001It's February 12th, 2026. The time is 6 p.m. We're in the high school media center for our building grounds and transportation committee meeting. Uh present for the meeting is myself, chair Keith Piro, um Miss Alvarez, Main, and Mr. Marzine along with Dr. Layman, Mr. Moralda, Mr. Tosine. We have uh >> Rich Alisso from the uh DI Group and Dr. Higgins. Uh we're gonna start this meeting off tonight with the um full day kindergarten project architectural plan from um Mr. Ador. >> So start. >> Yeah, sure. So uh last meeting we uh went through the draft of this plan. Uh since then we touched base with uh Mr. Aldreso and uh gave him some feedback uh because we had received feedback from principles and uh we had this crafted into a final draft. Um and again
002the purpose of this was to get the scope of the project um that we've been asking questions we've been asked questions about for several years. you know, how much does a construction project related to implementing full day with the information we have cost us? So then we can go and ask for funding, we can see funding, we can advocate for ourselves with more accurate numbers instead of just throwing something against the wall and seeing what's sticks. So uh you want to take us through >> Sure. the project in a little more detail than we did last month and uh you know we'll start with that. >> Okay. Has everyone had a chance to review this in any detail? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. break. So that's that makes this pretty easy. Um and if
003there are any, you know, any specific questions or you want me to jump to one area versus another as I kind of go through the scope, just let me know. >> Okay. >> And again, as as um Adam noted, this is really um it's meant to be a preliminary study um to help inform the board and everyone here about really what the transition to full day kindergarten um entails. And um it focuses really on Oak Tree, Barkley Brook, Mil Lake. Um and it's intended really to inform, you know, aside from the process what the the pre-referendum planning might include. Okay. Um and this study basically evaluated enrollment projections. Um it evaluated existing space utilization. um some restoration of displaced core spaces, whether it's an art room or part of media center or stage um where
004you've generated capacity generating spaces in those areas in the past. Um and you've lost those core spaces um and you'd like to regain them. It looks at that in those schools. um feasibility of additions and it looks like cost preliminary costs and really the schedule of as it relates to the process of going out for a referendum for these particular projects whether it's just um the additions associated with full day K or the additions with other work included capital improvements whatever the case may be that's what this kind of looks at so just basically we look at Um the way we kind of start this is by looking at enrollment and capacity needs. Uh we've looked at the um basically a projection of full day kindergarten um based on historic data um and birth rate
005um quite frankly and we've used the district's demographers information. We took the um the most um stringent year if you will that that shows the most capacity. I think it was 2029 2030 from this pro projection which shows about 306 kindergarten students. So we based all of our reviews um on that number. Uh we didn't want to go with the lower number. We went with the one that shows kind of the greatest need. Um and just in going through the study and looking at um all of your existing capacity generated spaces um what spaces are available how they're being utilized today. The the evaluation basically informed us um that at Oak Tree in order to facilitate full day kindergarten you would need about six classrooms, six classrooms. Barkley Brookke um about five classrooms and Mil
006Lake also five classrooms. Um obviously you know basically the key operational impact is that moving to full day kindergarten um it doubles the room demand basically from your half day utilization. Um so in going through this um a couple of things we really tried to um focus on one again um while looking at this we want to see how we could possibly restore existing core spaces that have kind of been lost to stop gap projects over the years. Um obviously we look at the department of education requirements um and specifically for early childhood um both kindergarten and prek um and we look at kind of the planning implications um you know when a kindergarten classroom in accordance with DOE regulations has to be self-contained. It has to have a toilet room in the classroom whereas
007a general classroom for first, second, third grade does not. So on paper, um, constructing a new general ed classroom is less expensive than a prek classroom because you don't have the plumbing in every room. You don't have the the size is different. So one of the things we tried to do is really see where we can utilize your existing spaces that are functioning properly as Pinbart classrooms to the max um because that will lessen the cost of these projects ultimately. And um basically when you look at these plans um we're able to really utilize the uh kindergarten classrooms at Oak Tree um as they exist and then um some of the other spaces that are currently being used for higher grade levels. Um we would also use this kindergarten classrooms and then build a um
008general classroom edition. So, we're we're looking at a third grade edition um which is a less expensive uh building edition than a kindergarten edition. And that happens to work at Old Tree and that's what we're showing on our our small diagrams here. Um just quickly at um at Mill Lake um again if the the BCE program goes away with uh the introduction of full day kindergarten you could utilize that annex which is in in you know very good shape for um kindergarten or pre kindergarten space for that use. Um so really I don't think that based on the need you would have to build an addition um to the annex. I think if anything it could probably use some capital improvements related to maybe HBAC um some security. I you know you may consider as
009time goes on whether or not um that annex would need a nurses suite but again um it's not a DOE requirement. You don't have to have a something like a nurses suite in that building. We just we mentioned it in here because it was really just one of our observations. Um so again the the additions when we look at the additions at um both schools a couple of things that we're really um trying to consider are existing conditions existing utilities particularly below grade utilities um electric service plants sanitary lines um underground storage things like that that um we don't want to disturb if we don't have to. Um I think at Oak Tree what we're shown we try to locate every even at this very diagrammatic level we tried to locate every utility that we
010know about that exists on that site at Oak Tree and kind of position a a sixclassroom addition between some of those utilities. and it works, you know, it it really works without too much disruption and good opportunities to tie into existing utilities at that site. Um, at Barkley Broke, um, Jerry Tag and I met with um, really the sewage authority because there is an existing um, sewer line that traverses the site that would have to be moved. Um, there's really no way around that. Um, we asked if we could bridge it or possibly build above it and they said, "No, you really can't." Um, so we reviewed it with them. We reviewed options for where that line could be relocated. And, uh, it's very billable. It's just a cost that would be part of the
011project. And then we would actually tie into that line. It's again, it's a, um, a line that exists, good size line, very deep in the ground, and we would we would use it as part of the addition. Um, so while it's a bit of a nuisance, it does save us money uh because it's there, >> you know, it actually helps. >> Um, and again, when we we lay these out, we're trying, we always want an addition to a building, especially these buildings here. There's such great buildings. We always want an addition to a building to seem like it's always been there. We want it to seem feel seamless. We want the grade uh the progression of grades through the existing building into the new building to feel like they flow well, they work well, and
012they've always been there. But they should also be flexible. If one year you say, you know, you think, well, I really need these as third grade classrooms, but I'm going to probably use them as first grade classrooms and in two years, whatever the case may be, we also want that to be the case. Um, so that's what we look at. Um costwise, um we have preliminary costs here that include really everything. Um they include construction, um FFNE, meaning fixtures, furniture, um equipment. We have contingency built into that number. Um and even escalation for, you know, the anticipated construction, you know, a year or so or two years from from when we provided those numbers. And um over at Oak Tree, you know, the this number for new construction of an addition fell in around a
013little under $9.5 million. And then at um Barkley Brook um the number came in, it looks like it's a little under 11 million. And then um over at Mil Lake depending really on how far you want to take any upgrades whether you really want to look at new security or you know a general facelift new finishes inside we estimated I think conservatively about 1.7 1.8 million there. Um, schedule-wise, uh, we really put we put this schedule together based on a November referendum. But the reality is there's a, um, November, there's a December, there's a January of 2027 referendum, there's a March and April, and then the next one's in September. So, there are quite a few dates where you could, you know, hold a referendum. The process generally takes from the the time we start
014designing and preparing documents for the DOE, it's about a 10 to 11 month process to the date in which the vote takes place. So if we were looking at a November referendum of 2026, we'd be starting like now, like right now. If you said, "Look, we we have a lot to talk about and it's going to take a few months." The dates are there for the referendum. Um and it's that process involves um and I'm sure a lot of you have been through that process or been a part of it before. It involves um >> you know making a schematic submission to the department of education that includes um schematic floor plans, educational specifications, um project cost estimate based on the DOE format, um handful of board resolutions for different things. we need to update
015the longrange facilities plan to include these proposed buildings in it. And that that process alone takes 90 days plus or minus. Um and then if you said look while we're doing this we also want to replace a roof or do HBAC upgrades on another build that's part of whatever they would all be built into this kind of process and the project application. >> Great. And and one of the things we did talk about um you know one of the uh public public brought up at the last board meeting about what else would be considered in a project to complement this and uh something at the top of the list if we were to you know round out the project would be most likely the full HVAC and roof package at Mil Lake. >> Um so
016then you you'd have uh that entire complex taken care of. Um we have a lot of work with EIP at Barkley Brook. um oak trees in a decent place. So um that would certainly be another project that we you know highly consider to weave in with this um you know >> Yeah. And that seems to make a lot of sense. It really does. Um because you're at the Mill Lake campus doing other work. >> I have a question. When I was down school board's convention, I talked to a lot of companies and their big promotion to hire them was that they would assist us from the beginning to the end with the referendums. Does your company do that, too? >> Oh, yeah. >> So, you're with us from the beginning and help us set it
017up, marketing, all that. >> Yeah. Yeah. That if you look at that schedule, that last three months of uh the schedule, that kind of community engagement, right? Um we we assist with let's call it the marketing collateral um everything we've worked with there are different um you know video companies who do you know all all types of marketing we'll provide them with drawings we'll provide them with our 3D renderings and things like that >> go to public meetings do all of that yeah >> okay thank you >> Sure anybody else have any questions Okay. >> Yeah. So the takeaway is we have the information and uh >> yeah this is the foundation for sharing out our needs formally right as well as uh our planning purposes in terms of where we want to go next
018with uh >> you know taking this further. So >> yeah. >> Okay. All right. We'll move on to the next thing on our agenda is going to be to convert high school team meeting rooms to general egg. So we talk about that a little. >> Sure. So Dr. Higgins is going to kick it off. >> So this is um a stop gap idea. We kind of use that term here in Monroe to rearrange classrooms and reutilize classrooms that uh we may be we may have addressed as possible underutilized space. Some of the projects that we've done in this building over the past couple of years was the classroom, the computer classroom right outside here in the hallway. We divided into two separate classrooms which gave us an extra meeting space. Um, currently we have on
019the athletic locker room side of our gym. Um, as you may know, we have two areas for lockers. On one side of the gymnasium, we have lockers that we use during the day for fizz. On the outside wall or the outside area of the gymnasium, we have locker rooms that we use for after school sports. We have a boy side and a girl side. And each one of those locker rooms has an additional team meeting room. Those team meeting rooms are equipped with benches and whiteboards and and and things of such that we are allowed to use for small periods of time to meet with groups of students. Um, my idea would be to repurpose those classrooms. They would still be used as meeting rooms, but we can now use them during the day to
020actually have classrooms. Um, we could teach uh any type of health classroom uh course in there. We can teach any course in there actually if we repurpose it as a classroom to use during the day. Um, the idea would be we're currently teaching our health classes in our lecture halls near the performing arts center. we would move many of those classes into the what would be the team meeting rooms uh repurposed into classrooms and then uh we could use those lecture halls for for different uh priorities that we have in other areas of the high school. Um so we are maintaining a size an amount of student here uh a number of students in our student body. We have dipped slightly but we are still staying at that number for the next year or two.
021Um and we are still always looking for space to utilize appropriately to teach our classes. Um we are continuing to expand our offerings at the high school. That means we need more room to to teach those offerings as well too. So this is something that we're always thinking about at the high school how to um cost effectively utilize the space that we're underutilizing. And this is the new idea, the new staff gap project. Uh I don't know if you really compare anything with them. >> What would what would this entail is just like picking benches out, putting desks and stuff like that. >> So I think Rich can speak to that, but uh the where we stand with this is it's a space that's already intended to have people in it, right? Sometimes we're looking
022at a storage a storage space that may have totally different air flow and requirements and stuff when it's constructed. So, um, what we we're looking to do is have, uh, Rich's team come in and analyze the space to make sure and identify anything that we need to tweak to make it functional as a, uh, as a classroom space and they're they're large spaces. >> They're they are um about 2,000 square feet. >> We are familiar with, >> right? The big theoretically, you could create four classrooms, right? as a a high school classrooms, probably 850 square ft. So, or we just leave them as larger spaces that can really function as multi-purpose spaces. But the the fact of the matter is they do have supply air, return air. Um they um were always meant to be
023occupied spaces. So, they um again, we've done this here with storage rooms. Uh we've done it at the middle school with storage rooms. So, these are not as difficult to do. It's really dribb >> and um it's just making those classrooms functional. They um you know it it those are great spaces if they are underutilized to convert to a general classroom or type of a multi-purpose space. and on basically what it includes is again it's a submission to the department of education um an amendment to the long-range facilities plan because we're now changing a uh you know basically a team into right into uh out of a general education classroom we would call it and then submission to them and um and then just figure out how to you know as do it in as
024fiscally responsible way we can create classroom space there so that uh you have it, it's utilized and um you know when these projects been done in the past, they're like very small construction projects. The co local code official comes in, he reviews things, he makes sure everything is done um in a conforming manner. >> Okay. >> And anything ancillary to that desks, chairs, uh overhead projectors, whiteboards, that is all absorbed in our budget already. I mean we have it's not going to be an extra going to be a lot to a virtual app. >> Do you know what kind of cost, if any, would be to do that? I know you >> study first. >> Oh, the study has to go through first through Rich, right? Is that your name, Rich? >> Yes. >> And
025and you'll tell us. >> Yes. >> As far as educational supplies, desk chairs, >> right? >> That is already budgeted for for next year as um you know, breakage. You know, we we order chairs every year and desks every year and extra overheads every year uh to replace the ones we have and we can absorb that. >> All right. >> I think that's a a great idea, you know, adding space, you know, now so that when enrollment goes up, we >> we'll have the space already and that will help, >> you know, the bottom line. Um, the team meeting rooms, will they be use utilized somewhere else? Do the team not normally use them anyway? >> So, they will utilize them the same way they're utilizing them now. It's just going to be configured differently.
026>> I see. >> And the team meeting rooms were used after school. Now, they'll be used during school time >> and after school. Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. So, >> sounds good. >> Thank you. Thank you. All right. We're going to move on to our next part. Let's go over the uh this little Christine if you go over our BF project update with us. >> Actually, after last last time we spoke, we started um Brookside is now 100% complete and they started the admin building and transportation. Admin just finished last night. Transportation will be done tomorrow night and then they'll head over to the middle school and that's our last building for the lighting project. Excellent. Thank you. >> Sounds good. >> Anybody have any questions? Um um just the boiler update on uh Barkley Brook
027and Middle School. >> The boilers are both running in Barkley Brook. >> The new boilers. >> Yes. >> Perfect. >> And they're uh >> Okay. just go setting up everything for the children. >> Okay. >> Now, what about the middle school? They're all up and running through. All the pumps have been installed. >> Oh, wow. >> So, it's just a matter of Hannah's removing all [clears throat] the old equipment, which uh they're making good progress with that. >> Anybody questions? >> All right, let's uh How are we doing with Apple? Still with the raid on Apple? Yes. So, we're the HVAC renovations are still going on the second shift, which I'm overseeing every night. Uh they just finished both locker rooms with all the duck work and um possibly over spring recess. We're planning on
028removing the underground storage tank. Um the building now is heating on electricity and natural gas. any >> they're looking at about another another month and a half ACM. >> Anybody have questions on our board? >> Yeah. >> All right. Um, what about could you just touch base on the bidding for the HV AC controlled school? >> Yes. So, this is this is a a project that's going out for bid and it'll be conducted March 5th and recommendations will be at the next board meeting March 16th. Um, it's an existing HVAC controls system that was from roughly like 1998. So, beyond, you know, everything is beyond its life. This is uh to note though, it's a fully state capital needs grant. Are we going to grandpa? Yes. Oh, nice. >> Okay, good. We grandfather. >> It's
029almost 30 years old. >> Wow. It's pretty >> And that'll match up nice with the new equipment that we installed, right? Kind of closes the gap with that. >> Did you say that was Milik or Barkley Brook? >> Mil HVAC controls are Barkley Brook. Okay. particle. Is there part? >> Yeah, that's what Okay. >> I It's zombie, Jeff. That's why I wanted some clarification. >> Yeah. One said working on some building. So, Mr. for the with the whole HVAC project that we want to add to the uh >> Yep. Okay. >> All right. Anybody have any questions in reference to that? >> No. >> Okay. Go over our transportation with Miss Martyr. Thanks for being with us tonight. If we get a update on transportation, where we stand with bus drivers, how we're doing, are
030we still double runs? Are we are we up to I know we had drivers. >> The attendance is actually getting better. >> Okay. >> So, I'm happy to report that. Um I have a few drivers that are out on medical. They'll be returning. Um I have a new driver coming. I had two uh aids move up to be bus drivers. So, it's working out well. And I currently am looking for some more bus aids. Working well on those, but it is improving. I have a couple questions. So with the inclement weather and all the snow and stuff we're getting, so when a bus goes out after a storm, if there's an issue with snow or sidewalks or anything, how is that reported? like does the driver report to transportation when they see an issue with
031their stop? Um are stops adjusted during storms or do we stick to the stops that we have? >> Um I always tell the driver to move um let's say they're at a corner and there's a stop. If it doesn't look safe, you know, come back a little bit and drop them off where there's a clear area. And I always tell them take their time. You know, the roads are more narrow. I mean, they're clearing up now. Thank goodness. Yeah, >> but there were >> the roads were cut down a lot smaller, you know, and I always tell them it doesn't look safe. Call us, don't proceed, you know, and I tell them, take your take your time, don't rush, you know, you'll get there when you get there. >> We have an example where we
032did reach out to the road department and they went to a particular road and >> that's what I mean. Or we >> they actually helped activate the snow to to widen the road. Yep. >> Yes. Yes, >> it was actually a very narrow road to begin with and uh I believe a single passenger car was having trouble getting down, let alone a van or uh you know small van or anything. So they actually they were they were tremendous partners with us >> and they went right down and they scouted it out and sent a crew uh to assist us there >> and if they say it's something I actually have gone out my car to assess the situation and as you said if I need to move the stop I will. >> Okay. So, >>
033parents are notified, of course. >> Okay, >> I can I just I'm sorry, hold my hand up over here. I I just wanted to ask the where the kids where the bus stops are with snow. Whose responsibility is it to clear the bus stop? Is it the board of education or is the town because who who knows where they are, you know, there's so many. So, I is there any kind of process like that in place? >> Honestly, I don't know. But throughout the years, I was always told that the sidewalks were the responsibility of the homeowners. >> So homeowners have to do the sidewalk, >> right? Yeah. >> Clears the streets. >> Y >> um as far as the bus routing goes, it's not either one. >> It's not either one. >> If there
034isn't if their sidewalks aren't clear, then transportation needs to notify the township zoning police department to go out there and they'll enforce that. you know, mostly zoning goes out and enforces, you know, cleaning up the areas. If there's a problem with an intersection with moving snow, then you can notify the public works and if possible, you know, if they have a way to move the snow out of there to clear it. But my only concern is in a storm like we just had is that it was so big and then so much ice and everything that if it's not [snorts] safe to drop the kids off, I want to make sure that we're going to find a safe place to do it. >> That's what was that was my concern and I just wanted to
035know whose responsibility it >> the parents for the sidewalks >> right and that but for the bus stop itself where the kids waits to be picked up. >> It's the township. counter >> clears the road, but >> but then they pile it up into the >> they pile it up. It's up to the parents to move it out of the way. Technically, >> um so the all the kids are getting they're getting the let's say there's no um sidewalk, they're getting dropped off at their houses or they're getting dropped off just in the streets. >> No. If um I'll give you an example. If there's a detour and we have to move the stop, we send out a blast. Or if it's too short amount of time, myself and the staff in the office will
036call the parents and say, "Listen, the bus can't get down there. You know, bring your student over here because the bus can't get through it." And the same holds true as far as snow or inclement weather. If we we can't see everything, but if we get word that it's it's unsafe and it's not a good, you know, drop off or pick up, we will notify the parents to move them to another location. >> So, in the areas that there's no sidewalks, the kids are getting dropped off by somewhere there's a sidewalk or how does that work? >> There's no sidewalk. We get dropped by the street on >> They get dropped off in the street. >> It's always been there's no sidewalk dropped by the sidewalk. >> Why not drop them off at our house?
037that we have some roads in the town that are residential like the Lake Matter and alcohol that you know what I mean there's might be 30 kids that live on one street so they stop at the corner my my thing is that if it's not clear that we need to make sure that the appropriate authorities are notified to >> you need to assist in moving piles especially like as a homeowner I don't think many people have the tools to move something if they want to move it now right think about how hard the snow is. >> Uh, you know, we certainly, like I said, there was an example after the storm um that we worked with the road you actually you called the road department and they went out the same day. It was it
038was actually really >> hours. No, don't go out and check. >> If I if I live, for example, let's say Bergola, I don't I don't know if I live on Bergola, did the kids get dropped off at like a random spot? >> On roads like that. >> It depends on the traffic. There's a lot of factors, but on a road like that, yes. >> Yeah. >> Like just like the the non busy road. >> Yes. >> Correct. >> Where there's no sidewalks like buckle the spots down the section with no sidewalks. >> The rural areas on this side of um out by 30, same thing, >> right? >> It's a safety matter. I mean, like you said, in a development could be 30 children, 30 different houses. So we find a safe location that's where
039they're picked up and dropped off. But on a rural rural road or an unsafe road where there's high traffic, absolutely we do do curb to curb stops, >> right? So then like so in the case of a snowstorm, which we haven't luckily we haven't had in a long time, you know, there's there's I I I've seen there's snow everywhere. So they get dropped off in a clear area and then what what happens? They just What's What's the after they're after they're off the bus? What's the protocol for that? >> Well, students that are in third grade and under, there has to be an adult there to re to receive that. Um, but they're dropped off in a clear spot and that we we try to find the safest location closest to the bus stop if
040it's blocked by snow. That's how it works. >> And they just walk to their house, I guess, >> like they would. >> Yes. We're speed and up. Fourth grade up. Yeah. >> After the bus leaves. >> Yes, that's what they're supposed to do. Yes. >> The bus app. >> Do we have an update on that? >> It It's We're We're working out the kinks right now, but yes, we have three buses that do have the bus app on it. Um I've been working back and forth with Bright Spot. And um >> What are we finding? Like what are it seemed like the kinks are? I mean, this is all trial. Um, there are a few kids. There are a few kids. Um, in fact, um, I was speaking to them about it. Um, sometimes the
041tablets don't connect. Um, there is sometimes where we can't log in. Um, there's a problem there. They want um, sometimes the data that's in there is inaccurate. That's not updated enough. But I'm working with Transfinder to have them input it. That's not going to be a problem. Um, not all the students have their IDs on, so the driver actually has to type in their name. So that takes a little more time. So you know, >> do they have IDs? Yes, >> I believe all of them have >> as part of the process. And Mr. Mara can jump in. That's that's how they were swiping in and out. They were >> So they should have an ID. >> They should have. >> They should, but they don't all have >> it's not going to be these.
042It's they printed an ID and because at the elementary we don't provide right for >> so if we went with this we would have to start providing >> we'd have to look at a way for them >> but if they forget and then >> it would slow down the >> yes I could wait for this too. So, >> so uh so uh Donna or Miss Martyr was able to share some of the feedback that she received from the drivers and I had been collecting feedback from the parents uh throughout the process and and uh just yesterday I had a conference uh with the right spot kind of their uh product designers and their implementers and uh what we basically communicating some of the things that Miss Martyr um had said and they were looking to
043because T-Mobile is the carrier. So they reached out to T-Mobile because there are certain parts in town where connectivity can be an issue. We've also had some well doumented uh eastern connectivity issues throughout the portions of the pilot. I don't know if it's related or not but anyway the big takeaway was that um we really want to be able to provide an accurate proof of concept. So uh rightspot was generous enough to extend the pilot by a few more weeks for us. And what we're going to try to do because one of the other big pieces of feedback that Rightspot uh the bus tracking organization gave us was that they think that we could really analyze the product and its full potential if we had a building based administrator helping coordinating between right spot transportation
044and any type of information gap that may exist. As this is all going on, I was working with the middle school administration talking about some of the things that they were trying to uh improve efficiently and uh student tracking came up that middle school students are all wearing IDs now. So, what we are going to attempt to do over the next couple weeks for the last portion of this pilot is is move over to the middle school. Uh Mr. Lori, the assistant principal over there, has offered to work with us on the ground level to see if we could uh potentially utilize this product at the middle school where kids are fully credentialed. It's a little bit more of a centralized control point and we're going to have uh administrator on ground to help coordinate
045with this. Um this just all happened within the last 24 to 36 hours as we're kind of getting ready to provide you guys with a final uh kind of analysis. >> Uh so uh Mr. Lori, the middle school administration is going to touch base with them either tomorrow or early next week to see what that might look like, if it's feasible, and that way we can have a broader uh analysis of how we like the product. Um, so I'm pretty I'm real appreciative of the organization for giving us a little bit of extension on this pilot. >> I just in my head thought that we were just tracking the actual vehicle, not the children on the bus. Wouldn't that make more sense? If the kids that ride that bus, if we're just tracking the bus,
046all their parents get the location of the bus. >> So, my understanding is we can already do that. Uh, >> wouldn't that make more sense than everybody having to swipe? >> Well, so the the idea and and the the essence of the apery was seeing, you know, we want to track children's whereabouts and and so for example, and this is one of the things that as a middle school administrator, you try to proactively address. So, if a kid's supposed to stay after or or you're expecting a kid to be get off the bus at 2:20 and and he's not at the bus stop, where is he? Ron never swept on the bus. >> Maybe he's after school. So, now we we do an old call on the kids after school. He just forgot some bomb
047he had plugged. And I think that's one of the solutions that this could potentially uh offer. Um, as far as you know, I my understanding is this this service isn't isn't necessarily designed to tell you how late the bus is going to be. Um, we could do that um with just general GPS tracking and communications. Uh, this product is supposed to be able to tell PE where you're, you know, the location and the movement of bodies. Um, >> so the child's on the wrong bus show up in >> and we would know because he didn't hypothetically he didn't swipe in >> or when they go to swipe in they're not going to be able to get on the bus because they're not >> but that's something that younger children >> but my concern is that
048the middle school >> like that's going to be fine but my concern is >> elementary that's K to five they're the ones like I think if we do this we have to figure out like a school ID Well, and that's that's going to be that's probably going to be the next conversation. >> That's you know that's a whole of cost that we would have to correct look into all that. >> And in full disclosure, the reason why we kind of got tied up with the middle school is because uh my home district recently moved to a service like this and they had they they credentialed their elementary students mid year and so they're they're gradually phasing it in but they are seeing we're watching the kids. They are swiping in on the bus. Our district
049doesn't have that yet. But if we were, my recommendation would be either if we were going to do something like this would be the credentiing of the students at minimum. Uh have something maybe like a you uh and they could do it with like a QR code too, like you could have something you could attach with their book bags, but for durability purposes, the the credential link would probably be the best. And there are other things turn style benefits. You could have you know >> and little kids I think would be think it's cool to wear their idea. >> That's what I was going to say. We would have the little kids or adapt. Yeah. >> And and doing that kind of addresses some of the concerns the drivers have. So what's happening currently is
050when the kid gets on the bus, oh you're Johnny. Okay. Tab. Oh, where's Johnny? He's not there. When realized it's optimized, it would be boop. All right, Johnny's here. It a ghost bike, their picture, their Genesis picture popped up, you know, >> and just like a generic, you know, seeing the bus getting, you know, on a on an app. I could see it becoming an issue where like uh one parent is like, "Hey, did uh Johnny, we'll both him. Did Johnny get home yet?" "Oh, yeah, Johnny's home, but oh, but I, you know, Billy's not home yet. Well, let me check the apps." And then all of a sudden, Johnny's mom is tracking this bus and then it gets into like confidentiality issues. >> No, >> like that, you know? You know what I mean?
051>> Tracking your child, not the bus, >> right? That's that's what I'm saying. That's why I wouldn't be just tracking the busy. So >> it's very it's it's only for you to track your child and nobody else. >> Yeah. Yeah. There's no privacy. >> Yeah. No, that that understands >> a nightmare situation would be like if mom or let's say the fourth grader, right, >> kid swipes off the bus and doesn't show up at the front, you know, and and and that that would be like, okay, well, we know where the And so that's where that piece of information would be useful because we could we could GPS and we could time stamp it, right? >> Um I point some of the other elementary schools that do this. I know a couple just and I
052don't know how this would factor into some of your concerns. When they do credential students in the elementary level, they don't put the photos on the IDs. It's just the barcode, the name, and I think they do that for protection purposes. >> That's smart. >> Uh we'll continue that. We'll give you guys monthly updates and um and we would agree that the applicability probably is optimized at the elementary school, but for purposes of really seeing what the product can do, we think we could get a better sense of at the middle school >> how it works just with the No, absolutely. I think it's a good idea. So, >> yeah. >> Uh, is there anything else, Ben? >> Um, no. Um, I do have a training schedule for all the drivers, especially with the bad
053weather. I I spoke to the trainer and asked to stress, you know, going over the protocol of driving in the bad weather. You know, what steps you should take. Um, it's a three-hour class that we're going to be giving to the drivers on March 4th. You know, just to go over the basics and refresh everybody. I just think it's important that we go over everything every so often and give them a good training. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Does anybody have anything else? >> No, >> I think we're good. All right. That'll be the conclusion of the BG&T meeting. Thank you. The