001Hi everyone. Got a packed house tonight. This is great. Um I It is 6:01 p.m. I call to order the Conquer Carell Regional School District School Committee meeting to order. I'll call the conquered school committee to order and we're going to jump right into the uh CCHS student update in the interest of time for the students or student. Hi everyone. Um yeah, it's just me tonight. And Zarya unfortunately could not make it. All right, the floor is yours. Thank you. Okay, can everyone see this before I begin? Okay. Take that as a yes. Okay. Perfect. So, recently um we had prom this past Saturday and it was a really great event. We were at the Boston Marriott Copley place and it was a really nice venue and it was a really fun night for everyone.
002Um and that was mostly juniors and seniors. So, it was my first time going and it was really fun. Um and then also recently last night um we had the NHS class of 2026 induction at the high school in the auditorium. That was also a really great ceremony and we had Felicity actually spoke there as she was the president last year of NHS for her class and she spoke on one of the four pillars of NHS and then we also had three other officers um Mr. Ponucci who's a physics teacher and Mr. Miller and of course Miss Lokum who's the um head of NHS at the school. So that was a really exciting induction for me and a lot of other of my classmates. Um, and things that are ongoing right now is AP testing
003should have wrapped up last Friday, but unfortunately there was, I believe, a malfunction with College Board regarding the AP psych exam. So, I know a few people are going to be making that up this Friday, and that'll mark the official end of the AP season, I believe. And also ongoing is MCCAST, which is happening today and tomorrow for sophomores. And upcoming seniors have a really big next couple weeks ahead of them. They have their last day of class this Thursday and then senior week the following week, which I believe we talked about last week, but they're going to be going on some fun trips like going to Six Flags, the amusement park. So, I'm pretty jealous. That sounds really fun. And their graduation is May 31st. And I think that's everything for my update. Thank
004you all. That's great. Thank you. Any questions for Maddie? Thanks, man. Thank you, Maddie. Thank you. Thank you. Awesome. Um, tonight we did have before we get into recognitions, um, just keeping on the theme of CCHS, we did have one ask from Andrew. Andrew, do you want to say something? Yes. Um, so I think this month has been really challenging for CCHS community. Um, and really the broader conquered and carile communities. Um, as part of the school committee, I felt that, uh, we are really united in our appreciation and have a lot of gratitude for all the support that we've gotten um, and the school has gotten from our residents, neighboring towns, um, other school committees have reached out, um, partners, teachers, administrators. It's been amazing. I think there's too many people to thank individually
005on behalf of the district. However, in working with uh our chairs, I think there's a small group of um call it like frontline crisis management administrators that have really um provided um excellent leadership during this time. These individuals work through their school vacation. Some of them literally left their vacations to come back to conquered to get a plan together, get communications, coordinate efforts, everything. It's just unbelievable. And I just wanted to mention those seven people by name. Uh that's Dan Simone, Allison Nikki, Amy Greer, Megan Mains, principles Brian Miller, Katie Saul, and of course Dr. Hunter. Um and I' I've been thinking um how we can really show our appreciation. And so working with Bob, I wanted to put a motion um to the committee for consideration. And that would be I move to approve
006$25,817 which is the equivalent of 5 days perdeium for days worked during April vacation and what would have been paid time off for these individuals and wanted to bring that to discussion. I'm going to second that. Thank you. Um any discussion or I think we should vote on that. What account is that coming out of? Bob, we I don't have $25,000. So, we have school committee has an account or it would come out of the line. It would be charged to is the regular salary account that they're charged to. Yeah, we have it in the budget to do it. Yeah, for sure. This is all we're going to talk about CPS budget. This is the high school budget. Yep. All in favor? I I I I just That's extraordinary. I feel like I'm I might
007cry. Um that's really lovely. Um I think these gestures are so important. I remember after the eclipse, we did it a little bit differently. Um but there was a private group of parents that raised money and I think we got them gift cards and I just in all of the hubbhub I didn't think of something like this. So I commend you for doing that, Andrew. And I think I think that's really spectacular. I know we voted and discussions over, but I know I just can I just add one more thing too. Sorry. Sorry, Julie. You made us vote too quickly, but I just really want to show gratitude towards um Dr. Hunter because really what no one knows is that she was in it at 1:30 in the morning. So, she was really in it
008from the very beginning. So, I certainly appreciate that on a personal level and also a professional level. So, thank you for that. Thank you. Thank you all. I know that will be very well appreciated. It's been a long month and I think folks could use a little reinforcing right now. Ask for it, but I think it's simple. Yeah, thank you. Agreed. Carrie, you want to introduce the recognition? So, Ed fund. Sure. Um, does the members of the ed fund want to come up? Each year we um invite them to a meeting to kind of give us an overview of the grants that have come through. Typically, we talk about the grants. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go for it. Yeah. Yeah. I would love to do it. Come on up. Thanks. So, so I'm Bill Stone, Greg
009Legal, and that works as well. So, we're co-chairs of the grants committee of the conquered head fund. Um, so we just wanted to kind of talk to you guys. This is kind of our favorite time of the year because we get to talk about what we do. Um over the last 30 years, the ED funds raised over $3 million to give away for um innovative learning um all across the district. Um this year we were able to um we were able to award $70,000 on 18 grants. We typically have anywhere from um mid- teens to mid20s in in the number of grants. Um some of the trends some of the trends include us um we we get applications from all across the district all the elementary schools middle school high school cip um launch program
010all across the district. Um this year the uh grants we typically have them come through three different types we three different categories. uh wellness and mental health is one, outdoor and innovative ways of learning is the other and innovative and scientific ways of learning. Uh we had grants all across there. So um we had a really really good year. Most of our committees back here. So thank you all. Uh they put in tireless work raising money, going through grants, uh meeting with with faculty staff. So they they've done a great job. So thank you. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Questions? Thank you. Just sincere gratitude. Thank you so much. What you guys do is so important for our communities. There's a lot. Yeah. So, we'd like to present you guys with a very big check.
011Yeah. Take a picture with Lori. Just Lori. Yeah. With the big checks. Absolutely. You wore the good pants to match the apple. Will you guys go over there? You guys go over there and you can all fit. Sorry. And if you don't know about the ed fund, please check them out online. And there's always a time to give to the ed fund. So, thank you for your tireless work. Oh, yeah. Balloons for seniors are coming up right now. Little tighter tighter up. There you go. All right. Beautiful. Awesome. Thank you guys. Thank you. [Applause] And for those of you that don't know, sometimes it's a six-year commitment on the ed fund. So, thank you for your six years of service to the district. Thank you, Bill Stone. I think you're finishing up this year. We
012have one other recognition for tonight. And so, tonight is our um last meeting for three of our members, um Cynthia Rainey, Alexa Anderson, and Julie Viola. So, we have a little gift for you guys. Someone wants to help me just Oh, thank you. It's cute. So very thoughtful. Thank you. This is Thank you. just a very small excuse me um token of our community, our committee's appreciation to all of you for your um endless hours um heart and contribution to the schools and the overall committee. So thank you very much. Um it's not an easy job um and it's very much appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I think you should open the bags there for possibilities. Oh, yay. There we go. Lovingly made by our students. That's my CC collection. This is great.
013Amazing. Love it. If you're unfamiliar with Conquered Possibilities. Oh, it's on Sbury Road and it's run by our launch program. Very nice. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. What are their hours again? 9 to 2. Yeah. Monday through Friday. Excellent. great to go to on a half day Wednesday. Yes. Um actually, can I just request from the chairs if um people have a few words to say absolutely about Julie or Cynthia or Alexa? Um I would love to offer some words to say goodbye to our car Carlile chair, Miss Viola. Um, on behalf of the committee, I want to thank Julie for her leadership this year. Who joins a committee and in year one knocks it out of the park? Apparently Julie Viola. Uh, she is this extraordinary combination of someone who has
014this like analytical, brilliant mind, but it's paired with the heart of an actual empath. And on top of that, she's totally fearless, willing to put herself out there with this naked and total honest vulnerability that I so admire and I think we have all every one of us have seen this year. So, I first met Julie when she was a guest at the conquered chairs breakfast. I think you were invited to discuss something Carile related. I don't remember. Um, Julie did not appear particularly friendly. She seemed pretty aloof. And if we're being honest, I'm going to swear in my last meeting, she frankly scared the out of me. Um, so I was skeptical when I learned that she was coming um to the region. But when she arrived, she could not have been more open
015and warm and engaging. She was willing to learn. She was willing to hear and digest and process all of our diverse perspectives. She rolled up her sleeves on day one and dove in. She leaned in in a way that I think Cheryl Sandberg wouldn't have even been able to describe in her stupid book that I didn't even read. Um, that is to say, Julie, in my mind, is one of a million. She has always kept the best interests of our community at heart in all of her decision-making. Conquered and Carell are losing, in my opinion, one of the absolute best school committees we've seen in decades. Um, and I hope sincerely it's not the last. We see you girlfriend. Um so again thank you to Julie on behalf of all of us. Thank you very
016much. Very kind. [Applause] Okay. So I would like to thank my friend and colleague Alexa Anderson. Um I had to write it down because it's a hard goodbye. Um I want to start by thanking Alexa for her time on the conquered and conquered caral school committees. She has embraced this role with extraordinary dedication, tireless effort, and a steadfast commitment to the success and well-being of all students and residents in conquered Carile and Boston. As chair of the conquered school committee, she's demonstrated her ability to lead with integrity, collaboration, and vision. And at times doing this with tremendous personal sacrifice, balancing the needs of students, teachers, parents, the district, and the community is challenging. It can be challenging to balance the voices of the community while ensuring that we're focused on the work of the school
017committee. We're elected to do this and we do take this very seriously. One of Alexa's most admirable qualities is her unwavering commitment to the mental health and well-being of our students. She understands that academic success begins with ensuring that students feel supported emotionally, and she has championed efforts to expand mental health resources and support systems within our schools. Alexa has consistently worked to maintain excellence in our district while advocating for the needs the evolving needs of our students. Alexa's work extends far beyond what's seen during the school committee meetings or what's reported in the paper. I think Ko knows really what the role of the school committee is and I'm usually in it with the two of them. Um the role requires endless hours of analyzing data, preparing for meetings, scrutinizing budgets, and even writing
018grants on behalf of our students. Alexa has dug into these tasks tirelessly, always striving to ensure that every decision made reflects the priorities of our schools and communities. I've personally witnessed the dedication, time, and commitment that she's brought to the Congress School Committee. She's done this work with grace and integrity. Over the pa past few years nationally, there's been a focus on school committees. School committees have been politicized, and one of the first rules of the school committee is to not play politics. Alexa has led our committee with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to all of our students, and she's always prioritized our students while listening to the needs of parents and community members. Her collaborative efforts have reached beyond our district. She established a chair's roundt. I know this isn't exciting things, but it
019really is important to bring other leaders together from nine area school districts to share best practices and develop solutions to shared educational financial challenges. Her leadership has been widely recognized. As chair of the conquered school committee, she was instrumental in adding METCO representation to our school committee. We were the fourth district out of 33 member districts to add this representation. She played a key role in onboarding our new representatives, meeting them for coffee in Boston, hosting dinner before a football game, and doing frequent check-ins to make sure the representation was successful. During Alexa's tenure in the school committee, we've had some challenges. She joined the school committee in the height of COVID with weekly school committee meetings that sometimes were as long as five hours. And by the way, when she asked me to run,
020she said, "Oh, it's like five hours a week." And I watched the first meeting and I was like, "That first meeting was five hours. It was not five hours a week. Let me be really clear about that." Um the school committee has also faced some internal challenges and under the leadership the school committee has had some high fun has become a high functioning body with clear protocols and goals focused on student achievement and operational excellence. Alexexas worked tirelessly on behalf of our prek to 22 students and residents of conquered caral and Boston. Her leadership, dedication and collaborative spirit have made a significant and lasting impact on our schools and community. I will miss Alexa on this committee and this is our loss to our school community. No one has worked harder on behalf of our
021students, teachers, and administrators. I thank you for your time and your great personal sacrifice to advocate for the needs of students, teachers, and parents. You will be missed, but your leadership and work will be long lasting and something that future school committees should aspire to. Thank you. Woo! [Applause] Thank you. Um, I feel like I I was only here for a year, so I I appreciate you saying I was not expecting that. I was going to recognize both you, Alexa, and you, Cynthia. Cynthia, you've been here for quite some time. I have appreciated um just meeting both of you. Um I it's a lot coming especially coming from Carlile I will speak not only as the chair but just as a car car representative only being on the Carile um school committee for a year
022and then coming here uh it's a totally different world over here. Um I was told the same thing like oh it's no big deal you just go every other week and a couple hours no big deal. Oh by the way we need you to be the chair. Um, but anyway, I've really appreciated both both of you coming in and um giving me your guidance. Um, there's a lot of rules that I thought I knew that I didn't. Um, and you've been very forgiving with me. Um, Cynthia, I've enjoyed our conversations about DC and politics in general and your leadership on the policy subcommittee. So, thank you very much. Much appreciated that. Um, with that being said, it sounds like from the stack of blue papers I have in front of me that there's some more
023recognition coming. So, I'd like to first offer Robert Grom, can you please come up? [Music] Oh, I'm sorry. I should also note that we still have to keep to our rules. This is um three minutes. We are not necessarily going to respond. Uh but three minutes, please. Yeah, I know the rules. Um good evening, everyone. Um thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. Um, I wasn't going to say anything about the conquered education fund, but uh, I did check the website just before I came over here and uh, Mr. Stone um, already gave us the numbers, you know, which I'm always interested in since 1994. $3 million. That's unbelievable. Unbelievable. [Applause] And I also appreciate the fact that um you know the the fund is as nimble and as um quick to make
024a decision especially given what's happened the last four weeks. That was very uh encouraging for me to uh read about and and hear about. So thanks again for that also. That's very important. Um I also wanted to thank all the school committee members that are here past and present. Um it's takes a lot of time and effort to uh do an effective job at this table as I found out between uh 2016 and 2019 for three years and um I've watched the school committee for probably 11 years pretty closely. So my comments are based basically on my experiences um at the table and watching videos and being u connected electronically. So um many many school committee members have contributed tremendously to this uh committee and um I want to just recognize and appreciate them. some
025of her in the audience here. And um what uh my comments are going to be about mostly is uh Cynthia Rainey. Uh I've known her for many years. Um I always appreciated her approach to problem solving. Whenever there was a an issue that came before the committee, um she would um again, judging from what I saw and what I heard from these meetings, she would do the homework. uh before coming to the meeting, she would uh uh make comments uh concerning fact-based u issues and and um and ideas. And her approach was always balanced, which is very important because you know, you can ask too much, you can ask too little, but if you ask the right amount and the right go in the right direction, that's uh critical uh to the successful uh conduct
026of this committee. um she knows the rules as has been mentioned to some degree and uh it's important to uh abide by them and and going forward. Um so she also knows uh so much about the town and other committees within the town that uh have an impact on decisions that should be made at this table. So I am extremely grateful for his six years of service on this committee and uh I hope uh uh the new members uh coming forward will likewise put in effort and engagement uh that uh Cynthia has shown. So thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Siren do you want to come up? I think you have do you have to leave? I have yours next. Thanks, Madam Chair. Thank you for possibly taking me out of turn. Um
027I I I don't know what to say other than that uh the three of you who are leaving uh have so much to be thanked for. uh wanted to come not in my official capacity but as a parent uh as a friend. Alexa, you have balanced being both a visionary and a practical leader to such a commendable extent. I was at an event with Jerry Moss and others commemorating the start of Spectrum. I mean you started that you were there like right at the be beginning before any of those kids were really accepted in our schools. You started conquered promise before anyone was thinking about that. Now cell phones and schools is a major issue statewide here in the region and you figured out how to do that while getting Mecca representation on the school
028committee as was mentioned by Tracy while getting uh with the help of many people and taxpayers a school built. Uh Julie, I knew you as a friend first. uh and I can't say that about a lot of people who I've worked with closely but uh you know you're just here in conquered uh and you're just so amazing we are have been so lucky your uh tenure here is being kind of artificially cut short but I know that you're just at the beginning and Cynthia you've been a rock it's been really a pleasure you've always been so responsive I know your heart's always been in the right sp in the right place and particularly when there were some challenges around anti-semitism. You are right at the tip of the spear of that. You stepped up uh
029and I just really appreciate all of you. So, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Doc, doc me. Yeah, there you are. Sorry, I can see you from here. Hi. Hi. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Doc. Doc Fury. And um I got scared when I was told I only had 3 minutes to speak because those of you know when I get up in front of the classroom, it's going to take me 50 minutes. So it just to make sure that I stayed semi within my limits, I've actually written this out. All right, get going. Yeah, I know. I know. I know. I know. Okay. So, um I am Doc Fury and I supported Alexa in the last election. Uh first of all, I would like to congratulate the new members
030of the school committee. I just met Sandep during the election but have known Mike and his family for years and had the pleasure and privilege of teaching uh his children. I'm sure that both Mike and Sandeep will continue to offer the same thoughtful leadership and support for the students and teachers of our excellent public schools that Alexa has. So, if I know Mike and I know his and I know his kids, why did I support Alexa? Well, I started teaching and coaching and advising at CCHS in 1968. I left the classroom in 2015 and finished my coaching career two years ago. During those 50 plus years, I taught and coached and advised many extraordinary conquered Carl and Boston students. But there were always some who stood out for a variety of reasons. they were insightful
031or they were achievementoriented or talent or to me most importantly caring and thoughtful. Alexa was all of these. Oh, by the way, for those of you out there who I've taught or if I've taught your kids, you're in that group, too. Okay. Yeah. All right. So, that's page one. Now, I got to go to page two. When Alexa lost the election, conquered lost a homegrowing treasure, a person who cares deeply about the welfare of our schools and has since her high school days when she was a student government representative to the school committee and was the advisor for and I was the adviser for three years. For three years, she worked tirelessly representing student concerns and helping integrate marginalized students. During this time, Alexa learned how to navigate the adult world, to win on some
032issues, to lose on some others, but most importantly, she learned how to find the middle way. These are the same skills that made her a success as a school committee member and a chair. Alexa, you made CCHS a better place when you were there as a student and continued to make it a better place as an adult. I thank you for all you have done for the students of Boston, of Carlile, and of Conquered. And Alexa, I can hardly wait to see your next [Applause] incarnation. Sep if you want to come up. I have your sheet next. And then just so for efficiency, I had Heather about next. I I'll try and keep this short. Um, thank you Cynthia, Julie, and uh, Alexa uh, for your dedicated service to our schools and our community. Your
033insights and dedication uh, to our community have left a lasting mark. Alexa, I'm blown away by your knowledge of uh issues and over the course of the campaign answering any question that I had and and uh as as you leave the the school committee, whoever comes next has big shoes to fill. Um you've helped shape a strong foundation for the future of education in our town. Uh and and we're deeply grateful. Thank you. Hi, I'm Heather Bao, 52 Simon Willard Road. Um, it's funny to be here in a different position. Um, I'd really like to express deep gratitude to all of you for all you do and especially to the three of you who are leaving. Um, for all that you've put into this. As you know, I know what it takes to be in
034that seat. um and each of you. Julie, you and I haven't met yet, but I have heard amazing things about you from the others and so all year I've been so grateful that you're here. So, thank you for all you've done. Um Cynthia, you and I got to overlap for a while and I will echo what Bob said that there were so many times that you guided us in structure and and what we needed to know and so many times that you asked the questions that many of us didn't think to ask and I've really appreciated that over the years. So, thank you for all the time that you have put into this. Um, and Alexa, who I know very well, Alexa and I only overlapped for a year. Um, I was lucky enough to
035have that year together with Alexa on the school committee. And I was blown away um by how dedicated, committed, visionary, and affection effective she was. I think that's a really interesting contrast. Not everybody can be that. Oh, and yeah, funny. She always kept it light for us. Um, but you are a rare combination of both determination and collaboration, which often don't go together, and vision and execution. And it's not often that you find someone who can do both of those things. Um, you are really willing to take on the tough issues and yet do it in a sensitive way. And that's something this world really needs and I really appreciate that. Um, Alexa has poured her heart and soul and many, many hours into this job, many more than most of us will ever know.
036And we have been truly, truly fortunate to have her and all of you fighting for us this whole time. Um, so we will miss you all. This town has been so fortunate to have you and I express my deep, deep gratitude. Thank you. Thank you. Robert Maynard. Robert Maynard. And then after that, I have Yi. Hi, I'm um Cynthia's son-in-law. And so, John and I just wanted to bring Cynthia some flowers to say thank you um for all her time on the committee and all the work she did. We had an idea that some of the members would not recognize her. So, we wanted to make sure to put our best foot forward and bring some flowers for Cynthia. Thank you. Wonderful. Feel me? Hi there. Can you guys hear me? Yes. Okay, this mic
037is right here. Um, I feel slightly like I'm at the Academy Awards and everyone has these lovely speeches and I wish I'd written a formal one with notes, but um, I'm here on behalf of Conquered Community for Great Schools. Um, just to say a big thank you to the outgoing members. Um, I'll just say that since being involved with this group and some of our members are in this room and online, I have such a deeper appreciation for the work that you do. I see the number of issues that you address, just the breadth of topics and just the complexity that you face on a regular basis. I know it hasn't always been easy, but just a big thank you. Just been such a successful few years that would not have been possible without your
038leadership. So, to the outgoing members, thank you so much. And on a personal note, I'll say I've known Alexa as a fellow parent and now I've gotten to know her as a school committee member. and she said once that she's a municipal geek or that you love local politics. You said that and I wasn't the only one in the room. So, I hope this isn't the last that we see of you. So, thank you all. Thank you. One more. One more. Wilson, I have yours thinking that's the last sheet. I don't think there's anything online. So, the three minutes are yours. I got to move it up again. Um, so I want to start with a quote that I found in thinking about tonight and thinking about the last four or five years that I've
039been involved with watching this school committee. And the quote is says, it says, you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. And the school committee gives an incredible amount. I want to talk about two ways that that has an impact. It has an impact in what the school committee does to build a relationship with the administration. That administration has a relationship with the teachers and the teachers union. And those teachers have a relationship with our children. What you do here trickles down through that partnership and that collaboration and affects the lives of tens of thousands of children every single day. What we have in conquered is extremely rare. It's extremely special. We have an incredible school system, an incredible group of teachers, an amazing administration, and
040an amazing school committee that makes that possible. And for that, um, it it's just it's just incredible. I want to talk about those kids. The second thing I want to talk about is this room full of people. What's happened under under Alexa and Cynthia and with Julie and this whole school committee is the community is evolved involved. We're paying attention. and we are seeing and just stand in awe of the tens of thousands of hours that this group puts in for conquered for all of us. And now we're here. We're paying attention. We're involved. And that's because of this incredible cooperation and collaboration. So thank you for what you've done. If your life is created by what you give, all three of you have created an amazing life. There's more to come, I'm sure. Thank
041you very much um for the students and for the community of Conquer. Thank you. Thank you. [Music] I appreciate everyone's kind words to to all three of us. And I think um you know it's really kind of a funny thing Brian and I were talking about this at the Carl Town meeting was last week or last this past weekend which I'll get into in my chair's update. Um but it is funny that like you were saying Wilson about the engagement in the community. I'm moving to conquered and if you're like why do you have to give up your seat? I'm like, I am the Carile representative elected by the people of Carile. And when you don't live in Carile anymore, you don't get to represent them. Um, and that's just a really important thing to
042know, but it's it is kind of funny to be moving to the community that I am on the school committee for. So, and have to give up my seat, but that is the way it is. Um, all right, let's move on to the consent agenda. If anyone um would like to leave, we won't be offended. Um, but we after that, we will go through correspondence and then we do have some key updates. If you can stay, it's free for you to stay because there's a lot of really good stuff to share. Just did we hit 20 minutes because you have one online comment and Oh, we have three minutes. So, so yeah, we can do one more. We can do one more. I have to promote her. And just a PSA, the conquered town meeting
043is coming up the first weekend in June. First week in June and we have some articles coming up in relation to the schools. Stay in. Yeah, if you want to stay away. Adrian's promoted. Hi everyone. Um I I want to echo what everybody said about your commitment to the school committee. I'm pretty good friends with Alexa. Um we did start Conquer Promise together several several years ago back in 2017. and the amount of work that I've seen her do um as it relates to the school committee um our daughters are also friends and it seems like she is always um doing something for the town of conquered so and Carlile so Alexa thank you so much um Julie I've gotten to know you a little bit uh through the district PTG meetings and you're awesome
044and I'm looking forward to working with you um at Emerson and Cynthia I don't know you But I know that you've been um I I know you've been a mainstay on the on the school committee and that you've had a great perspective um that has been appreciated by the community for sure. Um, I am probably the only one here to talk about something other than how awesome you guys are because I want to talk about the cell phone policy. And I felt a little bit weird about bringing this up um because everybody was um talking about so many positive things, which is great um given all that the community has gone through um in the last month or so. Um I think the school committee and Dr. Hunter have done a spectacular job um handling
045that tragedy. I know it's been really difficult um and also the um building of the Conger Middle School. Um I do have some concerns over how the district is positioning itself as thought leaders particularly when it comes to the new cell phone policy. Um I feel like the new policy that was drafted and read last week lacks many meaningful changes. um or really any meaningful changes to the one that is currently in the handbook. It's also not in line with the AG's bill. Uh there seems to be a lack of understanding of this issue in our district, an issue that private schools in conquered, this other schools in the state, other schools in the country, and frankly in the world are addressing with much stricter policies. Um I was speaking with Simon Cataldo recently and
046he said that the problem is so urgent and the impact so profound in terms of student learning, mental health and safety that this is not a topic where it's responsible to take a wait and see approach which is why there were 12 bills filed in the state legislation this year. Um, there's plenty of evidence at our disposal to conclude that the impact on students of having devices in schools is pernicious and severe. Schools have a responsibility to protect student learning and this policy fails to do so. This is also a matter of financial responsibility. We're spending a profound amount of taxpayer dollars on education in the town of conquered. Student learning is negatively impacted by the presence of devices. We know that. And not adopting and a useful policy is financially irresponsible. I'm so sorry,
047but I have to cut you off. Um, the time is up and I have to hold the standard to everyone. I'm really sorry. Okay, but thank you for your comments and we heard and it is on our agenda obviously as you can see. Um, it's one of the last ones but it is on here the CPS cell phone policy at the end and we will be taking or I should say we the CPS I will not be a part of that. CPS will be taking a vote on it later. and Adrian, we all did receive your email um at the superintendent and members of the concrete committee. Thank you for that. Thank you. All right, I am closing public comment. We're going to move on to the consent agenda. We just have uh warrants CCR's
048RSDA accounts payable. I make a motion to approve the consent agenda. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? when it's only one floor. Yeah. All in favor? I great correspondence. Um CPS, we got um a couple of emails in about the audio in the this room um and how quiet it is. And then we also got an email about cell phones. It was pretty quiet. We just had one foyer request um that we're addressing and that's it with the region. All right. So I want to move on to the superintendent chairs and leaison's update. I'm going to start um tonight and I want to make sure we have town meeting. It's a regional school district. Uh it's a funny thing with the amenities building in particular, but also our budgets are really important. Um so
049I'm going to give a quick overview and then Brian Tracy and Alexa if you want to go into it a bit more as the subcommittee for the campus completion. Um we had our town meeting in Carile on Sunday night. We had food trucks. Um, we did a totally different way of town meeting. Brian was a part of changing that in our town, which was great. We had an incredible turnout. Um, not only on site at the school, but also at Benfield. Um, and uh, we had it was just a it was actually a really great night. Um, great afternoon, I should say. So, um, Brian, Dr. Hunter, Bob Conry, and I were present at the Carile Town meeting. Um, I want to express my gratitude to the Carile community for not only the incredible support
050that happened actually at town meeting for the Conquer Carell Regional School District. I'm not expecting anyone to go back and watch it, but um, I will recap it and just say how appreciative I am. Um, I know Brian shares the same and Dr. Hunter and Bob. It was just incredible to see not only how many people showed up, but even the questions that we got were just for clarification. um just an overwhelming amount of support and um the school budget and the amenities building were both approved in Carile. So it is now moved to conquer to approve if the building is to go up. Um this honestly marks a culmination I would just say of a a year of remarkable support in the town of Carile that I am truly humbled by. Um it's it
051goes beyond the support for the warrants in the town meeting. Um the amenities building has been a topic of discussion for nearly a decade. Um but this year the need became especially urgent. We brought that to our CPC um uh community preservation committee if you're not familiar with it. And we really just started to stress with them the lack of ADA compliant restrooms um becoming increasingly evident not only from community member feedback that we did share at our town meeting. Brian did a wonderful job of expressing that. um the fact that we're out of compliance um and really like the CPC uh in Carlile just stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us at every meeting when we brought them concerns that citizens have brought up either in this forum or others about legality of using the funds for
052that or concerns about the dollar amount um between the town manager and the CPC um and the select board was just incredible. Um, and I just want to make sure that they're recognized. Um, and I would also just say that just the compassion that was shown for the needs. I think everyone knows it's impossible to fund raise for toilets. We will fund raise for the track. Um, and just the compassion shown to all community members. I've said this about a million times this year. Um, the number one thing that comes in here is DEI. It's a really critical topic. I personally am very appreciative of the focus on that topic. I've expressed that. Um, this is the I and arguably the E. Um, when people cannot use the restroom at one of the largest campuses
053in town, um, it's it's a need that we need to address and prioritize and we we did that and I thank the town of Carile for their support. Um, I also just lastly want to just again express more gratitude to the finance committee in Carile. Um, we just it was really humbling to see everyone come up to the microphones when the moderator was asking is there anyone else that supports this and people just kept coming up. So, thank you. Um, that is my update for this week. Um, but I just didn't want to not make note of that cuz it was really truly humbling and we actually had a little little bit of fun. Do you want to add anything, Brian? No, I was just going to say uh yeah, it was a little fun.
054It was uh a little bit of the Julian Brian show uh at at one point and um the best part was when the moderator was not going to let me respond to a comment that I wanted to respond to and Julie got up there uh not in a school committee capacity and presented it as a question some seats and uh yeah you know we were able to get that extra information. I think it was important information uh as well. Um and it was uh um you know the vote was it was not unanimous but it was just very strongly in favor I would say roughly 3 to one um for the amenities building. So, um, but also just to note that a final change last week was that the CP um CPC is going to
055make this contingent on what happens in conquered and so if it doesn't get approved um in June um I think I think um then the funds uh expire in August of this year um as opposed to the two years or three years which was originally planned. a question about um our town meeting who is going to be presenting the article um answering questions about the article. You as of right now that's the plan for me to do that. We have an agenda item later, right? Yeah, we do have an agenda. I just the reason I wanted to bring this up is that those are the questions that have come up the most is well I think people said well Carla's money is just going to be in the bank. No, it's not. It's going to
056be in the bank until, like Brian said, until we find out what you're doing. And if it doesn't get passed, it is not, and we have said this, I would say 25 million times that we are not going to get this approved in Garle next year. We have a police and fire station to build. We have um a project, another project, I know it's hard to believe that I'm really passionate about with schools with the Highland building, which is one of our few historic buildings in Carile. Um the money is going to go to these other projects. this is the year to use the money for the amenities building and I just cannot stress that enough. And um I did present the article at the League of Women Voters on Friday as Lori was um
057doing prom preparations with the high school. And I think what people really need to understand is this is going to town meeting. It's a town meeting vote and then it's a ballot vote. So there are a few hurdles for it to get passed. Um, and in part of my remarks, which I'm sure will be different with what Lori said, but I was very clear that for me it really is about the legality. Um, it is about protecting the district from a complaint. I'm not really sure why we haven't gotten one yet. The ADA, I mean, it shouldn't even be a question. It is ADA compliance and I fully understand that conquered um doesn't want to borrow the money, but we are where we are and I think this is the time to do it. So,
058just as a reminder, it will most likely be on that Monday night of town meeting for people that are out there listening with all the school articles. There's potential it could go on to Tuesday. I hope that doesn't happen, but people to really pay attention for sure. And we can talk more about it in discussion. I think we should echo that again for for sure. Um Carrie, anything for you for the update? Yeah. The only thing for me is that um we have the select board is putting together this land use working group and I've asked a number of times for a volunteer and Tracy has um has volunteered to do it. So I let um the select board know today and they will be nominating her at their next meeting. So thank you. Awesome.
059Great. Thank you. It's a good lot of work. Yeah. Any other No, go ahead. Was it say any other updates? Any other lean updates? So, one thing I can't remember that we reported on, I think it happened like two select board meetings ago, but they do have a cell phone tower agreement with a vendor and it should be installed in the spring of 26 with this is I'm sorry, at the old landfill. So, it should provide coverage for the high school and according to the cons or the vendor, all four carriers should be on the poll. Um, so it just won't be one. know the Verizon and the other three I think major carriers. So, um he was pretty confident that uh it wouldn't take that long to construct it. Just getting all the approvals
060through. So, um I'm sure there'll be more updates on that, but it they seemed pretty optimistic that it would be up. It doesn't solve the downtown problem, but it should solve the problem on the campus. campus who's worked in public safety. It's just still shocking to me that this has not been fixed, but I'm going to leave that alone. Um, one other update before I pass it over to Dr. Hunter. I just um I know there's some folks that have come through for the PTG. Um, I we had the PTG leader meeting this past week. Another thing I leazison is on for along with Carrie. Um, I just want to say thank you publicly to the PTGs. We thanked them when they were here last Wednesday. um in any year we're appreciative of the PTGS,
061but I would just like to say this year um the teacher appreciation week coming uh the timing of it is especially at the high school was just so incredible. Driving into the high school and seeing all those signs saying thank you was just um like definitely brought tears to my eyes. I've been going up there a lot and um I think we've said it before, but um I know that the Conquered Ed fund and others have done a lot, but the Carell PTG did a tremendous amount. I just wanted to thank them again publicly. I think they brought a total of like 200 snacks, 600 bottles of W Gatorade up to the high school. Um, and then I know a number of people brought in for the teachers during teacher appreciation week. So, thank you
062very much to all the PTGs in Conquer and Carile. So, thank you. Over to you. Can I say one thing, please? Um, the Samborn building is no longer it is officially rubble and and out of here. Um, all the remediation was done and frankly, you know, we approved a pretty large change order, a one-time change order, and frankly, I thought it was going to be much worse. I'm going to bring you good news on the money at our next meeting cuz we didn't need all of it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, anyway, uh, and then during our last CNBC meeting, that's a rough timeline. So, they're going to put the fields in starting the summer into the fall with all the plantings and then I think the fields are going to be usable in the spring.
063So, they have to let everything germinate. No, it'll be the fall of Oh, sorry. Sorry. Next fall. We need one. Yeah. Whole cycle. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you for mentioning that. Okay. Over to you. Um, just some highlights, some of which have already been been referenced. Um, I did attend the prom for a while, and I just want to thank the high school. We took extraordinary, careful efforts to prepare and be thoughtful this year to really try to bring um a joyful night to students. And I think that was accomplished. And thank you to our amazing kids who uh really rose to the occasion and I think we're able to relax and enjoy each other in a much needed positive environment. Um as Maddie mentioned, senior week begins on Friday and then we have a
064week of activities with graduation culminating on the 31st. Um CMS held its first social in the new school right on the heels of the first concert last week. So, just to see the building come alive with all the all that it's bringing for kids both during the school day and after school has been really great. A reminder of the open house and ribbon cutting on June 11th at 5:00 p.m. We're hopeful people will be able to come. Um Jessie is wrapping up finally its review. It's not really an audit, it's a review for formative feedback to us. So, they were on site today with a series of meetings. They're here on Thursday and a couple of you are No, they're on Zoom, Shelley. Yeah, they're now on Zoom on Thursday. So, a couple of you
065are meeting with them. The town um professional leaders Carrie Laflur and Ryan Mlan are meeting with them. They have number of other focus groups and that will conclude all of their data collection and we'll be awaiting um feedback and results from them in terms of things that we're strong in and things that we can grow in. Um Shelley is busily writing grants for deadlines that have come up really quickly. So she submitted a grant for the um literacy program for the K through three yesterday. Um 3 through K through 2, 3 through 5 is due tomorrow. So we are putting in sizable grants for CPS to try to offset some of the cost of materials and it will come with additional professional development. We know there's a lot of applicants in talking with our neighboring
066districts, but there's $8 million available. So, we're going to remain hopeful um that we will um hear some positive news there. And just a continued thank you. The outpouring of support from the community in so many directions um within and beyond the community has just continued to be exceptional and um you know helping us all get through uh a really fun celebratory time to come over the next two weeks with this little bit of pain that's coming with it. And I think um through everyone's efforts, we're going to find a way to hit that medium um and really still um celebrate the class of 2025 while honoring those we lost. So just another thank you. It's been really what mattered. The those of us trying to stay afloat are are boyed up by so much
067of what's coming in to us. So thank you. That's great. Thank you. All right. We move on to the um superintendent evaluation. Um, before I hand it over to Alexa, I just wanted to say thank you to her for leading the efforts. We were doing it together and then I quickly got overwhelmed with other things. So, I appreciate you taking the lead on it. Um, before we wrap up recognitions, I want to recognize it was Tracy's birthday yesterday and Tracy has had a very busy few weeks. I hope that we can all enjoy these cupcakes. I'm personally starving. Happy birthday, Tracy. 40. I thought you were going to say 30. It's okay. Um, awesome. But yeah, so thank you everyone for getting the superintendent evaluation completed. Um, you should have seen um all the uh
068the sum summary that Alexa shared. Um, and yeah, why don't you Sure. Uh, okay. Okay. So, thank you to everyone who uh participated which was all of us uh on the superintendent evaluation. It is lengthy. We have moved obviously to um a more Yeah, please eat a more traditional 2-year um evaluative process given um the MASC and Desi's recommendation to do a two-year evaluation for more seasoned superintendent. Um and so uh this review or evaluation is a little bit longer in years past because of that. So um so that being said um I will not read this because again it's lengthy but I'm going to um hit some of the the highlights. Um overall uh Lori received a proficient uh rating. Uh I want to talk about I I subdivided um the overview into the
069following sort of categories. Um instructional leadership and curriculum implementation was an extremely um positive area. Uh the I think the biggest highlights were uh the K5 literacy rollout um and the new CMS math curriculum. um and I think worthy of sort of highlights. Uh the K5 literacy curriculum is something um that was is extremely comprehensive. It cannot be hastily rolled out. It requires largecale buyin, an extraordinary amount um of planning and collaboration. So, we really appreciate that you did take your time with this um and that you know you're going to do it once and do it right. Um similarly, we were all fairly encouraged um with the implementation of the new CMS math curriculum. you know, we I think it is really important to note that um you address that because we had seen
070some declining scores in our MCCAST just in those three grades. And I think you know we all commend you for addressing these types of problems headon instead of trying to deflect and defend. And so we are very very um encouraged by this in contrast to the literacy ironically the speed at which um you were able to identify this and again I think this is a much more narrow um focus. So you know at times that you need to be nimble this demonstrated that you can be at times when things need to be more thoughtful and are more comprehensive you also can do that. Um, a lot of folks talked about equity and innovation. Um, which aren't always two things that we put together, but I put them together because, um, one, as Julie mentioned even
071in her updates, I think equity is at the core of everything we do. Um, and a lot of folks highlighted specifically the launch program and what we've done with or what you've done with pass. This truly is an innovative initiative shown and demonstrated by the fact that neighboring communities are interested in tuitioning in these kids. And certainly that is never the intention of what we do. But the fact that you and your team were able to identify a need, create it quickly, and then do it in a way that attracted the attention of neighboring towns. We thought was a significant achievement. um crisis management and student well-being. We will get into where you are exemplary later, but this to me is where I think one of the quotes that I pulled from Andrew was bestin
072class. Um this is I think truly I'm sort of speaking on myself but actually no I'm not. This is where I think there is broad consensus that this is where you shine and this you don't always think of crisis management as the job of a superintendent. you think about math curriculum and um you know making sure your teachers are happy and those are well well and very important but the way that you have managed and I I can talk about even the last five years in my tenure we arrived with co um we transitioned with uh to managing newcomers at the shelter another area where you are resoundingly um called best-in-class exemplary extraordinary leader in the state. These are all um uh quotes from various uh evaluations. Um and then finally dealing um with community
073tragedy. And I think my quote um in in one of these I don't know if it's in this section is what I what I've noticed is parents wait to hear what you have to say. they seek your your judgment and your advice and they trust you with it. Um, and I think again that is again I think you get exemplary in this category because I don't think most superintendent play that role in a community. And I think it's really important to highlight especially to members of the conquered community who don't see precisely your relationship with the parent community. I think it is worthy of note. Um and again the shelter we discussed um professional development, leadership and team building. Uh again a lot of people talked about um your work uh and transition with Shelly,
074how the way that they've seen you two collaborate in year one um as being particularly indicative of success in creating teams and leadership. Uh again I look at I think another way you can look at this is is with launch really giving angel Charles that you give your team the ability to have some latitude and bring to you what they have expertise in with their fields. Um and I and that is how great teams work. I think everyone across the board really recognizes that sort of tangental to that too. Um, this was brought up several times. It will it's provides a nice segue into our fiscal management and strategic planning section. Um, I think your leadership and team building was especially evident. Um, and this was talked about in a lot when we when the
075CCTA and CTA contracts were negotiated. Um, our contract negotiations last spring looked nothing like the majority of contract negotiations around the state of Massachusetts, Andover, Newton. These were towns very similar demographically to ours. Teachers were striking. Kids were out of school for weeks, if not months. Um, and our teachers, it's a total exaggeration, but it felt like, you know, we're all holding hands around the, you know, table singing kumbaya. wasn't quite like that, but it was close. Um, and on top of that, it wasn't because we, you know, handed out these lavish contracts. These contracts were very fair, very reasonable, not just to the teach to the teachers, but to the taxpayers. And I think striking that balance and threading that needle is another place where where you have exemplary and extraordinary skills. all and
076and again all of these um what was very interesting was these were universal sentiments on really all seven of us. Uh it was just interesting. Um, and then I think the the the biggest one too, I mean I I would have thought to me and I didn't even write this in my review to me the big win was this the union contracts, but a lot of other people, Cynthia, I think Andrew, and I just forgot to mention it in my personal view. It was the middle school building. You know, we we had a project that was on time and under budget. Uh, we're looking at buildings now that are costing $1,000 a square foot versus our 600 and change a square foot. I mean, what we were able to do there was extraordinary. I I
077managed the social media account for the CMSBC and I I forgot to post this one video. I should send it to you personally where uh the project manager uh or one of the construction guys in one of the tours had nothing to say except unbelievable glowing praise of how hands-on you were and how um instrumental you were in keeping this project on time and under budget. um middle school instruction and strategic pro uh projects. Um that goes without saying, very competent there. Communication and leadership style. Another place where um you you really shined. I think um people talked about your tone, your compassion, your ability to communicate using diverse platforms, whether it was social media or newsletters or these meetings. Um this was something that I thought were really was really interesting because the MASC
078touches on this all the time. Brian Wat wrote that he's never surprised by district events because you are so clear, so transparent, and so upfront. And I remember attending one of the MASC conferences and the sort of facilitators there in the session emphasizing a good superintendent will never um let budgets go off the fiscal cliff or uh you know have these these big problems because you're supposed to like you're supposed to tell us. It might be incremental. might be dropping breadcrumbs here and there, but um that is an essential quality to have. So, I thought that was just a really interesting comment by uh Brian about ensuring that that you know is something that you're committed to ensuring that we are well aware so that we are all productive in planning for the future. Um
079then I I I closed which doesn't feel great um on challenges and area for growth. Um Cynthia talked about doing a little bit more upfront fiscal communication with the school committee so that um there's like a little bit better structure and forwardlooking um uh sort of planning there. Uh and then there was a disc there was a comment about deeper community engagement. Um and that was sort of really it. So, I'll go I won't go into the commentary, but in your student learning goal, we believe you met those expectations. Your professional practice goals, you met them. District improvement goals, which were the first one was around um finance and operations, we believe you exceeded those goals this year. Uh and then uh with the with the CMS the supporting collaboratively and leading construction we believe
080you exceeded those goals. Um then the first standard that we rate um and evaluate the superintendent on is instructional leadership. There were two um areas of focus this year. One was curriculum and the other was datainformed decisionmaking. ensuring that we look at data to um that the superintendent looks at data to make the right decisions for the district. You received proficient ratings in both of those categories. Uh standard two uh is management and operations. In this category, we also looked at two areas of focus. One was the environment to ensure that you develop and execute effective plans, procedures and routines um for to meet the needs of our students. Um you had an overall rating of exemplary there. Uh and then fiscal systems uh it evaluates your ability to develop a budget that supports the
081district's vision, mission, and goals. That was another exemplary rating. So all over in standard two your rating was exemplary and then I highlight in the you know formal review uh some some reasons and sub substantiation for that exemplary rating. Um in standard three which is family and community engagement you were very close to an exemplary rating. Um but you ended up being proficient and that focus was ensuring regular two-way culturally proficient communication with families and community stakeholders. Uh so again proficient there and then the final area that we evaluate the superintendent on is standard 4 professional culture. The um focus there was in continuous learning. We want to ensure that you develop and nurture a culture and with staff members are reflective about their practice and use student data, current research, best practices and all
082the things to ensure um that you know we're getting good results for our student and that was another era where you had a proficient rating. So, um I have asked Aaron to attach this to um the agenda so it's available to the public. And um I'm also going to forward to her everyone's individual um evaluations so that they can be made public as well. There's a problem a little bit with Cynthia's um the way it formats. when I see it on the phone, I can see your individual check marks, but it's not showing up that way on computer. So, um that's the reason I haven't uploaded everything cuz it looks in depending on where you view it that you've left it blank, but I know you haven't because I on my phone for whatever reason
083it works. So, um all around I think you've had an exceptional two years. we appreciate your work. And I was just I was really surprised is not the right word, but I was really encouraged that there was truly broad consensus from all of us about um the way you've um managed the district in the past two years. I think that's should be extremely encouraging for both the Carile, Boston, and Conquered communities. um we are diverse folks with very different opinions on a lot of different things. Um and the fact that there was common ground in um how you're working I thought was very encouraging and should give a lot of peace of mind to our different communities. Thank you very much. Any comments, questions? I did send an text or no an email. I did
084give you all the backup data um that is available. I've shared it with all of you. Um and so just so that people understand um when when the superintendent hit a very very high bar an uh an average of 3.7 which in my mind I was sort of viewing this as um sort of like a GPA because it was on a four-point scale. If your cumulative average rating was 3.7 or above, um I gave you an exemplary. If uh anything below that and and you didn't have anything cumulative below a three, which three is the grade that we're giving for proficient um but there were several categories where um you were above a 35 um but below a four. So, um, if anyone has any objections to what I've done, let me know. But I
085think what we've what I've done is fair and it is in keeping with how it's been done, at least in my tenure. So, but I did want to note that cuz there were a lot of fours in there, but then they average to a 36 and you're sort of like, oh, I feel bad. But anyway, um, that was my only question is just what have we or what has the committee done in the past? Um, as long as we're using the same model, It's very consistent. So, not year over year. And haven't you done it the past three times? I have. I know. So, getting good at it. I She's very good at it. And I think that like this is all in the drive every automated and just pop it in. Um, and you
086know, I even struggle with some of mine. I'm like, well, sometimes I want to do like proficient plus or you know, whatever. Like, it's really hard when you're only giving those four categories. And I just, you know, just for the public to understand, I'm just going to read proficient. proficient practice is understood to be fully satisfactory. This is the rigorous expected level of performance and I do think that the majority of superintendents in the state like they are proficient. So when you do get that exemplary rating I mean it truly is exemplary and and to read you know what we have to look at a rating of exemplary indicates that practice significantly exceeds proficient and could serve as a model of practice regionally or statewide. And I do think that you are a statewide leader.
087You know, I I wouldn't even call you a regional leader. You're a statewide leader. Um, you are looked to in a crisis. You are there is no one better in the state than you are. Um, when the shelter came in, it w there wasn't even a hiccup. I mean, you might have felt all the hiccups, but it in terms of the community there there just wasn't. And that was something that was unexpected that was thrown at you. Um, the extraordinary work you've done in the past four weeks just cannot be underscored enough. Um, I know you take this job home with you every day and that's the piece that I think that the public doesn't always see and the amount of time and energy. I mean, this district is like your children. I mean, you
088really do care for it like we are your children. I mean, not the school pay per se, but the entire district. So, I just I can't thank you enough for your extraordinary leadership. Um, since you've been here, I am very grateful to have an experienced superintendent leading both districts. That's something that also doesn't happen. Um, you know, nobody really wants the job of superintendent anymore. It is a difficult job. It's more than just being the CEO of a company. It's you're a CEO of an an enormous organization, but it also is um there are humans at the at the end of it. And I think that is the difference. And so your responsibility fiscally to really lead educationally and instruction, but also care for the needs of everyone in this district. I think that is
089something that is just exceptional. Um, you know, in co the phrase was, "What would Lorie Hunter do?" And I I literally got on a text and I was like, "Are you serious?" Like people are literally saying like, "Should I go outside? Should I have a play date? What would Lorie Hunter do?" And it really was a thing. Like it sounds really cheesy. Um, but people were looking to you. And I even think about, you know, I read so much of I mean, I still read all your district bulletins and all of that. And I do remember having conversation with you and I was like, "Well, I actually read, you know, your what to expect at a funeral, even though I've been to a million funerals and wakes and all of that." And you kind of
090looked at me like, "Oh, you read that?" I'm like, "Yes, people actually do read your communication." Um, even though we're well informed on the school committee and and all of that, but we still are reading what you send out. So, thank you for that. I think your communication style is excellent. And just thank you just for doing what you do every day. Yeah. And I would just I would just add a couple things. Um I think even if you were to take the past four weeks out, I don't think my ratings would have changed. It just reemphasized and bolstered my opinion everything. I think what's been really um eyeopening for me coming from Carile and spending most of my um my life in Andover um and witnessing that administration and also working for the town.
091Um you have a you kind of form what you think. Um, I don't mean to throw shade in anything, but sometimes I feel like when I'm out in the community and the questions get that get asked either because of things that people have read, you would never know. Like sometimes I'm like, you know, that we're a top ranked school. Like we're not this isn't done. And I think the things that get put in the news, and it's no disrespect to anyone in here, don't reflect the work that's always being done. So, I'll give you a couple of examples. Like I I look at things like AI. We've heard about cell phones and we don't always agree on those things and I have appreciated that you've let me sit in your office and debate those things
092with you and we certainly can debate them here. Um, but I've appreciated the one-on-one conversations and the open-mindedness to that because those are the things that are shaping education outside of just what gets discussed here during public comment. There's those are rich discussions and needed ones, but there's also other ones. Um I think that I will just candidly say that some of the comments that I've heard in conquered um since moving here have been fairly upsetting and I think we don't always get the voice on DEI right. Um but I really appreciated your um support of me personally but also for the kids in the schools and I will tell you the only thing that I've lost sleep over outside of what's happened over the past month is the YBS results. Um, and I don't
093think it's ever been really fully understood by the public, but I think everyone around this table understands it. And I just want to thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. So, I know you have every single student, and I will say it in closing it, and I put it in my review, the DOT project that Brian and Katie did. Um, knowing that every kid has somebody looking after them and that that is a point of priority for you, I think just shows the compassion that you have as a leader. Um, and I I am just so thankful that you are at the home. Thank you. And not to pile on um but bringing us back to more pragmatic things that continually astound me as Julie likes to point out sort of idiosyncrasies
094of conquered. what continually I have found perplexing, maybe disappointing about some of the way the larger community treats those of us at the table, you in particular. Um, you know, when I look at and we and this was touched upon in in many of the reviews, um, the fact that our budget increases are some of the lowest in the state. And I I don't know, you know, Carrie referenced, oh, we need to do better communication with the larger community, and I think those are some of the issues that maybe you're touching upon. I don't know how to apart from renting some sort of airplane um and flying over conquered center. I don't know how we can do a better job of communicating that. I mean, and again, that was at the foundation of why uh
095we started the chairs roundt. we were meeting with area chairs and the and the the problems they were having nine out of in nine out of 10 areas we don't have here. Um so you know I sometimes think in conquered a lot of controversies and problems get manufactured and created out of nowhere and so I just want to again I think this review does in fact reflect the fact that um our school district is an exceptional one. It's a lead. You are a leader in the state and what we are doing um here in conquered is for the good of students is innovative and is um and creates good outcomes for our kids. And I think that that can't be overstated and stated as often as possible. So I hope this review communicates that. I
096hope that people in the community read about it um and and look at all of our individual reviews as well as the um summary one because I think there's a lot of good data um from all of us in there. So, thanks. Thank you. Sure. don't this is hard in public obviously but um you know I'm I'm as good as the team I have and uh this is a extraordinary team that I work with at the administrative level right now and one frankly I've really worked hard to build so to see that all sort of we're all in the same boat in the same direction and moving the work forward and that's from us as leaders to the teachers to the community and I think that's That's a lot of why we're doing the things
097we're doing. Um I wouldn't mind one less crisis to run if you could figure out a way to do a little less of that. Um you know it I think we come out stronger on the other side of crisis which you know I watched too many districts implode over COVID and whatever budget c you know pick a crisis and somehow we keep coming out stronger and I think that's to everyone's credit that that's the way it's happening. I can only set a stage to a point and the rest has to come from from others. So I think of all things the trust within the district right now is really high and strong and that's really what's making us succeed at all levels. Um once that erodess things change. So thank you. This committee support's been
098really really important this year as it always is and I will enjoy reading those putting them into our folder with a big iced tea or something this weekend. So, thank you. Any other comments or No, just thank thanks to Alexa for putting that all together. It was a lot of work. But it wasn't a lot of work for you. But thank you All right. Um, you want to take us through the swift committee evaluation? Yes, I will do this um rather quickly. Um, I think this follows on a lot of the same themes as um with Morris is I think this has been um a really strong committee and I'm really grateful to the committee. Um we are up in almost all categories um across the 37 pages of results. Um it's a very positive
099group. we gave really positive feedback of one another. Um and um most of the I like kind of broke it into like areas of strength and areas of uh opportunity and most of the areas of opportunity that identified were mostly from comments. The actual rankings were still pretty high. So even in that space it's um we're still doing really well. Um one so just a few of the like the exceptional highs um policies um pretty much everybody said that this was an area of strength. We went through the whole book last summer. Um goals I mean unanimously Julie um drove such an awesome um process on goals and set a new bar for how we should be thinking about goals in the future. Um new member onboarding um was um even but it but it
100got some good comments. Um courtesy and respect was way up and this was um also noted in um sorry courtesy and respect within the committee of one within one another and then also with the administration both were um seen as significant improvements. Um, another strength was that a lot of most of us ranked all members are encouraged to voice opinions. It went from like largely agree to to strong most of us are um saying strongly agree which I think is a really nice um growth. Members do our our homework. Um we largely support no support no surprises at meetings. um 100% agree that um that we have a bottom up bottom up approach um based on needs to budgeting and um and then I think one area that's both a strength and a weakness is
101that we saw growth in um working cooperatively with other branches especially in the comments of FINCOM and also in the comments it was noted that there's um continues to be room for growth there um and then in the areas of where we can continue to grow. Um while we we like ranked higher um that we operate with a no surprises policy. Um it was still noted that we could do better at that both from a like chair um and just general member um perspective. Um more so this I thought this was interesting um when we're talking about whether or not we review the strategic plan. So, this was flat, but I I actually think um we do a pretty good job of that with all of the presentations, but we maybe don't link it like
102we don't link it to that this is a we're doing this presentation because it's about the strategic plan. Um we could do better as advocating for the budget as a committee. Um we could be better at a um like a thoughtful PR plan for the school system. And one of the things that was noted was that the physical setting um is not great because of the old building and the IT issues. So, um all in all, this has been a really great um committee. Um this is our last meeting as this committee, but it's really nice to see the the data show what what I personally have felt um and um just how strong and impactful this group has been. So, thanks. Awesome. That was my overall review, but if there's discussion or questions or
103comments or whatnot, please. That's great. My only comment is I like doing it this time of year compared to the summer when I was brand new and felt like I couldn't really Oh, how do you evaluate it? Exactly. I hope we continue to do it. Yeah. In the spring. So much better. So much better. Yeah, it makes it made no sense. A new committee evaluating a previous committee. So, okay. Yeah, good comment. Thanks. And are these going to get attached on so they're public? Yeah, I can send them to Erin. Would you? Thank you. All right. Thank you for doing that, Carrie. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks everyone for filling them out. Now we have the Oh, and sorry, just one other note on that is that these actually Michelle did not participate because she was
104a brand new member, but um these did include our MECO representatives, which is a new Oh, yeah. So, which I think was really great. Awesome. All right. Next up is the fiscal year 25 CPS budget update. Uh, so I can preamble while you pull your slide. U, sure. Yeah. So, we just wanted to follow up on last week's comments about the impact of less homeless subsidy than we expected and the increased outflow of um, transportation funding to homeless that we will eventually be reimbursed for. Um, this is a CPS discussion, so we'll ask Carlile to just bear with us for a minute. Uh, we're running really, really tight to close. Bob's going to give you the numbers to go with that. I have formally frozen the budget as of last late last week, which for
105us means no one can just put Rex in and we're going to click buttons through even if it shows their imbalance in in budget. They must come to us ahead of time. I told the administrative team this morning any remaining balances they see aren't actually theirs. Um Bob's gonna have to sweep them all and use them towards the bottom line. So the good news is it's May 20th and hopefully we don't see too significant impact of that. But it's got our anxiety up. I guess to the transparent part like it's got us a little more anxious than we would have liked. So I'll let Bob take it from there. So the easiest way to explain why we are where we are is to show you the chart that's on the screen. um and explain I
106think visually it's easier to see the impact. Um we receive uh we incur expenses the shelter opened in um around April of 2023. Um we incurred 76,000 expenses between April and and June at the end of that school year. We in turn received that money. So the green green all relates to the the same uh flow of expenses. We spent 76,000 in FY23. we get money from the state in the form of a reimbursement um in FY24 and then through the town we worked out a mechanism to have them appropriate that to us in FY25. Um the funding that we get reimbured happens pretty late in the year. So it's not really the town would want to see it first before they appropriate that. Um, but you can see right now we're in FY25 and
107um, you know, we're we're incurring 344,000 this year. Um, and we have not been we don't have any of that factored into our budget. Um, the the only amount that's in our budget is the 78,306 from the first year we opened two years ago. We incurred 69,000 last 70,000. Round it up, it's pretty much 70,000. 70,000 last year that hasn't been that will be factored into our budget in 26 and 344,000 is the current estimate for this year. It kind of skyrocketed this year with the school shelter clo. So this um in in part because of more students and as students they're leaving now they've left they they're deciding they want to come back to our and they're allowed to stay uh in conquered and they they want to finish the year here. Um so
108that's the biggest part. Um, we did expect when it opened that it would be closer to the 300 number and last year was kind of an anomaly. It seems like it was kind of a little bit we all moved in and enrolled I think is what happened last year. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, but that 344 um is really why we're over budget this year. Um, and we will get that back. So, as these come back to us, so we have 69,000 that'll be added to our budget next year. That'll help us replenish circuit breaker a little bit. we don't anticipate have any expenses next year with the shelter closing and then in FY27 the 344,000 will come back to us. Um but in the meantime we have you know to manage with where we are
109and um and I'll explain a little bit about that. So the safety net we've had with circuit breaker carryover reserves has been eroded. Um at the end of FY24 we had 630,000 in circuit breaker carryover. Um the maximum you can carry over is one full year of circuit breaker. It would have been about 840,000. So 630 was a was a healthy number. Um this year we're anticipating um you know in a typical year we can offset some surprises from other parts of the budget and we can manage it to an extent. You know we've had some things happen this year that we didn't plan. We made decisions to forego other things but offsetting 344,000 and some of those other things is just not feasible. We did think that we were going to get more funding
110from the homeless grant, $104 a day, but with the change in the formula where students who uh moved in earlier, the general assumption was they're going to not be in the shelter long term. The intent was it for it to be a short-term shelter. So, they didn't offer reimbursement for students that we had and we were educating. Um, but because of the how long they'd been there, they were no longer eligible to be reimbursed. Um, so we're getting less grant funding this year. We still will get enough grant funding to cover um costs of um ELLL teacher at Willard, um instructional aids at Willard, um and some other costs, but not enough to give us enough budget relief to help offset some of this. Um so we we'd like to be, you know, closer to
111630,000 a circuit breaker. spending it down to 400 is why we're kind of a little bit outside of our comfort zone, but we're doing everything we can to manage the other parts of the budget to keep it at that level. So, I'm I maybe I just missed part of it. So, are we expecting I'm confused. Are we expecting a full reimbursement? Yes. Yes. Yep. Okay. Yeah. The re the reimbursement rate ranges um like 90 to 100%. So if it's a little bit less, it's a little bit less. I'm confident that over the next two years we'll get that 700ish,000. The 344 34 It's over two years. We got next year's and we'll have zero. We'll get uh it'll end after this year. So the 344 that we receive um that we'll have spent in 25
112and the second uh row across is when the reimbursements received. So the money comes in to the town in FY26 and then through the town meeting it gets appropriated to our budget in FY27. We won't have it for two correct towards our operating the timing that's the so we'll have some not deficiency but we'll have some reduction but we expect to be able to replenish it in 27. Is that the idea? Correct. Just managing it. So it's just Yeah. Okay. I mean, we'll look into I I don't know that right now. There's no way to do it that I know of, but I mean, it would be nice if we could pull that 344,000 into FY26, but I don't know that there's any mechanism or way to do it. Um, we can appeal to Desi
113to get the reimbursement earlier, but I don't think that's likely. And when we talked about the shortfall in the reimbursements last meeting, it was on the $104 a day, not on the transportation. Correct. Transportation is guaranteed reimbursement whereas right the per day per student is not necessarily a legislative formula set here at the state level. Okay. Right. Yeah. Different funding sources. Okay. Okay. So, we're going to be fine. It's just a little different than what we thought. Yeah. It's not as comfortable as consistent messaging to remind people of why. Correct. It looks and if there were a shortfall, could we ask the town for free cash to cover it until we got reimbursed? I don't know. Look at that. We brought that up when we initially saw this problem coming two years ago when the
114shelter opened. Um I don't know that we conclusively reached that because they then supported, you know, our Warren article for the CPS budget has all this additional language. So they supported that. There was some work at the legislative level level during the first year to get the reimbursement back more quickly. So we had a different cadence to it, a different pace. That's all I mean it's federal money. So there's less the state just doesn't have total control over the the distribution. So I don't know the answer to that. Do you know what they're doing in other towns? Do you know if other towns are doing it that way? I don't know. Okay. I mean we have the it's the same issue everywhere. Same issue everywhere. Right. Right. the first place, you know, it's we have
115400,000 in circuit breaker carryover and we spend that down before we would ask the town for the town. Yeah, that's our Okay. Okay. That's our savings. So, we'll just keep you posted. Um I'm hoping we can end a little stronger than we're anticipating by freezing the budget and be a little less um concerned as we go in to FY26. Thank you guys. It's not easy. It's great. All right. Thank you. Um, thanks for your No problem. Just did a couple work emails. It's great. Um, all right. Amenities building update. Um, want to have a discussion about this. I think Lauri, you wanted to say something for us? Yeah, I think I just wanted to frame the conversation. And we've um spent a lot many years now talking on the amenities building and there always seems
116to be sort of this curvy road we weave with the the subject and the um different directions it takes especially here in conquered for some reason and it's great to see it coming to fruition and carile through those discussions. Um, I just wanted to remind everybody that, you know, this was a Warren article that we started conversation of in the fall of 24. I'm getting a lot of feedback that I don't disagree with folks in public enough. I was adamant it was the wrong timing to bring this up because we were coming off the heels of the middle school to the chairs behind the scenes. The response I got was we're out of compliance and it's urgent because we're out of compliance. I'm not going to argue with that. Um, so my job is to
117get on board with the school committee's goal to move a project forward. So that's what Bob and I have done since then. Um, I think we all realized over the course of the 24 23 to 24 window that we didn't have enough information in the meetings we were attending. We're getting asked questions we couldn't fully answer. We had ideas of where to go. We didn't have a design. um we listened carefully and heard that we needed to go get that information and then a year ago this time withdrew the article to allow time to do that. Um what Bob and I did after that was to propose to the school committee last spring that the road project had some additional funds we hadn't expended and could they be transferred over to get the design moving
118before the communities had funded anything. So that's what happened. Um, we've been in design all of this year. And I think it's worth reminding everyone, we took the vote to do that and queued up the bids and the process for the design over the summer. So, I know CPC keeps coming up. I don't see how we could have met that September 8th deadline for CPC. I was driving hard to it for the throw project because we we had been working a year back to get to that. I don't know that you I don't see how you could have you wouldn't have had the information for the application. We certainly appreciate their interest in hearing the project sort of while we're in mid process on design but without having all of the answers. So I kind
119of can see why that's had its ups and downs. It was you know square peg in the round hole for some some portion of time. Um I think the work we've done with the design team and Gail Associates in the past year needs to just be recognized. you have almost 100% design in hand now and to the point I don't know you sort of just said it in my evaluation you're not seeing how much time the community is not seeing how much time we're putting in to vet that with Gail make sure we're coming in we have picked the lowest cost possible option every time they bring us options the only question we ask is what's the cheapest thing to do and still meet the goals we have you literally have a cinder block building
120and no frills at all it looks like a cinder block building they're going to kind of paint it the color of the high school. So, it sort of fits the aesthetic, but we have trimmed everything back to the lowest costs possible to still be in alignment with ADA compliance needs that we are certainly out of compliance with. And people do file OCR, Office of Civil Rights complaints. I manage those when they get filed. I don't think I can explain why no one's filed one on this because it feels so blatant. Your plumbing inspector here in town has not cited us on it. He could at any point. Um, we are not in compliance with plumbing code. I just feel the need to say plumbing code requires plumbed bathrooms, not compostable, anything like that. There was
121some comments made recently that that was p potentially a direction, which is why the sewer, which I'm going to get to in a minute, hadn't come up yet. That's just that wasn't in the goal because we would never have met plumbing code. Um, we've had a lot of work done on the updates to plumbing code and we're currently in work now to get the actual variance you need for the sinks because while the plumbing code changed for the toilets over the last 18 monthsish, they didn't change for the sinks. So, we still need to go to get that. It's why you went from initially 44 toilets to 22, which would have been the 50% reduction. you're now able to get all the way to 17 because of the changes in the code for these stadiums
122especially not used very often like the plumbing board I lived a plumbing board change of code for the general neutral things we worked on in the middle school that that does not happen overnight plumbing code changes so a lot of work and thoughtfulness went in on the state level to try to alleviate the demand on school districts that were facing exactly what you're facing so we're working with Gail now to and the board of health has to be part of the waiver that actually is on the agenda tomorrow. Um, we met back in January. I think we had a call with Elizabeth Hughes who coordinated all of the town professional leaders or at least their delegates on an extensive meeting to talk through all the permitting. And you know, this is a lot of work
123that often goes on behind the scenes. The entire middle school permitting has had little bits of public, but there's a lot of behind the scenes that has to go on with the town leaders, many of whom issue permits on their own and don't have necessarily boards required to do it. None never does the permitting just check check and we're done. Um I think the sewer conversation coming up when it did is just unfortunate. It feels like it's become a distraction to the discussion which hopefully we can mend here a bit. um not because it's not a real thing. It is, but because it's not necessarily going to be the obstacle that it's being talked about because we do this all the time where we work our way through what's required, what do we need? Now,
124all of that's been stated very openly and that's not a bad thing, but I think the response has been really adept and quick to say we'll make our way through the concerns and we actually have the funding to deal with whatever cost is associated. that wouldn't have been the case a little while ago if he indeed hadn't had a little unexpected revenue. So, we're continue to pivot really quickly here. I think the other small concern I have with the sewer piece is the you know the one day a year with graduation there is I think the biggest point of concern. I'm just struggling to figure I I need a little clarification about why that's the tipping point to the capacity in the building or the right if graduation was inside we'd be still facing the
125same things without any permitting discussion. So I just I don't know if we've been in the right forum where there's a conversation going on on the practicalities of the question and I haven't been able to attend any of the meetings. Most of them have happened over the last month when my need my attention needed to be elsewhere. I guess my hope and maybe I'm talking so long is because I I'm hoping the community can find a way to get on the same page about this project. 1.4 million Carile secured the funds which was an important very important first step. I just think it's time to move forward and now you know two years into the discussion we've named a liability to the district and the town that we aren't yet having addressed. Costs are only
126going to go up. We know that. Um, we're watching that in all our neighboring communities when they put projects out and I just hope we can get into town meeting and that next level. I know FinCom approved it with some concern and margin there that wasn't overwhelming. Um, I know select boards deferred that and I think, you know, how do we get from here to town meeting in a way that maybe can be more collaborative? I think that's been the goal I hear from every every organization. We saw some great positives come out of FinCom this year. um in order to successfully make budgets land the way um everyone was hoping. And I just wonder what missing piece there is here. There's just a lot of public discussion going on right now about little pieces
127of the project and everyone's got their own niche. I understand that. But like where do we get back to the big picture of the needs of the project? And I'll just finish by saying I said the same thing to this set of chairs in the fall as I did to the set of chairs before. The timing is wrong. we need a smooth, easy year of politics to get through and show we're here to be collaborative. And the same answer came back with the we're not serving the community well. So, I don't think we want to be faulted for that. Um because that's the only goal is to serve the community well. And every time I'm on that field now with a big group of people at a football game or whatever, which isn't the tipping
128point for the sewer, by the way, it's the graduation that is. Uh, I'm I'm like scanning the audience for like who's there that's gonna struggle because that's the lens I have now and that's the work you've done over the last two years is the anxiety is real about okay is that grandfather going to be able to make it or one of our one of our young people comes to watch and you know what what's that exercise to the point where I wish I could fix it and then I'm like am all I going to do is gawk or am I going to find a way to try to make it better. So, I guess it's a little plea to sort of get back to the big picture as a community. This is the place to
129start that um and figure out what our next steps are. We've got two whole weeks less to town meeting. If there's any outreach we can do, um we're willing to whether it's the public works commission or the select board or otherwise, but how do we get on a path that might lead to some success so we all just move on? do what community needs. Great. Any other Thank you for that. Yeah. Any other comments, discussion, questions? So, I think that, you know, town meeting is a it's a budgetary basically. It's voting money. So, I think it'd be helpful if we had the latest budget if it's I don't even know if it's changed. Um, we're expecting the 100% number imminently. Great. The design is done and they're wrapping up the costs. That's I think people
130are just numbers oriented. And so if we have the latest budget, what it includes, y what questions we have outstanding whether and then what we have in our um capital stabilization fund and how that would work. I don't think it's terribly complicated what we need to do to push this over the finish line. Um and I just don't everybody's very busy. I get that. So I don't want you to overpromise when you can have this information available or it will come in pieces or what have you. Just I don't I don't I don't what the expectation be it'll be available tomorrow for the health uh committee meeting or it'll be available you know if it's available I think select board is doing their meeting but if it could be available by the end of next
131week before um that would probably be um something that would work. Y and the only I don't think we have to do anything more as a committee. Um unless you would need another vote from us, but I don't think so. Um so that just I think people need to understand the mechanics. If if we needed to dip into that um capital stabilization fund what that would entail and I don't you know sometimes people get confused it would be a town meeting vote but it's not because it's regional committee a regional. So I just think if people are clear on that um and you know we are where we are um and uh we cannot magically make CBC money happen. Um that still will come up. Um and we just need to be very clear and
132I think the moderator is clear everybody's clear about that's not you know somebody can't go up to the microphone and make a an amendment to the CPC budget. Well, there was there was some discussion at the League of Women Voters of some other options that people would have for CPC and and actually they were unanswered. So, um, and Carmen was there, too. So, so I know Keith Bergman had a couple questions about he's like, why why can't we just make this happen, you know? So I I do he's very knowledgeable and I think that um you know I'm going to send an email and include the chair and probably you Brian to kind of like set that meeting up. I think it's meeting with as many people as we possibly can to think creatively about
133this. I do think that like for me it's super personal. Um yes I get that. I know. So let me just finish. So it's very personal. This is an ADA issue. Period. End of discussion. Um, I have, you know, I, you can go back and watch the league recording, but, you know, I had a grandmother from Boston that literally could not get in to the portaotti at the football game. That is very real. And it took about 10 minutes to get the athletic director to drive her up because the game was over. If it was during the game, that could not happen. And, you know, when we welcome people to our campus, we want to welcome to a campus that is accessible. It is part of your strategic plan which is why I definitely have
134pushed you so hard on this and this is a school committee ask like I think sometimes Lori gets the brunt of this because it's the district asking for money or you know the schools are asking for more money. We're asking for an 88 compliant bathroom period. It's a very basic need. So you know and I feel like I'm always on the soap box on this but it is very personal for me. I've had a parent have to leave graduation like that does happen. Um, and people are looking for complaints. Brian did a good job at Carile um, pulling public comment that we had last year from our meeting of a a former student that was in a wheelchair and his mother spoke. Also, I mean, these are very real things that we might not get
135them, you know, in public comment. People don't want to come and profess, you know, the issues they've had on our campus. We might get them through a phone call, through a text, through an email, whatever it is. But it's very real. And I do think it's just letting people know about town meeting. I think it's really challenging this year with town meeting being in June. Um, you know, parents in particular a little bit checked out in June. I think that people are exhausted given, you know, just what the spring has looked like, but it's important for people and I think as a school committee, we can get out there to our networks. We can advocate for this at town meeting. It is our responsibility to advocate for it. We all voted for it. So to
136really um you know get the message out there as much as we can. I'm glad to have people in the room tonight. They can keep on spreading that message. It is not about you know a locker room for the football team. That is not we're talking about. We're talking about toilets, sinks. That's it. There's no heat in the building. There's no nothing. I think the other thing that is worth noting is that I one of the things that is that I'm having a hard time with is people um in general I mean I I think Cynthia's idea is a great one and I think we should put together like an executive summary so to speak. I feel like we've done it but we should do it again um if that's what we feel like we
137need to do. I think what's really hard is that people want to have proof and they want it in the form that they're comfortable in and it's 2025 and not everyone is filing a formal complaint. Number one. Number two, um most people don't really understand town government. I'm just going to say it like like I said before about why I'm not like what do you mean? I don't understand why you have to step down. Um I don't think people understand the the proper way. So they're turning to like Instagram, Facebook, and their Reddit, and we're not equipped as a municipality to respond in that way. So it does come in ways that Tracy's mentioning with word of mouth and comments, and those should hold weight. And I think that's been my frustration when I've gone
138to multiple committees that I have to advocate for this program is they're like, "Show me the formal complaints." And I look at like what Alexa and I did when we met with FinCom about special education. Like these families don't want to put themselves out there. Nobody wants to say that my mom had an accident in the bleachers and and then file a complaint with their name tied to it. Like come on. We're not we're not going to ask people to do that. Central to our DEI work. That's why we have anonymous ways to do things. So to say it's okay for some subgroups but not others, I think is at the heart of people not really understanding even how to get equity right. But but I think it's also just like why you have elected
139officials and honestly just and not even just us as elected officials. I think there's other people in the community that will bring things forward to us and that should matter. So I think when we go as an elected body to numerous boards, we shouldn't be have a wall go up between us when we're making this ask on behalf of constituents because it's not in the form of formal complaint with somebody's name tied to it. especially when it comes to accessibility and um toileting. Well, I I don't like I I feel like this is what I say all the time. It actually shouldn't even come down to a complaint because it is the law. It is the absolute law that we doesn't matter if somebody puts their name. Yeah. Exactly right. It is the law. We
140have to have bathrooms at the stadium right now. We have portaotties which is like a tape taping or band-aid on the problem and um it's insufficient. It's been switch. So, but I think we all agree on that. We've all voted in support of the project and now I think to Tracy's point, the next step is to get it out to our networks because Brian, I know that you reached out to several different groups looking for support. Did you have any success on groups that would be natural allies here within within conquered? I did Yeah, I did reach out to some groups. Um, you know, one group um did encourage me to attend, but it was really just to make a comment, you know, in public comments at the end. No. So, that's um ultimately no.
141Um that said, you know, just because the Carile piece is done, you know, I this has been like my 2025 dissertation in a in a way. If there's, you know, ways of outreach that I can help with, by all means, you know, I'm happy to go talk to groups about this. I guess too maybe your podcast. Can you share the podcast? I mean, like to Julie's point about, you know, how people get their information. Carl has a podcast about this. You did a poster session about this. Like there are other ways that maybe people will take it. Um, and maybe we we put the flyer at town meeting. I know that the that the book has already gone out, but there is the ability to also bring a flyer or to have a QR code
142to link to that flyer that you made for Carile. The poster that we used in Carile, I mean, it's designed. you might as well use that. We should probably be putting stuff on your social media just to to remind people. Agreed. And the other thing I was just thinking is we keep saying we need the parents to come out to vote. We do have a population here of graduates who are 18 and who I'm sure are registered uh voters conquered. I would hope they come out as well. Yep. Um yeah, I mean and I again I think about the um advocacy for accessibility at the thorough playground. Mhm. I recognize that those families are not yet at the high school, but the amount of fierce and dedicated advocacy they had on behalf of their children,
143this is not going to be a problem that we can continue to kick down the can because or kick the can on because it's convenient and we don't want to be the big bad committee that forced the town to borrow a million bucks. like I don't see these that group of parents and or other groups of parents who are again as we as we become more diverse as we tuition in more kids because our programs are so outstanding. the idea that this solution is going to be sufficient for children and coupled that with the cost I again when I think about we could have built three schools for 90 million bucks you know 15 years ago and now we've built two schools to the tune of 200 million um this bathroom is not going to
144be $45,000 when these families get to the high school and it might not be the seven of us sitting at this table but to me. I am proud to be at the table saying that this is a reality and I think that again I I really hope the town in general sees that message and you know again whatever we can do to ensure that that message reaches people. I think we need to we need to do it and I love Brian all of Brian's ideas that you guys did in Carile I think can easily be brought over here is obviously successful. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think we just I think my ask to the town is just like we're we keep going back to the same things that have been answered and I think
145this is where we are. Um I spent more time in conquered CPC meetings than Carile CPC meetings. I spent more time at conquered fin and select board meetings than in Carile. I don't know what the push back is. I well I have an idea but we've answered the questions and I think the reality is really what we've said around the table tonight and we don't need to keep re restating it but I could answer the same questions over and over again but they're going to remain the same and I think the urgency is is there for a million reasons. So I disagree with you a little bit. I have heard nobody ask me about why we need it. Where's the complaint? Nobody. Not one person. I think there's just confusion about the numbers. I agree.
146you can clarify that. I really don't think there's going to be a problem. But that's what I'm saying. I' those are the qu I agree with you, Cynthia. But like I think what I what I'm worried about is that there's the sentiment that it can push a year. But if as long as Carlile is footing part of the bill, it can't. I've heard that loud and clear. So it's this year or not, and I don't think people like that. They're like, they literally are looking at me saying, "That's no, we can. The money is still going to be there." No, it's not. Brian just explained it. It's not going to be there. And I think it the CPC conversation in congre well we'll approve it next year great but you didn't approve it this year
147and that's where my frustration is and it's and it's coming back to well you didn't get it in on time. Well there's a million reasons why it couldn't. I could give a whole dissertation on the timing in a regional school district but it doesn't matter. I don't think it matters right but it's not up to me. you you as Congress residents and me in a few weeks have to go to the CPC and the select board and say a change needs to happen especially on school projects. It would be better to have them aligned. I agree. The timing is not good. That's it's been like that for 20 years. So that's been everything at conquered. Everything's been here for like 200 500 years. It's freaking asked to move it, you know. I don't think it's
148always just been that way. So um welcome to Conquer. I've asked and and it is what it is and I I don't want to I've said it before the burden of saying no as the last person is hard. I'm not trying to shame the CPC. I'm just saying I think some changes need and I think this is evident. We will disagree and that's okay. And I think it's up to at this point it's up to the town. It's up to the residents of the town and who are we as a town and are we a town that wants to make the town accessible or not? I heard at the league, you know, a paving project that's going to happen on sidewalks to make them accessible. That is who we should be as a town. We
149should be doing this as a town. So, I think just that is the very clear message beyond anything else is who do we want to be as a town of conquered, right? And I agree with you and I think I hear you. You you will get it just I can't even direct people to find the budget. Where are we now? you know, the the sewer thing I don't think is an impediment to town meeting because that will be decided after town meeting, right? We have the money whether it's 300 or 20 or $80,000 for the hookup. I don't know. We don't know right now what's going to be. And this is might be where like I agree with you in theory. I think where we might disagree is I have been lectured like I am
150a school child about precedent in the town of conquered. President for what? Of everything. Of deadlines, of rules. We're not going to move. move. We're not going to change. That is what has been frustrating for me. And I'm just airing it. It's my last meeting. I'm just telling you your experience. Yeah. No, I know. But I'm just That's why I think people get more stuck on precedent than on like I agree that most of it in town meeting does come down to numbers. I am fully agreeing with you, but it comes down to like where are you going to put your money? Yeah. Well, we break precedent at town meeting quite often. So, absolutely. That's a lot of money goes out the door in like five minutes and then, you know, stuck on a million
151dollar. I mean, we got stuck on on fighting for $120,000 last year on a school budget and millions of dollars went out without discussion. I'm like, who are we? So, I think for reference right now, and thanks to Brian who worked with Aaron in my office, there is some information on this website um that I think is a good starting point for referrals. If we can we can keep calling this and pull out numbers more and that it's there. It's just not listed as a standalone. You're expecting a a new updated budget. Is that we just told we actually don't think it's going to the 90% estimate was very on track with what the numbers have been the whole time. So we think it's going to hold. We just don't have it formally on paper
152at 100%. Variance to reduce the number of bathrooms. We are it's the sinks only. The code changed for the toilets. So we don't have to apply for anything. I thought we were going down to six and seven or five and six or something. 17. 17. 17 isn't is the is the new plumbing code. We don't have to apply for that. Um we have to apply for a variance to reduce the number of sinks. And that's what the board of health meeting is for Wednesday is to get board of health support for that which helps with getting the state to approve it. And the numbers assume we are going to receive the and just for clarity the 17 like that's the minimum number that is the minimum number. So there's no variance or anything. New code,
153correct? That is the new code minimum and the adjustment made following the new code. Yep. Um yeah, on that website the idea was as we had more materials, we'd continue to Yeah. So Bob and I I just asked Erin to put the poster on there because I think that's serves the purpose. Um Great. And if we can get the recording of just the amenities building because it was combined with all Carlile CPC. I just asked Um Ryan Mlan, if I could get just the amenities building and we can put that up. Yeah. And the 90% estimate is publicly available information on the website. Yes. If you go to the school committee tab, you can go to then the amenities building and then the project details are on there. So you have pretty much the FAQ
154document that we approved is on there. We don't have it not the 90% estimate. Uh there's a spring. We can update it. I don't know if we put that most recently. We can get something. That's a good first step. Yeah. No, I think Cynthia's good good good feedback. The website is is good feedback. All my point is we just need to I just want to make sure that we distill it down to the facts. I think you're saying the same thing, Cynthia. Like, let's just get everyone an executive summary of the facts so that people can make an informed decision and stop the swirl. I think that's my summary. And I'm sorry I'm so frustrated, but it's just it is what it is. Spending a lot of time on this. All right. Anything else? Sorry.
155Don't apologize. It's fine. All right. Action items. CCHS trips. We have the girls varsity soccer team bonding to Camp Merrywood in Orford, New Hampshire and hiking the US National Parks. So I move to approve the girls varsity soccer team building trip to Camp Merrywood in Oxford, New Hampshire. Is that second daughter went to camp there? Mario. Any discussion, questions? This trip is done every year and it's a great bonding experience. So, thank you to Coach Falis facility. All right. Uh, all in favor? I thank you to coach Falis. Thank you. Another year. All right. Non-UN raises fiscal year 26. Sorry. Hiking the US national parks. Sorry, I said that all at once. I thought you had put it together. So, this is a Q5 trip for 2026. Um, you can see I'm really appreciative of
156the staff efforts to, um, come up with new ideas that are both either domestic is great and less expensive. So, um, Lauren spent a lot of time on this. We had a lot of chat with her about what she wanted to do. So, we're I think this sounds like a fun trip and we're hoping you'll approve that. Looks great. Yeah. Lovely. So, I move to approve the hiking trip to the US National Parks. Second. Second. Any discussion questions? Realize I don't know what my child's doing for Q5 this year. I know. Well, no, they haven't gotten those. Oh, they haven't. I'm like told me it's I've said they've ran good choices, but what the are when they're going to get them and why. I know. I'm excited. It's exciting. Yeah, I read I read this
157is a great trip and I appreciate the domestic. We had a very robust conversation about international versus domestic conversations in Carlile the other night. So, um All right. Uh vote. All in favor? I I Okay, now we move to non-union raises fiscal year 26. This is what we discussed last week. Great. Do we just make a motion? I think we need to say what they are in public though first. It's a 3% raise for all non-un non-union by next year. I may I move that we approve the 3% annual raise for non-UN personnel as discussed in executive session last week. Second. Any discussion? Thank you. Great. All in favor? Both. Right. This is for both districts. Both. I'm going to turn to security to go over the CPS cell phone policy. Okay. Um, so this
158is a second read on the CPS cell phone policy. Um, we have, um, had several conversations. We've gotten lots of emails in about this, um, over the last several months. Um, and we all know that that, you know, we all understand and agree on the dangers of cell phones and devices and kids hands in particular in school where it can be a great distraction. it can lead to higher rates of anxiety, um depression and and um lots of mental health um issues. So, this policy is aimed at two things. One is to um help reinforce what's already in the handbook that from K to 8 um cell phones and are prohibited um in the schools. And um and I think the the question so we've we devised it, we talked about it. I've had a
159I've been thinking about this a lot over the last week in particular. Um since our conversation last week and certainly over the last like several years as this has become more and more of a pressing topic and um I think I'm really comfortable with the policy that we talked about a week ago. Um I do want to revisit one piece of it. Um from my perspective I would just like to strengthen um strengthen it slightly. I think Alexa said something in the last meeting that really stuck with me that this is a good policy, but it doesn't have any um real teeth to it. And um so I've really been reflecting on that and what that means because this this really is such a consequential problem in our community and not just here but but
160everywhere. Um so I have um been thinking about that that this like consequential problem really ought to have a more substantive um response. Um, so I I don't have an answer, but I have a suggestion. Um, can I can I just ask, can we attach this to the agenda, too, because I think it wasn't attached. No, I know. Yeah, that's okay. Yeah, that's okay. Just so it so people can see it. Yep. Yep. Okay. So, this is the policy that we discussed last week um up on the board. I want I would like to recommend that we just change in the second paragraph where it says um students may not use display or access their cell phones during these hours while on campus that um we change it to students must not be able to
161access their cell phones during these hours while on campus. So it's a minor change in wording but I think it could have a significant impact on um implementation. Um, so that's my one thing. And then I think my second my second question to the group is um are we going far enough by stopping at cell phones and should we include I have an amendment watches. Sure. Well, I haven't really made a motion, but I'm just I'm just talking. Okay. So, those are my two thoughts on this. Um, I'm really excited we're doing this. I think it's really important. I think we should make a couple adjustments and consider as a committee adding in um Apple watches. Go ahead. Does somebody want to make a motion? Otherwise, I can't amend it. I think we can just
162discuss it first. And I Yeah. So, yeah, I I like the change you're suggesting. And I I do think I think I was the only one at this table who attended um I missed it. The cell phone discussion where um Representative Katala was a speaker last week. I actually didn't attend. I moderated it. But um something that I didn't know and I've had like exhaustive discussions with Simon and he said something that surprised me that um he hadn't articulated to me in like our myriad discussions on this that I think is worth everyone at this table knowing. He said you know he is I'm going to paraphrase here. So um he said you know I am throwing my weight at this legislation and it is my sincere hope that my districts of Actton and conquered
163Carell and Chumsford and the districts the school districts therein help me by leading on this issue. So you know I know Simon does a lot of work for us. He's a an exceptional representative. He has your ear, you have his. you guys are really good partners. So, I just as we think about this just that, you know, I mean, we all know where I stand anyway, but um that was just something I thought that was particularly compelling that um I thought people should hear. So, Carrie, what does it mean when you say must not be able to access? I think that needs to be clarified. Like what what does that mean? So that's I mean I guess that's a question to the group. What does that mean? But I think more so that's a question
164to the administration on how do you uphold the policy because we are not we are not require that's not our in our lane. Yes. So it's up to the administration to say how do we comply with this? How do we ensure that our buildings are complying with this policy because I think that's really important. That's important for the Metroco kids that are going to be traveling and you know like well so this is not our job but this also does exclude traveling like so on the buses that's not included in this if they're having it while they're traveling then what do they do with it when they go to school that is that is the the end and then what I mean can it be as like complying could be it has to be in
165their backpack right and so% that could definitely be the compliance issue like may not be displayed it has to every every child brings a backpack to school. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. So, every child brings a backpack. Um cuz I do think even, you know, to just it just doesn't come out and so you can use it on the bus and then you have a place to put it immediately. You know what to do with it and then you get off the bus and you're good. Um so that would be something that I think you know is definitely feasible and manageable for the administration to deal with and for principles to monitor, for teachers to monitor because if it's in your pocket and you see it's like put in your backpack. the rule is backpack whatever the
166rule is that your school sites decide. And I think too it it still gives your admin team the latitude to interpret the policy. What I like what I have always teetered on with the policy is written because again I said I think this is a pretty good policy. I'm I'm like 85% of the way there. Last last week I said, you know, I didn't think it had enough teeth. I stand behind that. But what I think this subtle language change does that, you know, carries our word guru, it gives it a little bit more graas. Should I just with still preserving your ability to Are you on the one I I'm sharing? I made a copy at one point. Yeah. Could you put it in red? That's what I was just going to do. I'm
167in the wrong version, though. I'm going to share it with you. So again, I think we're preserving our ability as the two bodies, the school committee and the administration. We're still staying in our proverbial lanes, but you know, my my cons concern was you want this to have the graitas that meets the cultural moment that we're in. And I think May is like a cute little suggestion. May I have this or dinner? Yes. Versus have this dinner, you know, like I think so to me it again, we're still preserving our our jobs, but I think the way a parent, a teacher will read uh not sorry, a parent or student will read this, this has a little bit more of the gravitas I think that meets the moment that we're in. Just one weird word
168question. Uh must not be able to access their cell phones during these hours while on campus. Define these. So defined as the time from the second referencing the above paragraph. Okay. Yeah. If you read it, it makes sense. I just can't read it in isolation. I read that one paragraph separately. Sorry. You got it. Let me go back. Um, so that's that's that I guess the other question that I had was does do are we going far enough with cell phones? I think I think at the middle school I think actually at the elementary school in particular the Apple watches are becoming more and more of a concern. Um, and so I I would love to see us either change the language to device and define what device is or add in like wrist smartwatches.
169Smartwatches. Yeah. Communication and as long as they're in the backpack, I don't think that is that a big deal. And again, like I understand like you can't see that connected. No, I'm saying but if it's in the backpack like the watch. No, take your watch out. No. No. Right. But I'm saying but if it it's if it's in the backpack, we are still upholding the policy, but saying there's no access to it. So you can wear your watch on the bus and then you put that in your backpack. Yeah. The same way you put your phone, right? Leave it at home. I don't have a problem with that. That's what you want. The administrators felt strongly the watches were a whole another level of challenge to enforce um and less of an issue in terms
170of disruption. Like you can only do so much on your watch. It's not going to give you just vibrates on your I know but I don't I'm not when when Suz's grandmother gives her the Apple Watch for Christmas and you know she's so proud to show her watch to someone to tell time. I don't know. Like I think it's a I do think it's a lot of enforcement and management. Yeah, I think it's one of those things where like I think about this. Can you tell if I have a watch on right now? That's what I'm saying right now. You can't. But if I were to go like this and you saw it, you could just say in your backpack. Then you've got some kids with it on and some with it. Well, depending how
171good you are at hiding. I have lived through dress coding. So dress coding used to be a thing in the middle school and it does not there's not a dress code now, correct? At the middle school. No, no dress code. So it would become a situation where the teachers it's like okay well let let's look at this outfit. Is this appropriate or not appropriate? Well it's a watcher. It's a smart watch. I know. Or it isn't. But it it is manageable. There's a lot of those cheap ones that look like smart watches that really don't do much of anything. Um I just think it's going to be much harder for us to manage. We would prefer to focus on the cell phones. Right now we're talking about different ideas at the middle school for what
172to do here to strengthen it or whatever word you want to use. I don't want to get distracted from the direction and discussion we're having there by then trying to figure out how watches are going to fit in because it's not going to be the same process I don't think from what we've talked about so far. Well, so the legislation will in include watches includes watches. It does include watches. Yes, it does. So it's coming anyway. Coming. Exactly. Do you want to be a leader or do you want to wait? So cuz it's coming. I and I also like I think I've been thinking about it from that lens as well as this like do we want to be a leader? I mean we've heard from in so many ways from your evaluation to like
173this committee like this is a this is a town where we have been leaders on so many issues and I feel like this is one where um I we have an opportunity and I and I don't want to come up short and then you all say you didn't do what we told you to do, Lori. So I'm worried about the watches. Yeah. Well, so we'll we'll try our best. I think it's gonna any change. Oh, sorry. I want to say you your um event last week last week wasn't my event. I was asked at the last minute to moderate attended. I meant to say because I wasn't unfortunately there. I didn't really want to go was based on the series adolescence or it referenced it. Correct. Yes. And if any of you have seen that,
174it's quite disturbing. and a student could sit there with their watch and see a very disturbing text right during school and that's what I as a person want to eliminate that kind of of of um attack or or or stress that you know so what if we miss a watch or two but if the culture of the middle school and the elementary school is that you do not come to school with it on or you leave it in your backpack I think in the long home run. That's what parents want. Yes. They don't want their kids to be tortured by some awful thing coming up on their watch during school. Even though it might be nothing, but to them it's everything and it can ruin their day. They're not going to tell anybody. They're not
175going to share it with the counselor. It's just going to eat away at them. So, as much as we can reduce that at school, then it's up to the parents what they do in their home. Well, I'm going to push back just a little and you put in whatever you want and I will do our best to do it. But we spend more time at school cleaning up the stuff kids are doing on social media at home than we do than what they're doing during the school day. And that's where I get upset by how much we're being asked to take on. The other 18 hours a day are the bigger problem. And if this doesn't become part of the discussion, the kids are coming into school upset already because they're getting bullied outside of
176school and we're still responsible for managing it. Oh, and I am your ally on that. Let's find a way to have that conversation if we're going to if we're going to go here. And I think that's hund I think it has to be in tandem. Yes. Yes. But but I think where we have control is what happens in school. We we don't have the ability to it might help to create a culture. Yes. Um and so if we can be proactive partners and leaders in that I don't think that's a bad thing. And I also think too like is September going to suck with enforcement? Maybe it's a but it's a couple weeks and I think the long-term dividends could be extraordinary. I mean, you know, to to your point, like the buzzing and the
177whatnot all day, um, you know, I I think does distract kids and arguably more than a cell phone, frankly. But yeah. Well, and in any event, so I am not opposed to adding smart watches with while fully acknowledging that you might not get it perfect and immediately, right? And like I think with any kinds of largecale changes whether it's literacy or or smartphones like there has to be a little grace. There has to be some understanding that it is going to take time. And I think I think that's the spirit in which we entered this together. And um but ultimately I think eventually it's going to be a a good thing. I can I sorry go ahead. I just want to and you keep saying be a leader. Be a leader. We were leaders in
178this in having the first protocols in place for cell phones two years ago anywhere in the state to the point where I was invited to the board of education to talk about the caddies at the high school. I get a little frustrated that we act like we suddenly fell all this way behind and we're not doing enough. We've had protocols in place that we are enforcing. I hear you all telling me they're not coming up strong enough and they're inadequate or whatever. And I know the high schools is a whole other thing to talk about, but we are doing it. So the Apple Watch will be a noon a noon thing to figure out if you add that. Um but I don't I just get bothered that I don't feel like we're really capturing that
179we've been doing this the whole time. So um enforcement and protocol of how we do it is still going to be a challenge no matter what direction we pick. Um, so the policy I've always wanted and been in support of it gives us backup to put it out to the community and be like, "This is what we're doing. You need to help us." Without that message, we're in this uphill slide that we're not going to win. And I do feel like that does need to be said. Kids are not allowed to use their cell phones during the day. They're not. Kids are smart. They figure out workarounds just like at the caddies at the high school. Right. You don't make murder legal just because some people can figure out how to get a gun. No,
180no, no, no, but I've just heard too many times that we're not enforcing it enough. And I just I didn't suggest that. I know, but that's metaphor, honey. And it's like But I think that I look at Well, I look at the caddies. Are there kids that bring in an old cell phone and put in the caddy? 100% they do. Sure. But it's still But but it's still a good policy. It's become a culture shift. And I actually think that the more I've been thinking about this that like when you look at these six in particular the middle school sixth to eighth graders these are the people who are going to go on to the 9th to the 12th grade and as we have a discussion about at the high school um so if we've
181already worked to talk about um to change the culture with um you know higher expectations watches and whatnot I think that that will only like reap dividends in the at the high school as they they grow into that. But so that's my Yeah. And can I just say that 95% of the kids are complying with what we ask of them. 100%. We have great. Wait till Harry gets an iPhone. Beware. Um till 8th grade. What? Not till 8th grade. Not till like frequently. Never. Um anyway. Uh so did you have an amendment or does some of this discussion satisfy your amendment? Do you want to read your amendment? What do you want? No, no. I I'm good with I'll compromise that. You know, I had earbuds and AirPods, but you know, I'll I'll hope that
182staff knows that that's another workaround and they can decide to cell phones and smartwatches. Is that That's what we're talking about. Cell, cell phones, smartwatches, and the language in the second paragraph. Yep. Okay. So, I move to approve the Conquered Public Schools student cell phone and smartwatch use policy um as amended this evening shown on the screen. Seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor? I I All right, just to reiterate now that I've reentered the conversation, that was just for CPS K through 8. Thank you for staying with us. We're not part of that. We should have let you guys go. Oh, yeah. You should go. I asked her. I wanted to finish it out with you. We have the It's not on our agenda. The thing Oh, yeah. See, I'll be I did that
183last week, too. Hey, you don't want to ever talk about this. I know. Sorry. All right, Lori. Do you I'm gonna actually defer over to Bob. We're asking you to consider voting the CMLP agreement that we mentioned I don't know a week or two ago. So, the the agreement's uh linked on the May 13th agenda. Um I think there was a version circulated that had marked up version. The clean version is on uh the May 13th agenda. Uh, this has been something we've um I've been in communication with Jason Bulger on and he may actually be on here in the event there's any questions. Um, this relates to the scope of this is for the panels that will be on the roof and the canopies in the parking lot. It does not relate to any
184battery storage uh that we would potentially have. Uh, that would be a separate agreement. Um we had uh got feedback from um Mina legal counsel from the town um to look at it from both perspectives since it's an agreement between two town entities. Uh and we incorporated some suggestions that he made. Um my perspective uh the one issue that uh Jason and I um struggled a little bit with is their their standard uh legal agreement uh for these types of things. as a commercial with a commercial entity would um have some language about liquidated damages if we decided to um discontinue them having access to the roof or something like that. I could not in my role um agree to anything um that would cause us to pay $10 million in liquidated damages or something
185whatever some large amount. So I ultimately this is a town decision to do this. I said we should just take out that, you know, we can only um we'll only if there's cause um not permit you to have access to the the solar panels like we're we built the building to have the panels. We don't need to say we can just rescend it because we feel like it. So I took that out of the the agreement and took it he with that he took the liquidated damages out of the agreement. So there was a compromise there on that. Um the rest of it um talks about how to access u the site. Um it's kind of their standard agreement. I I read through it. I didn't really have any concerns. Um and um since it's
186an intergovernment agreement, we thought the school committee should approve it and the CMLP board um wants to have this in hand before they go forward with any procurement. Um and then we would come back um later. there's some decisions they have to make on um I think their their priority is the roof, the canopies might be second. Um if you don't do the canopies, you don't need a battery backup until you build the canopies. So um this agreement covers the canopies, but um you know the the timing of how they sequence things. Um the next thing that would happen is if they decide to go forward with the battery and the canopies, they would um they would come back here. we'd have another agreement about the battery because there's some concern there about risk and
187we might want to talk about placement. Uh there might be newer technology. We might ask for, you know, maybe cost a little bit more for newer technology. There is some issues with grant funding that that may with the current administration in Washington have expired or or not longer be accessible. But um so the short-term plan is they need this in place in order to move forward with their procurement for um the panels um on the roof for the new middle school. So, I know that was a lot. Um, but um hopefully that helps. Bob, I have a question. Yeah. Are there any roof warranties in place that exclude um putting these panels on it? There are not. And these are not drilling through the roof. They um I talked to Jason about that. There is
188uh the technology is they're on the roof, but they're not mounted in a way that they need to go through the roof. And you'll be leasing them and they'll be maintaining them. You'll have a PPA for maintenance or I would I think they'd probably be buying them. I don't think they'd be leasing them. They're they're separate own municipal light entity. So they they'd likely be buying them, but that's their decision. That's not ours. Okay. And um yeah, their their financial payback is better to purchase them. Um and then they in terms of how they get serviced. I don't know. But we're not doing we're not responsible for that. We're just a passive host passive host, right? Getting a $1 discount a year. Anyway, I'm just making a joke. It was it was all built into
189you know as part of this project as something we wanted to do. Y So the good news is the town council reviewed it from the perspective of the tech and the school. Correct. Correct. And he feels like everybody's in a safe position and not vulnerable financially. Correct. Okay. Got to go with the experts on that one. Yeah. Yeah. we worked out and then we paused and said, "Let's let Mina take a pass at it." After we had worked out the business part of it that we thought was Any other questions? No. Thank you for all your work. Yeah, thanks. Complicated stuff. We have to approve it though, right? Does anyone want to make a motion? Yeah. I move to approve the um uh the solar license agreement between the town of conquered and CMLP. Right.
190Second. Great. I don't have it on my we don't I could say I I approve. It says buy in between the town of conquered and conquered municipal lay plant. Yeah, it's fine. Is that fine? Are you I think that's I'm going to I'm going to take my motion off the table and I'm going to make a motion to approve the soda solar photovalttaic system license agreement by and between the town of conquered and conquered municipal light plant. Second. Any further discussion? All in favor? I I Great. And I just wanted to say that thank I appreciate you guys including me but really Julie Alexa and Cynthia you put in a number of years to town of Congress. So one last thank you to both of you. Thank you so much. Meeting is ajourned. Woohoo. All
191right. Thank you. Great.