As an infant, Gavin received required surgery at just three months old to correct a premature closure of his skull.
014The procedure was successful and he began helmet therapy afterwards. During that time, however, we started to notice that something more might be going on. Gavin struggled with low muscle tone and had difficulty holding his head up and maintaining trunk support. At first, we were told that some of the delays might be related to the helmet. But as the months went on, we began noticing other signs that were harder to explain away. Gavin's legs and hips seemed unusually tight. He often kept his right arm fisted and tucked closely against his torso. What followed were months of appointments and very difficult conversations with neurosurgeons, orthotists, and therapists as we searched for answers. When Gavin was 10 months old, he underwent an MRI. That's the MRI you have in front of you. The MRI changed everything. The scan
015revealed that Gavin is missing the majority of the left hem left hemisphere of his brain, a condition known as hemingph believed to have been caused by a stroke while he was still in uterero. As a result, Gavin lives with hemipolgia, coordination challenges, and developmental delays. His condition is extraordinarily rare. We have been told there are only a handful of documented cases worldwide. Because of that, there is a very little scientific research to guide families like ours. From the beginning, doctors explain that much of Gavin's future would remain uncertain, and uncertain it has been. We did not know if Gavin would ever crawl. We did not know if he would speak. We did not know if he would walk or what his cognitive abilities might be. For a long time, we lived in the space between
016hope and uncertainty, learning to celebrate progress in ways we never had before. But Gavin has never been defined by what he lacks. He's been defined by what he continues to show us is possible. From the very beginning, our family made a choice. We would surround Gavin with faith, determination, and every possible opportunity to help him discover what he can do. Along the way, we have been incredibly blessed by an extraordinary circle of support. Family members, therapists, physicians, teachers, community programs, and friends who have rallied around Gavin and our family. Gavin's care team is extensive and intentionally built. We have carefully curated a group of specialists across multiple youth institutions, bringing together the best and brightest minds regardless of where they work for the singular purpose of meeting Gavin's needs. His care includes an incredible team
017through Connecticut's birth to three program as well as specialists at Connecticut's Children Medical Center where he receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, pool therapy, orthotics care, and neurological support. Gavin is also supported by physician and specialists at Yale New Haven's Children's Hospital and Shriner's Children, each contributing their expertise to different aspects of his care. In addition, Gavin received specialized evaluation and guidance through the stroke clinic at Boston Children's Hospital. Where physicians focus specifically on pre and paranatal strokes, the collaboration between these institutions has allowed us to explore every possible avenue to support Gavin's development. One of those paths included constraint therapy designed to help strengthen neurological connections and encourage use of Gavin's right side. He has also participated in clinical research focused on children with heavy palia, giving us hope that continued advancements in
018treatment may open even more possibilities for him. And perhaps Gavin's greatest champion of all is his big sister, Bella. Bella is the biggest cheerleader, his playmate, and one of the people who motivates him most to keep trying, keep moving, and keep exploring the world. The bond they share is something truly special. Today, Gavin's almost three years old, and he continues to surprise us every day. Counts to 18, he knows his ABCs and his colors, loves music and singing, and is curious, joyful, and deeply engaged with the world around him. Cognitively, he's incredibly present. His personality shines through in everything he does. Physically, Gavin faces significant challenges due to hemipolgia and developmental delays related to his condition. While many children his age are running in climbing, Gavin currently rolls and army crawls to get where he
019wants to go. Yet, he approaches every movement with determination. He will not be stopped. We continue to pursue every therapy and treatment that may help Gavin reach his fullest potential, including an upcoming spinal surgery that we hope will improve his mobility and open new possibilities for him physically. Early on, early on after Gavin's diagnosis, someone asked a question that has stayed with me ever since. What is the ceiling for Gavin's development? It struck me deeply then and it still does today. Because the truth is no one should place a ceiling on a child. Children are not defined by diagnosis, predictions or statistics. Every child arrives in this world with their own unique combination of strengths, challenges, and possibilities. Gavin's journey has taught us something even bigger than our own story. While Gavin's needs may be
020visibly different, the reality is that every child has special needs in some form. Some are physical and obvious. Others are invisible. Some children are gifted in extraordinary ways. Some are neurode divergent. Some are siblings navigating complex family dynamics. And some shine in the arts other than mathematics, athletics, compassion, or creativity. Each child carries their own unique gifts and obstacles. Our responsibility as families, educators, and communities is not to define limits for them, but to meet them where they are and empower them to grow into the best possible versions of themselves. Because every child deserves that chance, Gavin's story is still being written. And while we may not know exactly what the future holds, we do know this. He has already overcome more than anyone could have predicted. And he continues to teach us every day
021about resilience, possibility, and the power of community that believes in a child. Our children are our tomorrow. And when we invest in them, every one of them, we invest in a future that is stronger, kinder, and full of possibility. And that's a note from his doctor. But while my son might have more extreme and is entering, all kids have their needs. And I think right now our system can't meet all our needs. A cut is irresponsible and quite likely might force me to sue a town that I wish to build in. I don't want to sue you, but if you don't pass a budget that can support these kids, I will sue this town the extent of every penny I can get. I want to work together. I want to work. I want to build
022this time. >> If you >> don't let me then >> that's it. >> Who would like to speak next? >> Hi, my name is Caroline Johnson. I have a third grader at Pearson. She loves it. She's also sorry type one diabetic meaning she needs insulin every It also means that if she gets overdose of insulin can go low, she can go to diabetic coma, it won't be good. It has taken me say now since she was diagnosed at three to probably this year be comfortable with her in a public setting school. I don't have to worry about her. The nurse is on top of it. She's fantastic. She calls me to check. She's great. If you guys take away this budget and there's one nurse for two school, what are you going to do? How
023are you going to have how can I make sure my kid is safe? And that's what we need to keep this budget. There needs to be kids to know they're safe. That's all I ask. Thank you. >> Uh please sign in on this sheet over here. >> Next. >> Hi, my name is Tyler Asbury, 233 Cbrook Road. I think uh uh decisions uh to uh preemptively uh cut the school budget right now are jumping the gun. I think you guys are kind of making some decisions here before all the cards have been dealt. Um there's an important timing reality in front of you that I think changes how this decision should be approached. Governor Ned Lamont has announced $100 million in new education funding to be released this year for Connecticut public schools aiming to
024assist districts with urgent budget needs. And Winchester is not on the sidelines. Advocacy is already happening. Jay Casease, Board of Education Chair Werner, Superintendent Lubie, Congressman John Larson, Seleman, Selectman Bishop, and Town Manager Harrington have all spoken directly with the education commissioner and the governor's office. We are very much in the conversation. And importantly, you are not out of time. You can present the current education budget at the town budget meeting next month. You have time to adjust it before it goes to referendum. Why cut now before we know what support is coming? Because once you cut, it is not easy to undo. As town manager Harrington said at the last meeting, if we get state aid after the cuts, adding money back later isn't just a simple adjustment. It can require reopening the budget,
025triggering additional approvals, and potentially even a new referendum to reallocate funds. That's a slow bureaucratic process. And in the meantime, the damage of moving too fast with incorrect numbers will have already been done. But if you hold the education budget where it is today, you preserve flexibility. If the funding comes through, you will have protected the schools and can incorporate that funding cleanly without disruption and without extra work for all of you. If it doesn't, you still have time and ability to make accurate adjustments before the referendum. There's no downside to waiting, but there's real risk in acting too early. This is a moment where restraint is actually the most responsible move. Hold the line now. Keep your options open and give this town the chance to benefit from the work that has already been
026done on its behalf by Jay Casease, Board of Education Chair Warner, Superintendent Lubie, Representative Lon, Selecman Bishop, and Town Manager Harrington. Thank you very much. >> Who's next? Um, I'm I've spoken at the board of education. I haven't spoken to you. Um, so this might be redundant for those of you heard me speak before, but it's important and it feels as though we have to keep revisiting it because it's not being heard. Um hopefully enough parents can show up and express how serious it is what the proposal is to in this town. I'm a parent of two um special needs children and they have thrived in Winchester schools. Um one of them and has done amazing. The strides he's made are just unreal. the other hasn't really turned around this year. And so we're hoping
027to keep him on that track. So what I've noticed is there seems to be a clear disconnect between public perception and the actual cost of running a modern school system. Education today is not what it was decades ago. Schools are responsible not only for academics but for meeting a wide range of behavioral, developmental and special education needs. Many of which are legally required. These are not optional. These are things that we legally must do. But if they don't have the funds, those things must be done. So even though legally we have to give those services to the children, you can't make people volunteer to be interventionists or special education or behavioral kids. No one volunteers for that. That's not how life works. So if you cut these things, the kids are going to go out
028of district and that's going to cost all of us much more than if you give our schools what they need so they can hire the people that we need and we can keep kids in district. Revisiting the point I attempted to make at the board of education meeting last time I spoke special education in particular is not optional and when we don't have the resources locally we're forced to send students out of district at significant cost that being said this isn't just a question of what we can afford today it's a question of what it will cost us if we don't invest in school today because underfunding schools doesn't eliminate cost it shifts the cost it just changes It doesn't eliminate it because like about legally we will have to pay for them to be
029educated somewhere else if we can educate them here. At some point we have to decide what kind of town we want to be. One that invests in its future or one that continues to fall. Communities that invest in their schools grow. The ones that don't don't. I grew up here. This is a story as old as time. I have been going to these meetings since I was a child because my mother was very active in fighting for our schools and in fighting for this town to be better. And I made the choice to bring my family back here after leaving for 10 years and convinced my husband that Connecticut has the best schools. That's why we need to live here. And now we have to come for that instead of us investing in this, investing
030in our future, making this town what so many of us believe it can be. So send it. Let the town decide. Let the people go to and see what happens. But stop taking from the kids. Find it somewhere else because you're going to have to you cut it because you don't have to pay for it if they get outsourced. >> Please make sure you sign. >> Who wants to speak next? >> Marcia Sterling, I think it's important to set the stage. The school board has had a million dollar increase in each of the last two years. You are not proposing currently to cut the school budget. You're proposing to increase it by $2,50,000. So there's not a cut on the table right now. And in fact, I think it's important to understand as the board
031of finance, your job is to make smart decisions on behalf of the taxpayers. They and the voters, they hire you effectively to make the judgments that they need to have made on their behalf. And again, maybe a little bit of redundancy, but I want to repeat something I said at the board of ed discussion about this. We are lucky. We have a local school district that's comparable to ours. New Hartford has about 450 students in their elementary preK through six system just like we do. We have about 600. Both districts report data to the state annually. Our statistics are roughly the same. We have the same free and reduced lunch statistics. They're around 28 to 30%. Bumps around, but it's the same. We have the same special needs statistics. We're actually slightly lower. We're at
032just under 19 around 19 and they're around 21%. So the student populations are comparable. We actually have a lower student teacher ratio. In other words, we have more teachers per student and more teachers in classrooms than they do. But there's an overall statistic that looks at the performance of the school districts. New Hartford's performance statistic is 77, which is the goal of the of the current administration is to be in the high7s. Winsteads is 62 and it has been in the low 60s for the last several years. So we have put more and more money into the system and we have not gotten results. I would ask you to ask the school board what is happening with that money. Why have we seen no increase in performance? And again we have the same special needs
033population. It may not be identical person for person but percentage- wise it's the same. The other thing I think as a board of finance you need to appreciate that a $2,50,000 increase with an average household payment of $7,000 in property taxes. You better be finding 300 more households in the next year if you want to share that burden equitably. Otherwise, you're asking all of the taxpayers who've already put up an extra 5% two years ago, 7% last year, another 10% this year for something where you still don't know where the money's going or what's happening. to quote the recent Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs simply because the government needs the money is not an explanation for leveling attacks. So I think it's important to find out what is going on and why aren't we
034getting better performance for the amount of money that we're spending. And in terms of let the people decide, I agree let the people decide. But what that means is make sure the vote happens on a Saturday when the largest taxpayers who come in for the weekend who live out of town get a chance to vote. You put this on a Tuesday or a Thursday or a weekday and you comfort yourself with the idea, well, they can come into the clerk's office and vote, so that's okay. Well, they're not here when the clerk's office is open. And by the way, if the clerk decides to accommodate people and have something open on a Saturday, well, he gets attacked for doing something that's illegal and wrong and immoral for allowing people to vote. I think it's rich
035to have people say that they want to disenfranchise the people that have to actually bear the lion share burden. I am for investing in the school district, but I am also for making sure we get what we pay for. We've already gone up to $24 million. And by the way, that's not the total number because they get several million dollars at the federal and state level as well. >> Begin to wrap up, please. You're over three. >> Sure. I don't know the timing as this man gentleman mentioned in terms of timing. But the other thing I'll share with you is yes, there was a meeting with the board of ed head chair, excuse me, uh, and the head of the school department, school district, um, school uh, state school district. And their message was you
036people have extra admin. and you have extra people. We all know this. You have another extra body involved. Figure out how to solve that problem. Figure out how to get a long-term contract with those folks. Figure out how to cut your administrative staff. That's where you're going to get the money to pay for things. That's what you need to do. And that was actually a message from a Democratic administration to our school district in the last six months. Thank you. >> Who would like to speak next? Good evening and Mr. Mayor. Excuse me. My name is um John Pollock and I live at 502 East Wakefield Boulevard. I've been a resident here for at least 30 years and every April, every May, it's the same old story. We need more money for the school. I
037have absolutely no problem um having the children and the uh teachers earn respectable um income and the students learn. But as the uh young lady for me just mentioned, there's a lot of waste going on. For years, we've had problems with Gilbert School. It's it's been a tax burden on the town as far as I know. Um Every year we as we are asked to pay a little bit more for the school board, a little bit more. She mentioned it was 10%. Now I understand it's close to 9%. There's a lot of people in the town of Winston that do not work. They're retired. I have a retired person. My pension is small and last year I got a cost of living of 2.7%. Um so if you do some some kind of a compounding
038of interest. Um maybe like in another 10 years, um I'm probably not going to be able to live here. I'll have to sell my house and and move someplace else because I just can't afford these property taxes. Uh it's it's ridiculous. I feel for all the students and everything else, but there's there's has to be something else has to be addressed here. Um, there was another town in Connecticut I forgot. It was just on the news this morning. I'm sure somebody here will remember it. And they're going to try to close two schools down because it's just too expensive and there the student population has dropped. Um, I think that might have been Marcia that spoken for me, but I'm not sure. But I also remember that there's a lot of times that people here
039their kids go to school and then their rates are always lower. They're always in the lowest. Um 77% she mentioned and now we're down to 62%. So what are we spending all of this money for? It's I understand there's special needs students, but the the kids aren't really learning anything right now. The price of gas is $410. Home heating oil is close to $5.80 a gallon, which is ridiculous. food is up 10%. We're going to have to make some type of cuts um in the budget and education should not be uh exempt. It has to have we have to have skin in the game. Something has to come from the education department and since it's the biggest um source of expenses for the town uh town's property taxes, it has to be done. Um we
040have to think of the people that live here. A lot of retirees, like I said, live here. They're afraid, I'm sure, to come here and speak. Um, I can see how stacked everybody from the school board wants a raise and not a raise, but they want money for education, but it's just not around. So, um, I'm asking the select men to consider other people that don't show up, um, especially the elderly and the retirees and the people that are on fixed income. Um, before they decide on the budget and make the right decision and um and if we can do something with Gilbert potentially or get rid of some of these um I don't know administrators departments etc you would be doing Katana world of good thank you everybody >> thank you' like to speak
041Hello, my name is Todd Roer 13 East Lake Street. And I'd just like to say that, you know, of course, nobody wants to pay more in taxes. Uh that's not a not a unique thing to this town or anywhere else. But um I do feel that u preemptively asking for a lower budget before it goes in front of the the voters is a bad idea. If the voters get the chance to make their decision uh and um on on the budget as it stands, I think that's perfectly fine. If it has to go back and forth a little bit, then that will accurately reflect the will of the people. But uh cutting it before it even gets in front of the public, I think is a bad idea. It's very similar to deciding ahead of
042time that uh you're not going to uh maintain your house properly. It uh it starts to at first it feels like you're saving money, but eventually by putting off the that basic maintenance damage starts to accumulate. Uh eventually it becomes unmanageable. Uh and eventually you reach a point where you are just simply trying to absolute disaster. We do not want to end up in that position without even having put this in front of the in front of the public. Um the uh what was asked for uh has already been cut $500,000 at this point. Further cuts are people. We start losing staff. Um that has obvious long-term implications. So it is not a simple matter of well we can cut it this year and then maybe bring them back later but um eventually we you
043know we will have to deal with the unemployment obligations from that the higher base salaries because the lower based salaries get cut first. If the class sizes increase, that increases the per per student cost because we have to pay for um a higher per per pupil overage for those classes. And also then eventually, even if we do come up with the funds, we have to find a way to um rebuild those programs that have been dismantled. Uh which is certainly not an easy process. Um and you know, we will not come out ahead if we do that. Um, a wellrun town is very much like a well-maintained house. It will continue to support you. It will continue to produce dividends. Uh, so again, I I think it's a poor choice to cut before this gets
044in front of the voters. Uh, I encourage you to leave it as is and let the voters have their say. And um, and I think that's that's truly the way forward. Um and I believe during the previous meeting um there were a number of uh proposals for ways to find cuts uh in other parts of the budget and also uh additional sources of revenue. Um and also I I agree with uh the the person who spoke before who said that we do not have to make this decision immediately. This does today does not have to be the day that we decide which path to take. The delay hurts no one and allows us all of us the chance to uh potentially find other other solutions. That was all I had to say. Thank you for
045your time and attention. >> Who wants to speak next? Hi there. I'm Janette Broer, 130 East Lake Street. As a mom of two young adults with different needs, I want to thank all of the parents who took the time out to come to speak. Many parents of children with different needs can't get here tonight, but I hope that you'll think of them as you look at the school budget and don't make any more cuts. Further reductions will strip the basic offerings, increase the class sizes and decrease safety for the children due to not only the elimination of safety officers, but by cutting a principal and requiring one principal to move between two schools. Having one principal who is unavailable half the time at each school means that teachers and administrators lack the support necessary to
046manage the dayto-day let alone crisis. This exposes the school system and the town to potential exposure to legal actions from parents. I ask you to please not make any further cuts. As parents with no children in this district, I am happy to pay my share so that all the children will get what they need. >> I don't want to talk again. I just want to mention people should sit in the far left chair because your voice is not picked up otherwise people listen. >> Put the microphone closer to the chairs, Paul. I think that'll solve the problem. >> Who wishes to speak next? Which am I supposed to sit in? >> Either one doesn't want to fight. >> I don't really know that. I'm My name I supposed to give your name, right? My name
047is Mary Pollock and uh I'm a resident of Winstead. I have subbed a lot in the public schools and taught in the Catholic schools and I'm not an expert on anything. I and I actually don't know a whole lot about this budget at all. I came to a meeting, but you can't hear things and there's there's always just I don't know. I just don't have a lot of information about the budget. I And uh and we go to these meetings a lot like it comes like in May right before the budget's coming out and when the schools are still in so anybody at the schools can be told about, you know, to come to vote, but there's there's nobody anymore that tells the town. There used to be some guy that used to put a
048um you know a sign up that they were going to have a budget bo vote. But I I don't know how to um I'm not criticizing you because I know everybody works hard. And I'm just trying to make the statement that I'm probably not alone. People don't even know about it. We had a we uh got a phone call from a friend or and or we where we we made a we knew that there was something going on. We went to another meeting. Somebody told us to go. But I just don't know anything about the budget and I don't have any necessary solutions. But my gut feeling is that I know there's a lot of great teachers in the school, a lot of very dedicated teachers that work very hard. I know that there's lots
049of different problems in the schools, but I didn't know that it was my responsibility to pay for all of it. You know, like it's not that you don't want to pay for it. It's not that you don't care about the kids. You care about the kids a lot. It's just that I think that we're stuck in some kind of a like a s systemic thing that this is what we've always done. is how how you have to you get money from the state and then you're beholden to them for something else or you they have mandates and then they're not really paying for it with their mandates and there's something that has to be done and I don't know what it is but and that's not really going to affect this vote but I think
050it would be a great idea to at least get some leaders or some some very good superintendent leader that could actually lead this and see like you know you don't you can come and vote for a budget But I if I hadn't heard that man speak about his child, you know, I I feel really guilty now that I'm speaking against it. But I do think that it that we're that the fact that we're talking is good. I just think that there we have such a potential in this town of people and such a potential um to do things and it it just never gets done. And and that's not crit that's not because it's it's anybody's fault. It's not the Luxom's fault. It's not anybody's fault. It's just that I just think we need to
051think outside of the box a little bit. Think a little bit different. Like if So Gilbert's a private school, maybe we should get more money to to have people make us a private school to to build a private school. There's lots of there's lots of classical education things you can get for people. There's other things you can do. So that's my point right there. And thank you very much, >> Mary. Yeah, you can you can talk and then sign in. >> No, >> You can talk or sign >> and then sign in afterwards. >> I love this town. I love it more than I can say. I moved here 23 years ago and I may have to move. My taxes have been raised three times the amount of when I moved here. I'm on a
052retired income. I have autism in my family. In fact, I'm part of the spectrum. I know how difficult it is. But this system is broken. We have a school where we need to hire people to have walkietalkies to run after children that are running out of the school room. We have a school that does not allow the teachers to discipline the children. I know because one of my friends worked there last year. She got sent to the principal's office because she asked a child to write a hundred times, I will not do whatever the child did. She got sent to the principal's office and was told we can't discipline the children. So my question is with all these good teachers, how are they supposed to teach children when they're not allowed to discipline? Because without
053discipline, you don't learn self-discipline. And how are they supposed to teach children with all the mayhem going on in these classrooms? I've heard about it. I know about it. It's awful. It's a broken system. What we need is the Montasury system because we have very special people with very special needs. But throwing lots of money at it is not the answer. It simply isn't the answer. And you're you're taxing people out of town. And I don't want to leave this town. I love this town. And I love children. It it just doesn't make sense to me that this problem can't be resolved by going Old school where in second grade I had 50 classmates, one nun, and we knew the multiplication table at the end. You know why? Discipline. The nun was allowed to discipline
054the children. If you have children that run the school instead of the teacher being able to run the classroom, that's not a good thing. Not all, but many parents aren't teaching their children that authority needs to be respected, that your teacher needs to be respected. That common courtesy is something to learn. That when you disrupt, you take away from another bright child. It's a broken system. It needs to be fixed. I could give you some ideas, but any under undergraduate can see this is a broken system. And I'm asking you to please don't force me out of my house. That little,50 square feet has my heart. I love this hill. I can't afford another increase because once you increase, it stays forever. It never goes away. It never goes down. It only goes up, up,
055up, and up. So, please, I love the special needs community. There's got to be a solution, but just throwing money at it is not the answer. Thank you. >> No. Applause, please. >> Who would wish to speak next? Good evening all. My name is Matt uh Smith, 662 East Wakefield Boulevard. Um I've certainly been watching this situation over the last two years. I made it a point to look at all of the various school board meetings, the selectman meetings, and I certainly care about the town. I'm sure there's no one in this town that doesn't want a great education for their children. That's what I'd like to see happen. And I'm sure there's no one in this town that doesn't want to see all the special needs children have all the proper education that they
056need. So that said, the real problem is we have a broken school system. We have a bifurcated school system. We have 600 children that go from prek to sixth grade and then we have another 600 kids that go from 7th to 12th grade. And the two do not communicate very well at all. And uh that boils down to the to the two people that lead those two schools. And I have been very dissatisfied over the last two years with the way the superintendent Lubie has handled things to be honest. And I think it's important to call it out. So we have a broken school system. We have someone that has come up here as a professional, a superintendent that has to solve these problems. It's not the time to solve the problems during the budget
057season. It's time to solve the problems during the year when we have those issues. The school bus issue for a million three did not happen yesterday. It's been here. It should have already been solved and we would have saved that money and then we would have more money for our children and more money for our special needs. The fact that the school systems are bifurcated is a serious problem. We have a speed bump in the middle where two schools that don't talk to each other have to take children from the sixth to the seventh grade. It's a big problem. It doesn't work out very well and we know that from scores and other things. So the inherent problem is we have to fix our school system. We can't just throw money at it. We have
058to make sure that it's done properly. I know one of the selectmen brought forward that Miss Lubby didn't have conversations with regards to uh talking about the contractor Gilbert and what they were going to do with reducing their budget. Well, as far as I know, Gilbert's always worked with the other school system with the WPS when budgets were tight and they've reduced those numbers. So, it's mindboggling to me that at the end of a situation like this in budget season that you would not have an answer to those simple questions of what it would be. And I believe maybe maybe they had a conversation today, but from what I understand that she did not ask the questions. Someone else had to ask the questions. And I'm sure they're going to come forward some point and
059tell you what those numbers are. But it seems ridiculous that the superintendent of the schools aren't handinand here discussing these issues, solving these problems, and making sure that we don't misspend our funds. We have a lot of money that we receive as a school district. We have a lot of money that the town's people put in there on a price per uh child. The numbers look great on the amount of money we spend. It looks great. We are not doing the job right as a combined school system. >> And the sad thing is please. >> Yeah, I will. And and the sad thing is it could be a great school system. We could have the benefit of public and private and we could have one of the best school systems in Connecticut. So with that
060in mind, I think you better look at your leadership or lack thereof in your schools and put their feet to the fire to fix these things for once and for all. And we'll have all the money for our children and we'll have all the money for a great education in our schools. Thank you. >> Who would like to speak next? >> Matt, did you sign in? >> Oh, sorry. >> Can I read something from someone that can't be here or is that >> Sure. just uh give their name. >> I'm reading this for Maryanne Marino who cannot be here because uh her mom is in the hospital and I'm sorry for you Paul too as well. >> Um whose mom is in the hospital. She had planned to be here but cannot be. So, I
061will read uh what she uh just texted me. There has been a repeated assertion in these discussions that the superintendent should be negotiating with Gilbert because they are a vendor. But the record shows something different. At the February 5th BOE meeting, when question was raised about whether Gilbert could tap into over a million dollars in available COVID relief funds and roughly $600,000 in their non-lapsing account, board of ed chair Werner stated that he would take on that conversation directly with board of ed member Frank Alvary. At the February 26 BOE meeting, we learned that how that was handled. Board chair Warner reported that he had spoken with Gilbert headmaster Mike Susi who stated they had already contributed 250 250,000 from reserves and chairman Warner accepted that as sufficient. He did not at any time direct
062superintendent Louie who has no answers to the BOE to go over and negotiate herself. I suppose that any of you at this table would not go over your boss's head either. At the same time, the board of education based on the pressure they perceived they're getting from the selectman went on to already cut $500,000 in their ask. So we are left with a very clear imbalance. Gilbert contributes $250,000 from reserves. Public schools absorb $500,000 in dollars in cuts that directly affects student and staff. This is not par and it raids a larger issue of accountability. If Gilbert is be treated as a vendor, the negotiation is not symbolic. It should be rigorous, transparent, and outcome driven. And that responsibility rests with leadership. That leadership consists of our electeds. It is also important to recognize that
063Gilbert is not without resources or representation in this process. Public filings show that Gilbert retains a professional lobbying firm to advocate at the state level and has done so for many years at the tune of $18,000 per year. Again, that is not a criticism. It underscores that Gilbert is organized, resourced, and capable of engaging strategically when it chooses to. Let us also acknowledge that headmaster Susi from the Gilbert school did not attend either budget workshop nor is he here in this room tonight despite repeated requests from the board of ed chair Warner various selectman and the town manager from what she understands she said from what I understand but she understands that is in itself is clearly strategic. The town should expect comparable levels of engagement from our high school vendor, who I might add
064is only a vendor because it has a building. When local taxpayers and students are being asked to absorb cuts before moving further forward with further reductions to public education, there should be confidence that every part of the education system has been asked to participate fairly. Right now, the burden is not being shared evenly. If we are asking our public schools to make deep cuts, then we should should expect the same level of sacrifice and transparency from Gilbert. That is not unreasonable. It is responsible. I'll write our name down. >> No applause, please. >> All right. We are going to adjourn this meeting and reconvene the 7 o'clock meeting in just a couple of minutes. There'll be another public comment section there for anyone that would like to speak again or speak for the first time.
065657 the meeting's call for a motion >> motion to adjourn second. >> Thank you Bill. All in favor? >> So that closes this one and we'll reopen. >> Excuse me. Please take your seats. We're going to restart the next meeting. Good evening. Today is Monday, April 20th. I'd like to call the regular board of selectment meeting to order. Troy Lamir, >> Kevin Bishop, Paul Marino, Paul Harrington, Todd Archelashi, Glenn Alberius, >> William Hester, >> Cheryl Hefner McGlin, >> William Poso. >> Please join me for the pledge of >> allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I would like to make an announcement that this is the 2-year anniversary for town manager
066Harrington. Congratulations. >> You made it this far. >> You got a special message. Ju if there's any uh new residents that joined us in the last hour at the start of the special meeting at 6:00. We did get uh Pearson school roof project approved at referendum a few weeks ago. We are looking at forming the board of selectment is looking at forming a building committee. Applications are due into my office this Friday the 24th. You can find them available on the town's website. Just go under under feature announcements. You'll see an article which will link you to the application. So, if you have interest of helping get that roof put on the building, uh it's a summer of 27 uh build. So, uh a little bit of time, but uh we are looking for residents
067that are looking to volunteer to be part of the Pearson school roof project. Applications online. Thank you. And once again, we're back to citizens comments. We welcome public comments. With the full room, we anticipate a lot of people will wish to speak. So to be fair, please make sure you try to keep your speeches within the three minutes. You may speak once this round. There will be a second round later on. Uh all speakers are requested to give their name. Sign in at the sheet over here when you're done speaking. Uh it's not meant to be a debate back and forth. It's your opportunity to voice your concerns. Any questions that arise will be directed to the town manager's office. He will respond to them in a timely manner. Should a board of selectment member
068wish to comment, they will at the end of the meeting and selectman's comments and reports. To promote fairness and full participation, please make sure you remain courteous and respectful when you're speaking and no clapping, cheering, booing, or other outbursts are permitted at a public meeting. Who would like to speak? Don't be shy. Good evening, selectman. Uh Kurt Warner, 82 Crown Street, Winston, Connecticut. I'm also the board chair of our board of ed. Um, at the last meeting, you tasked me to reach out to Gilbert um and get some insight into whether they'd be willing uh to share in the potential cuts that we are uh possibly facing. Um, I did reach out to head of school Susi uh who was on vacation. Um, so uh I do want to clear up a few things. They
069did not decline to be here. Uh, they were unavailable to be here. Um so uh the choice of words uh could change a lot of perspective. Um so um in speaking with him and speaking to the board chair of the Gilbert Corp um they are willing to uh go back to the board speak to the board about potential cuts. Um super head of school Susie is developing scenarios to bring to the board. Unfortunately, um we will not be meeting until Wednesday night. Um so we're kind of down to the uh hour of when we'd have an idea of of uh the likelihood that the board will vote on potential cuts. Uh and also the um how much they are willing to uh participate within the cuts. Uh but there is a willingness on their side.
070So, I just wanted to address that to the board um to help you in your decisions with this. Um I also want to speak to a couple things. Um I did have uh some people put words in my mouth. Uh the commissioner, while I did meet with her uh for about 45 minutes, uh she did address the fact that she would like to see um uh WPs and Gilbert come to a contract resolution uh that could potentially bring more revenue into uh the town uh through the state funding. Um she did not say that we had too much administration. I want to clear that up. Uh I hope people are very careful about the words they put into other people's mouths. Um so I just want to clear that up uh and make sure that
071people understand that there are people fighting for this town. Uh she also made it very clear as a commissioner that we are not the only town in this state that are having uh revenue issues. Um, if you look at the news, there are many, many states. ECS is the buzzword uh of the year. Um, every day you're talking about ECS funding and all that. And while uh it'd be great if the Republican uh legislators proposal um to bring another $1.1 million to this town uh through ECS funding would be approved. I don't see the likelihood of that happening. Um, I will say as many of you uh had witnessed, our board went through an extensive process um in determining what our budget would be presented to you. Um, and we did end up counting 500,000.
072Um, we this year was a perfect storm. Um, we had a million dollars increase between Gilbert and WPS in insurance. uh we had COVID relief grants uh disappear. Um we've been flatfunded from the state through ECS uh since 2017. Um and we also as a as a town historically has a hard time um paying for budgets. Um I think the record for our town is seven budget referendums. Hopefully we don't get to that this year. Um but we have a hard time um as taxpayers uh having a willingness and when we were flatfunded to wrap up >> when we were flatfunded for 10 years um we've been playing catch-up ever since. Um yes we had a huge increase last year. It didn't come close to supporting the staff um of our schools. Um so this
073year we were looking to get closer to it. Um, cutting the 500,000s is not getting us near there. Uh, cutting us any more would be devastating. Uh, so thank you for your time. >> Who else would like to speak? Uh, my name is Peggy Merold the Howerin and I do not really want to address money other than to say that I do not believe that throwing money at the problems that I see going on in the public schools in Winstead is the answer at all. I live on a street with a lot of children. My own child, my grandchild who I'm raising does not go to public school in Winston. Nor did I, nor did any of my children, and we went to Catholic school. Catholic school is obviously not for everyone. But there are
074things about Catholic school that the public schools could take a lesson from the children in school in the public schools. And I don't just hear this from adults. I hear this directly from the mouths of the children who hang out at my house every day after school are bullied. They're treated poorly by their classmates as well as their teachers in a lot of cases. and they complain about it to me and it bothers me because my grandson goes to Catholic school and none of that occurs in the Catholic school and we all know that the Catholic schools budgets are way below the public school budgets and yet somehow or other they raise children that are respectful, polite, caring, kind, treat their classmates like siblings. They don't put them down. They don't beat them up. Something
075is seriously wrong with the the Winstead public. Well, it's nationwide. I've done a lot of research. And the whole problem is that discipline is non-existent. And when a teacher does, and it was mentioned by another woman earlier, does try to discipline a child, the teacher is disciplined and the child is just not dealt with at all. There are children in this school, and I could name a couple because I do know who they are, but I won't, who have kicked, spit on, bitten, >> sworn at, punched teachers and nothing happens to the child. And while this child is creating this havoc in the classroom, instead of removing that child from the classroom, and this you can all deny it, any of you that want to, I know this for a fact because I've been told
076it by teachers, paras, aids, as well as the children that the child who is acting out is allowed to remain in the classroom. room while the other children who are really there to learn are brought out into the hallway to stand twiddling their thumbs while this other child is allowed to continue pitching their fit. And the kids that are there to learn and are not acting out are being punished. They're the ones who are losing out. The child who is misbehaving should not be in that classroom. And if it continues long enough, and in this particular instance, this child I know is a problem, at least twice a week, should be removed from the school. >> You're at three minutes, so please begin to wrap up. >> Okay. Uh my point is throwing money at
077problems like children who have no respect, who are not being taught respect, and the teachers who are not being backed up. Throwing money at those problems is just stupidity. It it it solves nothing. Money is not the answer. Programs is not the answer. Simple respecting the teachers, backing the teachers, which they are not being backed by the administration whatsoever, is what has to happen. Forget about your money. Forget about all your arguments about money. focus on the children and let the teachers do their job and discipline an unruly child when that child needs to be disciplined. And then back the teachers because why should they put themselves in harm's way every day getting kicked, spit on, punched, bit if no one's going to back them up when they send that child to the principal's office.
078It's it's a disgrace. Please make sure you >> Oh, okay. That's all I have to say. I'm I'm outraged by what happens and the children themselves who live on my street hang out at my house and I hear these stories from them. They're not making it up. No one's coercing them. This is out of the mouths of babes. So, I know they're true. >> Let's just speak next. Is it possible to speak for a second time? >> Yep. >> This is a new round. >> John said, "I was just listening to this young lady over here speaking and I've heard that so many times and I was just wondering if the selectment sometime if it's possible for them just to take a visit at the school unannounced and to see exactly what goes on. I've
079heard stories what goes on in Winstead. Um and I just shake my head like she mentioned um the kids from the Catholic school to have respect. When I was uh young I went to um Riverside School in Torington and we had like 40 kids in the class and we had respect for our teachers and I learned a lot of stuff. We didn't have problems with the kids. If we did, we would bring them down to the principal's office and they would stay there and then the school and the teacher and the school room would go back to order. We didn't have stuff like what's going on right now. This is ridiculous. Get spending more money to take care of stuff that it's not working. It doesn't take a genius to see it. So, my suggestion
080is if some of you guys or and ladies, excuse me, have a chance, if you could walk into these schools unannounced and see exactly what goes on here, I guarantee you're going to open up your eyes and you're going to decide that throwing more money into the school budget is not what we need here. We need more discipline and we need people who are able to handle the school and if they have to tighten down on it, that's what we need. We just don't need any more uh nice stuff. Thank you. >> Who else wishes to speak? >> Hi. Um Chrissy Rylander, 46 East Mountain A, Winstead. Um first year board of ed member, but um most importantly a parent in Winstead. Um I do just want to actually comment on the last two comments.
081Um the school environment has changed significantly especially especially since co um there are behaviors that the teachers are expected to manage and I feel like that um the arguments that were made by the last two public comments actually proves the point of why we need more support staff in the schools. um it is to support the students who are struggling but is also helps to maintain a classroom where all of the students can learn and our teachers can teach. Um I do actually have some notes. I have a couple comments to make. So I'm sorry if if I jump all over the place. Um so I did just want I wanted to comment on that. I feel like that that is not an argument against supporting our schools. That is actually a very very strong
082argument for supporting the budget because the students and the staff need support. Um okay, another thing I did want to comment on is um the comment that the board of education budget is a line item that um actually I found very disheartening. I view our town budget, nothing in our town budget should be viewed as just a line item. Um, we are talking about the livelihood of our community, the future of our community and all of the residents and taxpayers who live in town. Nothing should just be viewed as a light item that needs to be slashed. Um, so I did also want to point out that I we live in an 1100 foot home in a workingclass neighborhood here in Winstead. Um, we live paycheck to paycheck. There's no extravagant savings. Um, we struggle
083with the inflation costs just like everybody else. And we are much more likely to sell our home and leave town if the schools are not supported than we are by a tax increase. Even with our limited income, we understand the importance of a strong school district, not only for our fourth grader and second grader, but also for the strength of our community as a whole if we want to get roads consistently repaired. Um, if we want to be able to take care of infrastructure in town, we need to be putting the money where we are going to get the most back from it and that is the education system. It is going to increase home values which will increase tax revenue. It is going to bring more families into town and it is also going
084to bring more businesses into town. If we are looking for a the smartest way to increase our grand list, it is by investing in our schools. Um sorry my so um I am also to the board of ed. So again first year board of ed we are on the verge of really looking at the financial and structural complexities of the board of education. Our board approved Dr. Lubby to do a study to um an with an independent source, a study to find us the most efficient and financially responsible way to educate all of the children in Winchester. We cannot completely destroy the schools before that study even starts to wrap up. >> Okay. Um so let us do the study, support the schools so our kids can still get a good education. we're not coming
085back even further from that. Um, and also let please let the community make the decision. I know last year it was only eight votes, but it was eight votes and it passed. Um, so please let the community make the decision. There is also going to be a new question asking vote no. Is it because of too much or too less? That will help guide you in a direction when it comes to the second referendum if necessary. Right. Thank you. >> Who else wishes to speak? Matt Smith, 662 East Wakefield Boulevard. I just want to take a moment to thank Kurt for coming up here and clarifying a few issues. Um the first being that the reason why Gilbert wasn't here uh last week was because they're on vacation and they had family vacation and they
086weren't here to be here uh tonight. I know that they also have a trust meeting. So there are conflicts there. Otherwise, I certainly would think they would be here. Um, I also would like to commend uh Kurt on clarifying the issue with the commissioner when they visit the commissioner. I think he's doing a great job with that and I hope it succeeds. But one of the things that they really are looking for us to do is to follow suit and have some sort of binding agreement or contract together and work together. In 2023, there was a report as such and I have a feeling after we go through the next I guess it's in September that Miss Rylander said that report's going to be coming back in. I have a feeling it's going to point
087down the same road. But the other thing that my me about that um was in the discussion Kurt said that he did speak with um uh Mr. Susi and and I'm I think that's wonderful and it'd be nice to know what the numbers are, but um it it it I'm very perplexed why a superintendent would not be the one doing that. A superintendent has the knowledge of the budget. A superintendent knows how to speak to another superintendent. Uh a superintendent would basically go, "Oh, you want to give me $150,000?" No, that's not going to work because we're giving out this percentage and we need $300,000 and you can probably cut in that line because I've heard this, that, and the other thing. It doesn't really matter, but they have the knowledge to speak on the
088same language. So, I have no idea why something like that would go on. And I hope when you have your questions, you the selectman can ask those questions and find out a reason because it does not make any sense to me from a negotiation point, running businesses, running anything else that you wouldn't have one head not negotiating with the other head. And usually you would have your finance people there and everything else to get the job done, get it done well, and get the best reduction you can to help the taxpayers in the community. That's all I have to say. Thank you. >> Thank you. Who else? Anyone else wish to speak? >> Let them speak. And then >> call. I'm Rachel Maxville. We live at 77 Pratt Street. Um I am a mom of
089a 16-year-old student that goes to our schools. I'm also the grandmother of a another student. I just got custody of him, so his education is also important to me. Um, she's been in special education since she was in kindergarten. Um, she was also an outof district student for many years. Um, just so I felt she would have better needs met with um, a different school and they had better education uh, special education. um the director of people's services a few years ago convinced me to bring her back into district um because you guys have progressed and schools are better and there's more education or special ed. Um with that um I feel that any cuts to special education um would not be beneficial. Um already I feel that there is a lack of special ed
090help. Um my grandson, he has speech disabilities. Um so by cutting those um it's there's not going to be enough for all of the kids. There's a lot of special ed kids in the schools which I have noticed. Um we weren't prepared for this. We just were like we got to go. >> Um >> do you want to say anything regarding like your special ed? >> Sure. So I have dyslexia. That's a reading disability. it's hard for me to read and comprehend things. Um, and since I've like come I came here in sixth grade, so I went to Pearson and Pearson, they weren't the best help for my dyslexia. They kind of just kind of pushed me off to the side and made me figure out my own. And then I got to Gilbert Middle
091School. Um, I had quite a bit more help. It was a lot more helpful. Um, you know, they taught me how to read better, how to write better, you know, how to do math better. Um, I feel like cutting this is just not going to help other kids. Um, because that takes away from kids like me who really need like the special ed teachers that really like need to help these students. >> The one-on-one support. >> Yeah. The one-on-one support. And I do as a parent and a grandparent, I do outsource and I do take them to private, you know, speech pathologists and different things to help, you know, with the speech. And, you know, she's also had tutoring and whatnot. So, I'm not solely relying on the schools either. Um, but it is beneficial
092to have that extra support and the help from the school. Um, I feel that the director of people services is amazing advocate for our kids. I think that she definitely fights and, you know, helps and keeps us on the right path. Whereas in the past when Payton was little, I had to hire a child advocate to help to get her uh goals met. >> Okay, >> I guess that's it. >> Thank you. I'm 16 years old. >> You would have never brought me up there at 16. Good job. Sorry. I had said it. Great job. 16. Great job. >> Uh, somebody over here wanted to speak. part of it. >> You got to give your name. >> I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you. Um, so good evening. Um, having grown up with ADD for most
093of my life, I know struggles of special education. Um, luckily I grew up with a school that had basically was a building for special ed. Um, my point being is I understand the challenges of seeing exce uh achieving excess without adequate support. As a mother to an eight-year-old who has attended Pearson and has a learning disability, I am aware of his struggles as he expresses a daily recurrence reluctance to attend school. My perspective is that the financial aid alone may not be the most effective solution. I believe that allocating funds towards a uh you know special education facility would be beneficial uh to the town um than simply increasing the general budget. Thank you. >> Just make sure you sign in over here. >> Yeah. >> Tweak. >> Hi Renee Walden. uh 111 Standard Avenue.
094Um I am a special education teacher. I've been doing it for 23 years. Um and I love it. So, but uh anyways, I uh I was here for the meeting the other night. So, the other night and there's a couple things I just wanted to address. Um education is not just a line item. Minimizing the impact education has on our children, our families, and our community is simply unacceptable. And let's be clear, many of those impacted are voters in the next municipal election because there is something more important than politics in in this town and its families. There is no real conflict between the town budget and the education budget. Send the budget to the taxpayers and let them decide. What are you afraid of? that it will pass again by eight votes. That's a
095good thing. And why subject the superintendent to unnecessary scrutiny when she is the one consistently showing up? Hi, Julie. She's here answering your questions and working to manage rising costs responsibly. As much as you want Gilbert to reduce its budget by a specific amount, history tells us that's not how this works. you, the board of selectmen, cuts the education budget first, and only then does Gilbert sometimes adjust theirs. Julie and Mike cannot make backroom deals without board approval. Doing so would risk their jobs. They can't do it without their boards. That's the reality. If you want a real solution, move the Gilbert tuition out of the education budget and into the town side. Then when tuition increases by over $800,000, the town can decide how to cut up to 26% of the town staff to
096cover it. Right now, every year, the cuts fall in the same place on our pre-K through sixth grade students. It's time for that to stop. Send the budget as is to the taxpayers to decide. Thank you. >> Hello, I am Rachel Gagnon, one Stow Road. Um, I'm also a business owner in town. I coach at the Gilbert School and I have recently started subbing in the Winchester public schools. I did go to a Catholic school and they were not able to discipline the ADHD out of me but services helped. So taking away services from these children are going is going to be so harmful. I see with these teachers and these administrators they are they love their jobs. They love these kids. They are trying so hard. Taking money away is going to be extremely
097detrimental and it is going to be worse than anybody knows. and I pay my fair share of taxes in this town and would not mind paying more if it means helping the children. That's all I have to say. Who else wishes to speak? >> Hopefully crinkle. Candy Perez, 605 West Wakefield Boulevard. Speaking on behalf of myself. Um, I have a lot of notes. I've been taking notes from people and just some things to respond to. uh you are an entity that has to cover three entities, right? So there's a three-legged stool here in town. One dollar has to be split out amongst everybody. So how that's going to happen and how you're going to solve this solution has to be looked at from all the entities make one and how does one support all the
098entities? Uh Bill, you at one meeting said everybody was mad at you when you didn't reduce the budget last year. That's not true. Not everybody was mad at you. Some people were glad that you were thoughtful and looked at things the way that you did and that there are people that were happy with it. Maybe not in the circle of people that didn't like that, but that wasn't true about everything. And Paul, you are right on actually when you start asking about that you wanted to ask questions of the Gilbert budget because when you look at what Mr. Harrington showed recently when you look at the asks right you look at the townside ask is about and correct me if I'm wrong oh no you can't debate 400 or so for the town side there
099was about 700 or so in special education services there was about 400 in K6 regular education and there was 800 in 9 through in 7 through 12 regular education and I think that's what you need to be understanding difference in all these special ed costs that people are talking about worrying about getting cut having worked in the schools. Special education services are not going to be cut because there's IEPs that have to be followed by state mandates. That's not going to happen. What's going to happen is the K6 regular education student if you don't get a cut and help from Gilbert, which I'm very interested in. They know you've been struggling and tonight we find out from outside entities that they're willing to help. I would say invite them here to the meeting with another
100invite and you need to ask those questions. Or better yet, if you're I know you're on deadline because it has to be done by Friday to get to the papers, go to their meeting on Wednesday night and ask them for some help. That would probably be the thing that you would you would want to do is is to do that. Um the other thing I'd ask you to do too is finally get budgets from both entities on the administrative cost because everybody's saying you're going to save all this money. So having been in school, I'm pretty good with numbers. I try to put things together because I try to find the numbers. I can't find all the numbers in the breakdowns because in some budgets it's all lumped together. So you you can't find them.
101And for administrative costs, if you let one superintendent go, be prepared for a $200 to $400,000 buyout just to start with. Um let's see. Uh oh, I've also heard about this more money once we had this agreement in a August. I'm still waiting to see the money. I don't know if the rest of you are, but I'm still waiting for this money because it's not here. We talked about more money tonight. We maybe get more money if we get a contract. Well, I'd like to wait for that to happen. Funding reductions will reduce services. Unlike something that was also said, it will reduce services because here's the thing is there's no extra people and there's no extra supply account that you can cut from. There's no extra custodial machine that you can cut from. It's
102going to come because of it's coming because of health costs and contract costs. Just like some people may have gotten a raise, some of the some staff gets raises and the health insurance premiums are because what has happened with the the ACA funds and all those kind of things that have have caused this to happen. So services will be reduced if you if you go on the path that we hear uh that you're going to take just a lump sum away from the schools. The lumpsum has to be distributed amongst the schools. It can't just be one. It can't be the K6 regular ed kid. It can't just be like the social studies goes by as a new book. Oh no, we can't or we can't do this or we don't have a teacher or
103we have to have more kids in in the kindergarten class or in the first grade class. It can't be just one. And speaking of can't be just one, the town has things that can also go to because Troy, you asked me once for solutions. You said, "Oh, what do you want for solutions?" There are solutions to >> I am. There are solutions and they're not solutions anybody likes, but it's better than taking that K6 regular ed student and impacting just them. You have unfilled positions right now. They were unfilled for a while. Unfill it. And I know I know I like public works as best as anybody else, but there were all year we had unfilled public works positions. And if there's any still unfilled, you should look at that. Some positions have been advanced
104in this budget, have grown from where they were, and you've added money to them, you should look at that. You should look at some reductions over on all three legs of the stool to get to that one community dollar you need. Thank you. >> I'm sorry I talk so loud. I know they got to hear it. >> Nobody can hear you. I'll sign my name. >> Who else wishes to speak? >> Anyone else wish to speak? >> So I have a number of emails that were sent to the board of selectmen by people that weren't able to be here and they wanted them read during public comment. This is the time to do that. I don't think if we've all received the emails and read them that they have to be read. >> We can
105enter them into the record. >> Correct. >> I think I think it's important for the community to hear them because they haven't seen them and unless they're going to be published, you know, they're not going to get to see them. Plus, I I found three in my spam filter. I don't know if you guys found those three. So, you know, I would ask that, you know, people were unable to come to this meeting to make public comment. These are all the emails that you know were received in the last few days by the border selectment. I think it's important for everyone to hear what's being said. Just because people couldn't make it because they had child care or work issues, they're out of town, they shouldn't be excluded from having their voice heard by the
106community at large. So, I would ask to be able to read these at this time. >> I would submit their voices have been heard because we've received the emails and read them. And that's the purpose of public comment is to get the information to us >> and they will be part of the minutes. So they will >> So I can submit all of these and they're going to be typed up into the minutes. >> They'll be copied into the minutes. Yes, >> copied into the minutes. So I'm going to submit those because there were three in the spam folder and I'm sure went to everyone's spam. So it wouldn't just go to mine, but I would say that I think it's it's not appropriate. We should be leaving them on the record so the community
107can hear what they had to say, too. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> I just I wanted to address a couple things that were said. Um, Jennifer Mitchell, 95 millet drive. Um, I'm also a business owner, a parent of three kids in our school district. Um, some of the things that were brought up about the behaviors and things that go on in the classrooms. Um, the reason that those things go out in the classrooms now and didn't when we were kids or people that are even older than I am is because we liked to hide those kids with behaviors in one classroom where nobody could see them. >> We don't hide them anymore. We let them be with everybody. And what that teaches is acceptance. And what that teaches is empathy. >> Wrong. It doesn't teach.
108>> No, first, please. >> Oh my word. >> We should address the board, please. >> Um, another comment that came up was that because it's a law that IEPs and 504s must be followed, that that means regardless of what's cut that that will somehow happen. I'm not good with money, but I'm pretty sure that if you don't pay people to do the job, they won't do the job. So, if there's no one being paid to do that job because we don't have it in the budget, which is what will happen, then that will be outsourced and we will be forced to pay a higher cost. So, saying that just because it is a law and that we have to do it, yes, that's true. But if we don't give the school system the money they
109need to pay for people in our district to teach those kids, to be interventionists, to be paras, to be special education teachers, then we have to send our kids elsewhere. And I just want to reiterate also what Rachel said. I can't discipline ADHD out of my children. I can't I can't discipline autism out of my child. Nobody could discipline ADHD out of me either. >> I'm autistic, so Please keep the outburst down. >> Either way, you cannot discipline a disability. You cannot discipline a developmental delay. It's it's impossible. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else wish to speak? >> I just wanted to clarify one thing. Um, at the last meeting, uh, the board of selectman asked me to reach out to Gilbert. Um, and I did tell Julie I would do it on behalf of
110our board to reach out, um, and ask. So, I just want a clarification. It's not that she wasn't willing to do it. I said I would take it on me uh, at the behest of you guys um, to reach out to Gilbert and see if they would participate. So, I just wanted clarification on that. Thank you. Last chance. Anyone else wish to speak? >> Hello, Deb Jablansky. Well, I just want to commend you all because you all show up, which we appreciate as taxpayers. And my I'm getting a consensus here that the public wants us to move forward with the budget for the school as it is. I think we should see what the town says about it. Now, as far as Gilbert goes, I I appreciate Mr. Warner's, you know, he's doing his best,
111but we have a budget season, and it's not a surprise. We know when it's coming. Dr. Lubby arranges her schedule around that to be present and be in partnership with us and doing her due diligence. Why? Whatever excuses that were presented tonight are just that. They're excuses. I mean, someone should be here representing Gilbert no matter what from the um uh committees or boards or or whatever it happens to be, not board of education, but uh superintendent and and the authorities of them. So over the years, and I've been here a long time, and I think I've said this like beating a dead horse, I would advocate to have us build a school. We don't need a private school in Gilbert in in Winstead and a semi-private and in a public school. And I know
112you all have your um nostalgia and and so do I with where I came from. But you know, I deal with people all the time moving from their childhood homes that that cry when they move out. They close the door. But you take your memories with you and you keep them forever. Nobody can steal those from you ever. It's a building. It's a football field. It's whatever it happens to be that touches your heart. But you take those memories with you. You can't take the physical being of it. So I advocate that we keep the budget as it is and let the town decide. And um you know, I'm going to advocate for the schools. I can't afford it either, but I'll I'll try. However, I think we'll get some windfalls in time with what's
113coming down the pike and maybe we'll use that money wisely. But I would like this board in future to seriously consider how we can build our own school, our own high school, have one school system, state-of-the-art for our kids, and see what that turns out to be so that we have a foundation to go on and build from there. I've been trying to get a new school here since forever because Gilbert has always been a thorn in our side at budget time, no matter who's running it. They have always always put a hindrance on our budget for whatever reason. So, I I hope that'll be taken into consideration and I thank you all for being here. I mean, you've all showed up all week. How many times have you been here this week? >> Many.
114Three. >> Well, this is the beginning of a week. So, so you know it's I mean you're dedicated and I'd like Gilbert to be more dedicated but we don't see that right now. Thank you. >> Make sure you sign in to me. >> Hi, good evening. Um Jay Marwell, Winstead resident of 27 years. um four children who went through Winstead public school and Gilbert and three grandchildren, two instead public school and one currently in Gilbert. Um I have something just very simple to say. Every single one of you have the obligation to these children in this town. every one of you to every single child to give the best education possible. And one more thing, if any of you have children who are not in this school district, would you accept cutting the school budget
115anymore? That's all. Thank you. Um I do just have a statement to read behalf to read on behalf of another community member. Um this is on behalf of Kelly Hicks. She is at 80 Herbert Street here in Winstead. Um she said, "I have five children. One is a senior at Explorations. One is a freshman at Explorations. I have a sixth grader at Pearson, a kindergartener at Hinsdale, and an infant who is a future Winchester Public School student. We moved to this community in 2012 and survived the receiverhip, many administrators and were actively involved in the process of school improvement that led us to where we are today. Some of the factors that were identified as critical needs for improvement during the rece receiverhip were the complicated relationship between the Gilbert school and Winchester public schools
116which has not changed. Frequent overturn in administration causing constant transitions. Now we have a dedicated superintendent who even brought a home in our town. Rebuilding trust within the community which is still in the process and requires support and a positive attitude from our elected officials. Underfunding the district and maintaining the MBR year overyear which we're looking to go back to. It is alarming, disheartening, and terrifying to watch our board of selectmen attempt to push us back into issues we have worked so hard to improve. At one of our board of education meetings this budget season, selectman Hester stood up and addressed the audience saying, "Wait, we have so many good things to look forward to." I'm assuming this comment meant businesses coming to town to grow the grand list. I applaud our board of selectmen
117for wanting to see growth and positive change in our community. I'm very happy with the addition with the additions we have seen. Please continue what you're doing. But also, please understand that dismissing our school district as unimportant and a financial burden completely derails all of the good and positive work you are doing. The legacy you leave behind will not be a positive one despite the work you've done. You will be the board who destroyed the forward momentum of the school district. That may not be your season in life in which you are able to see the importance of maintaining a stable and appropriately funded school district. But I implore your I implore you to ask your audience right now how many people sitting in this room have moved here since 2020 specifically due to the
118investments we have made in our schools. I'm one of them. Um we cannot go backwards and still thrive. Additionally, we cannot overlook the fact that Gilbert School will receive an 800,000 budget increase this year. We have consistently heard that our students are not ready and prepared to meet the expectation they face in middle school at Gilbert. So, I'm asking the board, how can it be possible to support this challenge if we increase the budget at Gilbert while decreasing staff and derailing fundamental needs of Winchester public schools? The simple answer is that we can't. It will only create larger gaps between the schools. Lastly, we are not the only community facing these issues in education. There's guaranteed to be movement within families seeking edu educational opportunities elsewhere. Let's not lose the families we have and let's
119let our beautiful charming town of Winchester be the place they seek. Let them see that during challenges challenging times we still choose schools and they should invest here. Please do not cut any further funding to our education budget and let Winchester continue moving onward and upward. Sign her name in the middle. >> Good evening everyone. Uh Frank Olive, current member of the Winchester uh school board and lives on Shore Drive. Um, I think what's very important, we have something we can do this year that hasn't been available to, I believe, this town for a number of years, and that is to get a one unified school district, one school, high school, middle school, elementary school run by one group of administrators. I don't know how much that'll save in the budget, but that'll give us
120a foundation to move forward to cover the other problems, some of which are disciplinary. And disciplinary means family, teachers, and administrators. So, the families have to become part of that plan and part of that solution, not just dropping the kids off at 6:30, 7:00 in the morning and letting the teachers handle that. So, if we work on those problems, the money issue will go away. It's not to solve the money issue first and leave these other problems brewing. So, let's solve the biggest problem. One administration, one good school district, and disciplinary throughout the whole program. Thank you, >> Frank. Uh, make sure you Frank, who else wishes to speak? Hey everyone, Nora McCarski, 605 West Wakefield Boulevard. I serve currently on the Winchester Board of Ed. I've been serving for now 11 years on the
121board of ed. Um, first I'd just like to recognize one more time Barbara Severio Severio's uh long long-standing service here in the Winchester public schools. She's seen a lot. She's been through a lot um with Grace um with Dorm and um she's the epitome of a professional in the system that that she works so hard for. And I'd also like to recognize the faculty and staff and the others behind us tonight for being out here for supporting our kids. Um this is not an easy task. I recognize that and I know that the budget that the Winchester Board of Ed had passed um was something that was closely looked at, scrutinized, examined. there is less than 1% of discretionary costs that we could ever cut. As mentioned before, it's all contractual um and insurance increases.
122And that's that's just the reality of it all. So, education is an investment. It's movement forward in our community. And so, um one of the things I want to recommend or recognize is that we've invested in a Pearson roof. We've invested in a new school at Hinsdale with renovation. Uh the town's support to education has increased over years so that we can open our doors every day. Um and our scores have increased with preK through six through the hard work of multiple people, receivers as well as superintendants working with the the the um other school district if you will. And it has not been easy, but collectively we've moved the school system forward so that students have performed and been recognized by the state of Connecticut. uh SSOs are now instituted inside the buildings to
123provide make sure that you know there's a safe environment. Um so retention was one of the board goals. I just want to bring that up and remind that to yourself so you know one of we've had several goals but retention is one of the critical ones. A healthy school district is one that keeps its teachers on average 15 years. That means keeping new teachers, training them, and keeping them moving forward consistently in our classrooms. New teachers, if they're not retained, will stay for two to three years, then leave us. And that is one of the critical problems we've been trying to solve. And that is in its cornerstone, the reputation of this district. We've moved slowly the district's reputation. And this community has invested in this district and its reputation and there's parent support for
124it. As mentioned to you, cuts will not be borne by special ed programs. Cuts will be borne by regular programs. So that's something we need to consider that all of our students will be hurt. Um and retention is a key component of this. Teachers are watching us tonight. They're watching and listening to everything you're saying. And in fact, some of them might be tomorrow asking for letters of reference. And that would be very unfortunate. That's the reality of the s of the situation we're in. As an educator for over 30 years, I will tell you that everything you say tonight will be measured by those teachers watching live right now. We need to hold on to them. You need not touch the education budget because it is absolutely a promotion of our community as a
125whole and a massive investment that we're already there with. Let's go all in, not half. Thank you. >> Who else wishes to speak? >> So, I have a statement from Melissa Bird who was unable to be here and she did not send it to the board. This is I'm deeply concerned about the additional proposed cuts to our school budget. The board of education has already reduced its budget by 500,000. At some point, these budget adjustments become decisions about whether our schools remain viable. We all understand the pressure of the town budget, but the reality is that education is not just another line item. It is one of the primary drivers of a community stability, property values, and long-term economic health. And importantly, this is not a system decline. We are a district that has been
126improving. The state's edite report shows real progress in academic achievement. That progress didn't happen by accident. It came from hard work, collaboration, and what was a growing alignment between educators, leadership, and the community. The schools have improved student performance, and the Hinsdale School was completed under budget in 2023. A $16.8 8 million investment was delivered responsibly. The state's insight report notes that our district has made significant strides in academic achievement. Winchester started a course to improve our school system and it has been working. If you look at towns like Avon, Simsbury, and Farmington, their success was not the result of one strong budget year. It is the result of consistent sustained investment over time. Those communities have built high performance school systems by protecting stability. We are finally building that same momentum here in Winchester.
127Cutting deeply now risks undoing years of progress and sends a message of instability just as we are beginning to move forward. Families choose to live based on the strength of the school system. Strong schools attract new residents and support property values. This is not only a school budget decision, but it is an economic development decision. Defunding our schools is in effect an assault on our town's economic future. The board of education has already made significant reductions. I urge you to consider not just this year's budget, but the long-term trajectory of this town. Thank you, Melissa Bird, 75 Meadow Street. And >> I just wanted to say that since we aren't reading the emails that came in, I just wanted to to point out that I mean I received 33 emails over the last week or
128so. Um I believe we all received the same emails. Every single one of them was in support of educa the education budget. Anyone else wish to speak? >> Tim Strahan, 258 Kendrick Brook Road. Just wanted to get up here again and say the same thing as many others. I think you should just pass the budget as it is. Let the town vote on it. Let the town voters at referendum tell you how they feel. Right now, there's going on in Hartford the possible strap funding the Republicans proposed. Lamont has, I believe it's now up to 175 million potentially for the interim being dispersed to towns. We won't know about this until after you guys have to make a decision, but we may know before the referendum and then the voters can make a more educated
129decision on that. Any decision you guys make, I think based on what's going on in Hartford is preemptive. And honestly, I feel bad for you. Your hands are almost tied there with this potential funding because you need to give an answer before you have an answer. kind of stinks. There's also, I believe, a study going on in the ECS that the whole state is having this problem. There likely will be more funding next year. We have to make it through this year. How much that'll be, I don't know. The numbers I've found some say with the interim funding we might get half a million. That's what you're looking at for one of the cuts. I believe that's the half million right there. Let's just don't cut now when it will, as Candi said, hurt the
130regular kids. The special ed kids like my son, they are they're more protected and we're going to be forced to pay for them, but it's going to hurt the regular kids. But you cut half a million dollars and I don't know who's near the edge. Kathy Gabrielson could give you better answers of who or I don't know how much she can say with different stuff similar to HIPPA and medical, but how many kids might be displaced? 140,000 on average. No, they're going to be lower end, probably cheaper kids than that if any get displaced. You take three kids at 100,000 that get displaced at a half million dollar cut that hurts every kid. Now, we saved $200,000 because you wanted to cut$500,000 and we still hurt every kid in this town. It stacks up. It
131builds. And I think any cuts are shortsighted hopeful savings without looking down the road at the potential impact and how much it truly can cost when it compounds by not having these supports in network and able to take care of kids and get ahead of the problem. You're just, as everybody says, kicking the can down the road. You're hoping for a low number and we're going to have problems potentially with that. I think it's just quite shortsighted, honestly. That's all. Have a good night and thank you for all the work you do. I know it's tough. Thank you. Anyone else? Last chance. >> There will be another public input uh a little later in the meeting. Item four, new business. discuss possibly act on the fiscal year 26 27 budget. >> So with us tonight
132um we do have both Tom and Amarie from our our finance office. Um looking for a little direction from the board. Where would you like to start? Um, I did email, I believe it was Thursday night, the scenarios that were talked about at uh the last select news meeting, which I believe was Wednesday night. We could start there. Tell me which direction we want to go. Um, because that's going to rely on if I'm bringing support staff up, not staff up. Um, I turn it to the board. I think u I think the first thing we need to do is get ourselves to the um what is on our sheet here is scenario A which takes out the $821,000 for funding of um the handful of roads that we had proposed not last Wednesday but
133last Monday. So Paul, if you've got that list of roads, I think we should start by um it was determined in our discussions that that list of roads was fairly unpopulated and frankly in a budget as tight as we have right now. Uh I would I would think we'd want to move forward and remove that part of the budget. So if you've got the list, I think we can start with motioning that. >> I do have the list. they're with me. So on that list was Old New Hford Road Reclaim and Pave $400,000. Intersection Aprons for uh $41,000. Ledge Drive peel and pave $105,000. Winchester A peel and pave $81,000. Gaylord's Road Reclaim and Pave $96,000. Orchard Street Mill and Pave $68,000. in Cornelio A. Milan paid $30,000. >> I move that we remove the
134$821,000 from the working budget from April 13, by removing the projects for the roads named by uh town manager Harrington. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? We have a second. Do we have discussion? >> Second. >> Yes. >> We need these motions individually so that it brings each of those from what they were to zero, please. >> Okay. >> Now, you want to amend the motion? >> I will amend the motion to remove the reclaim and pave project for $400,000 for Old New Harford Road. >> Second discussion. >> All in favor? Unanimous. I move that we remove intersection aprons from $41,000 to zero. >> Second >> discussion. >> All in favor? >> Unanimous. >> I move that we take ledge drive peel and pave from $15,000 to zero. >> Second >>
135discussion. All in favor? Unanimous. I move that we take Winchester Avenue peel and pave from 81,000 to zero. >> Second discussion. >> All in favor? >> Unanimous. >> I move that we take Gaylord's road reclaim and pave from 96,000 to zero. >> Second. >> Discussion. All in favor? Unanimous. I move that Orchard Street Mill and pave from 68,000 to zero. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> All in favor? Unanimous. >> And I move that Cornelio Avenue Millan Pave goes from $30,000 to zero. >> Second. >> Discussion. All in favor? Unanimous. I think we also need since we discussed really um four additional revenue lines that we were going to include into our 27 fiscal year budget. I think we should move to get those uh I believe we have to move to get those accepted into
136the budget. And then once we've done that, we've we've removed the expenditure of the roads. We've talked about the additional um $821,000 in funding towards the budget and from there we can discuss where we go with the um education budget. So therefore I move that we increase the fund balance injection for capitals. >> Can I interrupt you? You can. >> I I apologize I couldn't be here uh for the meeting on Wednesday night. Um, so I'd kind of like a little bit of leeway uh to discuss some of these items from the finance director's perspective. So prior to uh talking about increasing the fund balance injection for capitals, we need to go down to the discussion about the speed cameras. Um, so item number five, I understand was uh proposing to increase $221,000 as a
137transfer in for speed cameras from fund fund fund 44 revenue. So hold on one second. I got to get into the right budget here because Tom saved it as a new budget now. So now I have to get to it. Uh according to state statute, we cannot use speed camera revenue as uh general fund revenue. There are only specific uh uses that we can use the that revenue to supplement our budget. Uh so one of those items is hang on time when I get to it. >> Yep. So, one of those items is capitals. But I'm going to step back for a minute and just talk about uh good budgeting practices. And one one of those good budgeting practices is not budgeting for items that we have no idea what our revenue is going to
138be. We have no history on speed camera revenue for the town. We have nothing currently in reserves related to speed camera revenue in fund 44. So, it is not good budgeting practice to budget the use of revenue that we don't have yet. You have no idea what revenue is going to come in. And to allocate those funds to be used to cover expenditures for the town is a risky maneuver and is really not one that we should really make as a general practice. I would say we should wait a year to determine what that revenue is and as just as we should be doing for the extra duty fund um as we do for fund balance allocation. We look at our prior year audited numbers and we say we have this in reserves and if
139you'd like to allocate that in your budget then so do because you know that those have been audited. you know, you have that revenue in your pocket to be used for the purposes that it's intended. My suggestion would be if if you would like to use funds that you think are going to come in, I would say wait the year, let that money come into the uh speed camera revenue, let that be in reserves. And for this year, instead of taking it out of that fund, I would say as an alternative because we have enough additional reserves beyond the 16.7 or 17% that I believe that you wanted to set as additional fund balance, I would say take that 2000 221,000 out of your fund balance allocation. I think that's a more conservative approach. And
140then next year you take those funds if you have money in your speed camera and you can allocate those to your capital projects i.e. your road and and your infrastructure projects because that is one of the only things for us other than road related and public safety related items that we can actually use those funds for. So we cannot put it into the general fund. we would have to allocate it specifically to capital projects or to things that are related to maintaining those cameras and for public safety items. So that would be my suggestion rather than allocating funds that we don't have yet. The more conservative manner would be to just take that 221 and add it to the potential $200,000. So how close are we? I know we have to keep that 17%. How
141close are we to to that level? >> So you right now based on our 2025 results um your base level that you have enough capacity to pull the 400,000 or $421,000. Right now we're at two we're at 22% of the 2025 uh budget basis revenue and we're at 21.69% of our budget basis expenditures for fiscal 25. So even if you to bring you down to 17% you would have to maintain I'm going to say conservatively about $6.8 8 million and our unassigned fund balance as of right now uh we're at 8.7. So you have plenty of capacity >> to do to do that extra 221. So if you did want to make that motion, Tom can give you the correct wording and the correct dollar amount that we would need to be motioned if that's
142how you would so choose to the direction you'd like to go. So, what we're talking about doing is rather than um allocating from what we believe is going to be coming from speed cameras, we would not include anything on that. Just want to make sure everybody's clear. >> Yep. >> And we would take the 200,000 that we were going to inject from the fund balance and make that >> the additional 220 >> and make that $421,000 or $400,000. >> That sounds right. >> Correct. >> Okay. So if that's the direction, >> what's the language in the motion you want? >> Hold on one second. >> Okay. And I just want to make make sure that we're clear by taking fund balance the 200 plus the 221. The intent the intent of the board is to
143to leave the capital funding as it is right now and to supplement and to move the buckets between the general fund and fund balance. It is not an additional fund balance injection on top of what you are planning to take out of the general fund. It is reducing the amount coming from the general fund and increasing the injection from fund balance. Is that correct? No, it's an additional coming out. >> So, if it's an additional amount coming out and the amount that's that the amount that is stay that you are funding from the general fund is going to stay at a set amount, that is not going to impact or bring down your mill rate at all. So, it's not going to get you to scenario A that you were looking at. >> So, you
144have two buckets right now in your capital. So, if you looked at your capital budget, you have a piece that's being funded from the general fund as a transfer out that is taxpayer funded dollars that will fund the capitals. You also have $875,000 right now. That is also an additional injection from capitals. So, if you look up at the screen, the total amount to be funded right now is a million659. That's being funded by a combination of unassigned fund balance injection of $875 and then $784,000 to be funded from the general fund, i.e. taxpayer dollars. If you take $421,000 and you add that to the $875, that means you will have to come up with $421,000 of additional capital projects. If that's what you want to do, that's not going to move the needle. What
145you want to do, what I think you want to do is change the balance. More is going to come from a fund balance injection from your reserves. Less is going to be coming from taxpayer dollars. That implication is less is lowering the potential mill rate. >> that's what you want to do. Okay. So, that's what we want to make sure and we want to clarify that that's what we want to do. So, so Tom, can you put in that move that 875 to the right number that it would be? Okay. So you want to make a motion that is going to increase the unassigned fund balance injection from 875 by 421 to a million296 and to do a corresponding reduction of the transfer out of the general fund to 363,333. >> Correct. >> So it
146would be this Okay. >> All right. So I move that the board of select may increase the fund balance injection for capitals by $421,000 and reduce the transfer to capital general fund expenditure line from 784,333 to um to 3063,003 $363,333. >> I'll second that motion. >> Thanks Cheryl. Thank you Bill. Any discussion on it? All in favor? >> Unanimous. >> So, the other two items that we talked about so that we're uh to get to an $821,000 revenue change for the lack of a better term for now until you tell us what it's really going to be. >> I'm going to speak on one of them and I'll let you go on the other one. >> Okay. Which one would you like to speak about first? Um, I want to speak about the sale of
147town owned property. Um, foreclosed property. It kind of goes along with the same discussion that we had previously. Um, it is not a really great practice to budget for revenue that you don't have in hand. If you don't have a signed contract, you don't know when something is going to close. And in particular, budgeting for the sale of um, town-owned or foreclosed property is one of those items that will create a hole in your budget. is a it is a one-time injection. It is a one-time revenue stream that is sort of not operating in nature. It is not recurring. And by doing so, you are creating a hole in your budget for the following year because that is not revenue that's going to recur. So, it's not permitting fees. It's not the stuff that comes
148in on an ongoing basis that we and that we have a historical information to budget for. So when you do that, it's great if you get it in. It creates a surplus and hopefully will increase our reserves, but to budget for that as an operating item is um problematic and risky because it potentially can create a problem and a deficit position if the money doesn't come in in the 2027 budget. And additionally, if you had it in your budget now, next year, how are you going to make up for that $200,000? Where are you going to get that line item? Because it's not an it's not really an operating item. >> And everything you've said so far is exactly what's been going through my mind for the last two or three days. >> It's it,
149you know, it it's hap it happened to me uh when I was in Plymouth. Um the mayor was adamant about we were going to get $350,000 in foreclosed property. And you know how much of that came to fruition? Zero. A big nothing. So we ended up, you know, now you have to find $350,000 of savings on your expenditure side to make up for that um potential. If you get the money in, that's fantastic. It's just not it's not a good budget. It's not a conservative budgeting practice that we should make a habit of. I don't believe >> to put it in context when you're looking at $200,000 and I am rounding but up on the screen you see a value of 1 mil it's just over $1 million whether you decide to do the town
150own property or not if you don't do it you're just adjusting whatever scenario up 210 of a mill if you don't do it so take all those scenarios that you see on the paper $200,000 roughly 210 of a We're we're fortunate right now that one mil equals1 million dollar. So if you're thinking which direction you're going to go, what effect does it have? 210 of a mill either direction. So as a group on Wednesday we discussed these four scenarios as revenue things that we would we wanted to consider including into the budget because of the extreme circumstances that we're facing this year. So I think we need to discuss as a board are we ready to abandon these two other items because I suspect the same conversation is going to be had about the tag
151sale or the tax sale >> that that I can see a little bit more on on that end of it. you know, you have the tax saying now now in the following year, you may potentially not have as much to put into your past due line item. That may be the case, >> but which you would also hope that the properties that were part of the tax sale now are paying taxes regularly and that revenue would stay. >> Correct. So I think there's less of a risk than there is with the potential for the sale of property that um is simply a one-time revenue shot that is not an ongoing oper. It's not an you know you're trying to pull out those you're trying to pull out and not budget for those anomalies that aren't
152going to occur on a regular basis. at some point in time you're going to run out of hopefully foreclosed and town owned properties to sell and you no longer have that line item, you know. So, >> I mean, it's it's it's obviously up to you guys what your risk is, what the problem. I see from the financial perspective is once you turn this over and once we have an approved budget now it becomes my problem and it becomes Tom's problem and it becomes Paul's problem because when that revenue potentially doesn't come in now we have to find a way to manage the budget so that we end up in a >> we end up in a surplus and not a deficit >> but you feel the issue with the the tax sale income >> I
153think I think is less right because you're always going to have past you're always going to have past due taxes and that always fluctuates on an annual basis >> and we are doing that. It's not something we're thinking about doing. We actually have lawyer hired and that's all going forward. >> I got a question for you, Marie. Are we being conservative on the tax sale? Can we go up and meet the sale of land number? So, we're asking for 200 and 200. Can we get 400 from >> I don't know because I have not >> You looked at that list. >> I don't know. And that's >> that list still being combed over by the attorney uh attorney Cohen. I'm not comfortable giving you a number until you know he feels these properties uh would
154potentially sell. >> But you're still comfortable with the 200? >> I'm still comfortable with the 200. Yes. To Troy's point or second Lamir's point. I'm not comfortable tonight >> giving us Weren't we at like 900,000 or something? >> It's like 860. But let the attorney do their work. Let them look at it. Let them make sure >> trying to make them some revenue here. >> There are, you know, carveouts of, you know, bankruptcies. They may fall below that $10,000 threshold. There's a lot of moving parts >> and and and to an Marie's point, >> you go anymore, you're going to create that bigger hole uh into next year's budget. you know, and we, you know, we understand that sometimes there's a need to, you know, there's really a need and obviously in this situation where
155you're where you're potentially looking at an increase in your mill rate that you want to I don't want to say push the envelope, but you want to make sure that you're budgeting enough revenue so that you're not taxing the residents. But there's a balance between pushing it to too much where you've now now you've gone beyond what what we really should be, right? you you've gone beyond the conservative into the >> into the risk category and I'm not a really on the finance side. I'm not a really big risk taker on the budget. >> All right. So, we can make a motion on the tax sale. >> So, I uh move that the board of selectment increase the property taxes past due revenue line by 200,000 from 350 350,000 to 550,000. >> Second. >> We
156have a motion. We have a second. discussion. All in favor? Unanimous. >> So, that leaves us down to the sale of town owned property. We've uh we've injected $600,000 of revenue. Now, we have to decide if we're going to eliminate the sale of town owned properties that we had talked about last Wednesday. Well, we still have 363,000 of capital expenses that are coming from taxpayer funds, right? So, if we find can find a one-time revenue source to cover any more of that or if we can put more in from from our, you know, savings, that's still an option, right? >> Well, at 400,000, I don't know where that puts us in terms of our percentage in the quote unquote savings account, but I think we're probably getting towards the end there. I don't know that
157we want to take because again this 400,000 we have to deal with it next year in the operating budget because we are injecting savings account money into the operating budget. So >> yeah but there's 363,000 of capital funtime items that are currently being >> those are actual projects being done. That's part of the project being done list. it and once you've included a a line item as a revenue, >> you can't say, "Well, only you can't don't buy that unless you you get that revenue, >> right? There may not be time to do it." There is not a way for us to hinge our capital projects on whether a piece whether a portion of revenue comes in or not. We can't say to Mr. Rollins, "Hey, we want you to do all these roads, but
158oh no, wait a minute. Now, come February or March, don't do these because we don't have the money on the revenue side to do. >> If you wanted to make any adjustment to the U capitals, you'd have to get into the list of 26 projects we're going to do and decide you wanted to cut some of those projects. And we've cut from what was it? 59 down to 26, I think, was the number. >> Correct. >> 596 there. While you're chewing on that, um, Tom found I don't want to say an error, but we found >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Did you say something? >> I'm sorry. >> Where's the money, Tom? He picked the wrong person. >> Tom didn't find there was not an error. There was money, Tom. >> Your finance director reviewed
159the state aid and >> we we have a office. We have additional It's It's something. Um, so the note was, this goes back as far as January when we were crafting this uh, budget originally. Taking a look at your uh, famous general roadway repair line. Year-over-year, we tend to budget in there $400,000 out of general fund plus 85,000 from LOIP. That is a state aid program. >> LOIP has actually gone up in recent years. The 85 has just stayed in our budget because that's what it's been for >> a long long years that it was in at 85. >> State aid hasn't changed much, but it did recently. So for 26 and 27, there is an additional 37,84 >> 8.84 that you can add per year. So when you add >> So in our current
160year budget, we only in the fiscal 26 budget, we only added 85. We only budgeted for 85. Our actual LO sub funds are 122,84 something like that. Um so we can take what we are getting in 2026 put that into the 2027 budget and then shore up the 85,000 that is in your 2020. >> So roughly 66,000 >> 76,000 76 >> correct. So that'll bring the state the grant funded piece to 160. That will increase your total funding for road repairs to 56768 instead of 485 >> which is good. >> With no mill rate impact. Yes. >> Right. With no mill rate impact. >> It's not going to help but it's good. >> Now I don't want to really give you the option but you have the option if you wanted to drop the $4400,000
161by that 76. But now you're going below that baseline general fund funded taxpayer dollar piece of it that you're looking to increase your roads. So, you know, I take that as a kicker. And now you've got another $76,000 to do some more work, >> but we will need a motion >> um to inject the $76,000 >> into the LOA line. >> I'll make that motion. Wait a minute. Hang on before you real quick. That would still leave the $485 standard budget amount for road repairs, right? >> It's going to add the $76,000 to it. It's actually going to bring it to 560. >> Oh, so you're adding it to the road repair. >> That's correct. >> Yes. >> I'll make that motion to add it to road repair. >> Give that to him. >> Number
162five, six, seven, something like that. What is it? >> Six. >> Number six. I move that the board of selectman increase the general roadway repair state federal aid funding by $75,768 from 85,000 to 160,768 for a total project funding of $560,768. Second. We have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? >> All in favor? unanimous. >> So that doesn't lower the mill rate or anything. That's just more road. >> No, that's just more road fixes a few more potholes. >> Yeah, that's about it. >> So we're back to that pesky sale of town owned properties again. >> So I think originally our intention was to come up with that 821,000 to cover those road projects that we had put in the budget. >> So I think we're okay if we don't do anything with
163that. Well, our our scenarios that we ran on Wednesday night >> were factoring in >> that extra 200 grand. >> Exactly. We were taking out the 821 and we were counting the four $821,000 in in revenue that we were adding to the revenue side. So, we're all of those scenarios will now be $200,000 short without the sale of town owned properties line. So just to level set right now, every official motion has that's been made has now been captured. This is where you stand right now. >> Correct. >> With all the official motions that are on record, >> mill rate of 31.12 1.95 mill rate increase 69. >> So again, Mr. Harrington, I'm going to ask you, can you dig into the budget bag and come up with $200,000? >> When you say come up
164with $200,000, do you want to cut in service >> or are you looking for revenue? >> I'm looking for revenue to to lower the mill rate. >> We've met every day last week. We met again today. We have racked our our brains on every possible scenario. >> You see Emory and Tom. >> Um we've we've crunched the revenue side of the equation multiple multiple times. We've done it and we actually found, you know, a $76,000 error. So that was good that we kept going back. >> So now charging 25 cents for coffee and water. That's it. you're at your limit. >> So therefore, >> what I think we'd like to see now is what is the budget look like with a $500,000 reduction, the $800,000 reduction, and the million reduction that we had in scenarios
165B, C, and D with the >> So you're going to just add 0.2 to each of those numbers. Well, >> the difference. So, B, C, and D, you're going to add it's going to be 30.63. >> What is the actual uh tax percentage? >> So, this includes a $500,000 reduction here. >> So, it becomes 346. >> Yep. >> And we're looking at a 4.41 increase. >> Yep. 1.29 29 mil increase. Correct. That's for uh scenario B, correct? >> Yes. >> And it's what? 4.41. >> Yep. >> Can you give us scenario C, which is the $800,000 reduction? >> It's the I got to get the wire replace. >> It's when I switch between tabs. This is scenario C here. This is a $800,000 reduction. That is a 3.98% tax increase or a 1.16 mil increase.
166>> 10,000. >> Yeah. >> And then finally the million That brings you here to a 96 mil increase or a 3.3% tax increase. Mill rate of 30.13. So that 200,000 took us from a 2.61% increase to a 3.3% increase. So if you look in in that scenario the 210 of a mill you went from 76 to 0.96 it's 210 and then you know there's percentages the math works to the 261% tax increase was at the very least below the rate of inflation for last year. So we were trying to keep it somewhere in that general vicinity. Now the tax increase is actually greater than the rate of inflation last year. >> So we'd have to reduce expenditures by a million two to get back to that 2.6 tax increase essentially. >> Correct. If you're looking
167to take that out of the education budget, you're devastating the schools because that will come out of the K through6 regular education. We will lose our security officers. We will lose teachers. We will lose services. We'll have a shorter school day, which will screw up the bus schedule for everyone. Parents scheduling. That's not responsible. You know, we had a meeting um today. Paul Kevin and I participated in the meeting with the um education commissioner with her legal department, legal advisor, her legislative advisor and her finance adviser and we were talking about the situation that we were in and one of the things that was made clear and you know, you know, kind of pointed out as well is, you know, there was this talk and it happened here. There was talk about how if we
168just contract with Gilbert, we'd get more state funds. And that's what the commissioner of education told everyone. She denies that. We we asked her I asked her, brought it up twice. That's not it. That does not affect our state funds. So, if anyone's got that in their head, the other issue that we brought up is that we can't do a contract with Gilbert that would satisfy that um study because the study requires it to for tuition to be factored into the contract. Gilbert to date and Dr. Lubby can confirm this will not agree on tuition being part of any contract, even formula, anything. They're willing to go talk about joint curriculum um committees. They're willing to talk about this, but they won't. So, we're not going to have that. So, let's not even think about
169that we're going to save money with Gilbert in any manner through a contract because they're not willing to take they're not willing to give up the statute that allows them to bill us whatever they want. And you know what? But I do appreciate that they did reduce their ask by 250 by putting money from their $2.3 million slush fund. And so instead of asking us for an additional $1.2 million 1.5 million, they asked for 800 I think 844,000 something like that increase. We're at the the board of education did our job for us. They cut the education budget by 50 $500,000 which we're losing services that we need that our children are entitled to. We cut this any further because you want to maintain the cost of living. Well, inflation's gone up. Health insurance gone
170up. Dr. Lee, we looked at all different sorts of scenarios to try and cut everything. None of them's pretty and they're all devastating if we do it any further. I say we send this budget to the town's people. let them decide in the manner that we spoke at and you heard many people come in here and say that in the letters that we've got that are going to go into the record. Many more people have said let us vote on this. Let's let you know we've we've examined this. There's no way to bring any more revenue in. We've done what we can. So we've tried to reduce the ask. We've looked at reduced we got rid of the assistant chief. We got we we we parred through this. I mean, I've gone through this budget
171and I've highlighted things that, you know, we could take, you know, we could eliminate every new item in here. You like we have the historic commission's got $8,500. We've got um more money for the assessor's office, more money for um I think the voting. We could take all that out and we're not going to add up to more than 200,000. Not even close. And we took the board of vet already took out all the new stuff that they needed. They took all that out. Plus, so this is the reality. We have health insurance and utilities are driving this budget this year. There's I heard comment, you know, through through the public comment about throwing money at it. Just throwing money. We're not throwing money. Money is not being thrown at the education budget. There's no
172extra money there. There's none. We're not throwing money. And if you keep cutting, if you cut any further than it's already been cut, it's going to hurt this town and these kids. As you heard, you know, our principles, hey, it takes years to undo the damage. Years. We we've spent years undoing the damage and now we don't want to go back. So, I make a motion to accept the budget as is right now and to send it to referendum. You're hitting you're hitting my box. So, >> invest. >> We need to deal with a motion that's on the floor. >> Oh, sorry. Yeah. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Yes. I just wanted to um Since we're a finance board, I just wanted to to talk about like actual numbers. I
173know there's a lot of, you know, a lot of emo emotion in the room and, you know, there's of course kids are not a light item, schools are not a light item, but I just wanted to bring back a little reality of like what this actually means. Um, so if one mill or the what I did is I took the um the median assessed assessment value in town. So the middle of the line. So if you take all the properties and you find the median, the median is $178,000 for assessment. Uh my own home is actually below that. So and you know I was I was actually surprised that my home was below the median. Um but that's what it is. And one mill will cost you the average the middle of the road will
174cost $14 per month. Uh, so that means one half people in town will pay less than about $14 a month in additional taxes and um, you know, half will pay more. So if we were to cut the education budget in uh, by 500,000, we would be saving people a little over $7 a month. Um, the average middle of the person. Again, half people would, you know, save less than that. Half the people would, you know, have to pay more than that. But that's about we're looking at. So if we were to cut it 500,000, we'd be saving people about, you know, seven to eight dollars a month on average, the median person. If we took 800,000, we'd be saving them about $11 a month. And um if we cut the budget budget by 1 million,
175we'd be saving the average person about $14 a month. And that's right in the middle again. So half the people, of course, some people have more expensive property and they would pay more than that. But honestly, most people, you know, most people who are struggling have properties that are worth less than that. Again, I was very surprised to find my own property, which, you know, I didn't regard as in the lower half is actually well below the median assessment. So, I just wanted to bring it to real numbers. I know there's a lot of talk about, you know, like being priced out of town and all of that, but I know if we were to cut a million dollars from the schools, we would be saving uh the average person, the median person, uh about
176one about $14, and we would be losing that large number of positions that uh four kindergarten assistants, two safety officers, one principal, one social worker, uh two interventionists, one prek teacher, two reading teachers, four classroom teachers, two instructional coaches, two assistant principles, uh one nurse, two special education teachers, one special education administrator, and one social worker. So, I think that it's important that we give the people of the town to decide the option to decide. They can say no. It's not the end of the world if the referendum fails. Um, but we need to give them the option to decide. If you're the middle person, you are you willing to pay 13 to 14 more a month for this? It's not, you know, that we need to give them that option. >> I need to
177amend my motion because I said go to referendum. It actually goes to town meeting. >> Can I just take a brief pause? Um if any select person is going to make a motion um it should be as the following. I move that the board of second approve a budget of for example 43,290,600 and an appropriation of $78433 um from the town's fund balance for one-time capital improvement projects to the annual town budget meeting on May 11th, 2026 at the Gilbert School. >> That one. that one. >> You went a little quick. I wasn't ready, but uh just >> let's go that one. >> So, u since we're in the discussion phase of this motion, if we're going to keep it real, let's be real about what the budget has been for the board of education
178for the last three years, and let's also remember that should they find savings at some point, whether it's through unifying the schools in one school system, that any dollar amount that moves forward in this budget becomes permanent. Even if they find all kinds of savings in building a school or whatever else we we we do to find savings, whatever goes into this budget is permanent. We are not allowed to reduce education budgets. And if we're keeping it real, I've heard the word cut cut a 100 times tonight. We're not cutting a budget. We're discussing whether or not the board of ed should get2 million56,000 more permanently than they got last year. That's what we're discussing here. And whether the town can afford to fund $2,56,000 more than they did last year. And if you'd like
179to look at it, historically in the three budgets that I've had the pleasure of being part of, the board of ed got 980 roughly $980,000 additional the first year. They got a million5 last year and came in this year looking for 2.5. I see a pattern. Where is it going to be next year? A $5 million ask. >> But you have to look at where those numbers are coming from, Paul. You have to look at the out of placement. We can't touch >> Gilbert. we can't touch. So, the only amount that WPs is asking for that can be technically touched is the $444,000. And that would reduce services. And if you keep going further, instead of just asking them not to do that, now you're really digging in and and hurting the school. And while
180you can't cut the budget, if they don't spend the money, it comes back to us unless we say they >> I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to spend the money. >> Well, you know, >> one thing about about governmental agencies, you give them money, they're going to figure out how to spend. >> And I will disagree with you because I know during the six years I was on the board of ed, there was always an effort, ongoing effort to try to save money and save money so that there would be that fund at the end to try to create that safety net. But that's up to us to decide whether they get to keep those funds at the end of the year. >> It is no longer >> no longer state law >> state
181law change any of their appropriation can go into their non-lapsing at the end of the year >> without our our permission because there always to be that's just changed >> up to 2% up to >> up to 2%. Yeah. So not all of it. >> So >> there's nobody that sits up here that doesn't care about our schools. Okay. But the other responsibility, I spoke about this the other night, is we have a responsibility to the taxpayers. And I know that there's a uh you know, there was a great rallying job by the board of education to get everybody here tonight and get 17 letters or emails sent to us today because that's a machine that creates that gets people to respond. The the regular taxpayers don't have a machine behind them to create all
182the letters and get people out here tonight. that machine doesn't exist for them. Part of our responsibility is to be reasonable with tax increases. And to add another nearly 7% after 7% last year and 5% the year before is starting to get to the point where people say I can't afford it. I don't have emails from all those people because again they're probably working today and don't have time to to send us emails and they don't have a machine >> supply excuse me and they don't have a machine behind them rallying them together to do that and I applaud everybody who does it but the reality is we have to think about more than just the board of education because there's a whole another part of this population in town that says I can't afford
183it. The people who approach me when I'm out and about that go hey guys we can't take another tax increase. So let them go and vote on that decision. >> If that was the way this was meant to work, then Paul would create a budget and send it to referendum. You see, we are hired or elected to be leaders. We get to look at the 718 pages. The general public doesn't get to look or doesn't take the time to look at the 718 pages. It's our job to go through the budget and move a budget forward that is responsible for not only the board of ed but also for the taxpayers in this town. >> So what do you want to cut from the education budget? What what what uh teachers which I mean we
184have a full list here tab of all the education >> listen it's not our job to tell the super excuse me it's not our job to tell the superintendent how to do her job >> but I will tell you that out of the box thinking it took Troy to suggest to her well why don't we see if any of these special ed parents want to take 10 or 15 >> that's accurate she said that she was looking at that herself already >> did she do anything with it other than offering the IRS 58 cents a mile or 70 cents a mile The reality is we don't see any of these meaningful ideas until budget time. Someone said it tonight beautifully. The first time we worry about how to pay for all this is in April.
185Not all year long when we should be looking at our budget all year long in the board of ed and going how can I do this more efficiently >> and that's changing because we're doing the study as to what to do with unifying the school system. So that we are taking but we can't do that this year. We can't bring all the kids back into WPS or go send them all to Gilbert this year. So, we have to get through this year. That's what we need to do. And they've made a responsible budget. And you say, you know, talk about being leaders. Well, you lead and show us where in the education budget you think you're willing to sacrifice the families and the kids for. >> I don't see anything in us. >> I suspect
186that any adjustment we make to the board of ed budget tonight, Dr. Lubie is going to figure it out and she'll make it work. In fact, when I asked her about that, she goes, "Well, when I actually sit down and do it, I will look at salaries and I will make decisions based on what how I can keep the most amount of people." The list that Kevin just read off is not etched in stone. >> But she can't fire the the higher earning teachers, just the yellow earning. So, that's more teachers that lose. >> Not our responsibility to tell her how to get there. >> Why don't we have a conversation? You know, she's right here. Dr. Ly, can you enlighten us further on what if we're doing motion? >> This is actually part of
187Cheryl. We're in a motion right now. We need >> it's discussion. It's not time for public or even Dr. Lubby to weigh in. >> I think actually we can make we can ask for information from people who have the information during the discussion period. There's nothing in Robert's rules that precludes that. >> We are in discussion. Any discussion from the board further? Um, I'd just like to point out that Republican uh Board of Education Chair Curt Warner is here tonight and and he said himself, he said it the best of anybody here. He said that the board of ed has looked through the budget and made a $500,000 cut and he said cutting more would be devastating. That is from the board of ed chair of your party. >> Other discussion? >> No more discussion.
188All in favor? Two opposed. >> Five. >> Motion fails. >> If I may, Mr. Mayor, the sidebar that uh the finance director and I had while the motions were being made, we do apologize. So, you have investment on income. It's a line item that I saw quickly when I uh when I arrived here. >> Income on >> I haven't emailed that. Uh um Tom will pull it up. I have it on my screen, but you don't see it. It's down. >> There you go. So, you can see um well, >> this is fun. Um you can see uh we had $60,000 uh placed uh one year several years ago. We ended up getting 702. Um I got here I changed that number to 350. Um we came at 338 254. >> Now you go that's
189just a partial that's just a partial year. >> Partialize a 1031. We are set on the track rate that we're on. It's an investment on income. Um year to date of March 31st there's 568,000 in that account. We budgeted 325. If you math that out, um the estimated uh line item on 630 would be about $748,000. Great surplus money. Um we'll account for that obviously when we do the audit. Currently in the budget, uh we do have $425,000. I if I could predict the investment market, I'd probably have more money in the bank. I can't, but I just offer that up that there is a high right now. You could create a hole at this point, and I've been there before. Every little bit of dollar can make a difference. >> Is there realized gains
190that we could move into the general fund without creating the hole? In other words, we've already realized the gain on the investments. Not f. So that line item will end at 748. >> That budget's been decided. So the >> that's this year this year. So if you're just in just trying to guess what the market's going to be next year, >> correct? Correct. So >> that's a tough one. you were sort of looking at is there is there anything to trace is there $200,000 that we could you know replace but for the line item that you did not make that motion for the sale of foreclosed property and that's kind of where I started looking at my options >> are you comfortable with taking $200,000 as a revenue >> I don't know if >> I
191don't know that I go 200 >> I mean it's >> I could go >> it's not going to move the needle a ton for you but it's going to move it a little closer to that scenario Ario A that you were looking >> 75 grand. >> Um, you know, >> so another 75 you could consider into the general fund. >> And again, investments are good now. The market is doing all kinds of fun stuff. We caution and I'm going to say we because I know Ann Marie and Tom >> and Cindy Cindy the main one. >> Um, >> you get it next year, you might not get it the following year. you could create again that's why we aren't comfortable at 275 more again it second lamir asked a question any more revenue you ponder
192you think some more and you start pulling even more levers and that it's it's a cautionary le lever but it gets you potentially $75,000 more I don't know what that if that helps the board or not that out there. >> I'm not particularly happy creating holes in the budget as before. So that's just me. There's there's other people up here. So >> um before we move on to the next possible scenario or ideas, I do want to clarify something I said and I did not mean to insinuate to the parents in this room that we don't all work hard and that you don't work hard. I misspoke and I apologize for that statement because that's not what I was insinuating. What I was discussing is the board of ed does a really great job of
193rallying the troops and the taxpayers without kids don't have that machine behind them. That's what I was referencing. >> The machine is the machine is at the point where the children are up here advocating for themselves tonight. >> I think the use of the term machine is offensive as well. >> Listen, um I could pull out Dr. Lug's piece that she mailed to every parent in town. I mean, that's part of the machine. Would you like to see it again? Because I'm sure we all do. The term machine is offensive. >> It's it's the mechanism by which they get all the communication. >> I would like to take a make a motion to take a or 10 or 15 minute break. >> Meeting is in recess until >> we have a second. >> Yeah, you
194made a motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? Okay. Just want to clean the records up. motion was Mr. Hester followed by and then everybody thinks everybody >> messed up. >> Where did that come from? >> I wasn't here on Wednesday, so I have no idea what y'all did last week. I'm getting fresh air. >> I haven't been out of the building, >> so I'm getting fresh air. I'm gonna go. >> All I'm going to do across the whole thing. >> Yeah. This is probably And then looks great. I'm over here. I don't know. I take I'm not Yeah, I was watching Yeah, that's for sure. I'm not trying to Uh mic's on. We are back from recess at >> 9:16. Uh we are in discussions and possible actions on the fiscal year 2627 budget.
195Um you guys put up the million dollar um mill rate increase in percent. >> So for reference this is where we left off at 31.12.6 It's time for >> a million dollar reduction to expenditures. Your new mill rate is 30.13. >> Your new mill rate is 30.13. >> With a million dollar reduction, your new mill rate is 30.13. That is a 96 mil increase or a 3.3% tax increase. >> So I'd like to make a motion that we cut $1 million from the school budget. The expenditures are 42,290,600. Uh what's the other one had to say? >> The numbers to put in the motion that up. So your expenditure total was correct. It's that number there. And then the second piece of that that we need is the this here the fund balance injection. >>
196Well, no. Do they have to make a motion? They have to make a motion to change the board of edline item. >> Bring up the board. Drop it ahead. Drop it. >> So give them the numbers that the board of ed >> Start there. Gotcha. Do the account number. No, you don't need the account number. It's fine. But just the line item. >> I can't read that from here. But >> hang on. >> Move over. >> So it changed to what? 21. Oh >> no. Hang on. So your your motion would be to reduce the board of ed um before board of education expenditure line item by $1 million to $25,05562. >> What she said. >> Do you want me to write it for you? >> I can say it. So uh reduce the 25
197million by 1 million down to 1,56697. >> No. >> Here. >> So, it's going to be a reduction. >> This is going to be the new >> Okay. >> to board that. >> So, a reduction of $1 million to 25 million. Uh 50,562 2.61 >> No worry about you're just reducing it right now. You got to take each thing in steps. So >> we have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion. We have a second. Is there discussion? >> Yes, some discussion. So, in on page 16 of the board of ed section of our books, um there's a historical appropriation section. And I think, you know, I want to re-emphasize that what you're asking is for our elementary school regular education students to lose a million dollar in
198funding, whatever that entails. Because if you look at the way things go historically. So for example in 2023 the board of education budget was increased by 2%. the total budget, WPS, which covers not just regular ed, but special ed, special ed, all the way through Gilbert, all the transportation, the nurses, they took a cut of8%. $100,000, whereas Gilbert got a 7% increase that year of over $500,000. You go back to 2022 BOA while the budget went up 1.5 the WPs portion of the budget was reduced was what was.1%. Whereas the Gilbert budget $286,55 at 4.1%. And you go 2021 again negative budget 216,000 deduction of their budget whereas that money went to Gilbert. >> So was it that >> I'm still talking. So if you look at they had a negative two 2.7 decrease whereas
199Gilbert went up 5.7. So, if we're counting on Gilbert to to be balancing off your million-doll cut, it's not going to happen. And what you're doing is you're hurting the elementary school kids and everyone else is going to destroy this town's viability because you're going to show that you don't care about education in this town. So, businesses aren't going to come in to invest in this town because we're not investing in this town. That is an irresponsible cut and we're probably end up getting sued because we're not going to be because we're going to have no assistance in the classrooms. So the teacher the teachers are not going to be able to do their job. So these regular kids are not going to be getting the education. Neither is the special ed kids because it's
200just going to be havoc. You can't do that. That's why I was pointing out about look at items in the budget. What do you think? Where do you think the fat is in the budget? It's not in the WPs portion of the budget unfortunately. And that's all you can control. That 444,000 increase asked for the WPS is all that can be adjusted. That's the only otherwise you're you're devastated. And they can't even adjust that because that's inflation. That's the cost. The health insurance, the contract stuff. There's no room to cut without losing people. And that's what you're asking for with this. And that's outrageous. And that shows a complete disconnect about what's appropriate in a town. budget, how you invest in your town, how you grow your town, we're going reverse. >> If you add
2016.69, nearly 7% again this year, you'll have increased over the last three years 19% property tax increase in a town that is not a wealthy town. 19. Think about that number for a minute. 3 years nearly 20% increase in property taxes. That's not sustainable. >> And you also can't use Gilbert as an example with the 55% because those years that the percentages were higher. It was when seventh and eighth grade went to Gilbert. So that's why WPS >> When did seventh and eighth grade go to Gilbert? >> I really don't know. >> It wasn't in the years I just talked about because I was on the board of ed then and they already had something to do with that. It was actually 2011 when you see the the 15% reduction to um Winchester public and
202the 15% increase at the Gilbert school and it just goes to the 59% that >> Selectman Bishop pointed out the other night. That was part of that because we moved two grades to Gilbert. So you have to take that into consideration >> and >> but the reality is about 20% tax increases in three years, >> right? We're not dealing with the last three years. We're dealing with this year. >> We're dealing with the last we're dealing with this year. We have to focus on what the needs are of the town this year >> and what the people can afford. >> And if we've broken that down, how that applies. >> Well, I just wanted to say I think the goal is that we want the budget to pass, right? That's what we're going for. So,
203what's to say, since you've called parents the machine, what's to say that parents are not going to come out and vote down this budget because it's too low. >> I said the board of ed communication machine that gets everybody out to rally, which is how they got eight votes last year. Kevin, listen. I can go. I commend the parents for coming out and and being part of this group. I get it. I know why you're here. >> It's not just parents. I'm not a parent. I don't have kids in the school. A lot of people came in and spoke don't have kids in the school. It's people that care about the town and the town continuing to grow and knowing that that's an investment you do in your school system in order for a town
204to grow. >> We all care about the town. We're all sitting here because we care about the town. Trust me, we don't sit here night after night that we're here, particularly during budget season, cuz this is a lot of fun or for the $100 a month that we make, okay? We're here because we care about this town. All of us got involved because we care about this town. The problem is we can't pass off 20% increases every 3 years. It just doesn't work. >> And we're not saying to do it every three years that way. That's not We looked at, as you articulated at the last meeting, we have to pay catchup in some way. That's why we're here because we wanted to have these flat budgets all the time and the board of ed
205kept taking these cuts and kept having to take cuts. We can't do it. We've got to get to baseline. And even this where we're at right now, this is not a budget that's given our kids what they need. It's giving them what they can't do without. >> This is not a flatline budget. We didn't come out and say we're not raising anything and giving it a 0% increase. Trust me, there's a lot of people in town that would love a 0% increase. >> Oh, yes, there is. >> Okay. We're not suggesting that we're at 3% again. We're above the inflationary rate from last year and I think personally that's a amount we might get through referendum. >> You're not factoring in what the actual rate increasers are in this thing. The driving factors aren't just
206the inflation rate. Health insurance went up way more than the inflation rate. I am well aware. Excuse me. I'm still talking, Paul. And the inflation rate is higher now than it was last year. And you're looking at last year's. So if you want to factor in what the inflation rate is now, that's a whole different situation, too. But you still need to look at what happened with the health insurance. >> I'm well aware what's in the budget. >> I'd just like to point out once again that one mil uh decrease uh actually slightly less than a mill would be a savings for the middle-ofthe-line person of $14 a month. I still say that we should let the voters of town decide if they would like to pay that $14 a month. Um, I also wanted
207to just say that again reiterate that just because last year, you know, as you call it the machine, whatever, people in our town who care about our town and its future got out and voted yes on the budget, those same people are going to look at this and say, "You are not meeting needs. They're going to vote it down because it's too low." You can't just assume people vote for budgets, vote no on budgets because they're too high. So, you're going to have people, you're going to have your people, you know, some people, of course, are going to vote no on any increase. I understand. Um, some people are going to vote no because, you know, that's just too low and they're not meeting the needs of our children. And I mean, how are we
208going to get this thing passed if we don't find some middle ground? >> You know, you guys say you get all these emails and everything. And I got emails today, but the people that talk to me talked to me in a grocery store. They talked to me walking down Main Street. They talked to me at the gas station. And everybody I talk to says it's way too much money. So, you know, just because they don't write an email and show up here at the meeting because most of the people don't want to do that. They're embarrassed to talk. So, I'm hearing on the street that the taxes are too high. They were mad at us last year because we made the taxes too high and this year we're not going to make the taxes. >>
209And I talked to a zillion people every week through my business and I'm hearing the opposite story. So, I guess >> that's why the town's 5050. So, >> and that's why we let the voters decide it. Well, we will as soon as we >> at the end of the day, last year we passed by eight votes. The year before that it took us three tries. >> Uh we passed the year before that with one vote. Before that, it was two votes. We have residents that are going to come out. They're going to be dug in. We need to find a way that we can make this work. This isn't a zero budget. It's not a a 10% increase this year. There's things that everybody has taken out of this budget that nobody is thrilled that
210we've taken out. But at the end of the day, this board has to present a budget to the town that they think the town will support and pass. It's very important that everyone here at this table has the same idea for the town to move the town forward. We just there are people that if we put a 10% tax increase out, they will be forced out of their homes. They will not be able to afford their taxes anymore. Some of these people when I sat in board of assessment appeals a few years ago, their taxes have went up three times in the 30 years that or 300% in the 30 years that they've had their house. You know, they they bought their small shack for $30,000 at the lake. Now it's, you know, a million
211half a million dollars. Those people can't afford these types of tax increases. Do they have nice property? Yes. But we want to make sure that no matter how good or bad a school system is, the residents have to be able to live in the town. They have to be able to afford to live here. So, we need to be fiscally responsible. And with a million dollar cut, the board of education is still getting a million dollars. A million56,00056,000 more than they got last year. Is it a perfect? No. But it's it's not a zero. Um we're not giving the town everything that the town wants. We've eliminated positions in the town. Um, >> we're not paving roads. >> We're We're not paving roads. A lot of people are upset that their taxes have increased and
212we haven't paved their road. >> It's a difficult process, but we need this board needs to put out a budget that we think can pass. Whether it passes or not, at the end of the day, it's up to the residents, but we have to be responsible enough to send them a budget we think that they would be able to afford and support. And we can't do that up here if we just keep fighting. We need to do what we believe as a board is in the best interest of the town. Will it be unanimous? Probably not. But >> at the end of the day, it's up to the residents no matter what this board does. That's all I have. Any other discussion? You mentioned keep people keep saying 10%. I just want to point out
213that the uh if they were to have no cuts to the board of education, it's actually 6.6%. Uh so that's an exaggeration. >> And to say that the WPs is going to get a million dollars in this budget is a fallacy. They're going to get nothing because it's going to go to Gilbert and out of district placement and we're going to end up more kids going into out of district placement and it's going to cost us more next year and that's this you know I know you guys caucus you decide what you're going to do before you come in here generally. Um so this is what you want to do. Obviously I'm not going to support it. I think it's fiscally irresponsible. I think we let the towns people decide on the education budget, but
214this is where you want to go. I oppose it. I will not support this budget proposal at all. >> Other discussion >> and you run the risk of lots of people coming out to vote no because they their children aren't supported. >> All right. All in favor? Oppos? Just so the board's clear where we're at, that was the reduction in the line item. Now, a overall budget needs to be voted on and then sent and also the uh fund balance for onetime capital improvement projects. So, the overall budget is right. >> Hold on. >> One more double check. I feel like the audit firm doing the doing the Oscars here. Oops. This one. What do you Huh? Yeah. Okay. 1296 296. >> Okay. >> 4296 on the right. >> Correct. >> Still at 7843. >>
215Who wants the motion? >> Which one? Which number is this one? >> The last one. approve the dollar amount of the full budget and the amount of one time >> appropriation. >> Okay. >> And Mr. Esther, if I could add uh budget annual town budget meeting May 11th 7 p.m. start it doesn't have a start time. Just put 7 p.m. location >> Gilbert school. That's >> I move that the board of selectman approve a budget of $42,290,600 and an appropriation of 1,296 uh,000 from the town's fund balance for one-time capital improvement projects to the annual town budget meeting on May 11th, 2026 at 700 p.m. at the Gilbert School. Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Item C, prop uh 26-15, proposed line item transfers by the director of finance, manager Harrington. >> Thank
216you, Mr. Mayor. So, first in your uh uh packet, and we do apologize. Um, when Terry had sent the attachments out, we don't know why you didn't get the rest of the files, but there was a correction email that was sent out uh earlier this afternoon. Thank you, Cheryl, for finding that for us. Um, we don't know what happened there. Um, first one being uh is uh coming from the I got to get um employee benefits on negotiated settlements into several salary line items. As this board knows, we did ratify two contract negotiations uh several months ago. This is just now placing the money from unnegotiated settlements which was in the budget into those particular line items. You'll see that there's an attached document to that transfer sheet in the amount of $78,183. I'll entertain
217any questions. But what we typically do as we have in in this budget uh that's moving forward, we have unnegotiated settlements. We do have two uh uh labor groups that do need to negotiate with us. Their contracts are up in July. We put a lump sum of money in there. Then once the contracts uh been settled, we move it back into the line item. We don't share exactly what number we're putting in there and why because it is, you know, still needs to be negotiated. This is just clearing up um the contracts that were ratified. >> By recommendation of the town manager, I move that the board of selectman approve the above action step 26-15 budget transfer 2026-09 totaling $78,183. >> Second. >> Thank you, Bill. Thank you, Paul. Any discussion? All in favor? Unanimous.
21826-16 proposed line item transfer. This is coming from our land use office. Um, this transfers for a general code uh zoning regulation update onto the town's website. It's not something that we had done typically in the past, but uh with with Taichi being on board um we felt that it was it was uh something that needed to be done up-to-date information in the amount of $54. >> We have a motion. By recommendation of the town manager, I move that the board of selectmen approve the above action step 26-16 budget transfer 2026-10 totaling $504. >> Second. >> We have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Unanimous. 26- 20. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is coming from our police department. Um, as you'll see, um, unfortunately sometimes accidents do happen and
219we have an unanticipated insurance deductible expense we need to cover. We are looking to take, uh, from the two line items within the police department contracted services in the amount of $3,000 at NCIC terminal $2,000 to pay the deductible to get a vehicle fixed. By recommendation of the town manager, I move that the board of selectmen approve the action step 26-17, budget transfer 2026-11 totaling $5,000. >> Second. >> We have a motion to have a second. Any discussion? >> Which vehicle? >> Not one of the new ones, I hope. >> And is everybody okay? More important, >> everybody is okay. I I unfortunately a newer vehicle, not a brand spanking new one, but a new police cruiser. >> Yes, it was a police cruiser. Yes. >> All in favor? >> Unanimous. >> 26-18. >> And
220before we talk about the last one, I was quickly corrected after a board of segment meeting a few weeks ago. The department head actually, if they're an appointed board, does not have the authorization to sign the transfer. So, I put my signature on it as the town manager. This is coming from our EDC commission. They are looking to continue to, you know, pump up Winstead as best as they can. Um, and using LinkedIn and CTV advertising. It's a $600 uh request coming out of their training and education and membership and dues going to outside services. >> By recommendation of the town manager, I move that the board of selectmen approve the above action step 26-18 budget transfer 2026-12 totaling $600. >> Second. >> Any discussion? I'll note that EDC does present that. That wasn't a
221I want to make that perfectly clear as well. EDC does come to us with the transfer and we work through it. So, I I didn't want you to think that it was just coming from the town. It was from the commission itself. >> Public comment is coming next. >> Public comment. I was trying to be nice. >> Did we vote? Yeah. >> You didn't vote. >> Uh we have a motion and a second. All in favor? Thank you. >> Unanimous. I'm >> sure Tom is extra happy because he begged for those transfers to be somebody's happy. >> Item five, citizens comments. The board of selectmen will welcome public comments because we limited three minutes and may speak once who wishes to speak. Candy Perez, 605 West Wakefield Boulevard. I have no affiliation with anybody, but
222I am speaking from the position of a board of selectmen member for the past 22 years sitting in your difficult seats. So, here we are. I like to say, Troy, you can't make your own coherent motion, but you're able, you think you made the right decision, cutting a million dollars out of the schools. Okay. Well, you know, I'm not here to debate you. I'm just telling you because in public comment, unlike Todd's opening statement, we have the right to express our opinion and there was no reason to tell people they couldn't clap or say things. The ACLU and but Jay Butter Hazesy would come and have a have difference of opinions with you. There's no decreases that you made in any anywhere else in the B budget. The million you cut from the schools is
223almost the same $800,000 increase that you're giving to Gilbert. Let that sink in. Now, one question last year, not many questions, hardly at all of the Gilbert school. Do they fill all their athletic teams or do they leave some freshman and JV numbers in there and you're still paying for that request? I request the list of all increases on the town side of the budget. and then I would like to publish them because while the board of ed is cutting and Gilbert is growing their $2.3 million surplus funding. There's already a 200 and thou $200,000 or more hole in next year's budget that you all created just so you know. I'll be looking forward to you next year when that number was 200 is going to become 400. uh that because the 200 you took
224from taxpayer pass due money that's a regular line in the budget I believe and you moved it over there so unless I miss something that's possible uh you've been struggling with roads but it's always been about a road bond you're not going to make million-dollar roads by doing it through a budget that you can't increase or won't increase uh let's see um you some of you here have acquaintances that own those buildings on Main Street. I would suspect that tomorrow you might want to be talking to them about getting their buildings moving or selling them because everyone that sits empty over there and even though we have that thing from the the COG that's supposed to tell everybody what's supposed to be there, you are leaving money on the table because you can't tax personal
225property or anything. That should be the conversation that you should all be having, but I hardly ever hear it. Um, I'm going to go to the Homestead Act. You want to protect the people that are getting taxed out of their homes, go to the Homestead Act. The state legislature did it last year. You can enact the Homestead Act here in and here in Winston for the people that are going to get taxed out of their homes if if you're worried about them. Oh, and I guess I'm going to do this one. And lastly, you talked about a machine. I want to talk about the Republican machine that just gave almost a million dollars to a private entity and last summer had secret meetings behind the scenes with a Gilbert school out of public view to
226create that contract. And they clearly based on comments that were made here at public comment by some people that are part of that Republican machine clearly continues to have those conversations with behind the scenes meetings with continued attacks that happened tonight on the winchester board of ed superintendent. The Republicans on the Rep Winchester Board of uh education have a responsibility to provide public education and they have been part of some of those behind the-scenes meetings and we know about those behindthe-scene meetings. They're not secret, but you have them. But you but they were negotiated behind the scenes. So, no wonder you don't ask Gilbert any questions. No wonder when you go into their gyms and you have a celebration over something that was supposed to fix the floor but changed the baskets, changed the bleachers,
227changed everything in there. Oh, but we got no money. So, I don't know when I put out no no signs before for budgets. I don't know when that happened, if I ever did. And I'm in the high rent district. My father was in the high rent district. But I hear there's an advisory question that may be on that. So, we will advocate for that as well. But I will be putting out no signs. I will be encouraging people to say no. And then we will be going down there because there was a a compromise. I talked to Bill about it. Maybe you should have taken 250 from the public schools and 250 from Gilbert made a $500,000 cut gone into the town side of the budget because I will get those numbers and every increase
228on the town side of the budget that you didn't look at. I will get those published and I also most of you don't know this but some of you do. We have started to talk to attorneys about the equity between the K6 students and the 712 students. There needs to be equity. There isn't equity right now. Not with this million dollar cut. >> Who else wishes to speak? >> Asbury 233 Culbrick Road. I think this million dollar cut is totally irresponsible. It just strikes me the number he pulled out of thin air and it's, you know, we talked about a three-legged school stool earlier. This is not equity. This is making Pearson and WPS bear the entire brunt of this $1 million hack that you do with a budget machete. This is irresponsible. This isn't
229looking in to see what you're going to impact. This is just whacking something like crazy. Totally irresponsible. Anyone else wish to speak? >> All right, moving on to item six, selectments, comments, and reports. Any select have anything? I know that um I understand the system. I just hope that in this million-dollar cut that um our superintendent and our head of school can work together. And uh I know we have two members of the Gilbert board here. It's tough for all of our schools to bear um all three of our schools. And I hope that something can be worked out that will mitigate the impact to all K through2 students. And I hope that in the future we can find a way forward um that brings us together and and uh figures out this whole system
230that makes us all fight and go against each other and it's it's crazy. It's my first budget season. It has not been fun. Um I am really concerned because what we agreed on early on I believe was um that you know we need a budget that everybody would get behind or it's not going to pass. And I think that by going straight for a million and not even discussing the half million or the $800,000 option, you've, you know, just completely shown disregard for there were 22 22 people um that came and spoke in favor and six that were against or had questions and, you know, over 30 emails in the last couple days. All that was just disregarded. Not even an attempt to find a middle ground. Not even attempt to go to 500,000 or
231somewhere around there. So, what's just happened is that you've gone against what we agreed, which was we have to find a budget somewhere in the middle that everyone will agree to. And now people are going to come out and vote no. The machine that got the budget passed by eight votes last year, that machine just flipped and you've angered the whole town. And we better get that question on the ballot on the too high or too low because we're gonna have absolutely no idea where to go when that budget fails because there's no there's no question it's going it's going to fail now. I mean it's the that eight votes you looked at it as if it was like this you know amazing like or like this terrible thing that happened. It shows progress. You
232told me that like the year before it was just three times before that it passed by one vote. Eight votes is progress. That shows a momentum forward. It doesn't matter. The problem overall is that there's such a low turnout. It was like 15% turnout for that referendum. We need people getting out and supporting, you know, what we're doing. But we haven't given them anything to support because you've now raised taxes which is going to anger the people who want a zero increase. And you've just, you know, picked a random big number, a nice round number without even looking at like what it is we're cutting and sliced it right out of education. So, who have you made happy? Who's that who does that leave? Who's going to vote yes? >> Not me. >> Well, you're
233looking at you're saying 30 people, 26 people. How many voters are in this town? 6,000. >> Yeah, we need to get >> So, we're a voice for 6,000 people. >> So, that's that's where you're going to have your, you know, yes and no votes. 6,000 people. >> I hope they come out. >> Me, too. >> Kevin, you and I can agree on one thing. I'd like to see Gilbert come to the table and be part of this. And that's my hope. And it's I still find it amazing that as of today the superintendent and Mr. Susi have not had a conversation regarding budget. It's not up to the board of ed chair to do this. It's up to her to work as a team with Gilbert to bring a budget to this town that makes
234sense. And to date and I asked her tonight and she said no, we've not discussed the budget yet. I don't know how we're at this point and that hasn't happened. So to that end, I hope that Dr. Lubie is able to work with Gilbert and come up with a mutual partnership that brings the cost of Gilbert down so it is more fair for Winston public. And make no mistake, this board pushed through a million56,000 of additional budget to the board of education tonight. She's got to negotiate with Gilbert. And I'm not happy that Gilbert wasn't here, by the way, because I've been in the room and Gilbert has been here in these meetings and they have worked with us in the past. And I fully expect that they're going to come to the table with
235something and relieve some of this pressure on WPs. Um, but you're right, they need to work better together and ultimately I hope this study comes back quickly and it doesn't turn into two years and we're still waiting for the study that ultimately gives us the solution that ends this problem once and for all because it is incredibly frustrating to everybody in this town to listen to the back and forth and pointing fingers at WPS or pointing fingers at Gilbert. It's all of our kids and our kids go to all of these schools and I would love to see some unification and finally end the the fingerpointing and whether that means Gilbert finally comes to some resolution with us or we build our own school I sure hope that one day we're not having this discussion
236and I hope it's soon. >> So I thought you were at the meeting last week here when you know Kurt and Dr. Lubby were here and the whole issue of why didn't Dr. Lubby speak to Gilbert was discussed and it was and Kurt acknowledged that she was not authorized by her board to go and speak to them and then we asked last week for her to go and speak with the head. Kurt said, "I'll do it. I have a good relationship with them. Let me do it." And yet you still want to continue to throw her under the bus and attack her just like Mr. Smith did earlier. And why hasn't she done her job? her job is to do what her board tells her and her board told her not to go and do
237it. And when we suggested she go, Kurt said, "I'll do it. I have the relationship." So that's, you know, your comment was ridiculous in that regards. The, you know, this is an irresponsible decision that this board made. It is going, you know, I don't think it's going to pass. And also I continue to advocate for having the question so we have guidance when it doesn't pass as to which way it's going. The this is just devastating to the to the progress this town has worked so hard for over the years. And you want to hope Gilbert comes to the table. I hope Gilbert comes to the table. But the historical history, okay, was that it didn't. This is my seventh budget year. I did six budgets with the uh with um BOE and there were
238many budgets that I voted for that I that I didn't think was sufficient funds or whatever, but we she was we went through and we got through everything. We okay, we're going to take this cut, this cut, this cut so that we wouldn't have end up here and getting it cut further. But we still got it cut further when we came to the BOS. But I went out there and I advocated for every one of those budgets. Whether I agreed with the cuts that the BOS did, whether I agreed with all the cuts that that BOE, I advocated for him because I wanted to have him pass. So just like Candy Perez, this will be the first time there will be a no sign on my lawn and I will be advocating for this to
239fail because it's irresponsible. >> So out of the million dollars, the school is holding $400,000 in a in a fund. Okay. Gilbert, say Gilbert gives 300,000, that's 700,000. And then Dr. Lubby told me herself that by offering parents the opportunity to drive their kids, she could probably get another hundred,000. So we might be only talking about $200,000 cut to the school system. >> I don't think that's exactly what you said. First of all, that's what you told me. >> So I'm talking now, sir. So first of all, this time I didn't supposed to be. it. First of all, it was um she said it's irresponsible. We can't compel or force the parents to be able to do it. We don't it's totally speculative to talk about trying to create a hole. Yes. And to and
240it's irresponsible to use the total amount of the funds that she has as a safety net to try to offset it, but she's going to have be given no choice. But we're not, you know, we're not willing to go down to the wire on the funds that this town has. We have eight million dollars reserved or something. I was hearing we're we're trying to stick to that. We want to be very careful what funds we're putting in. So, and meanwhile, Gilbert has 2.3 million in their slush fund. So, do you want to take the little bit of a safety net that the WB the BOE has so you can justify a million dollar cut? It's outrageous. You know, I didn't hear you offer up any extra town money, counselor, when we were debating on the
241million-dollar vote. You had discussion. You could have said, "Oh, well, maybe let's take some more out of the town." You didn't offer that up, did you? >> So, I don't think so. Don't be throwing, you know, flags at us saying that we didn't do it. You didn't do it either. Neither did he talk, please. >> The issue is I'm speaking now, counselor. >> You are. >> Yeah. So, you did not open up that book. So, you're just as guilty as the rest of us for not looking for otherwise. So, I didn't hear you come up with any other cuts. You all you wanted to do send a 7% increase to the town. Well, the town's fed up. We're not going to pay a 7% increase. So, here you are. >> And we're not going to
242pass this budget. >> That's that was said last year and it passed. So, we'll see. >> We have a motion to adjurnn. Motion to >> second. All in favor?