0012025. If everyone could join me for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. This is Trish's last meeting. Okay. Um, our first order of business is public comments. Please feel free to join us up here. >> This is a first full house. No comments, >> I guess. >> Okay. Gosh, this is getting past my bedtime. I hate to tell Candy Dad at 44 Old Center Road. Number one, I know I've been here and I've cheed you guys out a little bit. Your job is not easy and I appreciate what you do trying to find common ground amongst all of you that are sitting here. Um, I
002just want to review attending the NDC meeting last night. I walked away ex extremely concerned as to the maneuvering of what was presented as a $3 million cut, which they know in our gambling that nobody is going to um do. And then it ends up they're planning on a $1 million cut, which takes away from the thoughtfulness that happened when you were commended for the hard work. Whether you agreed or disagreed with canon in taking away a position or whatever it was, y'all did. It was voted on. It showed that differences, opinions, and likenesses, you were working towards something, trying to help voters. It was done in a thoughtful manner, whether you all agreed or not. Now, you're presented with the job of having to go forward and cut $3 million out because you don't
003know what we're going to do at the deliberative session. So, as you are going through this meeting tonight, I hope that you will come forward and let the public know, do you support a $3 million cut, a $1 million cut, a default budget? Second thing is is I can't shake the word that was brought out by someone, a member of the MDC. It was the scheme. I just I can't shake it. a well-educated person using that terminology. We all know what it means. I shouldn't say that. My apologies for saying that. Guess what bothers me is that a number of the members that were there didn't even seem to know that this was coming forward for a vote on Saturday. And it just I don't know if several of the members met over coffee. I
004don't know when this plan came forward. if it was just conversations. I have no idea as a citizen, but it concerns me that there are certain members that knew exactly what they were going to propose and a lot of members sitting there that were unaware of what was being proposed. It was back door or backroom politics doesn't belong in our town. Um, also members were reassured by the vice chair that she saw no need for a further vote and commended the board and the superintendent on the budget that they presented and that it was so close to the default. I'd like to address also my comments that I made um in regards to looking at the state resolving this issue. And I've heard that our representative says it's not nothing he can do. Something has
005to happen. This is not the only town that it's happening to. 30 years ago in the town of Helum, somebody stood up, cut the school budget to their knees. It was a drastic cut. They opened up the paper today. Same problem. It did not help the town with their property tax. What happened? >> Sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to wrap up. >> Okay. What happened last night does not solve our problem. I want to encourage each and every one of you to put forth your best effort to guarantee the best education you can give our children here at the Deerfield Community School because they are here for 8 to nine years compared to four years. Thank you. >> Thank you. Other public comments. >> So, I lost my confidence to speak last
006night. >> I'm sorry. Could you say your name and >> Kathy Street? I lost my confidence to speak last night at the NBC meeting because of the social media bullying going on right now. Um, I am not active on social media, which is my choice. I do not want to be lambasted publicly or have my words twisted by Mr. Barville for speaking my opinion, which I am entitled to. So, I'm choosing to say what I would have said last night um in a more comfortable setting to my schoolboard. Um it appears that the NBC is prioritizing placing the maximum number of students into minimallysized classrooms and this raises important questions about the occupancy limits per square foot and whether those standards are developmentally accurate or appropriate. Overcrowded classrooms can negative negatively affect the academic performance
007of all kids and student to teacher interaction which is so important. Class size in physical space directly influence learning quality and student well-being. So if we do the maximum numbers it's just it's just not right for our kids. It's not um younger students require more square footage uh per child than older students because they have different educational and activity needs and and need more space. Um but when classrooms are sized only to meet the minimum standards, there's less flexibility all around for par profofessionals, for specialists, for small group instruction, for centers, for for everything. um space meaning not enough um for movement breaks, sensory needs or assist of technology is is also um critical. Teachers end up spending more time managing space and behavior over instruction and that's a fact and I just would hate
008to see that. Um in regard regard to the um pair of support aids in kindergarten, please know that they are necessary. I was um speaking to a couple couple of our aids um and the things they do every day. They they assist students daily um with um the bathroom, washing hands, putting on clothes, snow um and that's several times a day. If the teacher is doing all of this, then she can't be instructing it. It it's it's hard. Um they support emotional regulation. Um they're providing children with movement breaks so that the teacher can continue teaching. Um they're transporting them through the building. Um the teacher would actually have to take the whole class to the library for that ch student that forgot their library book yesterday to um to go get their library book
009to the lost and found because they lost their mitten and that's just going to ruin their their whole day. um to the nurse cuz somebody's sick, threw up, whatever. Yep. The whole class has to go. Um it's it it just sounds awful. Um they deliver and distribute all breakfasts. There's no way the teacher can run down to the cafeteria and and do that. Um lunch and recess duties. They cover classrooms for IEP meetings. Um someone a teacher is out. They manage behaviors, small groups and centers. Um they assist with room cleanup. I mean the list goes on and on and on. To remove the um AIDS in kindergarten in addition to increasing numbers is um I I I would hate to see that. I have never worked in kindergarten. I mean up in middle school.
010Um it's just it's devastating to even think of. >> Thank you. Thank you. Other public comments Marty Pegnum Middle Road and I wanted to come tonight because it's really disheartening and to echo Candi's comments I really appreciate all of you. It's hard to read the social media stuff. I don't like to participate either. I try really hard. But what I have a hard time wrapping my head around is the people who sold the town on school choice. We can't, you know, our students deserve the best. Spare no expense. We're fine with the bigger tuition at Co Brown. That's fine. That's what the town voted on. We have no control over their salaries. We don't know how their staffing breaks down. But somehow now it's okay for us to talk about cutting teachers at DCS, our
011own school or letting them have specials every 3 months instead of having Chimney around music around. So it's really sad to think that these changes are going to affect DCS specifically. And when people are on social media saying, "Oh, now you guys are threatening to do something in high school." I feel like all students are going to have to be at the front of this. You can't put this all on DCS. It is going to have to be spread amongst the entire town. So, thank you for what you um do and I'm sorry you guys are in this situation. You have a hard job, but thanks. Thank you. >> Any other public comments? Let's get the courage up. >> Jaclyn Schumer, Candywood. Um just a short one. I I was at the NBC meeting last
012night and I kept thinking about the goals that you guys set um to say out loud. It was it was somebody's job I think at the beginning of every meeting and I don't remember everyone but the one that kept ringing to my head was um assume good intentions and I I think it's great that you guys said that that's where you're going to try to go with this board and I hope that it continues to be that way and maybe set an example for other boards that I felt like prove that not everybody had great intentions. Um, I can see that this is going to be really hard moving forward. Um, so thank you for your time. Appreciate what you do and hope the best. Thank you. Other public comments. >> Okay. Um, we did
013forget to put the new board. I completely forgot. I'm so sorry. I will comment letters with an exclamation mark to get it on here for the next one. >> Appreciate that. >> Um, okay. Board discussion regarding public comments. >> Um, during agenda review, I am going to add or I'm going to make a motion to add budget discussion. So, I think anything that we want to talk about related to the budget, um, we can talk about in immediate business. >> Okay. Because Yeah, that's where I was wondering where I could >> Yeah. something that's on my mind. >> Yes, there is some discussion I think to be had about that tonight. Um, but any other public comments that people want to discuss? >> Okay. Well, I just wanted to, you know, obviously what the NBC
014did is what, you know, what they did. And I I know there's obviously a lot of carryover in between, but I don't think that we had ever talked about cutting, you know, any kindergarten paras. We actually had talked about um making sure that they were there, especially if we cut down to three. And I I wonder and I shouldn't I agree we didn't say that we would cut the kindergarten paras. I'm just wondering and this is just my assign if it's in general the conversation about paras and just focused on kindergarten. >> So I don't think I that that was my interpretation of it. I could be very wrong. And I think it was just that was an example if you >> well and I think um while we didn't discuss it the NBC has
015forced our hand in a lot of things that we didn't feel were appropriate. So we are going to have to consider all of those things I think moving forward. So, I think it's helpful for people to still raise things that should they feel should not be cut from the school because I don't know that we're going to have much of a much of a choice. Um, all right. Agenda review. Um, I'm going to make a motion that we add uh the budget discussion to the agenda. >> I want to steal that agenda >> here. Can anyone second that? Oh, sorry. You don't have to. >> I second it. >> Uh, any discussion about adding a budget discussion to the agenda? Okay. All in favor? >> I >> All opposed. Okay. Review of correspondence. Um, I
016think there are only two think two items. Um Kevin Verville had emailed us on December 5th regarding two different types of music programs. I quite frankly don't really understand what this means. Um but is likely moot at this point. >> Yeah, I I I felt the same way. I mean I think he's making it sound like we don't give a liberal arts music course. I mean we do. >> Right. We have general music, we have band, and we have chorus. So, I don't at all understand what he's talking about, >> right? It's very unclear to me what he would >> It made it sound like we're not providing, >> right, >> a classical liberal arts music course, whatever that even is. >> I don't know. I'm not going to speculate about what what his Kevin's
017intentions are. Um, and then there was a second email. So, um, everyone should have received the invitation to the special, um, all board school meeting on January 5th where the state reps are invited for a moderated discussion. Um, Kevin had emailed the whole board advising that he had never received an invitation. Um I checked with the organizer who confirmed that the invitation went to his um legislative email and Kevin said it went to spam. So he is aware. Hopefully the other state reps are also aware. I will be reaching out to all of them and I also discussed with the chair of Pemrook who sent out all the invitations that individual chairs might just want to check with their state reps to make sure that they received the invitation. Um, so that was my advice
018to her. >> Kendra, this is open to the public, right? >> Open to the open. Is it on the, you know, the school website and all that so parents know? >> You know, it's not on the school website. We may want to put it in the >> I think we need to put it public so people know that this is happening. >> I'll send you send you the flyer. >> I did put it on our Facebook page and but yeah, we could include it other places. >> Yeah. Um, I hope people come. should be should be good. It's mo being moderated by um New Hampshire listens which is a nonpartisan community engagement group out of UNH. So they moderate discussions. I think there will be some small group discussions and then there will be a
019large moderated forum. That's how I understand it to be. Okay. Consent agenda. No items. Okay. Uh all right. First thing in immediate business is warrant articles. So just sent us some draft warrant articles. These are sort of standard that we might consider. Obviously if people have other things that they would like to see as warrant articles, they really do need to be proposed tonight. Um because we need to >> we we were told that we could do it at the next meeting. >> I mean they need to be prop I would say we need to propose. We need to have them drafted and approved at the next meeting if something and then petition war articles will come up. Um just a reminder there's petition warrant articles too are due the 13th of January. >> Correct.
020Um, if there's not language yet, if somebody has a warrant and there's not language yet, what do you want to look at? They Okay. So, if if there is an idea that comes up tonight or within the next few days, >> you can email me and Jess and we can get language drafted. >> Hopefully. >> Yeah. That way I just have time. If it can come in the next >> right within the next little bit. Yeah. Then I would say but no >> that way I can get language to legal to review for formality. >> Right. >> We need to approve them at the at the next meeting. >> I guess I'm probably missing something but it looks like um two Oh, tuition. That's tuition tuition. >> Yeah. So, there's just a couple on here
021for your consideration because um some of our other districts are thinking about adopting a couple of other expendable trust funds and so I put them on here for your consideration. If you choose not to do it, it's completely fine, up to you. Um but I wanted you to see them because of the issues we've had with health insurance and high school tuition. So, just putting these on here. I know you guys have decided in the past not to do I think the high school tuition one. Well, we we've done >> No, we've done it twice, but it hasn't passed. >> Right. So, I don't know if you want to bring it up again. >> Yeah. >> Um, so just putting it out here so for your discussion. That's >> And then the employee health benefits
022one is because of what happened this year with school care. >> And so there's two warrants per article because there's one to establish the warrant and then there's one to fund the warrant. Okay? >> So they go hand in hand and you have to separate those two out. Oh, >> okay. Because we when we did the tuition, we only had the one, right? We just >> it's better to separate it out that way. We tried to establish it and put money in it to start in one Warren article last two years. >> I wonder though if it's not confusing to people to have two because I would look at that and think, "Oh, you're asking for the same thing twice." >> I mean, people don't always read these thoroughly. >> You have to really really
023confusing too. >> I personally like >> Yeah. So again, we don't have to make firm decisions on these tonight, but um if you guys don't want them on here, we can take them off. I just wanted to make sure that you had um the same opportunity for conversation that the other districts. >> Well, I mean, I I'm certainly for putting this on again, especially if if we have to reduce our budget by that much. I mean, how are we going to come up with money if five kids come into town and we have to send them to high school? I also think depending on what happens with open enrollment Yeah. Um it's probably wise. Yeah. >> And that's another thing to consider as well is if you want to add in a warrant article that
024addresses open enrollment, that is your purview to do if you would like to formally adopt open enrollment for high school students. I think the only tricky part is that you don't have a single school of record to set your tuition rate that you would be measuring what you would pay for open enrollment costs because as of right now the law says um RSA 194D that an open enrollment school would pay 80% of the sending school's tuition to an open enrollment school. So, if for example, all your kids were going to Pemrook for high school and somebody chose open enrollment to go to an open enrollment school, you would be paying 80% of Pemrook's tuition rate to send that student to that open enrollment school. >> Pretty good deal. Yeah. Why would you pay less? That's
025interesting. >> That's just how the law >> That's how the law is written currently. Um, so just something to consider. And then obviously we're not obligated I mean we're not obligated to provide any high school transportation but we're certainly not obligated to provide transportation for open enrollment students. >> So who pays the who pays the 20%. >> No one. So the high school just doesn't get that 20%. >> Correct. Correct. >> But they have to be signed up to accept or if we >> they have to be established school. Um, I will say there's several different LSRs right now at the state that aim to adjust the current rule, the current law 194D for open enrollment. So, the chances of it staying exactly the same are probably unlikely um because I know that's a favorable
026item um is that parental choice for school and it's looking like there wants to be more of that. So, I have a feeling that that's going to be adjusted. So, could can we be a sending district but not a receiving district? >> No. >> That makes sense. >> Yeah. Yeah, you can. >> You can be a sending district and not a receiving district. >> Okay. So, it it sounds like it would be to our benefit to to be a sending district, right? Because if we're only if we got to pay 100% at one school, but we only have to pay 80% if they want to go somewhere else. >> Yeah. >> Cost us less money. But you'd have to have a like a >> single >> a single place to set your tuition rate. >>
027You have to pick a school. >> Yeah. >> So just something to consider is that you would have to identify your tuition rate. You're sending your base rate for tuition in order to establish what your tuition rate would be that you're paying. Y >> for your kids who go to open enrollment schools. And the reason why I say you can set those limits is because you can set your output and your input numbers, but you don't have a high school, so you can't take in. You can only send out. >> Um, >> we could say PEMDA will take them. >> Yeah, you could set like a Well, you could set a default school and then allow for open enrollment and allow for parental choice as well. Still through our policy, I think it's JCA for
028school reassignment. So you can you only be an open school for high school or if you go to open school status is that the elementary school >> you designate what school what grade levels you're applying to. So you'd have to designate it would be high school choice >> but you'd have to have like a school of record to Yeah. >> So just something to consider. You don't have to have a decision tonight. >> Yeah. >> Get the wheels flowing. >> Yeah. Um, I guess maybe we'll kind of see where that where that budget um stuff goes. I have some ideas though. I think I don't know that it would necessarily pertain to these warning articles right now. But >> well, I mean another thing you have to have with that discussion is what high schools
029around us are open school enroll currently. >> But that could really change in March. >> Yeah. >> Because I think a lot of schools are going to be putting this on the ballot. >> There are several that have it on the ballot already for January. I think your Sarge already put it on for January and I think there's another one that's looking to do something in February. >> Pembroke has a special meeting in January uh that the board just established to become an open enrollment school. So >> So that would be for schools that are um have lower enrollment >> sometimes. Sometimes >> increasing enrollment. So they would >> Yeah. Sometimes not. Sometimes it's just um opportunity, right? If they think they have good programming for kids and they want to open the door to
030take more in, it's an opportunity for that school to generate revenue whether their enrollment is hurting or not. >> Well, 80% rather than 100, >> but it's more than what they're currently getting because if they're not getting those students, they're not getting anything. And so if they're getting 80% of the sending districts, it's not their own tuition, right? So, a school like Pemrook, if we received students from, let's just say, a neighboring school like Conquered or Bow or anything like whose high school tuition is up in the 20s, 80% of that would probably be very close to our tuition rate. >> So, >> yeah. And like in in places that have their own high school, you're you're not paying >> I mean, you functionally are, but you're not paying tuition to your own high school.
031like the costs don't shift that much if a few students leave. As for us, it shifts a lot when we have to end up paying 21,000 versus 18,000 or 80% of 18,00 is there draft language that we can steal from Yeah, I mean I've got draft language. I just um have to think about the steps. >> You would I think you would have to do a few other things before you get to that point. >> That would be the first thing we have to decide. >> So I mean we have a little bit of time, not a ton, but um it probably would be good for you guys to think about it, >> right? um over the next couple weeks and I can put some draft language together um to send our way and just
032check with legal see if we have anything else to consider in our unique circumstance. >> I was going to say if we have to establish a school of record for that does that affect our agreements with the schools that our kids go to? >> That that's what I would need to check on because I don't say that it does or doesn't when I haven't looked at that yet. I just it was a relatively newer thought that popped in my head. >> No, but I'm just saying if if we put >> Pembrook for because of the tuition, >> Co Brown and Conch are going to say, "Hey, what do you mean that they're your >> right >> school?" I think I think we we pushed more for the school of record designation than conquered or cobround
033cared about because we wanted to make sure that they would accept all of our children and that was the guarantee that if they were our school of record they had to accept any and all children from our district who wanted to go there. >> So I don't think personally that either school would care. Would it impact whether or not they take all of our students? >> Right. >> I that I can't say. Um, >> I I have a little more looking into and learning to do. Um, but I just wanted to bring it for food for thought. >> So, it won't make it on. >> It won't make it. We wouldn't have the opportunity to learn how to go for March. >> Maybe if I can get everything I need and details line and you
034guys agree to it. I mean, there is time on the six. >> We could. Um, I just would want to make sure all ducks are in a row before we >> Yeah. You have to think about it. School of record. If we make it Pen Brooks, we can't make it all three anymore. We have to pick one. Makes sense to pick the one that's the lowest tuition. If um conquered and co- brown are not open school enrollment schools, then students wouldn't be able to go there for 80%. Like we'd have to talk about >> we would still have to pay full tuition for this, >> right? Because we'd still have contracts with them. >> Yeah. >> For the for one the next year >> and you'd have to consider um because you do have a
035schoolboard policy that allows for school reassignment from the superintendent or from the board. U which you guys have dealt with before. Um so there is still that policy that it would allow for school reassignment to different schools um if it was in the best interest of a student. Um and I think you'd be hardressed to say that you want to change any placements that are currently in place. Um because that probably wouldn't be right for a kid who's in their sophomore year to be yanked out of their school. >> I understand that. But if we're being cut by $3 million, >> right, >> we may not have a choice on that. >> Yeah. Just move for that, right? >> Agree with you completely, but where's the money going to come from if we don't take
036it from somewhere? >> Um, I have an article that I would like to see draft language for. >> Okay. which is that we currently have an NBC who is off that is official and there is the ability for the town to vote on them becoming advisory and I would propose that the school board put that on the warrant article um this year to be voted on. So for the NBC to move to an advisory only board for the school board. Okay. >> I think the town would have to do their own separately if they wanted to. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I can get language for that. I think I have more ideas. Hold on. So, I've got open enrollment language and what would be needed for that? NBC to become advisory board for school board.
037>> Anything else? >> So, what how is this process going to work? We're going to get these up and then vote on them or >> Yeah. and um >> we want >> and then if we have any like minor verbiage like you guys can if you want to make edits on the sixth that's fine. Um you would just make a formal vote to make whatever whatever edit and then vote on that edit and then I'll clean everything up for the NBC for that Saturday. The 10. Yeah. Um, so we're going to go ahead with the ones that she sent. >> Oh, I don't I mean I don't think we need to decide on those today. I mean, we could. >> Well, what I I need some information from you guys. I need to know I
038if you have interest in going for that, I need to know if you want to assign any dollars to each of those funds. I need that for next time. And I also need um any dollars that you want to assign to the already existing trust funds such as the school equipment installation, school building repair trust fund, um um the see here, we've often put a lot repair trust fund because we were trying to get the money for the HVAC system. >> You also have your building renovation one. That would that go into that building foundation? So you've got school building repair which is the one that you want to have the majority of your >> right that's I think the other one we did put some money school equipment 10,000 of school equipment for a
039freezer >> for a freezer right >> or a refrigerator I don't remember >> so I mean I can read off all your trust funds then if you want to >> you have your special education one which currently has uh around $500,000 in there I I would not recommend adding any additional funds to that. I think that's in a good spot. Um, but certainly you can say otherwise. Um, your school building repair trust uh has around 500,000 in it as well. Um, you guys approved the CIP recently that listed out several big projects coming up in the near future. So, I would definitely recommend adding additional funds into that. Um, and probably making that your priority. >> That one was, would you say, 500? >> Uh, yeah, it's 544. And we thought that we we needed
040like 750 for the year. So we were like one more year. >> Yeah. We talked about this in our facilities meeting before this. Just to be clear, is that the $2 million estimate that we now have again is just an estimate, but it includes the AC, which we've discussed is probably not going to happen. It's not needed in a you know it would operate in June and maybe August and in terms of keeping the classroom school. So it hopefully will be less than that. >> Yeah. I don't think it's going to be $2 million. >> I don't >> but we're Can we get it back to 750? Well, >> we're still in Where was Chris in the um getting the estimate portion? I know that it was finding the um >> the blueprints for the
041building and all that stuff. >> Yeah, I think it was just a rough estimates because we don't want to have a company put a quote on it too far in advance and not have it be misleading that they were going to that we were ready for this project or not. So I think he got kind of a general overarching sweeping quote which was the two which is where we got the two million. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Um so I mean if there's an amount that you want me to put in there for next time for the school building repair one I think we did like 200,000. >> We did 250 for the past two years. I will say it feels a little bit silly to be saying we're gonna cut three million from our budget,
042but also give me $250,000. >> But that gives people the opportunity to spend it where they want to spend it. >> Yeah. We'll have a a building that's standing, I suppose. >> Well, that's the thing. If it's surplus, >> I I >> But that's true. I know the philosophy. >> I understand that in regular years there is enough surplus. I cannot imagine that we will have $250,000 of surplus next year. >> Yeah, it's too soon. We'll have a better picture from January. >> Oh, I suppose a surplus from this year budget year. >> So, okay, maybe we will. >> So, it's from Yeah. >> Okay, fine. >> Yeah. next year. >> Yeah, we're not just going to neglect. >> No, but it will be this budget here. >> Well, >> and I it's still too
043soon to >> choices have to be made, >> but you have to make your warrant articles before you know where you're at for surplus, >> right? >> So, >> okay. Um, is there any school equipment that are big ticket items and how much is in it now? >> Did we want to figure out how much we want to put into that first one? Just go one by one instead of jumping around. Actually, if we if we could know the numbers in all the trust funds, that would help me before and then go back and talk about how much. >> So, the next one is the playground. There's like $300 in there. >> Is that the equipment? >> No. >> Playground expend. >> Did she do >> No, you haven't done school equipment yet. >> The
044school facility, the paving trust, there's 3,300 in there. the replacing or repairing technology. So the tech fund is 23,000 and obviously I'm rounding these. >> Is that technology repair or repair or replacement? >> The building like the server or something that would Yeah. Something >> paper. Yeah. >> Yeah. Your big system stuff. >> Um building renovation and site improvement is 7,000. >> Is that before or after the parking lot lights? >> Before these were this was updated back in October. >> Oh, okay. The actually they were taken out yet. Oh, we wouldn't have taken them out yet because we didn't have public to take them from the trust >> be closer to 70. >> Y >> um and until we have a public hearing to take move the funds from the budget to expend it
045from the trust, the trust will stay this amount until we take it from the trust. Um school addition capital reserve trust is $7,000. And then the last one is the school the school equipment and installation. That's 10,000. >> That's what we put in it last year. 10,000. >> Yep. It's in it. >> I think it was empty. Oh, and we just put it in there because we were worried the freezer was going to go, but the freezer hasn't gone. Is that >> Is that the case? >> One of the freezers was replaced. >> Yeah. >> Well, >> were we worried about the second one? And that's why we put the money in. Yeah. Okay. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. So, seems to me the only one we really need to
046worry much about is the school building repair. >> Right. I mean, I don't know. Is there any school equipment installation that we add money to from the what you guys have been doing on facilities? Um, we haven't really talked about any equipment stuff at all. So, I I would think Chris would let us know if there was something unless there anything. >> All right. So, it sounds like just the school building repair, >> right? That sounds >> Yeah, that's fine. >> Okay. So then the amount >> So the 250 that has been um put on there the past two years, did that pass? >> Okay. >> Because it's been surplus. >> I don't think if we tried I don't know what would happen if we tried to do it >> in our budget or you
047know not using >> by taxation. >> Yeah. >> Well, yeah. I think seeing as um well we don't know obviously it's too far out whether we're going to have surplus or not but I think so it would only be funded if there was surplus though >> correct >> that's how you could write the warrant you can either write it to be funded through surplus or you can write it to be funded from additional taxation >> okay we've done some years where we did a little of both >> so we'll do two more articles saying do you approve 100 out of trust fund or unassigned fund balance and then the second one is 100 from taxation. >> So, >> which is very confusing for people. I actually don't >> Yeah. And just so that I think
048that it's clear, we're trying to fund this one specific project right now that is going to be >> right. You know, >> yeah, you're only funding it because you've got projects that the board has already voted on that you need to fund over time, >> right? And this is probably we we have it for like three four years out. >> Yep. Yeah. 28 29. >> So >> or 29. >> So we we really need to put that 250 in there for the next >> Few years to reach that goal. >> Y. >> So >> and you've got a couple of smaller projects along the way that'll eat at that time. >> Which is true. >> Do we need a motion or do we >> No, you don't need a motion to this because it's just
049a draft. So, before we decide on 250, can we just then go back and talk about these ones that um she has put here to see if we're going to put money in there because that might help us think about well, do we want to do 250 or 200? Like, think about what we're also asking for. So, I think the the two big ones that you hear have are the employee health benefits expendable trust and the tuition expendable trust, right? >> And you guys may not want to do the health benefits one. I mean, your insurance has been going up, but it hasn't been catastrophic. Um, but again, that's up to you guys. >> I just feel like it would have been catastrophic if we didn't have that money this year. >> That would have
050been catastrophic. That was $250,000. you know, I don't know how much has happened in the future, but um and I still like the idea of putting in for the tuition even though it's been voted down for two years. I still think we should try again. >> It's your biggest pool of risk, quite frankly, is your high school tuition. >> I still think people haven't understood it completely either. um think that we're going to be paying tuition out of this. Even though the way it's worded and everything, I get it. But that's what I when people spoke about why they voted against it, it's like, well, they're just trying to >> You have it in your budget, >> right? You have it in your budget. Why do you need it somewhere else? And trying to get
051them to understand it's like why we have this the special ed one. >> You have five. You know, it used to be one thing when tuition was 14 $15,000, if a few people moved in, we usually could find it some. But >> now with tuition being as high as it is, if we get >> five people move into town, they all have high school kids. >> Well, there and there, this is a slight change. It used to say high school tuition and I think this is different which is good because there can be situations where there's a manifest educational hardship and now we're >> true to another school that we didn't anticipate. >> True. >> Yeah. And I think that um especially if we're going to move in a direction of um big cuts like
052that, I think having this is only going to help us if we needed it. And also again, it's just I it's you know, we can recommend it and if it gets shut down, then I think it should be on there. Well, you can always move the priority level too because your warrant articles get funded in the order in which they're put on the ballot. So, if you put your uh building repair and trust first and if there's additional funds, then you would you would triage down the list. So, you put your the tuition expendable trust next on there or whatever you want to do. >> Yeah. I think people that want to maintain um our high school situation as it is, I think, you know, should get behind that because >> they have not historically.
053>> Yeah. >> Um and I can't really speak to their reasoning except for what I've heard at Deliberative, which is that they don't see it as a problem. that we have find it that we have always paid high school tuition and it hasn't there haven't been situations that it has caused an issue but I this is cut um especially if we're looking at big cuts you know this year we only had an overage on our budget of $40,000 but that's significant enough that it would really impact things if we're already facing pretty dire situation So I So we have played around a little bit with the money. I think the first year we did $140,000. We were trying to fund We were anticipating potentially seven students. >> Seven students. Yeah. And then we changed it
054to what? >> Last year we did 40. Yeah. >> Yeah. That didn't get approved either. So, I don't know what like a what a good amount would be for that because >> do we know what the average has been say over the past five years of students coming into town that were unanticipated? >> Um, I haven't calculated that out, but usually it's goes both ways. There's some that come in and there's some that go out. So, I think some years it evens out, others it doesn't. Um, I haven't calculated it, but I can I can. >> Last year we had an overage of about $40,000, which leads me to leave two students that came unanticipated, which is what we had planned for. >> Well, but it could have been five, but then three legs. You
055know what I mean? Like Yeah, but I can I can look. >> I think that would kind of help put put a dollar amount on there. Or we can base it off of what our overage was from last year. Yeah. And there have been various overages, I think. Um, well, it's different now, too, because the tuition's gone up so much, >> right? >> Paying anywhere near this tuition back before school choice. >> Correct. >> Was 15,000 >> per student. So, um, that's another that's another thing. That 5,000 adds up. >> I think it was 18 before you guys left the contract. Yeah, we didn't that and that was just and that changed because we weren't we weren't saying all the kids would go there, right? >> So that's not really the contract that we would
056have gotten if we continued to say all our children will go. You can't really go by that. >> The first year was around 15, I think. >> Yeah. >> Last year's warrant articles would have been based on school choice >> numbers. Yeah. >> Yeah. Um, so I Yeah, I'm in favor of it. Um, I don't know. I don't know the right amount that we would put in. >> Well, I mean, if we put in 40,000, it's at least start. >> Yeah. >> If it gets used up, then we show the town that it got used up. If it doesn't get used up, we don't put any more in it the next year. I mean, I guess that's one way to look at it. I would um >> is it possible that if students leave that
057we can put that tuition money that we would spend into the trust fund? >> Not specifically. I mean we >> I don't think it just wonder moving it from your tuition. >> You could do it from your end like your end of the year surplus. >> Yeah. I think it would just go to surplus. >> Yeah. Okay. you still have to vote on it. Um, >> and and just to be clear, that that one also would be paid out of surplus as well. That >> that warrant article would be funded out of it before. >> Again, we could change it and say >> out of taxes, but certainly have a better chance of having it um passed that way. Well, and the the tuition piece isn't always cut and dry either because you could have
058it depends on what time of year a student leaves a school if you recoup any of that tuition. Like if they leave after the first billing mark of the second semester, you pay full price for the whole year. >> That's in our contracts. Like you don't get a prorated amount back, >> right? >> Just because they left half. >> So you pay it twice. >> Well, maybe if a kid moved in, >> right, the second half of the year >> essentially. Yeah. If you had a student move in after second semester started, you pay a prorated amount for the kid that entered, but you paid the full year amount for the kid that left, >> right? >> But also, if a kid wasn't conquered >> for half the year and then switched to Cobra, then
059we'd be paying both them >> unless they moved before like a certain date. >> It depends. Yeah. Yeah. There's like the second semester start date. >> Okay. So, can we agree on the 40 for that one? >> Sure. >> Yeah, I think 40 is good. >> Okay, I'll have that direct next time. And then do you want that as top priority or do you want that under the school building repair? >> I think we should have the school building repair be the number one priority. >> I agree. >> And then do you want me to just put 250 in there? I heard that number come out a few times. Yeah. I I mean that 250 that's 750 on top of the five. That that would put us, you know, right there. >> Um that would
060put us at >> But we're pushing it out. >> We can take anything else out of it. >> Anything else? >> 1.25. you know, we'd have to do the 250 over the next three years and give that. Yeah. >> So, >> yeah, I would say that first. >> Do the tuition and I think at this point maybe not do the employee health. >> Let's keep our fingers crossed. >> Yeah. I don't I feel very conflicted about it because I I have to imagine there's not going to be another assessment this year, but you know, I hear like schools are suing them and all kinds of stuff. So, who knows? >> It's just all up in the air. I mean, I think Hopefully, we've made the point that they need to tell us before the end
061of the fiscal year if there's going to be an issue so that we could hopefully figure out surplus in advance. >> Yeah. So, um >> which is functionally the same thing as if they told us in advance. >> Yeah. >> All right. So, warrant number one will be your budget. Warrant number two would be schooling school building repair. Or number three would be tuition expendable and then four would be NBC and then five en open enrollment. Yeah, >> for now >> I don't think we should put those on there until we >> Well, we have to talk more about them, but she just for drafting purposes so you can see them next time. >> Wait a minute. >> Yep. >> So to see if to vote to establish the tuition expendable trust fund and then
062the other one would be to say to put 40,000 in. So, >> so three is going to be >> to establish it. >> Yeah. >> And then four would be >> for the 40,000. >> You're correct. >> All right. And then what was five? >> Be the um as advisory board and then the last one would be open enrollment. Again, those would be just the drafts. It's not final copies of anything. >> So, all set with the equipment and installation. We're all set with that one. It's not doing that. um I don't know how what is quite frankly but um I've had thoughts on some items that I wonder if we could put into um instead of how they are currently. So, I'm wondering if we should create a trust fund for high school buses
063to let the town decide if they want to pay for high school buses. since it's not required that we provide it. >> The only the only thing that concerns me with that because I was thinking about, you know, high school busing and taking it away, we save a lot of money because our special ed students go on those buses and if we didn't have the busing, we still have to bus our special ed kids, right? >> Well, I don't >> that could be more money than what we're paying for a high school bus. >> I'm pretty sure that that we we did that math, right? That's why we saved so much money by having a bus to Co. did save money. So that's >> my one concern >> with that because I I've thought about
064that as well like right away, you know, I'm thinking, well, that's not required, but we save money because of the IPS, >> right? And I I guess maybe we can look at that more as the numbers continue to go towards co ground, then maybe we only have one bus, >> right? Yeah. >> To cover this, you know, the special ed. I don't know. >> But maybe there is still the need. I think we have to take that year by year to see what the the the special ed cost is versus what the bus costs is. >> Yeah. Um, okay. I just had a question pop in my mind about open enrollment. So, we're not require >> Well, I know it is related. I promise. Um, we're not required to provide transportation, of course, for high
065school open enrollment. Correct. >> But if a student is on an IEP at an open enrollment school, do we have to pay for busing for that? And is >> would that discourage us from wanting to be an open enrollment school? Because that's added funds for special ed transport. Maybe, but you're already paying transportation for >> But if they're if they're on a co-ound or conquered bus currently >> like then it's added special transportation busing to >> it could be that is a risk associated with that. >> Yeah. Which could be far too. >> Yeah. >> Correct. Correct. Yeah. >> Be riding by themselves. You could have four different schools that four different children decide to go to. >> If they are guaranteed transportation, then they could go wherever they want. >> Yeah. >> So, I
066don't know. Now, we're reconsidering, but this is why we need to have the conversation. I think it's >> there's a lot of things to consider. >> But I will say like if if at some point the state moves to adopt open enrollment statewide, you may not have choices. just throwing that out there as well. >> Yeah, I lots of comments about that, but it's a blooming reality for sure. >> Um, >> no way to budget. >> Okay. And I had the same I thought about and I don't know if we can do this based on our current contracts but you know there was a lot of talk when we were doing school choice about whether we should do top off agreements for high school tuition. And I wonder, and maybe this will coincide with the
067open enrollment discussion in the sense that if Penrook is selected as our school of choice, do we charge top off amounts toward the other schools? >> That's something you could consider. >> And then do we create a trust fund for that so that if the town wants to pay the difference between the two schools, the town can decide if they want to pay the difference. If that's not funded, then it would be up to the parents. >> Yeah. I mean, it's possible if you want to do like a top off agreement. >> I I don't know if that's allowed under our current contracts. I don't think there I don't think there's anything prohibiting it, but >> Well, you wouldn't you wouldn't be able to go back on the ones that are already there and do
068that, >> right? But going forward >> going forward, >> I can I can have I can reach out to legal. I just I don't know the rules around that. >> I don't either. So I would have to look into that. >> It there a law was passed allowing top off agreements >> a year or two ago. >> So when we first >> it was not a law when we >> first did our school choice. I can bring back more information next time, >> but we did have conversation over the fact that I mean, well, I guess if we have a school of record, then students can go there. But our problem with top off agreements was that you're really not giving the same opportunity to every student in your community to go to the school
069they can because a lot of people can't afford to pay the top part. So that's why we even though that became a law, we decided not to go with it because we felt that that was the >> Yeah, I don't disagree to not have that disparity among people that have money and >> I still I still feel feel that exact way. However, um I think we can offer a trust fund and if the town wants to fund it based on that principle of fairness and giving students, you know, the choice that they want, >> and I just I think we're going to have to get creative in how we >> I think there will be a lot of unfair decisions that have to be made as a result of >> of the budget. It wasn't
070the conversation in the past though. Was it because um there wasn't a school of record and you wanted to ensure that any school that would take your kids would to take all kids like you were saying before? But if you had a school record that would a school record that would guarantee enrollment for all kids and also allowed essentially open enrollment just without necessarily calling it open enrollment what the state calls open enrollment but essentially allowing open enrollment for high school with top off agreements in place that you will only pay what your school of record tuition is and then anything above and beyond that is the parents responsibility. Yeah, we just well we didn't do it because we just felt it was unfair. Yeah, I mean >> we had this discussion. We had a
071long hard discussion >> and I think it was interesting that it was more >> the school board fighting back against top off agreements, but the people that were supporting high school choice >> said do top off agreements. And it was the school board saying but we don't feel that's fair. But then once we passed, I wasn't on the board then. Once the board passed choice, then people said, "Well, you chose the most expensive way because you could have done top offs." But anyway, so >> well, you'd be guaranteeing FAPE no matter what, right? Because you'd be guaranteeing FAPE at a school of record that's a public school that meets the needs of student. >> I don't know. Even though >> Can you clarify because it sounds like that you said that they the um proponents
072of the top off agreements then said you went with the most expensive >> because we didn't choose to do top off agreements >> right so they didn't change what they >> ended up it ended up pretty much changing I mean conquer had been kind of the school we sent all our kids to but they ended up going so so much up it wasn't even that much difference >> but even but even before that I mean before we knew conquered would go up I mean >> people were saying to do top off agreements and the board >> was saying they didn't feel that that was the way to go um and then once it passed and they said no we'll pay tuition to these three schools people were saying well you chose the most expensive way
073because you could have done top off agreements >> right >> well the well it is I guess in my opinion. I I think that is true. You stood by what the principles that you wanted to move or the board did. >> I wasn't on the board, but >> but they they thought that it was more important for everyone to be able to go. >> So they they So the board did still choose the more expensive way to do it. >> Quite frankly, you wouldn't have all those kids at CO you have now. If parents had to pay $2,000 to send their kids to CO Brown, I think there's a lot of parents who wouldn't have done that. Oh, that's probably true. Absolutely. But again, going back to um what Jess said about the the school
074of record. >> So, if we're going to do those top off agreements and we make Pemrook the school of record, now we're saying that, you know, potentially Co. Brown, I'm just using them as an example, is not going to accept all of our students, >> right? >> They could still >> I don't know. I mean that would be up to >> I'm saying you said that that was the reason that the school board felt that it was super important. >> Correct. >> So I'm just that's something to consider is whether >> we're also in a different era than we were even three years ago because of where we're at in the state with open enrollment. >> Right. >> So it is a much different landscape in high school education especially coming into the next six
075months. Um there's a lot of a lot of detailed discussion happening at the state level between superintendents at the state with a lot of schools starting to trickle toward that open enrollment piece. You know, I think it's it's worth a relook at and reconsideration even though I know that you guys the board voted on it not too long ago, but I think the landscape is so different now than it was even three years ago with some of the rule changes and laws and conversations that are happening currently in high school public. >> I mean, there's also currently a request to have, you know, other schools which I think would not accept all of our students. Correct. >> So it can sort of be both ways. Like we can't demand that these schools take all of
076our children but then also have pushes for schools that won't take all of our children. >> Yeah. No, I mean if the open enrollment is changing the whole, >> you know, ball game. So that's completely different than what we were dealing with, right? >> And we were also dealing with a very unfair system in the past where they had a lottery kids. So many kids went here, went there. You know, Co Brown picked the cream of crop of students. I mean, we did not want that. So that was just there were a lot of very unhappy people, a lot of kids crying their eyes out when they didn't get the school they wanted. So we didn't want that to happen. But if this is going to change with open enrollment, but I do want to
077caution everybody because just because you have open enrollment and say we made Pemrook our school of record, that's not to say that Co Brown is going to agree to be an open enrollment school. I doubt they will too. Conquered High probably will because their population is going down. It's very likely that they might change and become. But I I just want to be clear about that. I cannot imagine Koban would do it, >> right? I can't see them. >> They set their tuition rate then that's their tuition rate. >> But we don't need them to either. >> No. Correct. We still have a contract with them. >> Right. >> For just a year. >> Yeah. One more year. >> Right. But we don't need them to to be in open enrollment schools. >> Right. And
078if if we are if we do >> if we do the top off agreements, I think there is less incentive for this board to get rid of Cob Brown as an option because if we're paying the same price as we are to Penrook. >> Yeah. >> Then what does it matter if we have Cobr or not? >> Like and I guess there's no open enrollment choices and that opens up the choices too. It just might mean that Cob Brown for for parents they'd have to pay extra >> to send their kids. So, are we talking about opening it beyond the three those three schools? >> Yeah, I think that's that would be if you're talking top off agreements, you're talking about opening it up to free choice >> of any high school that would accept
079a child essentially, >> right? And and savings the opposite way. If there are schools that are less than Pbrook, correct? >> Then we would save money, >> right? But the I want to I also want to point out the other thing that we as a board decided was we were only talking public schools. We are not talking private schools. >> That was an old board. So that >> I I stand still very firmly behind that. I think this is public education, not private education. They do not have the same standards. They do not go by the same rules. And I just think it's I think it's wrong to use public funding taxes to pay for private schools. So I'm just going to say that. That's my opinion. Maybe you don't all feel that way, but
080I'm just putting it right out there. I will never vote to spend money on private schools. >> Even though they perform better, generally speaking, >> based on what? They don't >> say who based on what? They don't have to do testing. What? What are you basing that on? They don't do any of the state testing, >> right? Like by what metric, right? They don't. What are we talking? >> And they also don't have to take students with >> Definitely. >> So, they have a very different population as well. >> Yeah. So yeah, again it's nobody cares about saving money except you know I don't know >> well I also have principles canon okay I want to save money but I have principles I feel that I'm on school board for public education and I believe
081in public education private education does not play by the same um rules as public education does I have seen students that should have had an IEP go into a a private school and they get kicked out. I'm sorry. I don't believe in that. I believe that we need to educate all the students and I do not want my money going to private schools. I want my money going to public education. People that don't have the money to pay for private schools, people who kids have IEPs that need extra support that they will not get in private schools. So, I'm sorry. That's how I feel about it. I also think, you know, we base a lot of our decisions on what the town has voted for and the town has not voted to have their money
082sent to private schools, right? So, if you wanted to have an art warn article about that, we could. >> Yep. >> Well, you're saying that you can open it to other schools, even though I thought those three schools were on the warrant article that was passed. >> The warrant article that was passed was, should we make those the school of record? Okay. So, but you're saying you don't you're saying that we can open it up to other schools. >> I that's not my preference to be clear. I would prefer that we just stick with where we are. But I don't know what's going to happen with open enrollment. I don't know how much choice we're going to have about that. So would I rather if kids are sort of going everywhere, would I rather pay
083less money? Yes. If we have Pemrook as our school of record and then top off agreements on top of that >> just for the three schools that we currently have, >> right? I mean the issue with and we've talked about this at Nauseium when we decided this but the issue is that if we have kids going everywhere again our special education transportation costs are going to be astronomical. So if we have kids going several going to Manchester, if we have some going to conquer, we have some going to do if we have some like we're going to be busing kids all over the place. And that's not a cost that we have any say in that's not a cost that we can control. >> It also kind of bothers me that you lose the community,
084too. I mean, kids are all going all over the place and you don't really have that community of students from Deerfield anymore. But but I'm open to >> Yeah. >> I mean, I just don't know that we're going to have the much choice in the matter. Yeah, I can bring back I'll bring back more information for next time. Okay, that may help guide the conversation. >> So, is that going to be what was the is there a proposal for a warrant article for that or what was >> No, you can make one. >> Oh, okay. I didn't know if she had that's >> I would Well, I don't know. Um, the original warrant said public schools and it was a citizens warrant. It wasn't one the school board put out. The one for high school
085choice. >> Shall the high school or shall the school board contract with more than one, >> right? But it was a but the public had put it out. It wasn't one you put out. >> Oh, before not now. the original one >> because even the original high school choice one said public schools >> and it was it was >> and a few years before that they had put it out and they asked a second one if it costs more money for school choice are you for it and the town vote said no but then it came up again do you want school choice and it got voted in this was like two years later >> and that's why we did it so >> but even that warrant said public We've always >> So we can't
086change it without another >> I mean we can it was advisory but >> I wouldn't recommend >> I think that would have to go out to the town. >> I agree because I think even you know people who supported high school choice as a concept many of them did not support um private and public or private and religious institutions. And I also want to mention that a lot of people do send their kids to private schools. They plan on doing that. That's their intention. They do it. And so for you to say that we would save money by paying for them to go to a private school is not necessarily true because they had the intention of going there anyway. But now you might have, you know, now you're paying for these kids that already
087planned on going there. >> Right. Like there are >> we don't pay for private school kids right now. >> Yeah. But they they also just like you said, the kids that are going to co- brown that would not go there if there was top off agreements. They may go there and save us money and that wasn't the plan. >> Yeah, but we're not. Okay, I see. If you're saying from Cob Brown, they might go to a private school. Yes, but you don't really know. >> Saying any Deerfield student, a kid that goes to Conquered or what, they could choose a private school. >> Okay, I see what you're saying. You could you could potentially just create a warrant that would allow you to explore it because you're going into your last year of contracts with
088places. >> Yeah. >> So, we'd be looking at renewing contracts next year. So, you're going to have to have this discussion again, >> right? >> Either way, so you could you could put it out to the voters. I I'll say though the biggest the biggest thing that hasn't been mentioned is that um >> if we make Pemrook our school of record now all those kids that can't afford the top off agreement in CO Brown are now forced to go to Penrook. So >> right that's why we didn't do top off agreements to begin. >> Right. But I'm I just, >> you know, >> either that or you could grandfather who are currently in the >> Oh, I thought we would we would kind of have to do that. >> Yeah, that's what I mean. Like
089you would grandfather your kids in, >> right? But I mean, even still, I think, >> right? >> I I don't know. >> I don't disagree with you >> at that point. Yeah. >> And that's why >> at that point, if we were going to do that, then we might as well probably take conquered off the table alto together. And I don't know. I just >> why take conquered off the table? >> Well, just >> just because it offers a whole different education and there's still kids that will want that. >> Yeah. So, >> well, they offer the the um the that the programming the conquer the CRTC program is offered through Penrook, isn't it? >> A lot more. You have to pay additional for that. Concrete. It's part of our >> Oh, okay. Oh, I
090was I didn't realize that. >> It's already part of the tuition. Well, no. I was just thinking that just in terms of um you know the costs with you know with special ed and everything going >> I get it but I and again this probably isn't tonight to be having the discussion because we have a lot more but I would argue against taking conquered off the map because the whole reason people wanted co brown on as a choice was because of the programming that they offered felt that there was more agricultural kind things and stuff. So for me to now take conquered off, you have those kids that want to go to a big school and want that experience and want the sports that they offer the band, you know, all those I'm just kind
091of spitballing just thinking of >> I get it and also are so close and the I was thinking that >> most of the the push for >> conquered I thought was programs that Pemrook offered. as well. >> Right. So, the top off agreements would also apply to Cobra. >> I mean to conquer. >> I know. That's my point. That was that was my point is that all those K like there's I'm I just think that there's going to be there's going to be a lot of people that um are going to be forced to pen >> and again cost savings if you were really looking. >> We didn't ask for a 15% cut. >> Correct. I mean, if we're I don't know that we can talk about fairness without saying it's not fair. None of
092this is fair. >> It's not fair. I don't I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that >> um just based on it again the it keeps being brought up about the previous boards in those discussions. I'm just >> kind of bringing up things that whether they are important. I'm I'm not >> I'll be honest. I'm not opposed to the top off agreements because I I honestly I think that that that kind of balances the you know the fiscal responsibility portion of of this. There are a lot of people you know that can't afford um their taxes and stuff and saving money for the town and still providing those opportunities. Well, when you have a, you know, just the tuition expendable trust fund, if you have that and the language is broad enough, you could have
093that be used as like a scholarship almost for families to apply to because if you leave it broad enough that it's, you know, tuition, too, if just throwing it out there, that would that would have to grow pretty big to actually >> grow. Also, like it would have to be a scholarship for four years. I mean, it's not like >> and and honestly, I I think that our intention and you guys correct me if I'm wrong, but I think our intention with that trust is more for the unexpected. Yeah. Right. Because those those are costs that we really can't control. I like the idea, you know, scholarship fund. We can establish a different thing funded. We need to be specific about, you know, what our intention for it is. But >> well, do you want
094I mean, do you want me to put come up with some kind of language for a top off agreement as a warrant and then you guys can always take it off at the next round? >> I think I think we could >> and it would be to explore >> to explore, right? Like would the town >> uh like while we're pursuing >> contracts next year, would that be an option the town? That's fair. Okay. because then you're getting the pulse of what people feel in the town. >> Okay. Um I think that was the end of my list. I think >> any anyone else have ideas they want to spitball right now? >> No. >> Otherwise, I think we because we need to have things drafted for the 6th >> and of course it is
095the holidays. I would say we need to get them to draft by Friday. If we have other ideas, >> yeah, I'm >> I'm good. >> Yeah. Anything. If you if you go home and your brain starts tingling and whatever, just make get them to me ASAP. It might >> Okay. >> I wake up in the middle of the night >> again. >> Yeah. >> Oh, I I'm constantly up with the baby. So, >> Well, you have an excuse. >> You have a reason, >> Brenda. 3 in the morning. I'm your gal. That's just stress. Um, okay. Anything else for warrant articles? No. Okay. Conflict of interest complaints. Um, do you want me to just give a brief overview? >> Sure. Okay. We received two conflict of interest complaints um that were spoken about um at
096the last meeting in public comments, but um they were uh toward Ellen and Nancy saying that they have a conflict of interest um in voting on the budget because uh they are both former teachers and they are retired and receive pension from the New Hampshire retirement system and possibly medical benefits through the district >> and absolutely no in the medical benefits we absolutely not um I wish >> let's see and then there was one part let me see just a time of that I want to make it very clear that um once a person retires that the school district no longer funs any portion of health benefits um for that individual and no portion of retirement benefits. So, anything that would have been paid into the retirement system was paid for while they were an
097employee and once they're no longer an employee there is nothing paid for by the district for any of that. Uh health care the most health companies when you're associated with a group once you leave you can choose to independently stay with that company if that's what they offer but that's offered through the company not through the school district. um they would only be entitled to choose the plans that the school district had. But again, the school district does not pay for any of those um premiums or um benefits at that time. The other and then and that's for retirees under 65. Anybody over the age of 65 are eligible for a separate set of plans that the school has nothing to do with and doesn't dictate anything. Um, so and then it's been made very
098clear that um they do not receive school benefits. >> I only used the health insurance once when I taught here for one year when Jeff went back to school. Otherwise, I've always been on his plan. >> I saved the school money. So, and I did reach out to legal and they agreed that there's no conflict. Correct. Um there's also I did want to touch on um regarding NY's comments about um her heart lies with Deerfield Community School and that you shouldn't be voting on things. I couldn't disagree more with that statement. I think we all have opinions and if we aren't allowed to vote based on our opinions, none of us would be able voting on any of this. >> And some of that was directed towards that I would not fund high school tuition
099because of DCS. And I never have said I wouldn't fund high school tuition. We have to we have to pay high school tuition. And that mostly was when I was running. And also um I had said that if the town voted for high school choice then as a school board member I would support high school choice. That's what I have to do. So yes. >> Yeah. But having an opinion or even a bias toward one thing does not >> mean that you have to recuse yourself from votes. Um the conflict of interest. I'm going to sound like a broken record if anyone listened to the board of selected meeting on Monday, but notifying someone of a of a conflict of interest is a risk a risk mitigation strategy. You're saying, "I think you have a
100conflict. You shouldn't vote. If you do vote, you're potentially opening up the board to litigation." But no one, including the chair, no one can tell you not to vote on something. they can suggest maybe you shouldn't vote on this or think about this before you vote, but no one can preclude you from voting. So, if you decide, I do feel like I have a a a monetary conflict of interest here. Um, then that's your choice ultimately. >> And I don't know if Jess knew these have been filed on the town side against us as well. >> Yes, I'm aware. >> So, the town and I can explain that a little bit. The town has a conflict of interest ordinance. Um, and these were also filed with the town. Um, the town is getting clarity on
101whether they have jurisdiction to adjudicate these conflicts of interest at the at the uh board of selectmen. Um, they oh, they do anticipate talking about it at their meeting on December 29th. Um, it will be on the agenda, but they are seeking legal counsel about that. And I sent you the information from our HR director regarding the um process for >> which I'll we'll forward along to the town. >> Will they deliberate on >> I I based on the conflict of interest ordinance, I'm still not sure what what would be accomplished. >> Um again, they can't preclude you from voting. I can't preclude you from voting. So I guess I don't know what the result would be if they found that you were in conflict. Don't know that has not been able to be explained
102to me. Um okay. Anything else on those? No. All right. Committee assignments. Uh and this is your request I believe to put on the agenda if we wanted to talk about committee assignments like the where people are appointed to serve. >> Um no I I thought I just I I wasn't intending to put it on the agenda. I sent an email just about >> making sure that um we were represented at that meeting on Saturday. That was really and I had asked I didn't receive a response back from you, but I was trying to determine whether what Kendra's understanding was is actually fact. um that um that we can't have a what the what was that did the oh what the NBC did the other night with adding like a third and >> oh >>
103well they added a vice chair >> and they added another person >> right they added a third of a vice >> so you would have the alternate and then a second chair >> well it's not that crazy right the NBC had how many members missing the >> vice chair and then a secondary vice chair. >> Yes, they they moved to do that >> right >> on Saturday. >> No, I know. >> Yeah, >> right. So, um just given the scheduling conflict that you all had, I just thought that it would be a good idea for us to have another alternate. >> And I don't I based on my reading of the statute, I don't think that's allowed. It says that the school board can schoolboard has to appoint a representative and an alternate. So to
104me a phrase an alternate means a singular alter alternate, >> right? Um yeah. So I that's your interpretation. So, I guess I'd like to find out if that's >> I mean, I do think the the the point is a little moot at this point because I'm going to all the meetings. There are only two more meetings. >> Well, it took it took that like >> No, it didn't. No, we were talking among ourselves. No, it didn't. There was a big huge like outcry, all this sort of stuff. We were talking about it. We were going to make sure it was covered. If they were going to have a meeting that Saturday, we were going to make sure it was covered. We were we were suggesting that maybe they don't have the meeting that Saturday, but
105it was insisted upon on having the meeting even though they haven't had that meeting for like six years that Saturday. They had it that Saturday. We were in communication and that's why I emailed you back and said, "Don't worry, we've got it covered. It was a hardship for me, but I went and >> and I appreciate that." My point was that that it didn't maybe necessarily need to happen if we had that other alternate and that um there's >> Okay. But do you want to spend money on legal to have them look at that to see if legal thinks >> I don't know. >> I mean we could get an opinion for NHSA potentially. >> We can ask them. >> Yeah. I don't I mean >> ask the New Hampshire school board association >> going
106and then you're saying that it didn't take the push back said that there was a conflict of interest that's what we said conflict yeah not a conflict of I'm sorry we'll get back to the other one I had that conflict of interest um yeah we said that we had a scheduling conflict we brought that up a lot of other people on the budget said they couldn't make it either but it was they were insisting on going and so at the meeting I said I will go I was at that meeting when they talking about and I said I'll be there. So, we did handle it. >> Um, do you want to reach out to NHSBA or you want me to? I can. Okay. >> Okay. Um, budget discussion. Um, I didn't have this on the
107agenda because when we created this agenda a week ago, >> I didn't anticipate that we'd be talking about the agenda or about the budget so soon. Um, but here we are. A lot has changed in a week. >> Yeah. I I mean, I like I'd like to ask a question. It may be inappropriate. You can let me know if it is, but um I've been Well, I've been very outward spoken about that I'm very much against the 15% decrease. Kendra, you have too because you voted against it. Nancy, you've spoken at public hearings. Canon, you said on public media, and maybe I misunderstand it, but it sounded like you were for the 15% cut. You said like, "Way to go. Good job." Maybe I misunderstood it. Missy, you haven't said anything on media. So, I
108don't really know how you feel about it. I know your husband did both go up and speak at the NBC meeting and said he was for it, but I know husbands and wives don't always agree, so I don't really know what you think about it. But, I would like to hear your comments on what you think about the 15%. And if you're for the 15%, I'd like to know just exactly where you think that money can come out of the budget because our conversations with the budget so far, all I've heard is that, you know, you've talked about the art and music programs, you talked about kindergarten, we did reduce by one FTE, we did get rid of a bus. I don't recall anything else that you guys wanted out of the budget. We had
109disagreements and we, you know, voted different than you guys voted, but what is it that you think three million can come out of this budget? So, I'm I'm open to hear. Yeah, you're not I'm not going to be responsible for finding all the cuts that the NBC is lower. >> Oh, yeah. We will, but we're not right now. >> I went through this budget line by line by line. I took the time because it's our responsibility to do that. I looked at all the possible cuts that quite frankly the community and the school would be very unhappy to have to cut and I still just came up with 1.2 million. And that's like major cuts. So, I would really like to know how you think we can do 15%. Or if you think we can.
110>> No, I don't think we can do 15%. I don't think we will do 15%. >> Oh, no. He got voted at 15% in the comment. >> I understand that. Like you said, I think that the word scheme was or was that who Oh, no. Candi said that. I'm sorry. >> Mr. Mr. at the meeting. >> No, her comment about about meeting it was >> I know I was there. I understand that. So, I think that that was a very poor choice of words and that um Stacy brought it up as strategy and I think that it that's exactly what it was. It's strategy to get the 5%. It's not and like, you know, everybody can disagree that it's not guaranteed that it's going to get added back because there are no guarantees. But I
111can, you know, almost guarantee that every that that room's going to be full of people on one side and they're going to add that back. >> Okay. You're on social media, though saying, "Hey, good job. 15%." I want to know where the 15% is going to come from. You weren't saying, "Oh yeah, 15% we'll go back down to 5%. We'll cut the budget by a million." Even a million. No, >> I did. I actually did not say that. I said, "I love what the NBC did." That's what I said. >> So, >> I'm probably getting too I'm getting too antagonistic. I'm sorry. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I will roll it back. I will roll it back. But I just feel that it is our responsibility as school board members to go line by line to
112figure out what those cuts are. We have been looking at this budget for six or seven weeks. And I don't recall either of you and and I'm sorry, Missy, if you don't feel that way because you haven't said anything publicly, but I don't feel that anything's come up that gets anywhere close to a 5% budget cut. If that's what that's going by, >> that's when I don't want to do these things. I don't want to do them, but I haven't heard them from you. >> 1.2. Okay. >> Yeah. It was detrimental. >> Detrimental. >> I assume that's cutting all high school transportation, all extracurriculars, >> all school choice, all extracurricular, all sports, you know, bunch of teachers. Like, I don't want to do any of that. I think that's very detrimental to the school. And
113my point is that doing all that, that's detrimental to the school because we are supposed to be providing an adequate education for our students here in Deerfield. That is our job. And by doing that, I still only got to that amount of money where the budget committee said 15% which is three million. And I don't agree with this whole scheming thing. You cut the budget by that, you cut the budget by that. I don't care what they say about deliberative session. You don't know what's going to happen deliberative session. It got cut by that much because >> there's only one way to to do that. And that was the whole point. That is the whole point. You could have they could have gone line by line and said we think we need to cut this
114here or we would recommend this. They >> that's the only but they could have done gone and I'm again I'm not on the NBC so they went whether they went line by line or not that it still would have ended the same way. They still could have done the same thing at the end of going line by line on everything. They still could have moved that same budget. >> At least we would have had some recommendations so we have an idea of what they think where we could cut. But my point still on the table. >> So I'm not really arguing with you about what's going on in the budget committee. My point is what are you what cuts do you think are okay? Because in the six to seven weeks that we've been talking,
115I've only heard a few cuts that you've recommended. >> Yeah. And they all get shut down. So I don't there's no point of me sitting here all night wasting my breath on everything that's going to get voted against. >> On the three things that you voted and one of them I voted with you. The three things that have come up. The bus. We voted on it. the kindergarten teacher we voted against. And then the other motion was to reduce by an FTE and I voted with you. >> Well, we tal we talked about a lot of other things. >> Music and art. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I can't think of anything else. >> Okay. Well, it every it like I said, I'm I'm not we're gonna have plenty of time to talk about all that
116stuff. I'm just I'm just putting out there that I feel like there's a lot of talk here about reducing stuff and not real specifics about like doing your job and actually looking at it and coming up with it. >> Well, now it's going to force our hand to actually do that. >> Yes, it is. >> I was to understand at the end of the NBC meeting, I think this is what I heard was that they still wanted to go through it line by line. Am I incorrect with this? >> Why bother? >> That's what I thought. But I thought I heard >> in the same regard. You're just saying that why bother? You want to hear it or you don't? You want recommendations. So like I said, they could have gone line by line and
117you would have got your recommendations and then they still would have voted six to five to >> pass that we wouldn't agree with anything they said. That's pretty >> correct. I also think if they had >> I'm saying that they could have still moved that same budget regardless of >> but it didn't happen. >> Vote with them anyways on moving that budget. >> So it's not an assumption that happened. >> The school board rep would not have voted for that because that's not what the school board had approved. But >> you have to vote accord I guess. Can I just The one thing that gets me with all this so part of me feels they put the cart is it the cart before the horse. They made the vote and now let's go through and
118give you the recommendation. The part that bothers me the most through this whole thing. Well, a couple things really bother me. One, I do think it was a strategy and I don't think the whole NBC was part of the strategy. So, where that happened that part of them knew it and part of them didn't. This is my opinion. I feel like it was a strategy for some and that bothers me that they didn't talk about it as a full board if that was a plan. Um the part that really bothers me is that the NBC took six meetings, six meetings to go over a $5 million town budget. They called in all the department heads. They went over their budgets with them, discussed things, had a conversation, >> reduce things. >> I was there. >>
119I didn't hear I didn't reduce, but they could >> for the school budget, which is a $21 million budget. They had one meeting where they discussed the budget. It was less than three hours. They didn't even get through the entire budget. They got through one section of it >> and then when we left that Tuesday night meeting, it sounded as if they were going to continue the discussion on Saturday. Yet between Tuesday and Saturday, they felt they knew enough about the budget to propose a three mill over $3 million cut. So the town budget, they met with everyone, talked about it, discussed it, but the school, they didn't. And I know some say they watch all the meetings, they know what we talked about with the budget. They read the budget carefully. As a school
120board member, I do not have confidence that I know everything in that budget that I could make $3 million worth of cuts. So, I find it really hard to believe that all the NBC members had the confidence to after meeting for less than three hours for a discussion to make that vote. That's what bothers me. And so now, yeah, we'll talk about it. We'll give you suggestions now, but it's too late for them to do anything. Had they discussed it, if truly everybody on the NBC was on the same page to listen, if they went through it, it could have swayed either way. >> It could have swayed some of the people that were thinking, "No, we're going to make cuts to listen and say, "Oh, I get it now. this section. You know, I
121hate to always bring up special ed, but I'm going to bring up special ed that oh, if we don't fund this, we could have a lawsuit. We could have various things, you know? I mean, I just feel like they weren't fair. They didn't treat the town I won't use the word fair. I know life's not fair. They did not treat the town and the school equally. And that's my opinion. >> Yeah. >> No, I appreciate that. I think that again uh I think that that suggests that the strategy was um discussed outside of a meeting. Um I think that that's an assumption that I don't think is fair to all those people. I think that many of them are like-minded and typically vote in the same manner. Um, and our the majority of those members
122are pretty well informed on this budget. Um, and again, it keeps being brought up about $3 million. Again, it is a strategy to achieve $1 million. So, I don't I agree. I don't think that they could probably find $3 million. And I don't think that they intend to. >> Right. And I think had they gone line by line through the budget, they could not have with a straight face gotten to the a $3 million cut. I guarantee you they would not have all agreed on a full scale let's get rid of all extracurriculars. No one on the NBC would have actually voted for that. I don't think they would if they were saying let's cut the teacher salary line by 57%. I don't think that actually would have been approved at the NBC. So, I
123think they did not specifically go through the budget because they could not have in good faith and with a straight face actually proposed those cuts and had everyone vote on them. >> And I don't again I don't that I'm not on that board. I don't know. So >> I am and I that that is how I feel like there >> we actually a lot of votes on the NBC end up being unanimous or there will be one or two people that vote but like we often get consensus of like yes we can live without this. How it has happened in previous years is that they say what would it look like if this were cut and then they make that decision and whether or not they can actually cut lines themselves they can't really. So,
124it's sort of a mood point, but they could reduce the bottom line by this with the idea that and sometimes the school agrees we could do without X, Y, or Z, but that was just there was zero collaboration. Um, I just find the whole thing deeply disappointing. And if the strategy was, okay, we're going to cut 15 because that way we get um to at least get a million cut, just come right out and say, "We need we we really would like to find a million dollars in this budget. Let's talk as a committee." I I just I >> But you're >> but but then you're opening it up back for >> and that's >> the 10% on top of the 1 million to get or the 10% of 1 million to get added back
125>> and that their strategy then the NBC's strategy was to control the school budget basically >> and not give >> take it out of the school's hands at all >> voters a choice because the the choice at deliberative is accept the NBC's or make a choice to do something different. So the NBC's actions were depriving the town of the choice to do that. So they can't the voters will not have a choice to vote for what the school board put forward. We are the people that they elected to be here to look over the education of Deerfield. They the voters do not have a choice to approve what we recommended. >> Not what we recommended though. >> And that I think is but about the same dollar amount. And the question was also brought up
126about whether or not um line items can be spent in you know money can be moved amongst those line items and we constant we're talking about working in default and that we can't spend the money on this because it's over here but we need it over here. And we can >> certain things can be moved right but not all. >> It just doesn't reflect current practice, >> right? Okay. So that is so that is the point that that was the point is that they we essentially still can get what we want. >> I do think we should create a policy stating that because it has not been prior practice that you know Jess or the SAU has permission to just sort of expend out of any >> typically right without permission. It's it's poor budgeting
127practice, period. However, it is it is legally allowable, but it is poor practice. >> So, some districts have a policy saying they can move money without requesting from the board up to like $5,000 or whatever. >> So, our own districts within >> but then I there there is a rule I or an RSA I believe that says any money that is moved from a line we have to keep a record of. Correct. So we would just have to sort of make sure we're keeping a record of anything that gets >> if we had an FTE that didn't get filled. We can move that money around. >> We can we typically try to avoid that because it's not good practice for budgeting, >> right? >> Okay. >> Because it's not it's >> I was under the
128impression that we couldn't do that. >> We it's a bottom line budget. We assign things we assign things to certain lines for clarity and transparency because that's what people vote on. >> So it it's considered somewhat deceptive if you're constantly moving things around when that's >> then you're not giving them the budget that they voted. I don't get it. >> Okay. >> So it's not good practice to do those things. >> But it is allowable and we do have we do have a procedure in place if we do move that we permissions I sign. Trish writes it up. So there is a procedure in place if but we don't do it without permission. >> Right. >> What is there a dollar amount like um just >> um doesn't have we do it for every and
129it's not very often. >> Very. >> Yeah. Very rare. >> Yeah. Because like you said, it is not good practice. >> You don't want to move from a supply line to an unsimilar line, right? You know, from maintenance to our try and keep it. >> Yeah, I think it was a maintenance thing that we moved. It was maintenance to maintenance. So, >> we tried and we had justice. I mean, at the time, Patty's >> I just I find it so funny. Not funny. I shouldn't say funny because none of this is funny, but they're the town is having issues with getting their budget approved and a lot of people site because they don't spend money in the lines that they are supposed to. So, they haven't been spending money on the highway department because they're
130using the highway department as to fund personnel at this point. >> Yeah. the town moves the money all around >> and so they're saying, you know, we can't we don't we don't trust the the town's budget because they don't account for things properly. And then at the same time saying, you guys can do whatever you want. Just move money around. And I just I don't know how to square all of these things that just don't make sense. >> But it is what it is. The actual DCS part of the budget, >> the whole budget >> besides high school, behi besides fed, >> what happens? >> Your 1100s. Yep. >> Yeah. So, what percentage did that go up? This year, do you remember? >> Oh, I don't I don't Okay. No. All right. No, >> look.
131I can look. >> No, I meant >> it went Oh, I can spit it off actually. >> 1100s went up $346,000. 303 of which was high school tuition. >> Okay. >> so 46 43,000 for DCS building. >> So, that's our increase yet we're the ones that are going to have to make the $3 million cut or if it does go back in and nobody makes any other cuts because you understand people at deliberative could still cut more. they can go and cut more still. So if this doesn't go in and then some people decide to make some more cuts. So this building went up 40 well and high school tuition, but we went up the smallest amount yet we're going to be responsible for the cuts. And that means if it if this goes through
132the way it is come March, whoever's on this board is going to have the job of doing it, right? It's and Kristen and you'll be around, but it won't >> we hope. >> No, but um >> it will be the school board, whoever is on the school board at that time. the school board sitting here. >> First meeting we got a contract $3 million worth of cuts. >> Yep. That's what we're working. >> And hopefully we won't be making that much. But that's what we have to assume. >> I can't go out and buy a beach house assuming I'm going to win that lottery tonight. >> Correct. >> So, but that's what we've got to plan. Think that way that we could be making those kind of cuts. I think that there's a lot of
133uh I I I mean just stuff like that, you know, the you know, the the kindergarten move. I know that that's a small thing, but we're not even adhering to our own standards that we re our own recommendations. If we're not adhering to our own recommendations and saving where we can save money, that's where they're going to go and force their hand. We cut an FTE. So like it could have been it could have like they don't know that. So it seems like >> well it it was known because there was a specific dollar amount given to us that night >> that was for the lowest. Yeah. When we when we remove staff there's rules that we have to follow. So, and I think part of the cuts that people don't understand is that when
134we have to make a cut, even like a million dollars, you're not cutting staff who are your most expensive staff, because we cannot cut those people because of our CBA and the rights that they're entitled to. It's your lowest paid, newest teachers that typically are your first to go. And it takes more of them to equal the amount of a handful of more experienced educators. So it could take 10 newer employees to equal four experienced staff. And so I think that's the thing that people don't understand when you say these cuts. You can't cut your most expensive typically. you're cutting your lowest paid with the least amount of benefits typically because a they're either still on their parents insurance because they're under 26 or >> unless you assign it to a specific position >> but
135then we have to riff the position not the personnel. >> So when we riff a position and this is also a thing that people don't understand if we were going to riff and just this is totally hypothetical please do not hold this against me. If we were to cut eighth grade ELA, we're saying we don't need an eighth grade English teacher. You cut the position. You don't cut the person. If it's a tenure teacher and they hold a credential that would put them in and bump out a younger teacher, we are required to put that more experienced teacher in place of that younger teacher and bump them out. We cannot get rid of our tenure, more experienced staff if we are able to move them into a different position and bump out a younger, less
136tenure staff. It's a requirement. >> Yeah. >> So, it's not as easy as it appears uh that it would be. It's not like a private business where you're like, "All right, you're too expensive. You're out. You're out. You're out. You're out." That's not >> No. But there's two music teachers or two art teachers. There's only one. there's only one. You're not going to move an art teacher to >> sometimes they hold multiple credentials. >> Okay? >> And so you may have an art teacher who also holds a special education certification. >> We would be required to move them into a special education position and bump out a younger, newer special education teacher potentially. I know I'm throwing out a lot of >> hypotheticals and like inflammatory like we're but I just need people to understand
137it in layman's terms because the reality of a $1 million cut is way more detrimental than people think it will be because of the amount of personnel that have to make up that $1 million cut. It takes an extraordinary amount of personnel to get to a million dollars, more than people think it does because we're hiring the cheap or we're non-renewing the cheapest. Yeah. >> That's a huge flaw in our CBA. >> That's part of Indian rights and agreements and >> well that's it's negotiated at contract time. It's not right now. It's under contract, but >> it's common language though. That's common language everywhere. and and negotiations are it's it's a complicated process. It's not a both parties have to come in with good faith efforts and negotiating, not coming in with preset determinations of
138like we're getting rid of this. You have to come in with good faith. There's attorneys involved. There's a whole It's a whole process. It's not a one v one handshake, let's get this done type of thing. It it is a very formal process, >> of course. Yeah. So it's it's more complicated than I think the general public understand. So just know just know and understand that nuance when we're casually throwing around oh it's only a one because it's 1.7 million. It's almost a $2 million cut. Even if we get back in the amount the 10% right you're talking 1.7 million. So it's almost a $2 million cut. That's an incredible amount of staff. Um, so just be aware of that and it's your K to8 because we can't c cut staff in high school and
139we're very very limited on what we can cut for special ed and special ed personnel make up 33% of your staff in this building. So just just aware of that >> regular education in this building will suffer. >> Yeah. And that is the reality. And when she was saying the number of staffs, Penrook, I brought this up last night. Pemrook had a had proposed a $33 million budget. It had been um decreased by 3 million. So they had a $30 million budget and they had to um reduce staff by 27 >> and that >> but that was over three schools. So basically, if if this doesn't change, if we're still looking at a $1.7 million decrease, we're talking it wouldn't be 27, but we'd be talking. >> It could be 20ish >> or high into
140the double digits. >> Yeah. Staff that we would have to get rid of. >> It would majority would be gened. Correct. And I know what you were saying about numbers, class sizes and stuff, but we, you know, we talked about that too with um some of it we try to maybe put it together, but then it puts you over on the other end or we also talked about even classroom sizes and stuff. So, there's a lot we have to look at with that, too. >> Well, with kindergarten, that's not that that doesn't >> that's one one class. I mean that's not going to kindergarten is not we're talking about >> is one class and we decided to not stick to our recommendations. So I think that people maybe those on the NBC are seeing that
141as not a good faith effort >> because we're not even adhering to our own recommendations. >> Are you claiming that they are punitively cutting our budget by 1.7 million because one kindergarten class? >> No, that's not >> because that is what it sounds like. We didn't take public comments. We didn't agree with public comments. I will say we didn't agree fundamentally and philosophically with what they were saying. Those same people marched over to GBW, cut $1.5 million, $1.7 at least between 1.7 and $3.1 million because we don't agree with them. Is that what you're saying? >> That they obviously don't agree with you because they voted against your budget. So yeah, but that that's why >> not over one position. No, that was an example. >> You can take all the examples you come up
142with and it doesn't even come close to 1.7 what you want >> that they have proposed might get us a few hundred,000. I also want to point out too with kindergarten because we've we've had this like adnauseia but right now if you look at the numbers and that's what a lot of people were saying you know we have someone who keeps coming up here and saying that 12 but it is now December we don't know what those numbers are going to be in September and we had one year where the numbers were very low we had one year we put them in three we had 18 what was it this year 16 >> this year's low >> be a four so it's but if we had kept it three it would have still been up
143would have been up there. So, it's just that we don't know those numbers with kindergarten. So, that's one thing, but I I just still I mean, I agree with Kendra. It's like, okay, we've talked about maybe three, four positions that you've talked about you want to get rid of. I don't see where that even comes close to what this cut the cut that they want to do. >> Even six positions that were requested at public comments at an NBC meeting, six positions, not getting us anywhere near $1.7 million. and maybe their math was bad or they don't understand how this works despite their claims that they know how all of this works. But a $1.7 million cut and that is giving a lot of undue faith to what is going to happen in February is
144will be catastrophic to this school. And there's nothing that this board can do about that right now. And I just I'm just disgusted. I don't I don't know what else to say. And we're going to talk about this I think >> in non public. Um but I just I don't know what else to do. But we're going to have to figure it out. But no child in this district will not be impacted. So, if we're talking about fairness for high school, if we're talking about fairness, fairness is out the window. Every single child will have to suffer because of these budget cuts. Unfortunately, not my choice, not the board's choice, but will happen. >> You may have already covered your >> Yeah, I'm not talking about the board reports. I thought I was just gonna
145talk about where we were at at the NBC. Um, >> the table. >> That is it. >> Okay. Well, I will talk about it. I will say the NBC has approved our bottom line budget, which is a reduction of $3.1 million or 15%. It has been formally adopted by the NBC. Um and they need to present it at deliberative and that is that. Um we do need to give them our warn articles. So they >> um they signed the MS-27 >> but I thought other meetings the board was or is just the warrant articles that we that the board discuss or presents. >> So typically what happens at deliberative is the is the NBC chair or a representative comes up and says this is the budget presented by the NBC. they sit down. I will
146often take over and say, "These are all the things in our budget. This is why we're hoping it gets approved. These are the big changes." Um, I think I will have to say what I've said here at deliberative and that will be the explanation unless you would like to offer more more ideas. >> Well, part of me almost feels like it has to be their job. >> It is their job. No, but to answer questions from people and say where are these cuts coming from? >> It is their it is their budget. It is their job to present it at del. >> Yeah. >> Because I didn't remember in the past them I remember the chair coming up. This is our budget blah blah blah and then usually goes away. >> Correct. >> And the
147school board talks about it and occasion the chair will come up and make some comment about it. But it almost sounds in this case this isn't our budget. >> This is this is really not our budget at all anymore. And >> I int I do not intend to defend their budget. I cannot I cannot defend their budget. So they're going to have to defend it themselves >> as far as I'm concerned. Okay. Items. Uh I don't think we have anything for school property. >> No. Um we we have about what six people I think we're up to seven now there's another >> okay and we're deciding on that sometime in January. >> Yeah. Not till January. We might even wait a little bit longer because uh Dana's newspaper is going out in January. Okay. >>
148Just to give it some time. >> Um I wanted to add reconsideration procedure toformational items just because I made a procedural error at our last meeting. So I wanted to clarify for the record that it was an error and not to use it as president going forward. So when Ellen made the motion to reconsider the reduction of the FTE, >> I said that I thought the seconder also had to have voted in the affirmative, >> right? They don't have to. >> And that is false. The second does not have to have voted in the affirmative. So we could have >> reconsidered. >> That's okay. Um >> well it is very it's very moot at this point. I still would after I went home and I thought about and I was I was okay with that
149cut. So I mean I'm not okay with what's going on now, but I was okay with that. So when I gave it more thought because sometimes it's I was just so shocked that it was so little money. >> But but I just wanted to I just wanted to clarify that I was incorrect about about the procedure. >> So going forward okay >> to do a motion to reconsider the seconder does not have to have voted in favor just to be clear. Okay. policies. Um, >> you want notes, but you won't talk. >> Yeah. Um, so Nancy and I met, we we haven't given you the minutes yet. Is okay for us to still talk about it even if we haven't given you the minutes? >> Yeah. >> Okay. All right. Um, >> this won't get
150approved until >> Okay. So, um, the crowdfunding we were, um, let me just find my thinker. We were okay with that. Crowdfunding is a policy where um you're using an online service to make money, you know, like uh like some of those magazines where you buy wrapping paper and candy and stuff like that. So um we thought everything was fine, but we did have one question and that was um in the crowdfunding site it gives so much money as far as the approval requests. So like um review by the building principal at 500 and then the superintendent to 2500 and then to the board if it goes uh up to possibly 20,000 but it re it references this KCD policy. And when I looked at the KCD policy um which I don't have up right
151now the numbers are completely different. Is that because it's a different like KCD I think was charity donations. So maybe that's why the numbers are different, but because it referenced it, but it does say notwithstanding any contrary provision in board policy KCD. >> Did you look at the board's KCD or the executive board association? >> I looked at ours. >> Yeah. So you would want to make sure that you're you're it's just making sure that you align your practices. >> They're not aligned at all. >> Right. Because this was the schoolboard association's recommendation. >> Oh, okay. Like they don't even have like we don't even have a principal. I think we go right to superintendent and the numbers are much lower. >> Yep. Yeah. These are just a recommendation from them to get you started
152on the >> So, we need to look at the KCD and change the numbers. Okay. All right. >> Yeah. You can align it to your previously adopted practices. >> Okay. So, we'll take care of that. >> And just so you're aware, the all the policies that start with D on the first reading, DFGA, DID, and DIH were policies that were identified through our auditing process that we were lacking and that we really should be adding for auditing purposes. So, um, and there's a few more. We're almost caught up, but that was through the audits that we, um, that was one of our like findings. >> Okay. All right. Um, I don't know if I'm doing order. Did inventory and management of of assets. Um, there there's an area where an amount needs to be inserted
153that isn't in there. There's no money. And then we were wondering about um, this talks about having capital assets and having a like an inventory of it. Do we have all that? Because Nancy and I are both curious about that. >> What capital? >> So, capital asset would be like a vehicle, a tracker, like a a large item that's worth a value of money. >> So, do we have any of that stuff? >> I'd have to check with Chris and get see if he keeps an I think he keeps some kind of inventory. >> I think John does too. Are all our Chromebooks are inventory? You can tell. >> Oh, so those would count as it. Okay. >> Because it Yeah, it talks about making sure that you have that you check it so often.
154Blah blah blah. Okay. All right. Um, the next one, DIH, fraud, prevention, and fiscal management. Um, we were okay with that. That seemed pretty clear. >> Um, >> Service animals. Yeah, we were okay with that. But that's interesting because did you know that you could have a pony service animal? >> What? Surprising. >> Yeah, >> I've tried to get it a few times. >> Kidding. So, it's mostly mostly has to do with dogs, but they do have a section on a section on ponies poop and that matches federal law for it has to be trained. >> So, you can't have any pony poop in your school. It's got to be trained. >> So, um anyway, that was pretty straightforward. I was concerned at one point because I knew we had a student here that had
155a service animal, but um it did it did then >> in >> the past and it wasn't listed in the reasons for having them, but then it said notwithstanding these, so it was open for that. So, I was okay with that. Or we were okay with that. Sorry about that. >> I write and then the >> this one >> EFA enrollment. >> I think we No, no, that was No, I think they had that. >> I know. I'm sorry. >> I forgot my notes. So, >> and then um we still have to do the um the JJ or we decided to hold off on that until we get stuff from the state. Yeah, you guys are waiting for the memo that the state out. I haven't seen it come through yet. >> So, I guess
156if we were looking at this like we would be okay to move ser animal forward, the fraud prevention and fiscal management as long as it >> Yeah. No, that was okay. That one's okay. And then the >> inventory >> the inventory and management of assets seems okay. The crowdfunding needs to be changed. >> So, we will work on that. >> So, I guess we could just move them all to second. >> Say we can still move it to second. >> Yeah. If you guys want to. >> Yeah, we're good with that. >> We can find out about the money thing and figure that out. And I probably did want to look at the um this one again. Make sure >> I think >> Yeah. Okay, we're good. >> All right. Um All right, we're back
157to public comments. >> No. Wow. Sure. going once. Okay, there we go. >> Sorry, I would like to order this. Um, before I start, I do not live in town. >> That's fine. >> My name is Daniel. I do work at Deerfield Community School. Um, >> just to say what town. There's been quite a lot of comments and I and I want to clarify something and and Canon this is about what you were saying and so I just want to make sure that I am understanding what I heard correctly and so my understanding as of right now is that you believe that the is that the MPC is that correct? NBC >> NBC munition >> the NBC made a proposal to reduce the budget that was put forward by the school board by 15% as
158a not scheme but a strategy to ensure that the school board's budget would have to be reduced by 5%. With the belief that there was going to be town members at the deliberative session who were going to come forward and say they did not agree with the reduction. And so the strategy to reduce it by 15% then forced a remaining 5% to be reduced and the town would not be able to vote on if they wanted that 5% to be reduced. So again, I could be incorrect in my understanding. I've been trying to take all of this in. Um I don't go to the NPC meetings. I'm not a member of the town. I'm taking a lot of information in and trying to process it quickly. So, I just want to lay it out kind
159of black and white and clarify from what you said tonight. That is what I understand. Um, I know this is a statement, so it's a comment. So, I I know they can respond afterwards, but >> why don't you wait till the end of public comments? >> Okay. It's not It's not like controversial at all. I just I that that is what I said. It is that that was blatantly said over and over last night at the meeting. Um that's not my that's you know those aren't that's not my um what I think that is specifically what was said that that was the strategy. >> Am I allowed to comment back? >> I guess that's a problem. >> I was just Yeah. No, I just wanted to answer your question. If you watch the meeting, you'll
160get all of that. You'll see exactly what I said. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Other public comments. >> Okay. Um I'm going to make a motion to go into non-public session pursuing to Trish. >> Oh, >> I'm sorry. >> Well, for those who don't know >> Oh, yeah. >> Trish. Trish is amazing. >> Trish is amazing and has been our recording secretary for these meetings. >> Um, and this is her last meeting with us for now, but we wish Trish a very happy retirement >> and come see us and make public comments. >> You can come be in the audience now. >> Are you retiring as board secretary, too? Um I have someone Oh, she left who um is going said she would take over January. Said if she does January, February, March, I
161would come back in April. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Trish. Okay. Sorry, >> I think we have to go. >> No, I know. I need I'm going to make a motion to go into non-public session pursuant to NHSA 91-8 3 section 2 subsection J. Ellen. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Yes. Thank you everybody.