001Good. Yep. Okay. It is 7:16. We have seven board members present. Can we stand to pledge allegiance for six? Sorry, I count our board. [Music] I 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. [Music] Okay, move on to presentations report of the student representative. [Music] So, we just went on spring break as you know. So, that means the rest of the school year is going to fly by. We are wrapping up the preparation for field day and planning the pep rally and all the activities making sure everything set is fun. Teacher appreciation week closer and we are completing everything. This is still a surprise and we'll let you know about it afterwards. Our
002student council trip is May 2nd through the 4th and we are super excited to go to Boston Sale and Salem. Uh April 10th was our top 10 dinner. The food goes pretty good and it was very memorable experience. We made videos of teachers we appreciate as special shout out and what are we going to miss about miss the most about Berlin. The videos are actually posted online like on YouTube so you guys can check them out if you want to. And as I mentioned before with spring break last spring break last week there was not a lot else going on still for me today. Thank you. Okay. The next is the presentation of the class of 2025 top 10. Oh, thank you. Thanks. I'll move my camera for you. [Music] She does everything. Good evening.
003Thank you so much for allowing uh me to present the top 10 students from the class of 2025. Before I begin, um Madison did mention that we had right before spring break our top 10 dinner. I'd like to thank um two board members that showed up. Uh Katie and and I really appreciate this so much. I know you came as a parent, but also as a board member. Katie, I thought it was great that you were there. So really meant a lot to the students and myself. Thank you. So, it's my pleasure to present the top 10 students of the Berlin High School class of 2025. An extraordinary group who exemplified academic excellence, perseverance, and leadership. At Berlin Middle School, being in the top 10 is more than a number or a GPA. It represents
004four years of hard work, white sacrifice, and relentless commitment to growth. These students have taken on our most rigorous courses, participate in extracurricular activities, serve the school community, and led by example. Recognizing academic achievement is essential, and it deserves to be celebrated. Honoring these students sends a clear message. Hard work, character, and integrity matter. Before spring break, we hosted one of my favorite events, annual top 10. It was a night of gratitude and reflection. Each students wrote powerfully about the role of their families and teachers in shaping their journey, reminding us that education is rooted in meaningful relationships. This year's top 10 is truly exceptional. All 10 students will attend college and three are headed to RPI. Clear evidence of their ownership and ambition. They are scholars, musicians, athletes, artists, and leaders. by the love
005of all. They are kind, humble, and grounded. As you celebrate these remarkable students, think about their future impact on our community and the world. Together, we can continue to support educational initiatives that nurture such excellence in all our students. At this time, I'm going to go from 10 to one and ask the students to come up and stay up here after I announce your name. Number 10, Jay Capaso. [Applause] Okay. So, since college on the side, I wanted to know if you made any decision. We're not there yet, but she's getting um J. I think that's perfect. Actually, there just I think standing right in the up the line would be perfect. So, they're not cutting anyone out. Number nine, Kyle [Music] [Applause] C. FBI. Number eight, Curtis [Applause] Herb Community College looking to major
006in civil engineer. Number seven, her own student uh board member, Madison Bell. will be attended. Number six, Kate [Applause] Dundis will be college and she has told me that in four years I'll be hiring her to be a teacher in the building. So, we like that. Number five, Owen Lowry. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] attended State University of New York at Albany. Number four, Ella [Applause] Jones attended Hudson Valley Community College. Number three, she was not here this evening. She is working. But Alexa Griffinberg, she'll be attending Bingington University. Now, indulge me for a second. I'll just like to read what I read for the saludiator for at the dinner. And number two, our [Music] saludiatoran, Sophia Harts. Sophia attended college. This what I read at the dinner. It's my distinct honor to introduce an exceptionally young
007woman, the saludiatoran of the Berlin High School class of 2025. Sophia with a cumulative GPA of 97.42. Sophia has earned the number two rank in the graduating class. Sophia embodies the very essence of a well-rounded student in person. Her dedication to excellence is evident in every aspect of her life, academics, athletics, stu student council, student government, music, and beard. She consistently seeks out new challenges, pushing herself beyond her limits. Just this year, she showcased her talent and passion on stage as a member of the cast of Mean Girls, and she's anything but a mean girl at the Skinnct Light Opera Company, captivating audiences with her extraordinary performance. Her commitment to the arts is further demonstrated by her participating participation, excuse me, in the new visions program where she embraced meaningful opportunities for growth and exploration
008in her academic journey. What truly sets Sophia apart are outstanding personal qualities of resilience, leadership, and compassion. She inspires those around her to strive for greatness. Always encourage her peers to pursue their dreams. With a keen intellect and a heart full of kindness, she has made lasting impact on our school community. As we celebrate her achievements today, let's acknowledge not only her academic success, but also her unwavering spirit and commitment to embodying Mountaineer excellence in what she does. Looking ahead, we are proud to share this view in attended Almyra College will surely pursue a degree in nursing. Her compassion and dedication to helping others will no doubt make her extraordinary healthcare professional. Please join me in congratulating welcome class of 2025 celebratory Sabia. And just a side note, Jamie also was in the new visions
009program. So two students part of it are up here. So says a lot about the program and the students. At this time, it is my distinct honor to introduce an exceptional young woman, the valator of the Berlin High School class of 2025, Lilian [Applause] Gardell. With a cumulative GPA of 97.52, Lillian has demonstrated unwavering academic dedication earning the highest rank in her graduating class. But Lily's achievements extend far beyond the classroom. She's a proud member of both the National Honor Society and the New York State Honor Society and was awarded the prestigious RPI medal in her junior year. A dedicated three sport varsity athlete, she has earned multiple most valuable player awards to vars league Allstar honors in softball, soccer, and basketball. A natural and humble leader, Lily currently serves as president of the class
010of 2025 and has previously held the roles as class treasurer of student council policies. She's also co- captain for each of her varsity teams where she leads by example through her discipline, sportsmanship, and drive. Her ability to balance academic excellence, athletic commitment, and leadership responsibility is nothing strong. Lily is respected not only for achievements, but also for integrity, kindness, and willingness to lift others. She is the kind of student other constantly that others look to for guidance and inspiration. Someone who makes those around her better, significantly herself. She truly embodies the spirit of a mountaineer. She's a scholar, athlete, leader, and role model has left a lasting impact on our school community. This fall, Lily rule 10 RPI, where she will major in biological neuroscience, which for her record is a field so advanced I
011had to Google it twice. Clearly, she's operating on a different intellectual level than her principal. not say in addition she will continue her athletic journey as a division 3 softball player. Please join me in congratulating and welcome to class of 2025 Lily Gardell. [Applause] So why do is there board members could split and go on each end and then the 10 come in the middle one is coming first and changes. So it also you want to go around and just split the Thank you first. Congratulations. So there's a newsletter that I was just told that Sia where you see oh Myra is not on a definite she's so wanted that she's still making the decision here and nurse is not 100% right using education. So that's wonderful. Thank you. I appreciate that. Um, real quickly,
012did you see the banner when he came in? The top 10 banner as soon as you come in, you'll see the top 10 banner of the class of 2025. He'll be there all through next year when we put the class of 2026 top 10. Very quickly, I just want to thank Dr. Without her, we wouldn't be able to have a ceremony or anything else. So, Dr. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thank you, Dave. Okay, we'll move on to minutes. So, we have the minutes of the regular meeting held on February 25th, 2025. Can I get a motion to move the minutes? Motion by Frank. A second. Second by Kim. Penny, how do you vote? Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, Andrea, yes. And I have to abstain as well. So it passes
0134 Z and then to abstain. The next is the minutes from the round table held on March 6th, 2025. Can I get a motion to approve the minutes as presented? Motion by Sherry. A second. Second. Second by Frank. Penny. Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And yes. Okay. The minutes from the meeting held on March 18th, 2025. Motion by Sherry. A second. Second by Penny. Penny, have you both? Yes. Kim? Yes. Frank? Sherry? Yes. Andrea? Yes. And Amy? Yes. The minutes from the round table held on April 3rd, 2025. Can I get a motion? Motion by Frank. A second. Second. Second by Andrea Penny. He vote. Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, Andrea, yes. And yes. And finally, the minutes held of a special meeting on April 8th, 2025. Motion by Sherry.
014Second. I'll second. Second by Ken. Kenny. How do you vote? Kenny, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And Amy, yes. Okay. Next is the policy. This is the third and final reading for policy 5742 and 5742R, which both relate to uh transportation. Can I get a motion to approve the third and final reading of the following policies as listed? Motion by Frank. Second. Second by Sherry. Penny of your vote. Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And Tommy, yes. Next on the agenda is public comment for consent agenda items. Don, did anyone sign up? No. Okay. So, consent agenda items A through H, I be consent agenda items. Um, I sent comments based on the internal auditor report. I just wanted to make sure everyone saw those comments in the reply. Okay,
015perfect. Any other [Music] um comments or questions or an item to pull? No. Okay. Can I get a motion for I which is approval of all the consent agenda items? Motion by Frank. Second. Second. Second by Sherry. Penny had yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. and I'm a guest as well, president. I was pleased to attend our top 10 ceremony. Dave and his team did an exceptional job organizing this wonderful event. Um, I want to highlight and recognize the remarkable diversity in the selected majors among our graduates. Each student's unique journey reflects a wide array of the talents and interests highlighting the strengths of our educ educational opportunities in our community. As we celebrate these achievements, it's critical to emphasize the importance of continuing to invest in all educational pathways. By supporting
016diverse fields of study, we can empower every graduate to meet to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society. Uh, with that being said, I'd like to segue into our budget process. Uh, I recognize that the board is faced with some difficult decisions again this year. These choices are not made lightly as they directly impact the lives of our students, staff, and our community. It's essential to remember that our students are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are individuals with unique needs and aspirations. As a district, we need we have one chance to ensure their success and we must approach this process with career consideration. Um I would like to take a moment to thank the public and our community for their thoughtful responses to the recent survey that was made available to
017the board. Um your input is invaluable and I encourage each of you to remain active in our local governance board throughout the year. Your attendance and participation are critical as we navigate these important decisions together. Moving forward, our goal is to continue to develop a budget that supports long-term planning rather than reactionary measures. By focusing on sustainable strategies, we can better serve our students and ensure that we are prepared for the future while maintaining our commitment to excellence in education. That's all I have for the president's report. move it on to um the interim superintendent. Thank you, Katie. I'm going to echo a couple of topics that have already been spoken about tonight. Again, I too was able to attend the top 10 event. Congratulations to our top 10. Amazing job. Uh best of luck
018in all you do in your future. Um and to everybody involved in planning the event, it really was spectacular. Um I want to comment on the transportation policies that were passed earlier this evening at the final reading. That is the last in a series of transportation policies. We recognized some things as we went through the start of this school year that needed our attention. I'd like to thank Kim as the the board representative to the policy work. Uh Rick and Janette around transportation in particular. Your recommendations, commitment, and involvement was instrumental. Um, and also a shout out to the district-wide safety committee who most recently prior to tonight's adoption reviewed the um, response procedures and gave some input that we were then able to incorporate. So, thank you to all involved in that. Uh, similarly,
019I'd like to thank the facilities committee. You will get a report in a few minutes from Frank. Uh, but under Colleen's leadership and direction and with Serial's assistance, we've been able to make some great strides in addressing some immediate needs and planning for some future needs. Um, I want to point out Ken is with us again tonight. He's been on the district on occasion for transition and it's been great to have him. Um, and we'll help you ensure a smooth transition. And like Katie, I would like to thank those members of the public who have engaged with the board and administration during the budget development process and for your input in that process. Thank you very much. Administrative snapshots. Hello. Good evening. Um, so we've just finished come back from spring break and we kind
020of hit the ground running at Berlin Elementary School. So we are in testing season. We started with our fourth graders. Today we're doing our ELA testing, fourth grade today and tomorrow and third and fifth on Thursday and Friday. Our fifth graders did take the science exam before break. And so far things have gone very smoothly. Again, everyone in the in the building is going to be is doing computer-based testing. Um, so I think that our teachers and our students are really prepared and ready and they showed great determination today and worked really hard. So, I'm really proud of the students and luckily we had a nice sunny day, so they were able to get out and get some fresh air and some nice sunshine after a long day of testing. We also are inviting Kim
021Ingley back. I know I've talked a lot about Kimly um from Questar and she's our ELA specialist that we that I work with. Um and she's coming into the building tomorrow for our PD time. She's going to start the discussion about looking at our ELA program and what works and doesn't work and what our needs are and looking at other programs that might be around um available to us and she's going to present some information to our teachers and they're going to look through some programs and see how they can meet those big six skills and competencies um that are identified by the state. So, we're going to be doing that. And then she's also going to be coming back to the building in May for two full days to work with teachers um just
022supporting some of our co-e teams and then also supporting again reading with grade level specific to see what their needs are for the end of this year and also for next year moving forward so that we can help accommodate those needs and get teachers professional development or resources and whatever they need to kind of help them meet the needs of our students. Um, on a little bit of a lighter note, we're looking forward to our glow-in-the-dark blueout dance that's happening this Friday. So, that should be really fun. I'm going to say thank you to the teachers and staff that are organizing this event because without them, our students wouldn't be able to participate in this this really fun event. I know I was asked this in the hallway if I was going to the dance
023Friday. So, the students are really excited and I think the teachers are too. It'll be a nice um welldeserved little break and celebration by the end of the week. Um please stop by at BES on Saturday the 3rd. We have our community clothing swap. So the helping hands program is asking for clothing donations for students and adults. They're taking donations now and then they'll be organizing that and on the 3 you will you can come in and um families can get bags of clothes, new kids clothes, adult clothes um and all proceeds benefit our helping hands program. Uh lastly, I just wanted to congratulate Deanna Baker who's been awarded the Friends of Education Award for PASDA. She will be recognized on May 1st for the generous time and effort she puts into helping the students
024and families at Bees. Our community is so lucky to have her and she goes above and beyond to support our students each and every day. So, congratulations to her. Thank you, Jerland Middle School. Good evening. I am going to present on the athletics. We have um spring season's kicked off. Games have been going well other than the rain outs and the cold weather, but hopefully today that has turned the corner. Um, I'd like to bring to the board's attention the sports booster will be running a chicken barbecue happening on Friday, May 2nd at this building from 4 to 6:00 p.m. There'll be um fires um on social media. And if you would like to participate, you can reach out to me if you need some more information. Um there's also going to be a pancake
025breakfast on June 14th and that's going to be held at Lebanon's Community Center. Um all of the proceeds for the fundraiser will be benefiting our spring sports. The other thing I would like to share, we have our senior nights um listed for the spring. We have varsity softball will be May 5th following the game. We have track on Tuesday the 29th and then varsity baseball will be Thursday May 8th. So those will be our senior nights. Okay. Thank you once again. Good evening. I'd like to provide a brief update on upcoming events and initiatives at Berlin Middle School. As we approach this busy time of year, I always find myself telling my family, I'll see you after uh June 30th as we dive into various celebrations, student events, testing, and activities that keep us engaged
026and connected to our school community. Speaking of testing, grades 6 through 8, we're preparing for the New York State assessments in grades 6 through 8. ELA assessments uh will take place on April 29th and 30th, followed by the grade grade grade 8th science assessment on May 5th and the math assessment on May 7th and 8th. Our teachers and students have been working diligently and we're confident in their preparation. Um I want to speak about my current day here. So it's great about graduation. We're excited to share the graduation for the class of 2025 will take place on Thursday, June 27th at 7 p.m. Thursday. Sorry. Is it Thursday or Friday? Friday. I said Thursday. I'm sorry. I meant to say Friday. Huh? A little panic. I just want to see if you were paying attune
02727th at 7 p.m. This year's ceremony will feature a more traditional setup including a stage and formal seating to honor our graduates. Uh, I've been working very closely with Karen Bay. Uh, words cannot describe how much I respect and appreciate Karen. Uh, everything that she does for our students and our community. She puts, uh, love, sweat, and tears into this ceremony. So, as Karen and I meet with uh uh different people, I'll be able to provide more details and updates on additional enhancements uh once I get all the information. Speaking of Karen Gay, she was the lead chef grown for the England uh over spring breaker and I got this information from Karen. So, Um, over spring break, several of our Berlin high school students had an incredible opportunity to travel to England as part
028of the global education experience. This trip was not only a cultural highlight, but also a powerful educational journey. Students explore historic landmark marks like Westminster Abbey and Tower of London, Stone Edge, etc. Engage firsthand with the rich history, literature, and politics they studied in the classroom. What impressed me listening to Karen most was our students conduct. They were respectful, inquisitive, and represented our school and community with grace. Whether asking thoughtful questions to our employees or embracing unfamiliar customs, they showed maturity and a genuine curiosity about the world. Experiences like this do more than expand knowledge. They deepen empathy, foster global understanding, and give students a renewed appreciation for the freedoms and opportunities between joy and the United States. It was a phenomenal experience for all involved and one that truly reflects the spirit of Berlin
029to learn to grow and to explore the world beyond our borders. Thank you as always. Thank you for your continued support for your lives. Yes. Every time. Good evening. So, I'd like to keep things brief this evening, but there's one recent development that I really like to share with the board um regarding some recent conversations in the region about how districts can best work together within special education. So, while it's very early on in the conversation, I I don't have a lot of details to share at this time, I'm very excited by the possibilities that this mutual cooperation could potentially bring. So, for example, it could open the door to access more programs hosted by other districts for our highest need special education students who require out of district placements and that brings with it
030potentially benefits for our students. Uh, shorter weight times for programs that become available for students who need them and potential cost savings to the district as well. Uh and conversely, it also positions Berlin well to potentially host other district students in need of replacement in one of our programs such as the STARS program at those districts expense. Um so this would greatly help the district in offsetting in district costs as well as further helping to develop our programs and bringing more opportunities to those students um with those shared approaches. So again, I want to caution that it's very early on in the conversation, but I'm very excited and I eagerly um await how this will unfold at across the region. Um it's important to keep in mind we're in our early stages and I will
031certainly keep the board prised as this work develops over time. Aside from that, we continue to be our busiest season in special education as we hold more review meetings for our students. Uh, and we are also working to gear up for the summer as we plan through our extended school year program. So, I'm excited to share more about that as well. [Music] This is [Music] transportation. That's a short one. So that um uh as mom touched on, he's going to for the summer place school year. We are preparing our transportation program uh routing um suspected out of district and in district. Um we today was national driver appreciation day. Um Janette spearheaded a little um thank you for the driver's independence on that um to to show them our appreciation, the district's appreciation. And uh
032last but not least, we installed trial trackers for Parad is with our current routing software um company. So we're going to give those a shot, see how they go through uh a month, the rest of the year, and hopefully we have something to make happy so and that's all we have. Thank you. buildings and ground zero. Good evening everyone. So, work on the emergency project at Brown Elementary School is nearing completion. Um we held a facilities committee meeting this evening and Frank will have more information to share um with regard to that project um in his report. I've been working with Colleen to refine the expenses for the building and grounds budget and where savings can be achieved to help with current budget situation. Um, we also discussed the overall cost of the emergency project
033at Berlin Elementary School and tried to draw down on and estimate the final cost for that project. Um, I'm happy to say that we believe that it's going to come in under $500,000, which is about $100,000 less than what was estimated by the architect. So, um, we're very happy about that. The underground bulb fuel storage tank here at the middle school high school was recently reviewed and passed the talic or pressure test and the cathotic corrosion test. Although the tank is aging, it was cleaned and inspected a few years few years ago and continues to pass these required inspections each year. So, I think we're in good shape with that. Um, a member of the maintenance staff recently used the ventra um tractor and the power broom to clean the parking lot here um at
034the middle school high school and the paved surfaces at Berlin Elementary School. So hopefully when we drove in tonight, parking lot was a little cleaner than it was last night. Um the tracker was also used for spring cleanup. Um and it was commented by the maintenance staff that had made that task a lot easier. So again, thank you to the board for supporting that purchase and what it's doing for the district. So um the repaving for the driveway entrance here at the middle school high school will occur in May and I'm happy to report that. Um pricing came in very good. Um we had three vendors that were in the higher $30,000 range and we had one just under $30,000. So the one was bigger. I spoke with them earlier today and clarified a couple
035of things and it looks like we'll award that tomorrow to them and they'll be able to do the work over the 22nd and 23rd of May. So, it'll be done for graduation. The rest of the items I'll let Frank cover under his report for the facilities. Any questions? Thank you. [Music] Good evening. Um, so been a little busy. Um, on March 21st, I met with Nate Ellis and the high school students. Um, and received, uh, positive feedback from the students regarding meals. Uh, they asked a lot of questions to kind of get a better understanding of how school lunch works. Uh, for instance, they realized that we couldn't serve white flour, that the child nutrition requirement is 51% whole grain. So, that kind of made them understand a little bit more why they don't get
036exactly what they're looking for from meals. Um, they let me know the items that they like, the items that they don't like. Um, and they asked if we could meet again sometime in May because they want to put together some more questions um to understand the program better. So, we're gonna set that up. Nate and I are working on a date. I also met with Ariel Gilbert and the middle school students uh on April 2nd. They really didn't care how the program ran. They just wanted to tell me what they wanted to eat and what they did want to eat. But um we did chat and I I met you know told them about um you know portion sizes, grain requirements, that sort of thing. And they kind of all had like a little bit
037of a aha moment. Uh Jod and I actually talked with her today and we're going to work on a date so that I can meet with the elementary students as well. Um last September I applied for a grant with the Chef Anne Foundation and I received word a couple weeks ago that I was awarded a grant for a salad bar for our middle high school. Um this grant works differently than other grants. um when they award a school district a grant, they then begin to fund raise to purchase the awarded item. So, um they told me that we would not receive the salad bar for probably 12 to 18 months um depending on who they work with, but fingers crossed that we get in the 25 26 school year, but um not really sure on
038that. But along with that, I met with some of the farm to market committee members. On April 3rd, I invited Katie Shehan Lopez from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Um, I've been working with her over the past year with the farm-to-school initiative. She had a lot of great information that she shared with us. Um, and I'm actually going to meet next week with the farm-to-school facilitator of the North County School District, um, to see how they operate their program and, um, their gardens and that sort of thing. So, um, I'll be doing that next week. Um, last but not least, I just want to give a shout out to my middle high school staff, Laura Dunlop, Amanda Monk, and Ken Denu. On April 10th, we hosted the dinner for the top 10 students and their families. Um,
039we got recommendations from the students on what they wanted to have for the dinner. So, we covered some of their favorite items. Um, Lauren, Amanda went above and beyond. Um, and really did a fantastic job. And I just wanted to thank them for a job. Questions? Any questions? [Music] technology. A couple quick updates. Uh just wanted to let everybody know that wireless rose controls and network switches were upgraded uh last week and we started on Thursday afternoon. So, it doesn't appear to be any problems with um any issues with the upgrades that were done. Electrical upgrades were also completed in the high school server closets, cafeteria, auditorium, and gymnasium in order to accommodate part of the smart schools on act projects that we have going on. BDES upgrades will take place at another time that
040will be coordinated with Sarah's department as well as my department. Uh preparations started for the collection of Chromebooks in June. We haven't narrowed down dates just yet, but we'll probably have those dates by next month. Summer work will include upgrades to all Windows 10 desktops to upgrade into Windows 11 and all the classrooms at the high school level will have brand new computers. We'll start placing those as soon as we receive the monitors that will wait to be ordered. Uh business office and superintendent office also are in desperate need of major upgrades with their computers. So, I've been pricing those out today and we'll get those placed as well. Um, all the other computers that are currently in the classrooms, those that can be upgraded to Windows 11 will also receive additional memory in them,
041upgraded to the Windows 11 and then placed back in those locations for the desktops that we cannot upgrade. There are several throughout the district that will have to be pulled surplus and um elementary will be closed at a later date. We don't want to replace everything all at once. So we're trying to plan two items left doors and insulated pipes and all the leaks are fixed and additional dows replaced as needed. So that's completed. Finally, the plan work the electrical work is done like technology said the smart school bond back high school paving the lowest bid was the most responsible bid. Um so that's under 30,000 spoke to and that will be paved well before graduation. So the beh is what to do with the water tank here at Key High School. So that's the
042next topic under discussion. um looking for states and size. So we'll have more on that information next month and plan that phase do speak the impact of the $100,000 project. Thank you. Thank you. has come to new business which is the election of the Columbia County Board of Cooperative Educational Services. There are four nominations um for the most and for um individuals seeking those positions. So do we have to do that as individual or can I do it? We have either four votes. Okay, four votes. Okay. First one is resolved. Board of education cast vote for the election of Mr. Edund Brooks from Columbia County. His district residence is Central School District. Can I get a motion? Motion by Frank. Second. Second by Andrea and Kenny, have you vote? Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry,
043Andrea, yes. And yes, as well. The next is resolved that the board of education castes votes for the election of Mr. David Finch County District of Residents as Greenville Central School District. Can I get a motion? Move it. Motion by Frank. A second. Second by Penny. Penny vote. Yes. Kim. Yes. Frank. Yes. Sherry. Andrea. Yes. And yes. The third is resolved that the board of education cast its vote for the election of Miss Nandin Gazola from Columbia County residents Columbia or Comic Hills Central School District. I'll move it. Motion by Frank. Second. I'll second. Second by Kim. Penny. Yes. Kim. Yes. Frank. Yes. Sherry. Andrea. Yes. And I'm a guest as well. And lastly, result of the board of education cast the election of Miss Spock from Columbia County District of Residents, Chad Central School
044District. Motion by Frank. A second. Second by Sherry Penny Havo. Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, Andrea, and I'm a guest as well. Okay. The next is the 2026 Columbia Green County Board of Cooperative Educational Service Administrative budget. Can I get a motion to approve the budget, the tenative budget as presented? Motion by Frank. A second. I'll second. Second by Kim. Penny, have you vote? Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And yes, as well. Now we'll turn it over to 2526 budget development [Music] presentation. So here we are tonight hopefully a budget that is acceptable to the board and the tax goes along revenue updates. So I have highlighted as I have all along some items that looking at the revenue are perhaps a little higher risk because there's no good way
045to estimate them. Um but given our situation in some areas of this budget we are taking higher risks. We talked a little bit about distance learning last time and more information was requested. I noted that 14,500 is collected for this year. That was running only one class with one TA and we'll talk about how that might get us to that 40,000. Well, the total number, which is what everybody wants to know, is the 26.3 million. The increase over prior year is 739,000, which is a 2.9 increase. Looking at our proposed revenue, we have a $1.6 million shortfall. Working with a lot of my colleagues, we were able to bring that down from the 1.7 it sat at previously. I was combing through many, many lines and many, many details to get us even tens of
046thousands down. A lot of work goes into it, even though it doesn't seem like it's a big big number in a decrease. looking at our reserves. So, in looking at community survey, there were some comments about reserves. And I didn't get a time to to address everyone's comments, but as best I could, I got through the reading I could and added some notes here. So, are our reserves too big? The first one up there is the liability that's assessed by our third party and they tell us what claims are outstanding and what we should hold for those claims. And it could be that eventually claim is settled and then we don't need that money anymore. Uh and that could be released. But as of right now that is the amount we're advised to hold. Uh
047our ERS that amount I have said in the past is overfunded in comparison to some of our other places in this reserve plan. But that saying it's overfunded is is a yes or no. is 3.5 years overfunded. If if um the state auditors came in, I don't think they would say that it is. But in comparison to some of our other places that could use some more funding like TRS where we only have 38% of a single year, money could shift around there. looking at our eval where we pay out vacation days or any kind of separation payment that is contractually obligated to be paid and that amount sits in there right now would pay for three to four teachers or administrators should they retire in the next year we have more than that that
048might or could be eligible to retire our capital reservo though I included it for public transparency is not something that impacts this budget whatsoever We can't use it without voter approval for a specific capital project. Our unappropriated fund balance, the best practice is to legally hold 4%. Should something like an asbestous project pop up at half a million dollars and this is our starting balance at um at the end of prior of last year. So 630 of 24. When I've been talking about the roll over value all along, I'm saying I hope we can roll over 1.2 million. The amount that I'm giving you today that we can roll over is $1 million, which is the amount that is held in the balance anyway for the current school year. So it appears that we won't
049touch that 1 million. And I feel confident that we can move that one million to fund the coming budget. So that leaves us with a still a $600,000 deficit to talk about. Earlier on some slideshows, you know, I said we've got a we've got a danger sign coming here, right? Last year there was a 14,000 exits at the end of the budget. So that means all of our expenses put against all of our revenue, all that was left was $14,000. There was not anything to really consider a funding plan over any other areas. Any movement in our reserves really happened because of grants. It wasn't because we received excess revenue that matched our reserve plan. In the 2425 budget that we're currently working through, we have a 1.5 million being carried. The 1 million I
050just mentioned on the last side that we're going to roll forward and that other um $500,000 in reserves that was appropriated to run the current budget. Uh in the community comment, there's some question about what happens to that or what are you using it for? Nothing happens to it. It doesn't get touched at all. It doesn't even disappear from our books until it is used. So we come to the end of the year, they balance all of our expenses and revenues. And if we're short, then money comes out of the reserve. So it is never touched at all. And just because we appropriated it for this current year's budget doesn't mean we can use it for anything else at all. We can only use it to pay the intended purpose at the time set aside,
051which is ERS interiors. It is our hope that if we touch that ERS money this year because we're coming close between the two our our expenses and our reserves that it would not be a significant value because we do intend to appropriate coming again to run the 2526 budget and expect that in the coming year the 25 26 year we will actually use these appropriated funds that it will no longer be something that's potentially there for cash flow that it becomes comes money that is actually used to cover our expenses. So, we went from that [Music] 14,000 to maybe this year breaking even or maybe hitting one or [Music] $200,000 to next year, which could be much double that, triple that, depending on how many things occur during the year that are unexpected. So right
052now we're in line to be in a good place but have no reserves, no nothing to add to reserves and if we hit it hopefully not too far. So looking at the tax levy we did propose at 3.5%. Bringing us to a $10.8 million levy which is $22.78 per thousand assets. And then again, as in previous presentations, I included the three breakdowns so that people could kind of move up or down from the assessed value of their home to kind of figure out where they might fall. And again, this is the state reporting that we're required to do, which is an overall average of the total assessed value of our entire school district. When the taxes are levied, they do actualize them based on the assessment practices of each town. So for this levy, a
053supermajority vote is required. Even though the 3.5 is exactly the amount that was levied last year because of the way our state aid comes in and gives money, gives that money to taxpayers. The state aid for things like building aid doesn't come to our budget. It goes to the taxpayers to reduce that burden on them. And so because of that the um levy the allowable levying this year was lower that's why it's two was 2.19 and this 3.5 would be in line with last year but it still requires a super majority even though 3.5 last year did not which is 60%. There's a comparison to that 2.19 I was just speaking about. So what is the difference in going to the cap or above the cap? There are some numbers there for you to consider.
054So the actual impact on the budget is about 140,000. The cents per thousand 30 cents per thousand is the difference between the two. And then the variety of assessed values for the homes. So going at the tax cap versus 3.5 ranges between 30 and $87 in those assessed value ranges. There were some questions about when these big increases happen over year over year, where does it go? Why is it happening? Um and so I've added some more numbers to the slide. was a little shorter in the past, but I tried to go through and make it transparent where some of these numbers come from. So, our in the end, including all reductions, our health increase for the coming year is 400 nearly $400,000. Our liability insurance, we won't get the total statement for that until
055probably mid July um at the latest, I would assume, but we were told to expect 20 to 25%. So that 28,000 is budgeted for worst case scenario according to them. Although I will say last year I got a worst case scenario from the national and the worst case scenario was much worse than the worst case scenario they gave me. So we'll hopefully be prepared to deal with whatever that may come. Our hose increase ended at 114,000 and that is mainly even though we made some cuts within the hose lines. distance learning a lot of that 23,000 that we discussed before IT management ends with a lot of walkouts but want to get the 80 back in the returning year we're a net positive record management to deal with some records that have been much neglected
056for a number of years and that legally should be um taken care of and our tax collection also increased the service we have through the post for that the portion of annual salaries and distance learning services is 120,000 that sat in the co grants for the current year. So all that has come back in that 2526 budget. We had about $30,000 of distance learning that was running our WAN services was nice enough to let sort of partially participate in the program and only charge us a small piece of the cost and we were able to also take advantage of their classes because of them allowing us to do that for one year. So that chunk comes back in plus the other salaries that were included into the coming budget. Open funds are gone. We also
057have some portion of salaries returning to the general fund because we are required to have a 15 point 15% set aside for our grants due to performance issues. That's about $45,000. Our title funds are currently under review and we also expect that we will be required to do some corrective action with the way we're using it to not to address supplanting. So some people in the community comment said, "But why don't we move more stuff into grants?" We have and we shouldn't have and now it needs to be taken out. We didn't take it all a lot of at once given our budgetary situation. But we will get some comments that we year over year have been supplanting staff that are core staff that if we didn't have those grants, we would find a way
058to pay for them anyway because they're needed to run our core programs. So, it's really intended to be supplemental, something you couldn't afford to do on your own, but you can now because this grant money is here and if it disappeared, you wouldn't be hurt because it wasn't something you absolutely needed to run your school. So, we're working on fixing that. We know we're going to get some comments and we'll address them when they come. our retirey benefits. I had this on the last slide as well. Uh there's not much we can do about that. This year it's one million over $1 million or locked in under the terms of whatever contract is in place for each of those retirees for the remainder of their time. Then we of course have the regular inflation factor.
059But what if 60% do not approve this 3.5 tax levy? A lot of times when the the conversation about contingency budgets come up, people say, "Oh, the district is trying to scare us. We're required by law to tell you about the contingency budget, but when you get your um paperwork for the vote that's coming up, it will tell you contingency numbers. We're required to do that. Uh we can resubmit the same budget. If that 60% does come in, we can submit a different budget with the board's approval and the board couldn't adopt a contingency budget right away without a vote. If that vote fails in June, that second re that revote, we must adopt a contingency budget. So in a prior meeting, I said once you get to the point of contingency, you can't choose
060to say, "Oh, wait, let's let's maybe reconsider." Once that second board is done, there is nothing in law that allows us to do anything other than go directly to entity. And in our budget, what that means to start is that we would lose the entire tax levy, no increase over the current year, which is about $350,000. No um outlay project, which is $100,000. no truck, no scrubber, no any other equipment that would be considered non-essential. And then you'd have to look at the rest of the budget and determine if there are other things that are considered non-essential. But those items I know right away are legally required to be removed. This kind of summarizes what I just said, but some that I didn't hit were the limited use of facilities for outside groups. So if
061an outside group wanted to use the building and it cost anything, we'd have to consider what's the cost of electric. What's the cost? We'd have to make it completely flat for them to use the the buildings. Uh there are restrictions on administrative budgets which public doesn't typically mind but they have if you reduce something in that budget like that $560,000 that I estimated on the prior slide you proportionally need to limit your admin budget to so it doesn't just go on one section. uh technology can be limited to the state aid dollar amount that is considered equipment which typically is removed from your continuity budget but you don't spend a state aid you don't get it the following year they allow you to include that um in your budget despite it being this is a
062quote from westar's guidance once you budget which I leave down there at the end if you want all the details you're required to reduce items which are not required to maintain a minimum education program to preserve property and to asssure the health and safety of pupils and staff. So the board has to have conversations around which items in the budget are needed for our minimum education program, not what we would like to see. Long range forecast. This is a slide that you have seen before as in the past year we the pre prior business official in Morgan said we will have this conversation again next year and now we are going we're looking at the 25 26 budget I'm telling you we will have this conversation again next year. I don't want anyone to feel
063that because we are appropriating reserves or because we're going asking to go above the levy that we have a fixed future. We don't. We still have some work to do. So as best I could have gotten through the community questions and responded here they are. So the class sizes what's the impact there? They are still in line with re regional averages in some cases below still I think maybe in one case like one student above. uh our staffing assignment. Some people were concerned, well, if you remove student um teachers from this grade, what will what will happen to them? Well, we're still going to put staff where they're needed. If somebody I'm just making an example up, but if someone was in third grade, here two third grade teachers, you might need to move a
064fourth grade teacher. Staff get moved according to the enrollments and according to the needs each year. And in the same way that they go up grades, we move our staff accordingly as well to deal with that. And each year our teaching staff receive their anticipated end of year assignments. So that is a regular thing. Typically they probably had the same assignments but they can shift from year to year. I know when I was teaching they happened to me many times. Um all supervisors have been involved in decisions that impact their areas of responsibility. I would hope my colleagues would be agreed that they have been very very involved in this process and that um I have asked everyone to reach out to their departments and give comments. There were some comments about not enough participation.
065So if that is the case and the public feels that way I certainly would like that feedback so we can do a better job. We made I think a valiant attempt to do that but if you didn't hit the mark we'll do even better next time. uh daily subs. So there's conversation about whether that would actually save any money. So this is in the budget and I'll say this some more later at the very bottom. Everything will skip to that point. The pro proposed budget is an outline of the funding. Really what the board is adopting tonight is our funding plan. They're allowing us to levy those taxes. They're allowing us to pull from those reserves. The budget itself is sort of an outline and it doesn't mean all those things absolutely happen. So as
066we continue through in the next two months or even in July, August, September, if something turns out to be not supported by this faculty and staff or not a good idea because factors has changed or need to learn new things, it can change. Doesn't mean because it's on these slides that absolutely will happen. So for example, in last district, they needed a mailban. It was part of their budget. When we realized there were problems with that budget, we cut the mail. no mail van here even though our current mailman van was in very bad shape because that was absolutely necessary. So things shift just because it's on there doesn't mean the conversation is over. So our daily subs to that point in talking with VTA at one point we had hoped to bring in an
067additional daily sub to deal with some of our coverage issues. This budget proposes that we add two more daily subs. It would be $160 a day. If we had a teacher covering six periods a day, that would be $180. There was also some question about, well, what if these subs are eligible for insurance? That could happen. However, subs are not contracted and would be up to the board to determine any amount they plan to contribute to that insurance. And it mostly doesn't happen. We have one, I think. And again with the question about where does the money go? 17.8 million of our budget goes to salaries and benefits alone. And that leaves 7.7 million to run all the rest. When are we going to do the long range plan? This been a difficult budget season
068for all of us. Uh we need stable administration leadership. I knew our superintendent knew. So if we stay and get to understand the district and can make good plans that would be great. We don't need the shifting around because we lose a lot of historical knowledge when that happens. Uh we need participants to come into the discussion recognizing that we will continue to need to rightsize our expenses and staffing while realizing the school district's limited ability to raise revenue. It's been a hard conversation this entire time, but it is still something that will be going on throughout the year. Um, we can make a long range sustainability plan to bring expenses in line with revenue now. I would suggest starting that right away because we have the reserves available to support the transition. When we
069begin to tap into these reserves, our ability to address what's coming will reduce. So now is absolutely the time to begin to look at that long range plan very seriously after this vote is over. Um and then again we can make the plan but if it comes to voting day and the public is not willing to support the plan we're basically starting all over and we've lost any of the money that's been spent. The next several slides are repeats of what we've seen over the course in and really tied to enrollment. The first one being the historical overall enrollment showing the decline in the number of students from nearly a thousand in 2007 to under 600. Um and along the bottom you see the uh number of teachers during those same years. And then the
070next several slides are the recommendations based on those regional averages that Colleen alluded to earlier. And these are actual figures from our quest or districts um suggesting at certain grade levels reductions that would keep us in line with those regional averages. I don't feel the need to go through each one. I just have a quick question. Yeah. The prek, are you recommending two sections or one section? I think that's really we're looking at one section currently based on um what we know to be true. This year we have two very small sections and it's not fiscally responsible for two sections. The risk we take with that is if we exceed the allowable number, we could end up with a waiting list for certain students. But that's very age. I think different things kindergarten or prek.
071Prek is the one. Okay. Maybe I miser. Prek is the one section. So when I am referring to kindergarten here though there are two very small sections coming into kindergarten. But I think your point we have two very small sections on that. So it's not I was just curious conversation on that. in the beginning of the presentations and I haven't heard any updates. So, well, we did find out that if we run the one one section that they don't bring in a TA to bring you to that max 20 students would put us at 18, which again, I think those numbers would be three people waiting on the waiting list based on what we've seen, which has always been the way prepaid program has grown. years old. It was that way when my oldest was
072in prek. Yeah. And there's continued talk about the allocation for prek in the state budget. Oh, by the way, we don't have an ontime state budget. We don't have one yet. Um, if that allocation were to go up, that could give us some more ability to increase that cost. [Music] click through those are available for the public to approve. This slide is almost nearly the same with the reductions that are planned. The only thing that I think was added is um in going through this budget all over again to trying to find money and balance out how we're going to use the reserves. Some other things were dropped as well. So we froze or reduced most all of the supply lines or materials except for operations and maintenance where we know we also have facilities
073issues to address. Curriculum planning will need to there are no curriculum hours in our budget. They will have to be grant funded to be eligible for grant funding under the terms of those grants. And we also reduced allowances for unexpected expenses which brings less flexibility to absorb changes and challenges that arise. I have mentioned throughout this though budgeting is risk you're planning a budget in the middle of one year that's not even completed and particularly in the time of COVID when it's very difficult to track why historical changes occurred even though even so those are challenges that make us typically want to hold more money because of the unknown we reduce them anyway so we're running a more risky budget running our revenue as high as we currently think it can go and we're running
074our expenses as low as we feel comfortable to go. Of course, still holding some money because we know special ed can have special circumstances. Uh something could break and it could go beyond what we budgeted. Let's say we were merely planning for small projects to improve our facilities standing and then we have to get something major breaks. Well, you know, now we have less contingency available. Hopefully, whatever contingency is there stays there for the entire year and then it goes back to the roofs and it's never touched. That's always level. This slide is the same. That's just the net impact of the switching to it management or or nar IT management. There were quite a number of questions around distance learning and some misunderstanding. So again, the net impact is about $23,000, $24,000. Given that
075regardless of whether we go with distance learning or not, we still have to purchase a piece of it to run our provider network. The question was, how does distance learning work? A lot of people have some learning. Understanding is in the community survey about that. So I'll just read through this. Distance learning allows participating schools to both send and receive. Berlin will offer in-house in-person courses that will be broadcasted to interested districts. These in-house courses might otherwise have low enrollment and we wouldn't consider running them. But if students from other schools enroll in distance learning classes taught by Berlin teachers, that course section is aided and it will bring in revenue. Students from other schools attend Berlin classes remotely. Our students are not remote. their students are brought into Berlin and attend the classes that
076way. Our students are in person though. Similarly, students sitting in Berlin can participate in a course broadcasting from another school. So, they're in Berlin. They're probably on their computer watching a teacher teach and the teacher can still respond to questions. It's just through through a distance learning model. So these are all live classes whether attending in person at Berlin or remotely in another school. Interested students who have availability in their schedules can select from the distance learning course offerings beyond Berlin and suitability from Berlin and students enrollment in a remote course option does depend on times aligning with the district the distance learning course offered in another school. So they have an array of classes they can pick from. Some won't work because the schedule simply doesn't work. But hopefully the ones that do work
077in this schedule, they find something of interest. So what is our history with distance learning? There are some enrollment numbers, the courses that were offered, whether they were sent or received, and the money that came into the district because of them. A couple of them are marked mixed funds because I had to estimate based on the stacking that was used. So they were mixed in with other requests our numbers. If I could pop in here real quick too. Um and if the board had the chance to agree through I think there was some confusion on what what is distance learning which is why we chose to call this out. Um I think there was some confusion between distance learning and what we knew for a period of time as remote learning. Really, distance learning offers
078our kids opportunities they might not otherwise have. At the same time, it offers us an opportunity to generate revenue by delivering courses that other schools may not get to offer. So hopefully these two slides clarify that a little bit. I also thought it was interesting guidance Rachel told us there are 25 schools participating in this. So it's also interesting that they kind of get a peek into another classroom somewhere else. And yet I would like to acknowledge Rachel Harrison for all the work she did in gathering that information and Dave and Megan for facilitating that. There were some questions around facilities in general and also the plat. Someone called out that the number I had on my slide was wrong. So I looked up on our asset list and did replacement but the actual numbers
079of her vehicle. Thank you for pointing that out. That's not um there are some comments about what if it doesn't what is what if it doesn't work? What if the staff have too much overtime? What if it's just too much? Well, as I said with some of the other slides, this is in here because we have to plan a budget based on our needs. We can continue to have conversations within the operations and maintenance um departments to understand if our staff really support it. If they're not willing or able to support it, then yes, it's more likely to fail. We want to know that and plan accordingly. So right now it is in our budget. Um there was some thought that we would keep the same exact staffing. The intention is to take the halftime
080role and the halftime role that person is working anyway because we couldn't hire a second part-time person and make two full-time people here every day. Um we also have Rick and Transportation who does some planning. There were some comments about that how these 1.5 or one person was moving at all, but we do get some assistance from the transportation department. Our custodial staff cleared the sidewalks and um I don't remember the name of the machine. There are public people training to use, but we should zero track. Vent track. Thank you. And if needed, we'll give more training to people who could use it. And of course, we have our supervisor as well who has kicked in a little bit this year. even if needed to make it work, you would ask them to help make
081it work. So it does require staff support of the initiative to be successful. That's the end kind of ending on that question. So regardless of all that, we still need to put replacement cycles or equipment in place. We do not have equipment cycles and we would prefer to space them out rather than hitting a time when we need four trucks. So these trucks are We've got two that are 10 years old. That's the new number up there. Whether that's an aged out trope or not, I take the advice of my more advised colleagues. But eventually across the board in this district, we need to look at replacement schedules. So the desire there are the questions around whether it will be the best choice for the school. Don't eliminate the opportunity we have with returning revenue
082by selling one of those trucks. and potentially too. We have to look at how the district is funding um to get to bring down that number. But any item in the budget can continue to be discussed. And of course at the bottom is my plug for the facilities committee meeting once a month right before the board meeting. So if you are interested or one of the people that commented on facilities matters, we'd love to have you. Our capital outlay project. So we're looking at Berlin Elementary. We have to pick a school and then we pick a priority. So the priority is this ADA entrance entrance that is falling apart. It needs some repairs due to water infiltration. Should that be assessed at over $100,000 by identifying Berlin as the building and identifying this as the
083priority but perhaps not the end situation should we not be able to achieve it in $100,000. It gives us a little flexibility putting it that way. So if this were to go over and we don't anticipate that, but if it were to go to $102,000, the architect said, "Oh, I think this is going to go a little higher." Then we look around Berlin for the next highest as um priority item that could be taken care of within that $100,000. And in the following year, we get 75% back and every year thereafter, we continue the cycle. The problem here is one year we got out of the cycle. This is a particularly good year to pick up the cycle because while the Berlin Elementary emergency project has caused some challenges, it also is bringing in state
084aid that is going to cover all that. Something I was on my previous slide, 7,000, a very small amount. It's going to cover all of that anyway. So taxpayers aren't actually paying for it because they except for that small amount. And finally, our budget will be on vac. The changes that occurred were us going through each and all the lines to bring it about $70,000 down more so we could tighten up everything. So there were changes but I guess you can say not material changes as far as staffing and programs. Exactly. [Music] Yes. And I think but given the budget increase and the gap each year we got to do serious planning for long term to get out of this. It's not just this budget. It's going to be another budget cycle and another budget
085cycle. Um health insurance and your employee benefits 17 million employees. Um so we're going to have to make tougher decisions in the future. This is just the start. [Music] com heard several times how you get to your head and this was a lot of conversation last year as well. So based on the same really figure out how we're going to deal with it. It's going to be the same issue based on the formula. So, we need to adopt the budget and adopt another property tax. Um, the number we want to put the blank is the 26 266 209. Yep. [Music] So [Music] 266 resolved that the upgraded budget amount 26,200 66,209 as proposed by the board of education be adopted for the school fiscal year 2025 through 2026 and a levy of taxes be assessed
086therefore in accordance with law. Can I get a motion for the adoption of the budget? Thank you. Motion by Kim. Second by pen. Yes, Ken. Yes. Yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And yes, as well. Okay. So, the next is the adoption of the 2526 bus. Okay. Can I make a motion for the adoption of the 2526 plus proposition? Motion by Sherry. Second. Second by Frank. Penny, how do you vote? Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. Andrea, yes. And yes, as well, the next is the adoption of the Garland Central School student mileage distances. And I'm going to turn this over to just that real quick. I had mentioned earlier when we made some changes to transportation, some things were brought to our attention that we addressed through the policy. One of those was the
087fact that and Janette feel free to jump in here. Historically, we have always transported kids whether regardless of how far they live from the school. It was brought to our attention through some of the conversations we've had over the last year that that has to be voter approved. I would hope our voters are not opposed to that, but we want to transport every child to school regardless how far they live. In order to do that, this proposition needs to be up. So this will go out to voters at the May 20th vote to approve. Correct. Okay. And if this does not pass, that means certain children will not receive within the mileage limits would not be for transportation. Okay. And it's two miles for um K through six and three miles for 7 through 12.
088Correct. Okay. Can I get a motion for the adoption of the Burland Central School Research Student Transportation Mileage Distance Proposition? Motion by Frank. A second by Sherry Kenny, have you move? Yes. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, yes. and other guests as well. So, next is opportunity for public comment. No, sir. Comment. I just want to open it up for a quick board comment. Kim asked for something to hand because I think there's some problems or sure. Okay. Can you hear me? Okay. Um, so I know you had already mentioned the trip to England um that the students did over spring break. Um, I was happy and honored to be asked to be a chaperon. Um, so I attended and um, I just wanted to shout out to Miss Day and to um, Mary Lou Hunt
089um, for planning the trip. Um, they also helped the kids fund raise all year to make it more possible for them to go. Um, they worked really hard all week long when we were away. They kept us safe and organized. They were up earlier than anybody else um knocking on doors to wake up the kids and they were the last to go to bed to make sure everybody was in their room safely at night. Um it was really fun. It was educational um and kind of team building between parents, staff, and all the students um who were from all different kind of grades. And you know, we got to know each other better and um had a good time. Um, I just wanted to thank the other parents who went as well because they were
090helpful um and fun to be with. Uh, we all learned a lot. Um, we used the tube in the subway. We learned history about England. And we also learned that it's also nice to come home. Um, our group was complimented many times about their punctuality, their good humor and fun and kindness which really made us all proud. Um, I hope everything, you know, this kind of thing can continue in the future if we have lot, you know, teachers and staff that can continue the tradition and volunteer um because it's really a great opportunity for our students. And I'd also like to thank the transportation department, um, Mark who drove us to Logan Airport and then to Jen who picked us up on Easter Sunday. That was much appreciated. Thanks, Karen. Thank you. Ken, any other
091board member comment? Okay, I just want to give a quick shout out. There was also a roller skating event done over the break uh sponsored by PTM. Um, and I heard it was a fun time at night. Thank you. We'll move on to date and location of the next meeting. We had a budget hearing on Tuesday, May 13 here in the auditorium at 7:15 p.m. And then our next regular board meeting will be held uh Wednesday, May 21st in the auditorium at 7:15. I would like to request a brief executive session to talk about the particular individual. Uh I do not anticipate that we would come out and take an action. Okay. Can I get a motion for executive session for the employment of a specific individual? Motion by Sherry, a second by Frank. Penny
092here. Kim, yes. Frank, yes. Sherry, Andrea, and I'm a yes as well. Thank you, David. Can you use your counselor?