001Don't go anywhere because we've got more work to do. We now just roll into, Dr. Hutchings, do you want to kick off the work session with anything? Or I see the memo has kind of the things that you're looking for. And I know it's everybody's favorite activity, the thumbs up and thumbs down activity is everyone's favorite. So do you have something to start us off? Well, I can just kind of reiterate what's in the memo just to give an overview. So it's on the record publicly and public comments from me as well. And that is, first and foremost, as you all know, we are experiencing some very unprecedented times for the entire world. And we have been forced to really revisit our FY21 budget, which at a time like this, I mean, it makes everybody
002a little uneasy. Include yourself. I'm a superintendent to have to make these very tough decisions. But what we proposed to the board were reduction items that we felt would assist us with balancing the budget and having the least impact on our instruction of our students. Also keeping in mind all of our staff members and some of the commitments that need to be made now that will have an impact on the future of Alexandria City Public Schools. And after the first add delete section, we had the discussion around trying to find some form of a one time payment, either to teachers or a one time payment to all staff members. And our team went back and we looked at the possibility of using the teacher professional learning days. And I want to clarify what those are,
003because there's some misinformation around the teacher professional learning days. One is that the professional learning days are not division wide professional learning days that we are trying to use. These are teacher professional learning days that when they choose to take a day off to do professional learning. And these are every teacher receives two that they can use throughout the year. The dollars that we have to spend as a division are dollars that we have to pay for. To obtain a substitute teacher. So we're paying about $157 per day for that substitute teacher. When a teacher chooses to use their professional learning day, that's separate from the division wide professional learning days. So those two equate to about $314 per teacher. And that was where the dollars, meaning the dollars that we came up with came
004from. So these are not dollars that teachers already have. These are not dollars that are allocated. They're not dollars that are allocated to the teachers right now. And being that this upcoming year, we are going to have, for example, limited travel. Because I know there are going to be some travel restrictions. We also know that depending on how we start the year, I know that the year is not going to start as a traditional opening. I can guarantee that. So it's not going to be like typical. I already believe that that's not going to be possible unless a miracle happens over the next couple of months. But if that is the case, that means... That, you know, teachers are not going to want to, you know, limit their time with their students. In addition to
005already the professional learning days we're going to have. And potentially whatever our year is going to look like when we start off the year. It's not going to be a traditional opening. Then most teachers are not going to want to choose to just take two professional days out of the classroom. Because they're already going to have limited time, most likely with their kids. That we felt this could be a year for us to use. That funding. But it is not a sustainable, you know, funding source for us. You know, this is something that is possible this year only because of the circumstances and the uncertainty with this pandemic. But we cannot assume that every year we're going to be in a situation where, you know, two teacher professional days could be used to provide funding.
006To, you know, to give others... To put in or to invest in. To give others something else is what I was trying to say within the budget. So I wanted to preface our discussion with that. So everyone understood the two options. And one was $250 per teacher. And this is a one time payment of $250 for the 2020-2021 academic year. And then the other option was a $150 payment to all staff for the 2020-2021 academic year. Were the two options that we shared with the board. I wanted to ask maybe for some further clarifications before we started. I want to actually say some clarifications. Because I feel like we've gotten and we do this periodically when I've been on the board. Teachers seem to not remember that we have been getting step increases over the
007years. So I just want to clarify it. For at least the last five years, there have been step increases. And including an MRA. In the last year. And then also about the supplemental retirement. That is something that hasn't been done for about eight years. Because eight years ago, or around eight years ago, we started putting more into the mandatory BRS retirement. So there's still really stuff going into the retirement. There was no cut in that this year. And I think there's some concern about that. And some miscommunication about that. And then finally, we've been receiving a lot of letters about the 250 or 150 being totally not really being relevant. Because of the costs that they're going to be having. Although our example that was given was $213 more. The insurance might be for a
008full year. And that was, of course, a single person. But with the most expensive health insurance. As well as dental. And I believe vision. So can you can you know, and also the tax implications, you know, pre tax or if it's going toward it can can someone sort of clarify those things because there were a lot of letters about that. That's it. So yes, I think that we definitely want to clarify some of those things. The first item I do want to just talk about is really what the health benefits because I think it is important for us and I've asked for to Han to to join us. She. Is our director of employee benefits. Just to help with any questions that board members might have today. Because we have received a lot of emails
009in regards to not having an increase in health premiums. And I think it is very important for and if Susan or it can allow for to Han to get and I think she's on the attendee side. She's not on the panelist side. Somebody can. She's now a panelist. So she can speak. Thank you. I know that in particular with the with the health plan benefits. I just want to start off by saying that I mean this is a national issue, right? This is not an ACPS issue in regards to health premium increases nationally health premium increases. They are moving at a faster rate than our, you know, living wage increases and that's for everybody, you know, across the, you know, the nation. So it is going to be difficult for us. So it is going
010to be difficult for us to come up with a solution to solve that problem. But we can keep working towards that with other organizations, you know, across the country and advocate and things of that nature to a lot of these health companies into the health industry. But, you know, our premiums, they increase when we have really large claims that occur within our school division. That's what determines whether our premiums are going to need to increase or not. So, you know, apparently we had a year with. So, you know, apparently we had a year with. Significant number of claims. Right, and that's something that we have to be able to react and respond to, and we've got to have the money to be able to pay for those extensive claims. We do want our staff members
011to have really good health benefits. And, you know, we said this back in November, which, when we had a presentation with the Board just in regards to like our health, our employee contributions. I'm sorry, employee compensation. And right. And right now, with the employer contribution of 80% for most of our employees, 90% for our support staff, that is a very solid, top-of-the-line health benefit package deal. I mean, that is a big deal. It is something that I think what we have to do moving forward, I think it's going to behoove us to do, is to really educate our membership and our staff on how the health system works and what do health benefits mean and what does that mean for you as an individual. And people have to make their own choices based on their
012own health situation. For example, you may need to have a certain type of health insurance because you have health challenges. But then you have some people who never need to go to the doctor. So we need to make sure we're educating folks on the different types of plans that we do offer so that you can customize your plan options based on your health need. And us trying to change the whole split between employee and employer could have a negative impact in the long run on our behalf. That's why it's not as simple as just saying, let's come up with a dollar amount to fix the health. But it's also a big issue because if we add or we make our contribution even larger, some people may say, well, now I want to join in on
013ACPS's health program. And it's already a 79%, which is very high for us. And it's because we have a good plan. That's why it's so high. So I get it. So I'm not trying to change the plan this year, right? But I think it's important for us to know that some of the decisions that we could make today could potentially have an impact. Tomorrow that won't be sustainable over time. So I know that, Dr. Wilkins or Mr. Turner, I know they're on the call. You may want to answer some of the other questions that the chair Anderson had mentioned Dr. Hutchings, Dr. Wilkins. Good afternoon Board members. I'll just simply add that we compared our plan with seven other jurisdictions. I don't think I have any issues with that. I think that that's what I'm
014going to be saying. I'm just asking, what is your opinion on that? and we briefed the board earlier this spring that when we you compare ACPS to these other seven entities, meaning Arlington County, City of Falls Church, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County and the city of Alexandria. ACPS provides a better payment on the employee's premium compared to to our neighbors. And that cost ranges anywhere from four hundred and seventy seven dollars all the way up to a thousand and one dollars on the employee's monthly premium. So, as Dr. Hutchings mentioned, when you compare the ACPS package and its value to the employee, at least compared to these other seven entities, we have a really top of the line package. I'll turn it over to the CFO for any comments. So, yes. So then
015when it comes to trying to figure out everybody's effect on their take home pay, it's going to be different based on the tax bracket that you're going to be in. So while an individual premium might increase for a person by one hundred dollars, it doesn't impact their take home pay by one hundred dollars. You're in a twenty eight percent tax bracket. And that means that it's going to have a seventy two dollar impact on your take home. OK, you're in a ten percent tax bracket and it would have a ninety dollar impact on your take home pay. And then there's just multiple options for every employee, for every plan we have. An employee can choose four different options. They can choose to not go with the plan at all. They can do an employee only
016employee plus one or family on this five different plans. So three medical plans, a dental plan and a vision plan for every employee here in ACPS. And as Dr. Hutchins and Dr. Wilkins mentioned, when we did the study to compare health benefit plans to other jurisdictions, we saw that the plans that we have and the cost to our employees was significantly better than those of our surrounding jurisdictions. Again, the 80 20 split or the 90 10 split, if you're on the support side, is much better than all the other jurisdictions surrounding us. So if we were to change. That to, you know, say, 80 to 18 or 90 to eight, what we're doing is as premiums continue to increase in the future, we're going to have a larger burden of employee benefits for ACPS, which
017will take away from the other items that we're trying to do to move the needle on student achievement. As everybody already knows, roughly 90 percent of our budget is personnel. So we change the formula for the cost sharing split. And so we're going to have to make sure we're designed to be able to do that. And I think we're going to have to pay, you know, that 90 percent will just continue to go up, and it will leave less and less for us to be able to do. In other areas of ACPS. Thank you. Thank you. For those clarifications. I see that Ms. Alderton has a question. Yeah. I don't so much as have a question right now at this point in the discussion, but I did want to comment because what Dr. Hutchins said
018is something that's really been on my mind as well. And it's this notion of oftentimes as a locality, we're trying to figure out how to shoulder the burden of bigger problems. And I think health care is definitely one of those issues. What this you know, the more time that I've spent, you know, in in a position of being elected, it just highlights for me the importance of figuring out how we're connecting with other local leaders, how we're connecting with our state leaders and our federal leaders, because the cost of health care is not something that we control as a school division. But, you know, should we then you know, I know for sure one of the things that I want to work on next year is getting connected with my state and federal officials to
019figure out, you know, is there something we need to do and now consider around? You know, providing better health care options to for school systems. I'm pretty sure everybody needs better health care options. But, you know, in the position that I sit, is there work that we can do around that? And I think sometimes we have to realize we have to reach farther than ACPS to achieve some of the things that we want to achieve. Otherwise, we're just constantly going to be trying to put in band aid fixes that are going to continue to come up every year. So just saying that to say that, you know, I hear all the concerns around the health care cost issue. But I do believe it is a bigger issue that will not get addressed unless we use
020our positions as elected officials to go farther than the seats that we're sitting in now. Yes, Ms. Elderton, when I was thinking about this, I thought about you and that which you are frequently tell us that it's that these are the things that we need to do. And I think that's a really important thing. And I think that's a really important thing. You know, and that is that there are the issues that are larger than our power to solve. And I think that's a really important thing. And I think that's a really important thing. So definitely one of those. Ms. Nolan, I have with her hand raised. Yeah, thank you so much, Ms. Elderton, because I couldn't agree more. I mean, that is one of the challenges is that, you know, many of the comments
021and feedbacks and e-mails we're receiving are asking us for things that are outside of our control. And so I appreciate you raising that. One thing that's in our control, and again, this is just some feedback, again, similar to what I mentioned earlier. I do think, Dr. Hutchings, I really appreciate the way you framed this conversation and sort of gave some context around like what are the proposals being made. I do think it's just a continuous area of improvement for us in ACPS in terms of our communications. We also just need to make sure that that is captured somewhere so that people can easily go to with the budget. I think there's been a lot of misunderstandings about what this budget represents, unfortunately. And we have forced, in particular, teachers to come up with their own
022story because we are receiving a number of emails from teachers. And unfortunately, a lot of their concerns are actually not what's being represented in the budget because they were forced to make assumptions. So, for example, even the way the memo said that we're taking away two professional development days, it did appear as if we were taking away two professional development days from teachers. And that was not at all the case. So I'm so grateful that you did such a great job. Dr. Hutchings framing that. But I just wanted to provide some feedback that I do think it's an area of improvement for us with the budget is that where is the go-to place, whether it be on the website, where it's crystal clear as to what's being recommended. Because we've just had so many assumptions
023made in this budget. I know we are in unique times, and I know this had to be done quickly. But it's just I do feel for so many of the staff that are writing us in with concerns that are not aligned to what's actually happening. So there's a lot of misinformation, I guess, out there. I just don't want to put it on the staff's shoulders for them to have to guess what the budget is and try for them to interpret. So I just wanted to share that, that I do think that everyone on this board and Dr. Hutchings and central office staff are doing their best to do right by the staff. And I just think there's a little misrepresentation that some clear communication could assist that message. So just some feedback moving forward about
024how can we ensure that the process is more stronger with its communication? And then where is the go-to place? And I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. So that the stories and rumors that are starting to circulate don't take place. Instead, people have a central place where people can go get accurate information versus having to guess themselves. So just wanted to share that feedback. I think it would be helpful for all of us moving forward. I totally concur, Ms. Nolan. Thank you for that. I have Dr.
025Reif up next. Okay. Well, thank you, everyone. And I know that everyone on this board and Dr. Hutchings as well, you know, we really want to be able to get the information out there. We want to support all of our ACPS employees, you know, our teachers, our support staff, and our administrators. And we all want a budget that reflects that. And I do appreciate you, Dr. Hutchings, coming back to the board with these proposals on the table. And, you know, but the thing that struck me about them is that they, the amounts of these proposals, which is in the range of $380,000, is about the same cost as the cost of the healthcare premium increase. And. And, you know, you and others have talked about why, you know, you don't believe it's feasible. And I
026understand that. I, you know, I don't entirely agree with it. I think it's possible if we really wanted to do that, that we could, you know, it's administratively, I understand it's a little bit more challenging. You know, the way our health plans work right now is that people who take a more premium plan, if you will, or who have more dependents, they pay more, but we also pay more. We do not have a set, you know, health premium allowance for people. And so that's just kind of how it works. And I think, you know, my own sense is that from the feedback that I've heard, I think people do understand how the healthcare, you know, how healthcare premiums work. Like we can't control how much United or whatever is going to be charging us additionally
027next year. We don't have control over that. But the issue that, you know, that I'm hearing from folks is. It's like their healthcare premiums going up, you know, but their salary is not. So it's resulting in less take home pay. I think that's really the issue. And I understand that it is, as Ms. Alderson said, some of these issues are, you know, they're bigger than, you know, what ACPS necessarily can control. But at the end of the day, like, you know, I'm concerned about the future. And I think, again, that's another point that I want to make is just the uncertainty of the future. Because we don't. I don't really know what's going to happen, but I don't think that, you know, not doing, you know, step increases or market rate adjustments for staff and
028just continuing to see health premiums go up and up in the coming years is going to be sustainable for people either. So, you know, I just, you know, I just really wish that we could find a way to this one year, particularly when the future again is uncertain, you know, maybe we'll see a turnaround. Maybe there'll be additional federal stimulus. I don't know where, you know, next year. We can't. We can do a step increase or a half step increase or whatever. But I just wish there was something we could do this year, you know, to to ensure that people are not taking home less pay. And so so so the concern I have with the proposals on the table is that they just have a fixed amount for everyone. And as you said, there's
029quite a range in what people might be paying for their health premium. But, you know, but but the amount of money we're putting forward, it is actually equal to the same amount. So that's just where I've had a little bit of, you know, I'm just struggling with these proposals. But I would like to ask a question about, you know, some of the emails we got. Teachers were also expressing concern about the after school tutoring, not being able to do that right now. Or some imply that there might be cuts in who is working during the summer for the summer learning. And I just I know that might be ways that teachers also. To try to make up those losses or whatever in there to just to supplement their salaries. So could you just talk a
030little bit about if you know how some of those other kind of stipended opportunities, like how do you think those things are going to be impacting staff as well? If you could just talk about that. Well, you know, I think it's really uncertain. It depends on the different positions that we're referring to. I think over the summer we are still going to have staff members are going to have opportunities to, you know, to be employed in our summer programming that's going to occur. It's hard to say what the fall after school activities look like, you know, especially with coaching, with, you know, any after school programs. Because what we are, I think what makes this so complicated for next academic year is that there's so many different ways that this can go. And we just
031don't have we have to prepare for all the different ways. But we just don't know what option is going to be most feasible. What we do know, though, is that in the fall, we are most likely not going to have 16,000 kids going to school at the same time. I don't think we're going to open our doors that way. I really just don't believe that's going to be possible. I don't think that, you know, the governor hasn't said that. VDOE hasn't said that. However, everyone hasn't talked about schools in any of the phases. I mean, you don't hear anything. You don't hear anything about school buildings opening in this governor's phase one. Right. We're talking about businesses and we're talking about getting your hair cut and go to the hair salon. You don't hear anything
032about schools and they don't have a date for phase two. They don't have a date for phase three. Just saying that they're to be determined. So I think that if we're going to have to continue to social distance, that is going to bring some very expensive complications for us, because that is going to require us to figure out. How to get kids to and from the school, how to have staggered bus stop times that people are at bus stops with some of our bus stops. We can have 20 kids at one bus stop, you know, on a corner. We're going to have to figure out how to have our transition times during the day so that let's think of T.C. Williams with 3000 kids on the King Street campus. How is that going to occur
033with social distancing? Not possible with all of our kids. So we're going to have to begin to when this is what our team will be doing with this whole reopening plan is coming up with, you know, kind of a plan on how do we open schools and possibly 25 percent of the kids in the school at a time or 50 percent of the kids in school at a time or no kids in school. You know, that really is what we're going to be focused on. And that will have an impact on whether after school programs are going to be, whether coaching opportunities are going to be. And, you know, this year we were able to pay coaches and we were able to pay, you know, stipends to folks whose years were kind of taken away
034from them as of March. We're not going to be able to do that next year. We're not going to be able to go into an agreement and say we're going to pay coaches in the spring. If even if we don't have a season or we're going to pay coaches in the fall, even though we don't have a season, we're going to give you your stipend, even though we're not going to be able to. We're not going to be able to really commit to that. And we're going to have to let people know that up front, because if we keep going down that path, we are setting ourselves up to not have the dollars to even operate as an organization. And, you know, the very nerve wracking thing for me is for all of us, I
035hope, is the fact that we may have to have more reductions. The things that we have given to the board now. As recommendations are based on us seeing some type of opening of things, which, you know, I went, I did my run this morning and I saw King Street getting all prepared. So it looks like things might be opening up. That's a good thing. Right. Hopefully things will have to close again. Right. Because if we open up and then they close again, we're going to have a major problem because our estimates are based on us seeing a trajectory of things getting better. And. If things get worse, we're going to have to come back to the table and just have even more discussions around what's just not going to work or what we might have
036said we could do, but now we can't. So I just think we just all have to be prepared for that for that as well. And then we also could have on the other end, the fall comes in the spring comes and we end up having more revenue coming in than we expected. And we can revisit talking about adding some additional things in, which I think to me would be really beneficial. Whether it's. You know, a half step or, you know, just other things we might be able to do if we get some more dollars later into the future. But I think that's something that to me is reasonable to keep. That was a long winded response. Dr. Reece. I'm sorry. Thank you, Dr. Hutchings. Mr. Suarez. Thank you, Chair Anderson. Yeah. And I just want
037to recenter us again on just the reality of the situation, which is that, you know, this is not the budget. It's not the budget. And I think that's the kind of budget again that we wanted. So looking backward, you know, we passed a great budget and I think the whole community was involved in that budget. And so none of us want to be in this situation. And I can't reiterate that enough. And looking forward, I'm confident that this board doesn't want this to be the situation going forward. We've gotten some commentary to the effect of, oh, you're taking away step increases this year. That's the foreseeable future. That's the foreseeable future. And that couldn't be further from the truth. Like this board wants the budget that we originally passed, you know. And so to the
038extent we're, you know, forced to do these cuts, like this is not something any of us want. This is not something any of us think is optimal by any stretch of the imagination. And I just can't stress that enough because I feel that a lot of the frustrations, which as I said in my remarks last week, I want to validate those frustrations. I want to make sure that they're valid. You know, it's a difficult time. You know, but I think going to what my colleagues have said, I think two things really matter here. One is context and second is transparency. I do share Ms. Nolan's concerns that I think, you know, transparency is sort of the best disinfectant. That's like a famous quotation. And I think we've been in a very, I think, fluid situation.
039Where a lot of stuff is going on and we have to be as transparent as possible to contextualize exactly what we're doing. So I do share that concern about, you know, when we're doing these sort of proposals and amendments, we really need to provide as much of the rationale as possible, as much of the context as possible and explain it as thoroughly as possible. So frankly, the board understands it because I did. I was even confused about the professional development days. Just candidly, the way that was put in the memo. And now your clarification makes it clear, like no teachers are losing professional development opportunities. In fact, if they want to do a professional development day next year and have a Zoom call to do that, I'm sure they can take a day to do
040that or that can be agreed to next year. So that's not what this is about. But, you know, and so one of the things I just want to say is that. You know, I think. I think that. I feel the frustration. I feel the pain. But again, we need to put this in the context. And so, you know, 380,000 is being allocated to this potential ad of $150 for all staff, $250 for the teachers. And we've gotten a lot of complaints that that's not enough money. We've also gotten complaints that the chiefs and the. The principals are getting an MRA and why should they get the MRA? And I talked about that last week. I understand there are concerns about the optics of that. I frankly, and I said this to my colleagues, I share
041some of those concerns, but I also know there are challenges where some of those staff members are at seventh and eighth in the region in terms of competitive salaries. And our teachers are getting paid at a higher proportion relative to the surrounding surrounding areas. And. And so. They are getting paid at a lower portion of $150,000, which they can get a points, which we can't get at, but it's looking like a chance. But I think that's a great way to kind of get at some of the long-term decisions that are being discussed and implications here. But one of the things I wanted to look at is what would be the implication of. Taking. Removing this, the principal in chief edition. You know, MRA edition. And what would that look like for the rest of the
042staff? Even if I was to say, let's take all of that off the table and I add that to $380,000, we would be in a position where it was about 460K. Ms. Nielsen is, or someone is muted. I had to switch voice over to phone because the internet signal is slow. Okay, is that muted? Okay. Yeah, so my point is, is the amount we'd allocate for this bonus would go from 380,000 to 460,000 in the event we were to take the principals and chiefs MRA off the table. So if I were to distribute that amongst the employees, that would amount to maybe 40 or $50. And again, in the meantime, we received a lot of complaints that 150 or $250 is not enough. And so I just wanna put that out there because we as
043a board have to always be balancing the long-term perspective. Like I'm a former teacher. I'm a former teacher. The thing that matters to me most is retaining and keeping our teachers. But I also don't wanna have this divisive sort of climate. And I also know that everyone is kind of having to dig deep right now. And I just think that I get the concerns. I share a lot of the frustrations, but I don't think that additional 40 or $50 is gonna make a material difference. In the meantime, several of my colleagues have expressed, and I agree with them that we haven't been competitive with regard to our principals and chiefs, and we've had challenges of recruitments in those areas. And so I sympathize and I share the frustration, but when we've dug deep to find
044another 150 or $250 in this budget, and I've looked too. Like that is a good amount of money to be providing all of our employees to be helping them out in this time. And, you know, I want to further contextualize this. And remember, the federal government, which has a trillion, you know, trillions and trillions of dollars and just passed the CARES Act, trillions of dollars. They gave everyone twelve hundred bucks, you know, out of out of that. Right. And, you know, we're giving you two hundred and fifty dollars or one hundred fifty dollars really digging deep to try to find some money for you. And so like and I have I have numerous friends in the private sector who have lost their job, taken 20, 30, 40 percent cuts to their salary, you know. And
045so, like like I said, I hear I feel your pain. I share the frustration, you know. But what I have also read and heard is that. You know, we have we got an email just today that someone said their health care premium was going to go up by twelve bucks a month. So if you multiply twelve times twelve, it's one hundred and forty four dollars. So the hundred and fifty dollars would, you know, make that person whole vis-a-vis the payment, you know, for this. And so I think with this, this these measures, they're not perfect. None of this is perfect. I ideally would want to go back to our original budget. I really do think it constitutes a good fit. On the board's part and on Dr. Hutchings part to make our teachers and our
046staff whole. Is it what we want? No. But I think that that's important to recognize is that it's a good faith effort to make our teachers and principals whole. We're doing the best that we can. And even if we were to take the chiefs and principals MRA off the table, you're not going to be made whole by all that much more. And like I said, if folks are complaining about two hundred fifty dollars, I don't see why giving another 40 or 50 dollars is going to appreciably move the needle from that perspective. So I understand that my comments are are very fact based. But I feel like sometimes in these situations where, you know, there are a lot of emotions and we're all very on edge and frustrated. And like I said, for the fifth
047time now, like I feel those frustrations. I feel those frustrations. I feel those frustrations. I think you've got to put things into the context and you've got to look at the facts so that we make smart decisions as a board. And so, you know, I think we need to bear that in mind as we do some thumbs down, decide what the best path forward might be. Thank you, Mr. Suarez. And next up, I have Miss Nolan. Oh, thank you. Do you want Miss Gentry to go first since I've gone once? Sure. Good. It's good. I follow the list on the side of my screen. But you're right. You've already spoken and Miss Gentry has not. So if that's fine with you, you can yield to Miss Gentry. Miss Gentry. Thank you so much. I yield
048to you, Miss Gentry. Thank you so much. Can you guys hear me? I know I was having trouble last meeting with the mute. Can you all hear me? Perfectly. Great. Okay. So, again, thank you very much. I wanted to start by taking a moment to publicly thank my colleagues. Board Member Reif, Board Member Green, and Vice Chair Nolman for their important contribution to our budget deliberations by proposing ad deletes. Even in normal times when one can always think of worthy ads to our budget, it's really challenging to find comparable deletes. The situation we find ourselves in now is unprecedented and far more challenging. It takes courage and a significant amount of work to scrutinize the budget and develop suggestions. I think what's really powerful about the ad delete process is that even if the particular
049items that are proposed by the board are not in line with the budget, they're not in line with the budget. So, I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. I think that's a really important point. If the items that are proposed by board members are not ultimately adopted, it can help clarify budget priorities and lead to adjustments in the budget that better reflect the goals of our division. The efforts of the three board members who proposed ad deletes have helped evolve the conversation that we're having today and have strengthened the budget process. So, again, my sincere thanks to those three members. I'm really pleased that further scrutiny has brought forth some options that provide all of our staff some relief to offset
050the health insurance cost increases. I'm saying that because we're in a situation where we're in a situation where we're in a situation where we're in a situation where we're in a situation where we're in a is my preference to move forward with the option one of eliminating the professional days and providing the 250 one-time payment to the teachers, as has been to the staff. As has been discussed, our original intent with our budget was to have a step increase, which would have increased take-home pay to help offset these annual health insurance increases. The proposed one-time payment will help, but we understand that it does not completely offset the increase. The global pandemic, as I've mentioned, will be a big challenge for the state and for has been stated many times before, has forced significant cuts.
051In an organization where 88% of our operating budget is devoted to staff compensation, it's impossible to offset the pandemic's impact by cutting from the remaining 12% of the operating budget. We will have to see in the coming year what kinds of adjustments might be possible in the long term, either for the health insurance, other kinds of compensation, or whatever, but we do have to move forward now with the budget now, with the circumstances that we have now, and with all of the sort of built-in unknowns that we have now. The global pandemic means that unfortunately we cannot move forward fully with all of our budget priorities that we established last fall. However, while the impact is significant, we must do whatever we can to continue to move forward with whatever budget priorities we can with
052this new reality. We need to continue to think in terms of long-term strategic goals. We must think about how we can move forward with the circumstances that we have now, and with all of the sort of built-in protections that we have now. We need to continue to think in terms of long-term strategic goals. We must do whatever we can to continue to move forward with whatever budget priorities we can, whether the current year, but also think beyond this year. As part of our commitment to strategic data-driven decision-making, we have identified that we have long-standing compensation issues with certain of our our staff. For many years, it's the principles and leadership in ACPS have been one of the lowest of all of our neighboring jurisdictions. Every year that we fail to address this compensation issue is
053a year that we are jeopardizing the success for our schools. We know this because of the extensive research that shows quality leadership is the number one factor for school success and teacher retention. Because this is a small percentage of our overall staff, the funds needed to address this compensation deficit can still be accomplished this year, as Mr. Suarez alluded to, even with our constrained budget because of that small amount of money that we're talking about. I cannot justify not moving forward with this budget priority of addressing this compensation issue. I regret that we cannot move forward on both the step increase and the market rate adjustment, but I certainly can't justify not moving forward with the one that we are able to do. There are some surveys that I'm sure many of us have seen
054that are coming out that suggest that it is possible that 20% of educators may not return to their schools in the fall. I would hate to lose a single one of the amazing staff that we have in ACPS. It's one of the reasons why in our budget discussions we were doing everything we could to avoid rifts in our reduced budget. However, if we do have staff that choose not to return, it's the board's responsibility to do whatever we can to set up ACPS for success in a competitive recruiting landscape. A key element of recruitment is compensation. When looking at our teachers, we see that we are well positioned. While we are not offering a step increase this year, neither are any of our neighboring jurisdictions. We are currently ranked as one of the top teachers
055in the state. We are currently ranked as one of the top teachers in the state. We are currently ranked as one of the top teachers in the state. We are currently ranked as one of the highest compensations for this category of staff, so we will find ourselves well placed for recruitment. In contrast, our compensation for principals is one of the lowest. This not only makes it difficult to recruit and retain the top talent, it has a ripple impact to retaining our teachers. Teacher retention is directly linked to school leadership. We will struggle to recruit and retain our top teachers, even with our competitive compensation, if we don't prioritize compensation for leadership positions. Put simply, principals won't come to ACPS and or they will leave ACPS to fill openings in other jurisdictions. We cannot be a
056successful school division without ending the churn in our leadership positions. So thank you again for granting me this longer than usual time to speak. I am pleased to support providing the maximum amount of additional compensation we can for our teachers, that $250 payment, and I also look forward to moving forward with the strategic priority of providing appropriate compensation in the key areas such as school bus drivers and also our leadership positions. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Gentry. Now, Ms. Nolan. Thank you so much, Ms. Gentry. I'm so glad I let you go first, so I won't repeat some of the things you said. That's much appreciated. Again, I just want to thank everyone. One thing I feel confident in is that every single person in ACPS leadership and on the board has the best of
057intentions when it comes to wanting to support our staff. So I'm really thankful to be in this tough situation with people who genuinely want what's best for staff, because as Mr. Suarez so eloquently shared, I mean, this is an exceptionally serious time for us. I think it's a time to really be on board with the great depression. And so tough challenges are ahead. I do want to just emphasize again that due to Dr. Reese, some of Dr. Reese's questions she brought up about expectations for the fall, I really appreciate Dr. Hutchings, you being so transparent about that. And I think, again, in terms of our communication, over communication and being transparent are going to be critical as we proceed forward, because there are going to be things that people cannot expect in the fall due
058to that. It's not going to be as easy as it used to be. So I'm really thankful to you for that. And I think, again, I'm really thankful to you for that. I think, again, I'm really thankful to you for that. And I think, again, in terms of our communication, over communication and being transparent, that's not going to be a normal fall year. And again, if we could just continue and strive for over communicating and being transparent, I think that will go light years away. I am going to be supporting the MRA recommendation. And in addition to what some other folks said, the number one reason of why I want to support the MRA recommendation is not only because of the loss of instruction that so many students received last year due to so many
059snafus we had with bus drivers not being able to fill those positions. But furthermore, the number one data in national research as well as in even the ACPS surveys is that a strong principal and strong chiefs in the central office are what make a teacher want to be retained. So trying to put us in the position so that we can recruit strong principals moving down the road and so that we don't continue slipping and being a lower paying division is what's going to help us recruit, retain, and support strong teachers. So it's really because of my wanting the staff to get the leadership in future years that they deserve is why I think the MRA is in a critical situation. And while I sincerely wish it could be more, I understand that we're talking a
060few, you know, not a significant amount of money. We are striving to offset any costs that teachers are going to incur with their health care increases or furthermore. And while we can't be in a position to match that given that we don't oversee the health care, I would like to say that I am going to be in favor of the $150 increase with the thinking that it's going to be the most equitable across the division as I know there are other non-teacher positions that also work hard for the division. I would like to say, I don't know if I'm making an assumption, but my assumption was that those positions receiving the MRA increase will be receiving that increase and that the $150 bonus would be for non-MRA increased employees. So I just wanted maybe it'd
061be helpful to get in some clarification about that. But my hope is to try to support the staff as much as we can. And I think that's what I'm going to be doing. I truly sincerely wish it was most, but it seems like according to the budget, that's the best we can do. And thank you, Ms. Nolan. And yes, we included, because the board asked for all staff, what that number was. So we provided the board with the number for all staff and that's every staff member. But our intent is to try to have it so if the board recommends to have the market rate adjustment for those employees and then the one-time payment for the others. Great. Thank you. Thank you. And I think we got it in the question last week was two
062options. So we gave all staff and then we gave just teachers. Got it. And so then I see. So that includes, so is there, I'm not trying to prolong the conversation, but is there an opportunity that if the bonus, one-time bonus was to not be for MRA students, is there a way that we could increase that number for all staff? In other words, take the pot of money that we're hoping is available and then increase the number for all staff? Yes. So that's the first option. And then the second option is to take the pot of money that we're hoping is available and then divide it. Is that a possibility? I think, I mean, I think that's a possibility, but remember, we're going to be talking about it's $150 per person and we'll be spreading
063out over all the staff. So it might increase by like four or $5. I'm not really sure what that number is. I would have to keep it, but it's not a significant number because that's a small group. I understand. But we guess we can. And I just think again, Dr. Hutchings, I really appreciate your emphasis on this, but it is worth emphasizing again in the context of the MRA. I understand. But I guess we can. And I just think again, Dr. Hutchings, I really appreciate your emphasis on this, but it is worth emphasizing again in the spirit of being overly transparent and over communicative that we are going to have to be mindful of this moving forward as we don't know what the future holds. So unfortunately, this is a one time proposal, as we
064don't know what is going to be possible. As Mr. Suarez indicated, the hope is that we can continue and the funds will increase from both the state and the localities based on a more robust financial position. And hopefully we can offer a step increase. So unfortunately, this is a one time proposal, as we don't know what is going to be possible. So unfortunately, this is a one time proposal, as we don't know what is going to be possible. But I do think it's worth knowing that unfortunately, I just want to be crystal clear that we can't be putting ourselves in a position where this is an expectation moving forward, given that there's so many unknowns. So unfortunately, this is a one time proposal, as we don't know what is going to be possible. Yeah. I
065think Mr. Turner, do you want to say something? Yeah. Yes, I was just going to say roughly about 8 extra dollars. So it go from 150 to 158. Great. Thank you. I have Dr. Reeve up next. I'm going to jump back in here because I'm just going to answer one last question. And thanks to everyone for the conversation. So if I heard correctly, I just want to make sure I heard correctly that what we could opt for like a third option would be to provide a one time payment that would be about $158 to all employees who are not receiving an MRA in the budget. Is that correct? Is that what I is that correct? Mr. Turner? Yes. That is correct. I'm hearing that it'd be the $150 for basically 2500 employees, less the employees
066that receive the MRA. Okay. Yeah, I mean I just wanted to, you know, if we can't cover, again, the cost of the healthcare premium increase then I'm also in favor of doing the option to and with a variation where we provide it for everyone who's not receiving the market rate adjustment because, you know, while I know teachers play such a critical role. You know our hourly paras cafeteria staff and custodians. I know that you know they are earning less than teachers and so I know that these healthcare premiums are going to hit them particularly hard and so I definitely, you know, I want to extend that that one time payment to those individuals as well so that that would be where I would choose to give my support. Okay. I see we have Miss Thornton
067and then Miss Alderton and after that I think we're going to have. To do a little bit of actually the thumbs thumbs up thumbs down because I think people have had a chance to to to speak their minds and give their opinion so we have to sort of work towards some closure for staff. So, Miss Miss Thornton. Thank you, Terry Anderson, and I'm really happy to hear this variation of option two because this is actually something that I'd written down from the beginning as a possibility. And I wanted to kind of see where my board members. Were leaning, but I do think that it's important that we elevate all of our employees at this time, and we have been hearing primarily from our teachers and that's because, again, they are some of the most visible
068frontline workers that are dealing with these situations day in and day out, but there are others to who are being affected by this. And so I do want to see an option in which we can give a one time payment to all employees, and I definitely am in favor of that one time payment. And so I do want to see an option in which we can give a one time payment to all employees, and I definitely am in favor of that one time payment. And so I do want to see an option in which we can give a one time payment being to all employees, except those receiving the MRA. I think it's just the equitable thing to do right now. We can't give increases to everyone so those who are already getting somewhat of
069an increase to be more competitive. I don't think that they should be getting an additional one time payment right now, considering the circumstances. So I just wanted to voice my. The point that I am in favor of I'll call it option three. Thank you. Thank you. And that was yes, that was a great question. You asked earlier before the meeting. Miss Alderton. Yeah, I think I, my question was actually answered. And so, you know, if we're sort of sharing I definitely also would be in favor of option three. Great. Okay, well with that that seems like the great lead into to have our first thumbs up activity, because I think I might have heard a couple of different you know but but maybe. My. Part of that has been changed throughout the discussion. So, and
070we can't really do a visual thumbs up, thumbs down probably because I can't seem to get my video working this morning or this afternoon. But also because I was told by the clerk that we actually have to do the roll call thumbs up, thumbs down. So it seems like we have some some traction with the number three option, the hybrid. Sort of of our, or I guess it's just a variation of option of the one option. of our or I guess it's just a variation of option. of option. of giving all staff members, except those who are going to get an MRA, the 158 is what we've been told it would be. So I guess I will go down the roll call and you can say thumbs up, thumbs down for your support on that
071particular option. So let me find my list. Okay. Cindy Anderson, I would be agreeable to that. So yes, thumbs up, thumbs up. And then Veronica Nolan. Megan Alderton. Rami Dantri. Jacinta Greene. Margaret Lorber. Michelle Reeve. Christopher Suarez. Heather Thornton. Okay, so we have some close time. So we'll finish around that. We have some other things that staff have asked us to give sort of thumbs up, thumbs down feedback on. And one was for the CIP changes. So if every, you know, so in other words, to accept the thumbs up, the thumbs up would mean we accept the CIP changes that were presented. Actually, they were presented, I believe, in May 8. But we've all seen them. And there were no questions. There were no add, deletes about the CIP. So just to sort of make
072sure that we've covered all the bases, I'm going to go through and just ask in case there was something that we we hadn't been aware of before. So if you're, if you're okay with the recommended changes for the CIP for the 2130 budget, I will call your name Cindy Anderson. Yes. Thumbs up. Veronica Nolan. Thumbs up. Megan Alderton. Thumbs up. And Dr. Hutchings has his hand up. So I don't know if he wanted to say something before. Okay. But thumbs up. Yeah. Can people hear me still? Because I think I'm frozen. Oh, okay. Yeah, Cindy, I think Dr. Hutchings wants to say something real quick. Yeah, that's I was trying to say, but I might have been frozen when I tried to say it. I don't know. I wanted him to speak. Oh, got it.
073But then multiple people seem frozen, which made me think maybe it was me who was frozen. So, Dr. Hutchings. Yeah, I just wanted to add, do we need to mention the original ad deletes or is that not required to do? Meaning that, you know, you talk about the original ad delete requests as well. So they're on the record as a discussion or is it because we talked about that our first session that's classified as on the record? Well, yeah, I don't know. I think we, in terms of your revised budget, we didn't get any ad deletes on the revised budget. Did we for CIP? We didn't. So that means that. So only the requests that I've submitted, that's just what we're discussing that the other ad deletes were already off the record. Yeah, I think
074so. Mr. Turner, did you want to chime in? So, yeah, so there were seven ad delete requests submitted for the combined funds budget. And I just wanted to have the roll call for those. I know that we just talked about the revised option two that was presented today. But I just want to be sure for staff that we are not going with the other. So there were seven submissions that was submitted back on, I forget the date, May 18th or something. Right, right. Okay. So you don't really need the CIP because there are no ad deletes. Is that right? Is that what you're telling me? That I can stop that roll call? Well, I mean, we will still, you know, like to hear the support for the adjustments in the CIP. But what I'm just
075trying to get to is I want to be able to have the record to say either are we or are we not doing the ad deletes that were submitted? For the combined funds budget. Again, I know we just had the roll call for the option, I guess, three now for the $150. But if I could just get the confirmation on the other seven ad deletes, that would be great. Okay, yep. That was going to be next up. I was going for easiest first and also the one that was number one on my list in the memo. So I think, no, I forget. I think it was at. Ms. Alderton, because she's the one who told me that Dr. Hutchings wanted to say something. So, so Ms. Alderton, are you thumbs up? I'm thumbs up. All
076right. Ms. Gentry? Thumbs up. Ms. Green? Thumbs up. Ms. Lorber? Thumbs up. Dr. Reeve? Thumbs up. Mr. Suarez? Thumbs up. Ms. Thornton? Thumbs up. Okay. So now we go on, we move on to the more exciting and more, a little more complicated one about the ad deletes. But what I will say about that, when I, when I looked at it, the only ones that were submitted that actually had enough support were all ads. And of course, we know that's a very, we are not the federal government, unfortunately. So that is not a, that is not a tenable situation. So we will still, I guess, go through. And I know, I noticed that what was, what was posted today actually had the ACPS logo over a part of the spreadsheet. So I don't know, is that
077easily shared, Mr. Turner, so that we can go through? Because I also printed it out, and it's a little microscopic on top of having the ACPS logo over the spreadsheet. If not, we can go through it because. So if you give me one second, I'll open up the file and share my screen. So everybody can see each of the seven items. Great. Thank you. No problem. I brought it up on my screen somewhere here because I printed out the one and then I realized couldn't read it because of the, oh, here, here's the screen I have. All right. I did find, I did the find the one from earlier, another meeting so that I can read that, read what it says. So, so the first one was actually an ad of 360,000. And then a
078delete. So it was, it was the leading the, all the MRAs, I believe it turned out to be because that amount would, would involve all the MRAs. So, so I guess the question would be, did we want to delete all the MRAs in order to use that toward health insurance offset? So if, if thumbs up would then mean that you wanted to delete all the MRAs to, to add to the, the healthcare increases. So thumbs up would mean deleting the MRAs. Thumbs down would be not to delete the MRAs. So I'll go through. And for me, I would be, would be thumbs down. And Ms. Nolan. Thumbs down. Ms. Alderton. Thumbs down. Ms. Gentry. Thumbs down. Ms. Green. Thumbs down. Ms. Lorber. Thumbs down. Dr. Reeve. Thumbs down. Mr. Suarez. Thumbs down. Ms. Thornton. Thumbs
079down. Okay, great. So that takes everybody is that's nine thumbs down. And then the next would be about the, the delete deleting the dual language program. Deletion. That is one of them. That was a $54,000. $54,100 deletion. So we'll go through that. That is so for me, thumbs down. Ms. Nolan. I supported this. So I just wanted to share that I do have concerns about next year. We've heard from a number of parents and staff that they don't think the program is ready. So I do think that if we proceed with this program that we do need to make sure that it's receiving the support as well as the data backing it up that it's ready. and what does it need to be done to strengthen in the elementary areas in order to get it
080ready. So I honestly would still support this. Thumbs up. Okay. All right. And how about Dennis Alderton? So thumbs up is supporting the deletions. Thumbs down is not supporting the deletion. And thumbs down. Okay. Ms. Gentry? Thumbs down. Ms. Green? Thumbs down. Ms. Loeber? Thumbs down. Dr. Reeve? Thumbs down. Mr. Suarez? Thumbs down. Ms. Thornton? Thumbs down. So that's an eight eight down one up because I think that's what the clerk will want me to report at the end. And so then as we're adding, that's another add of the same 360,800, but there's no corresponding delete. So if I think, let's see. No, there's a corresponding delete of, I guess, of reserve positions. So I think we've already. All right. So this is one really that's taking three reserve positions, three teacher reserve positions. So
081I think that's an eight. So I think that's an eight. So I think that's an eight. So I think that's an eight. So I think that's an eight. So maybe we will do it on that. Because if that does not, we'll just do the thumbs up or down on that because without that money, you can't really support an addition. So again, this is to use three reserve positions in an effort to allow teachers to maintain their salary. And I think we had some, I don't know if Dr. Hutchings or, because now I have taken away my panel, so I can't see if anyone's got their hand up. Does anyone want to speak to that before we have a vote? Okay. we have a thumbs up, thumbs down exercise. No, Chair Anderson, I'm more than happy
082to also withdraw this. This was just a placeholder to allow us to have the MRA conversation. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think I'm wondering if the majority of these ad deletes was the opportunity to have the MRA discussion. So I'm happy to either withdraw it or find a way that we could to communicate that. I don't know. I just am trying to figure out what's the best way to get Dominic what he needs. I know these are going to proceed. Right. I want Mr. Terminers to sleep well tonight. That's what I'm talking about. And in fact, if you want, if you want, Cindy, I'm willing to say thumbs down on all of these if that helps you. Oh, OK. OK, so I guess. Yes, maybe we'll go through one more time and see
083if there's any anyone or maybe raise your hand if there's anything remaining that you would like to support still. That's a great way to do it. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Anderson. I just I just want to give Mr. Turner complete closure. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thank you. OK, so seeing nobody raising their hands or texting me to say that that's not that feature is not working for them right now. I think that we're safe. Mr. Turner, are you OK with this? Yes, ma'am. That satisfies what we're looking for. Appreciate it. Good. Good. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Nolan, for stopping for. No, no, I know. Because I just. I. And making sure that Mr. Turner gets what you want and I appreciate your leadership, Chair Anderson. This is not an easy process
084and certainly not virtually. So now let's see the other thing that we were asked and I'm not even sure if anyone has anything to say is whether we have any issues with the grants and special projects fund budget changes. And I, I guess I have a question. Is this about the Cares Act money and your proposed areas of utilization? That is correct. The adjustment to the grants and special projects fund was the addition of the Cares Act funding. So you'll see the increase there of that fund. The superintendent has proposed the four areas where that will be allocated to assist ACPS moving forward in fiscal year 2021. OK, so I think I'm sorry, Dr. Hutchings. Yes, but we are still working through specifics in those categories. So we have not shared that with. The board
085yet. Right. So so I think we will hear more information about this as time goes on. So I guess what I would say is if someone has because, again, it's in my memo that I'm supposed to to ask you all about it today is please raise your hand if you have any if you have any issue with the basically I think it's four categories that have been proposed for for use. I think I think we really need more information before before we. We know exactly. Oh, Miss Warburg. I'm just thinking for the sake of the public. This is public, right? Yeah. But if someone has them handy when I thought the four areas made sense and just someone could pick them off out loud so that we can then say, even though they're the general
086areas, unless, Dr. Hutchings, you're saying that they are not the final general areas that could could be reduced to three categories. So let's know those are the four areas. So we. Were. Moving. To. The. Final. Areas. So we're looking at distance learning. Meals. Or food distribution. Technology. And educational facilities. So those are the four. Specific areas that those findings will be used for, but we are, we don't have specifics in regards to what that. Action planning and what those budget items are yet, because we still need to finalize our opening plans because that will. Those are dollars that are going to be need. Needed for opening as well as summer. So we'll say, you know, we are going to couldn't remember all of the four. So that's going to be really hard. We need to
087finalize. So we do have two more questions and then we're gonna look at the four. But we're just trying to make sure we don't have any more questions coming in now. Because I wasn't trying to be not transparent. But the piece of paper that I knew that I printed out before the meeting, I could not locate it at that second, and couldn't remember the four for sure. So of course they located it now when I don't need it. Alright. So it seems like we're good on that. And I think then does anyone have, does anyone have any additional questions? Because I think we're, we've covered everything. And Mr. Turner, you can tell me if that's, if there's something else you needed. Mm-hmm. needed. That's everything. I appreciate it. Yeah. Well, we appreciate your work on
088this. And so if there is nothing else, then I think we're done. Dr. Hutchings, you have anything else? I have no further comments other than thank you to our staff, who really are working extremely hard to make adjustments and to respond not only to our community, but also to our internal staff. I do want to also thank our staff members who sent in emails and made comments because all of those things are helpful to the administrative team. Whether you all believe it or not, I actually have to read all of those emails because I don't feel comfortable not reading them and saying that I saw something that I didn't see. So I literally, and that's why you haven't gotten a reply back from me yet, because I have to go through about 200 of them
089over the next day. But I will get through all of them. And you may get a similar response, but I want you to know that they are read, so I can know if my response is appropriate for your email. So I will be looking through all of those. So I wanted to thank them for that. And I just want to thank the board too. I know that this is always a tough decision when we're dealing with the budget. I think during these times it's even worse and harder for us and more difficult for us. But I truly believe, as Ms. Nolan said earlier, staff, the board, the administration, we are all here with intentions to do what's right for everybody, including our children in the center. And I truly believe that you all demonstrate that
090every single time we are, whether it's interactions behind the scenes or in public. I know that that is the core of each and every one of you. So I just appreciate that. And I'm proud to be a part of this team and us doing these, making these decisions for our students. Great. Thank you. And I want to thank everybody to thank my fellow board members for all their work and their creativity and their, you know, and continuing to ask for more information. And until we get to this point where I think we're all, you know, I can't even think anymore about what happened in January because it was such an amazing budget. But we will carry on and hope that things get better. And I've been so impressed with what is happening with teachers and
091how they're working and supporting their students. and how they're working with their students. So, you know, it is very difficult not to be able to give them everything we planned at the beginning of the budget season, the original budget season. So, all right, everyone, I think it's gonna be a nice weekend weather-wise. So I hope you all have a good one. See you later. Bye. Bye. Bye.