11/19/25 DCS School Board Meeting

001Join me for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance 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. [cough] [laughter] Okay. Minutes for November 5th. I move that we approve. >> All right. Alan makes the motion. I will second. >> Okay. Spelling mistakes and having can I [laughter] have it? >> Um for instance, I said that uh I I added that I had asked if the art department could do a presentation like the music department did. So I have two minutes and then under the stage road I just said um sending out a request to the local [clears throat] chairs to try to get protective. I just changed the wording. >> That sounds fine to

002me. Anyone else have any changes? Um on the first page comments, end of the second sentence. I >> That's what I was trying [laughter] to come up on yours. It's not on mine. >> Like it shows up there. So, and then the next page on the facility update, parking lot lights are up too up on parking. >> Okay. And then down in D across special education class increased. Kudos to Lisa McQueen and her team for homing in on what students turn. Would that be honing in? >> Yep. I did the I did the spell correction that the computer said to do. [laughter] 12 policy. >> Cindy Thomasson name >> Tomlson. >> Thomson. Okay. >> Her name is supposed to be removed and it's supposed to just say general school treasure. >> Yep. >> Is what

003they say. >> Yeah. And um JJ and JJ and JJ-R something different. >> It's just JJ. >> Yeah. Okay. Good. Okay. Anyone else have comments? All right. So, with those amendments, um, all in favor of approving the minutes from November 5th, I >> Any opposed? Okay. Uh, public comments. Whitmore North Road. Uh, so I just want to start out this reminding everybody that's in the room, everybody that's watching or listening that it is the right of every Deerfield resident to attend meetings and address their elected officials, and I absolutely encourage everyone to do so whenever they can. Uh, all right. So, Deerfield Community School is overstaffed. I have, uh, mentioned this many times in the past, and this is crunch time, so let's just get right into it. Uh when we look at schools of

004equivalent size, those schools have one art teacher, one music teacher, one gym teacher. I have sent this information to the school to the school board last year. I sent this same information to the school board this year. This is something I would very much like you to consider moving forward. Um, we just need to move the specials around a bit, but Deerfield population peaked years ago and that is when these extra positions were brought on. The population dropped dramatically and when we look at future trends, we're not getting more students in this school. Population numbers in schools are dropping everywhere and Deerfield will not be different. So therefore, we can't keep extra positions in place just in case, right? We really need to look at this. Uh I'd also like you to consider um removing

005the math specialist, reading specialist. I do not think these are necessary positions, particularly in a K through8 school. And I would like you to consider removing one of the speech therapists from the roster. Also, uh, Deerfield residents are looking for meaningful cuts. We need something to happen. We can't keep having budgets not pass. We can't live in perpetual default budgets. If we want to move forward, we need to do something. I'd also like all curriculum that we're paying for cut. It's absurd to me that we pay for curriculum. I have said this multiple times also. Teachers need to be trusted to write their own curriculum 100%. I write all of my curriculum. I teach a wide variety of classes. I can't imagine being handed a curriculum and said, "You have to teach this because we

006paid for it." It sounds absurd to me. Uh give the teachers their due diligence. They are trained, highly trained individuals. Um, and by the way, there's loads of free curriculum available for everybody out there. If I need something, some sort of complex, you know, um, you know, virtual lab or something like that, I know there are free resources available for me. So, a little bit of soouththing, a little bit of work goes a long way. Please consider removing all curriculum that we're paying for from the budget moving forward. Chromebooks. There's a ton of money being spent on Chromebooks in this budget. Why are we sticking Chromebooks in front of tiny little kids, kindergarten, first, second, third graders? They don't need to be on Chromebooks. They should have a pencil. They should paper. They should have

007things they can visualize. Should have hands-on. I don't like the thought of little kids being forced into a digital curriculum. By the time they get to fifth, sixth, seventh grade, it's all they know. They can't function without it. So, please consider moving forward. your three minutes. >> Yep. One last thing, high school contracts are coming up. Please push for five, six years moving forward. Um, clearly it's working. >> So, let's get some longer contracts in place. Stacy Marion, meeting House Hill Road. Um, I'd like to um uh talk as well about the Chromebooks. I I at the October 22nd SAU meeting, I mentioned this, but I think putting little kids on computers is detrimental to their overall education, growth, and well-being. Um, there are multiple studies that show this. those little kids. I know the

008state of New Hampshire has computer requirements and computer education requirements for each grade, I think, starting at kindergarten, but that does not mean that they need a curriculum on a computer. Um, so one of the things that you should look at is um OT's. Why do we need so many occupational therapists for young kids? Um, could the curriculum be part of the problem? I am here to tell you I 100% think that it is. Um we're coding kids who really just need a better curriculum and approach than our schools are providing. Um if you look at a monatory program with manipulatives um time for them to make choices, use their hands, put on their coats, their boots, as much time as they need to get outside. All of these things are teaching [clears throat] them

009life skills. Monatory schools are well suited to managing OT issues because of their emphasis on multiensory hands-on learning, individualized pacing, and development of executive function aligning with OT principles. Um, I was very pleased to hear Superintendent Bickford say at the full SAU board meeting that they are going to be looking at this because not only will it be better for your kids, it will save your town's money in not having to bring in specialists to work with these kids. Um, so I would love to see more of that. Um, I would like I know it's a public schools are not monatory schools and I get that. Um, but is there a way to incorporate the manipulatives and that type of approach into a public school? It really requires thinking outside of the box and being

010willing to blow up the traditional public school model, you know, but the kids are worth it. Eliminate the Chromebooks from K through sixth grade. Start them in seventh grade. Those kids don't need Chromebooks. I have a child. She's in a monastery school. She has a laptop now that she's in junior high. She did all of her work with a pencil, pen, paper, and just research and reports on a computer. But there were no computerized programs. She has learned Latin, Italian. She's in advanced algebra. There are other ways. I guarantee you the kids will be better off for it and the school system will save money. Um, we know that kids have a screen problem and that it's detrimental to them. So, I would say stop feeding the beast. That's what you're doing by putting these

011kids on computers at such a young age. Um, I know my time is up. I just wanted to say one more thing quickly. Um the overall SAU budget in three short years is up 23.2%. Um the fund one budget 7% 7.4% just for Deerfield in this last year. Somebody's got to hold the line on the SAU budgets. We can't just have a rep go at the executive board and just vote, yep, I know you have valid reasons, so we're going to approve it. You got to make cuts. You just have to make cuts. It's it's too much money. Thank you so much. I appreciate you what you do. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Julie Moser. I live at 137 Kford Brook Road and I am here today to express my concern about potential

012cuts to teacher positions. Um, enrollment is not static. Grade sizes do rise and fall year after year. So making decisions based on a small single cohort of students moving forward undermines the um the instructional quality across the grade levels. Teachers collaborate across grade levels, provide intervention, enrichment opportunities and resources. They help manage behavior, social emotional needs. And removing this position increases class sizes. It reduces flexibility. It weakens the support system that helps all students succeed. Stability and staffing is essential for maintaining strong quality teams and consistent expectations as well as providing a quality education. I also want to address the separate but related issues of protecting our music, art, and physical education programs. These classes are not electives in the sense of being optional. They are foundational components of a quality education. Music, art, and

013PE nurture creativity, problem solving, physical health, emotional well-being, and confidence. They create a school environment where students of all abilities get to shine in different ways. These programs help students feel connected. They feel engaged. They feel seen by their peers and staff members. Qualities that correlate strongly with academic success. If I teaching positions are cut out, students in middle school would no longer have the choice between chorus and band, taking away all choice for their electives. Our younger students, their families in the community would miss out on performance opportunities in winter concerts, spring concerts. When classroom staffing is reduced, it places pressure on scheduling and it can limit students access to the curriculum. Keeping our integrated arts teachers ensures that music, art, and PE remain a robust, fully integrated, accessible, and important to every student.

014Cutting a classroom teacher position would be a short-term solution with very long-term consequences for students, teachers, and our school comm community. [clears throat] So, I respectfully ask that you think before cutting these classroom positions and these IIA positions. Students spend nine years at Deerfield Community School, they deserve to have all of these opportunities. Thank you. Candy Babot, 44 Old Center Road. Um, I am part of the silver tsunami that has come into the state of New Hampshire and of course I am concerned about since I'm retiring this year, I am concerned about my tax bill and can I afford to stay in the state, but I'm also concerned about what type of education our children are getting. I am concerned that we paint with a broad brush and say get rid of get rid of

015get rid of. I've heard people say let's do high school choice. It's not going to increase our taxes. And it did. I'm not against high school choice, but let's swallow the bitter pill and say that's what we want to pay for and we will continue to pay for it. My question is is that you are holding [snorts] you are holding people the elementary school responsible for a high tax bill. You are sitting here and has anyone gone to Concrete High School to say how many paraprofessionals do you have? How many OT's? How many speech therapists? Has anyone gone to CO Brown to a school board meeting and listened to what they are proposing, what they have for our students? I haven't heard it. Is anybody questioning I'm going to spill my guts how long of

016a bus ride some of our elementary school kids are on. They're up to an hour that we have kindergarten kids and first graders on a bus. If anyone thinks I'm wrong with these statements, come and talk with me. As far as Monttoauri school system is concerned, I considered it for my children. I think it's great, but it's not a onesizefitsall type of education. It is good for some students. So, what I am asking is that you pay attention to giving us and I want to hear conversation. What is the best education you can give our elementary school students so they are successful at Cob Brown? So they are successful at Penrook and they are successful at conquered. In closing, I had my 50th class reunion and met my friend Brad Jacobson who was an engineer

017for um Boeing. He tried to work with me with math in high school. I didn't get it. [clears throat] Didn't understand it. My teacher said, "Candy, you're not college prep material. You don't think a certain way." yada yada yada. I was lucky enough to decide I wasn't going to work in the factories where my parents were. I applied, got in. Guess what? 20 years of age, I finally went, "Wow, algebra is fun." And I aced the class. But if you judged my performance in elementary school and in high school, you would have been shaking your head and said, "No way is she able to make it." Please give your students here in [clears throat] Deerfield the best education. It is the longest that they will be with people in this community. And once they're gone

018to high school, we have no control unless you're at those board meetings telling those other [clears throat] boards to do what you want them to do for us. >> Thank you. Other public comments. Okay, we will move on to board discussion about public comments. Couple things. Um, one um the thing about IAS that um Greg said he had given us. I had to cut and paste so I could see it all at once. I had asked him at a meeting um like Auburn and Chai Chester I think it is offer guidance or another school offers guidance but there weren't staff in the numbers to add up to teach that. So if they have guidance as an IIA the numbers here have to increase for those schools to cover whoever teaches it unless it's a PE

019teacher or somebody else but the numbers didn't all add up on that. So, I I kind of wondered who teaches those things. Um, my other couple things. Oh, sorry. Um, and I meant to get in touch with Amy with this question and I hadn't had a chance. I guess I'm having trouble. I taught here understanding the difference between curriculum and paid curriculum. >> Um, we write curriculum. The teachers do write >> our own curriculum. write our own curriculum. So I'm having a hard time understanding what is the paid curriculum we have unless it's something that has started since I left. >> No, but like so like we have math. We wrote a math curriculum. We have Eureka which is our program to support that curriculum. So I guess I'm having trouble understand I write lesson

020plans. I'm responsible for my own lesson plans. But we as a school do write our curriculum. So I'm having trouble understanding paid for curriculum and curriculum. I don't know. >> I I have a feeling that people are using the word curriculum very broadly is my understanding. Um because one person's definition of curriculum may not be another person's definition of curriculum. >> Um so I have a feeling it's probably being used very broadly to mean any curriculum materials. >> Um but that's not necessarily curriculum, right? So from the educator lens that we think of curriculum as one thing but I think those who aren't in education they think of curriculum as a different thing >> um like on our website you can look up the curriculum every single subject that the teachers and that's what the

021teachers the committees have >> and those all come before the school board >> it's a fiveyear rotating process >> I think a lot of the expenses for curriculum and missy can correct me if I'm wrong is a lot of the supporting materials that come with that um so for example like you take or Eureka, we use um foundations. We might have workbooks that go with that, right? Those workbooks are expensive. Um if we didn't have those workbooks, the teachers would be creating it on their own. Um we'd be probably paying them additional time to do after school work or um buying materials for them to create it. Not that it's not possible. Um it's just that >> can I just say >> and we'd have to really change this the CBAs. I mean, we don't

022give them enough planning time. I don't think to create every single worksheet from scratch. >> Well, I think I think one of the reasons why we have some of these resources, again, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but when you're dealing with a grade level that has three teachers or four teachers, you want everybody teaching basically the same thing, hitting the same stuff. So, if you have those resources, the resources we're making sure follow our curriculum guides or our standards that we have, but those are resources to help the teacher. So when they're teaching that information, everybody's teaching it the same way or not necessarily the same way because you can change it the way you teach it, but you're hitting those same standards. If you had every teacher just coming up with all

023their own lesson plans and developing their own stuff, they might not hit all the standards in the same way. The [clears throat] other thing is the test along with these materials, there's a lot of uh kind of testing and quizzes and things like that to make sure that the kids are learning that information as they go along. So, do you want to add anything to that? >> Yeah, you know, it's a K to8 building or a preschool to eight building and you have to you have to have some sort of materials that you can align from grade level to grade level and you know, you're looking for some consistency between K to five and one classroom is doing um I don't know addition subtraction and they've made this paper to go along with it. Another

024teacher is doing it but completely different. you're looking for. We're we're always looking to align things and make them consistent throughout the building um as best we can. We we purchased the big ideas program [clears throat] based off the fact that it aligned with what Eureka um was doing and now Eureka squared um and yes, the materials that we buy to support the curriculum um are consistent throughout the entire school. And uh right now we're trying to align some literacy practices. That's a great example because um you know reading and writing in um [clears throat] in in one classroom might look a little different than another classroom. One person might do stations and another person might do all whole group work. Um we have simplify writing is a is a writing program that we purchased

025for our K to8 because um we we were noticing that the data was not supporting student growth and so we are trying to align those practices and you can't have one teacher doing one thing and another teacher doing another thing completely um and expect the data not to show that information. Um I do have the I brought this last time too the math um every math um you know there's that each math um there's six different modulars K through five and there's five six different books for all the kids is a little different than when you were here Nancy um and [clears throat] although the some of the grades had some student workbooks and some grades didn't. So you you definitely saw in in um when if one group had the workbooks and another group

026didn't, you saw some discrepancies in in in some in some data. So this bundle right here is a bundle for K. This is one bundle for one student that is used throughout the year. You know, modular one, they get the book for modular one. And in the book is our flashc cards and things that the teachers can rip out. There's games for kids to to play to learn the skills, continue to learn the skills. Um, and along the lines of what you said about assessment, the assessments are also common assessments from K through five in Eureka and every fifth grade student is taking the same assess assessment. >> And I just want to bring up like a while ago because you know I've taught for 18 years, I've been out for six years, but I

027can remember and Nancy would probably back me up. We we knew sometimes like when certain kids got to certain grade levels that they had, oh, they had that teacher for math because their math skills weren't as good as the other teachers or this class really knew their science, but those guys didn't have it. I mean, that is really what happens when you just have even though you have those standards, [clears throat] if you're not really kind of pushing to make sure everybody's doing the same thing, if teacher that's not their stone, they don't tend to do it as much, >> right? Um, and the other piece is at Deerfield Community School, our teachers pride themselves on individualizing their practice and and so we have to also weigh that with curriculum that needs to be covered,

028materials that need to be purchased to help cover the curriculum and giving teachers some latitude to be able to do it the way that that makes sense to them that fits their style and fits their students style. So, and then with this, uh, you know, we talk about the digital bundle that comes with it. It's it's that is free, quote unquote, free when you purchase the bundle of student workbooks. And so that and that digital bundle is slides that teachers teach with teach from. Um, it's consistent also K through five. Um, and they have also have a bundle at the um at the upper grades too, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. So, those are the things that we're purchasing for curriculum. We are purchasing materials to support our curriculum to support our standards. And so

029one of you hit hit the nail on that. >> And my one last thing and again I've been out for years now. Five years now. So things might have changed. [laughter] >> I know. Um manipulatives in the younger grades. Man, I had containers after containers of containers of manipulatives. And that was a huge part of how we taught the little kids. I probably I mean I probably turn computers on the least of any teacher because I'm not a computer person. And so my kids weren't ever put in front of a computer to do their work. It was for research. It was, you know, like, okay, we're studying >> animals, and so here's we're going to research, but they also researched with books. They didn't just use the computers. So, unless things had changed drastically, and

030even when I was able to come in and sub, >> um, >> boy, if they had just used Chromebooks, lesson plans would have been really easy for teachers to leave because it would have No, I was >> And you're not alone. Everybody is manipulative. I use it in my class. So I >> Right. I mean that's a that's a very large proponent of teaching. >> I don't want people to think that our kids are sitting in front of Chromebooks all day long and not using manipulatives and not using paper and pencils and stuff because >> they are. >> Unless again unless it's >> excuse me. >> So do they need the Chromebooks? >> The state testing is all on >> Yeah. Chromebooks. We don't have unfortunately. >> But that is a question for like kindergarten,

031first grade, second grade. Do they need Chromebooks? Do they need them? >> But do we? >> But they don't have indiv. It's not an individual kid, right? >> Like it's not like the upper grades where they all have their own Chromebooks. >> There's a cart of Chromebooks in the grade level. Every once in a while they bring them out to do an activity. Is that how it's used? >> So like for research. So when I was teaching science or social studies, we would take the Chromebooks into our classroom to look things up on to give them another way to find the information they needed. So, but it wasn't like my every student in my class had a Chromebook like, "Okay, we're doing math now. Open your Chromebook. Okay, we're doing reading now. Open your Chromebook."

032Sometimes I might put Chromebooks at one of my literacy centers for an activity for them to do, but it wasn't every day. Most of the time they were reading books and they were writing stories and doing stuff. So, it was a supplement. It was never used for my teaching, if that makes sense. >> So, do we have like in um kindergarten, do we have Chromebooks for each individual child? Nope. There's the same as when Nancy was here. >> It's just it's just Chromebooks in the classroom that they can use if you're doing >> the K2 have um the big what do you call those? >> The carts. >> Yeah, just the carts with the buck buckets of Chromebooks in there. [clears throat] Then we might take five out at a time and you know like

033you had said maybe there's a literacy station or a math station. There's a ton of really great educational software that we purchase and that kids utilize throughout the course of a day and a week. Um, Math Fact Lab is a new one that you might not be familiar with, but they it's just another uh way of of it. We talk about integrating technology. You that's what that's what our teachers do. They integrate technology from fifth grade and up. Fifth grade doesn't use it as much, but middle school students, six, seventh, and eighth grade are definitely their Chromebooks are um they do a lot of work on their Chromebooks. All their assignments are posted on Google Classroom, so they have to have their own Chromebooks. Um, and I I don't think you'd go to a school

034anywhere and not see technology being integrated one way or another. It's not all day every day. It is, but it's definitely at our lower grades. It's used throughout the week as a supplement to what what they're learning about. >> I my understanding is that the state testing is all on computers. >> Yeah. and I ready the Ready is also >> I was going to say I hear about it because I my first grader will come home very excited because they got to use the computer to do testing. >> Yes. And one of the reasons we we have to replace those those Chromebooks because they have a lifespan of three to five years then the technology is outdated and I has or SAS testing has you know done another iteration and you need newer technology. So,

035it's it's >> and I also I just think we would be doing our students a disservice by not introducing them to technology and then saying, "Hey, here's a here's a test that everyone is going to judge the school based on, but you don't know how to use a computer." >> Like we said before, there are standards. We do have to follow. >> Yeah, they have to be introduced to >> but they're not using them all day every day. There's a lot of pattern box and a lot >> Oh, yeah. We will I mean we obviously will spend a good portion of the night talking about the budget. Um so if there are any specific other budget things that came up, we can certainly talk more about them. Um any other discussion? Okay, we are on

036to agenda review. Do you have anything to add? Do we need a public? >> Yeah, we will need public. What letter do you have? Second letter. Okay. Y. All righty. Um, I don't have anything else. All right. Review of correspondence. I think there was only one email received by the whole board and I'm not sure that it made it into the public packet. >> It's in our packet. >> I don't It came in after It came in let's see Monday. >> Yeah. So it didn't make it in time for the public public but it will go up. It will be posted tomorrow. Um, this was from Tara Ward about her experience at the school that she um is a taxpayer and a parent and she has concerns about the increasing tax rate. However, um, she

037supports both art and music and I believe the specialists and interventionists, but I could be thinking of a different one. >> No, she did. Okay. >> Um, yeah. any anything to discuss about that email? Okay, great. [snorts] Uh nothing for the consent agenda. >> Okay, we'll move on to immediate business. Um we are on to board norms. >> Helen, I'll let you leave the discussion. >> Well, I was going to recommend that maybe we push that time. It's really not that important. We have so much budget stuff to do. I mean, I think it's a good thing to do. You were here the last meeting. >> I did watch it though and I agree. Yeah, I think it's really important that we do it, but I just feel like we have so much on our

038plate. [laughter] You want to read? Yeah. [clears throat] >> Do you want to go over the delegate review? >> Oh, um I I wrote it up if everybody read it. I think it was pretty Yeah. self-explanatory. I need to go over it. >> I don't know if that's okay with everybody. >> Fine with me. Um high school contracts. I don't know who's um Johnny it was just a followup because you guys had asked me to start um reaching out to the high schools that we work with. Um so I met with conquered recently to start conversations. Um I will continue those conversations throughout the year. I've got on my docket next to meet with Brown. I've been over there three times this fall already. Um so I'll be going over there again. Um, so just

039keeping you up to date and letting you know I'm not forgetting about it and having those conversations with their school administration. >> Canon and I just met today and um I wrote up the minutes. He's going to look it over and we'll send it to you. But we just had a couple questions about the formula that Congret has and then comparing it to CBNA. And then the other thing was we noticed that Conquer doesn't have a date for when the they have to give us the tuition rate and we should probably put that in our contract and Cob Brown has December 1st which is really too late. They gave it to us early but that change in the in the contract. So I think those are kind of the main things we talked about, right?

040>> Yeah. And that just the biggest thing and Patty had pointed out to us when we met with her um back in spring or something with the concrete contract was >> yeah there was no limit on that. [cough] [clears throat] >> Oh y >> and I we couldn't find it in the contract. I thought both of us thought that I had told us that it was between three and a half and 8%. >> But we couldn't find the 8%. It's not >> three and a half%. It said >> at least three and a half%. Yeah. Or it could be more. >> Or it could [laughter] be more. >> So told us to make sure that when it came time that was like the [laughter] biggest >> Yeah. >> So >> great. No, those notes will

041be helpful because when I start talking to the other superintendent um they're going to want to know what language we would be looking for in future contracts. And I mean and it was confusing because like one says no capital cost but then this and it talked about rental things and then co said these wouldn't be included but then it could be 2%. [laughter] So we well I think we just need to get together and >> and I think um and I believe that this high schools would also be interested in a longer term contract. >> Yeah. As well >> and but those would have to go on a warrant. So just as an FYI, we would want to do those early enough for >> next year thatch, >> right? They'd have to be I mean

042they'd have to be done by December so that we have the warrant article verbiage drafted >> um and approved by the board so they can go on the warrant. >> So they just need a warrant article to extend them longer than three years or >> Yeah. to have a contract longer than three years for the high schools. We need to put that out to as a longer. >> That's kind of why we did three years this time because it was like an experiment. How's it working? Do people want it? Do they want to keep it? We didn't want to go with any long-term contracts, >> right? Anything longer than three years we have. And they don't have to be that long. It could be five year contracts. It's just that if it's over, >> so

043we can still renew them if that article didn't pass. >> Yep. Yeah. There is um so we can renew them annually um as like one year contracts and I think you guys can do up to three. You just can't do correct longer. >> Though I would say if the town voted no on a five-year contract that would be telling to the board. But I don't know if it would be a good idea to keep renewing them annually, but >> the town's way of saying we don't want choice, >> but I think we would have to sort of reook at everything and see what work they're going to do. >> Um, anything else contracts? Okay, clear gov. So, this was so normally I was I told Perickwork this yesterday, but normally I tend to ignore most

044of the sales pitches that I get in my emails because it's usually companies that aren't even in New England. Um, however, one a recent one kind of caught my eye and I didn't know if you guys would be interested in um pursuing something like this. Maybe in the future, maybe not now, but um I believe I shared a document in the drive. Yeah. Um the company is called Clear Gov and the whole purpose of their program is really to help municipalities, whether it's school districts or governmental um officials, take their budget and break it down to a more user friendly um thing that people can digest easily. So it'll take all of your data, it can create dozens and dozens of different graphs. It can um create data that communities can go in. It's a

045live website essentially and community members can go in and isolate data that they're looking for, look at graphs at any point throughout the year. It's not a oneanddone type of thing. Um, so I didn't know if the board would have any interest in pursuing something like that. Um, I thought there was some perks to it, but I didn't know if Deerfield was at that point that they wanted to create some kind of easily digestible like picture storytelling of a [clears throat] budget that the community could have access to because obviously it would come with a cost. Um, I think it's a fine idea, but I will say I'm skeptical only because looking at the budget is very overwhelming as we know, but I'm not sure that's a good way to break it down into a

046digestible way without actually seeking more information from someone like a person. So, you can say, "Here's what we spend on transportation, but like I don't know that it's going to have the information that we actually need." like what transportation are we paying for versus >> did you um in that sheet those links that are linked on there you can actually click on those >> I did look at one of those >> okay so um it gives you an example of the different types of schools that utilize them and paints the picture that they have painted for their own districts so yeah it depends on what the district gives the system >> because once they hand over ownership like you create your own story within there >> um >> but just another it seemed interesting I

047was like, "Oh, maybe they'll be interested." But if not, it's totally fine. If not, >> yeah, I think in terms of increasing transparency, which is kind of one of our goals and communication with the public, I think, you know, it sounds like a good idea, but kind of a little skeptical like just about if they're interpreting stuff and it's presented without doing it all, right? >> Yeah, we would do it all. >> Oh, I thought it was it was like almost like AI generated. No, no, no, no, no. >> Budget and it allows you to turn create new graphics and things like that. >> So, you download your budget into this system and basically you take your budget, put it into Excel. You just download it into an Excel sheet, put it into this platform.

048Um, you work with a specialist the first year to get you set up and teach you how to use it. And then from there on, it's your business office. It's you that creates and chooses how you want to display your information. So, nobody else is doing it for you. AI is not doing it. It's you creating um all that stuff. So, if we're not ready, we're not ready. And that's that's okay, too. >> Yeah. Sorry. >> I don't know what the cost is. >> So, I would anticipate around 8,000 for the first year and then years after that it would be it's a $6,000ish uh subscription. I would take a second and just do it. [laughter] >> I already did. >> It was really and really this is just meant to have a conversation, right?

049So it because it did align with some of the goals that you guys had put out. And so just having that conversation that I recognized that this budget is not communityfriendly. >> Yeah. >> This is this book of numbers is not easy to digest as a community member because you could read through this and still not even have a chance to read it. >> Yeah. I, you know, >> so >> I appreciate having more tools, but I think the board needs to figure out what message we want to send before we want to invest in something because potentially >> we could just make it ourselves. Like I have done presentations of course on various things um and you could just break it. It's obviously more work for the board, but >> I don't know. I

050I'm not sure that we're at a point of we know what story we're trying to tell. It's okay to say we want to invest. >> I like the idea of transparency. I just don't think that the fault of the people that really need to see it would actually >> do look at it. >> Well, the people often who are um complaining about lack of transparency don't even know that the budgets are available for them to review. Or they'll say, "I I'm going to run for the board so I can look at the budget." I'm like, you can look at the budget all you want and I will walk I'll sit down and walk you through the budget if you'd like. Like the budget are available. >> So I will say though I think part of

051you know my responsibility is to make sure that we are presenting this stuff and feeding it to our community like yes it is there. Yes, anyone can go. It is really cumbersome as a community member to go and find it. a find it, where to even look for it, how to interpret it and understand it, and to reach out to someone you don't know, to ask for a meeting to go over it. Yeah. >> So, I think and not that this is our solution. I'm not saying that clear is our solution. It's just to spark the conversation that I think there is a lot of a lot more we can do to do a better job at giving smaller bite-sized bits of the budget out that are easily understandable to our community. >> Um, I

052just know that I don't have an extra 15 hours a week [laughter] >> to dedicate to creating images and things like that and graphs and formulas to uh do that. Um, and I certainly know that Amber doesn't have that. You've heard that. So, knowing that that's a need, >> I know we had talked about it in the past, too, is like maybe like small things like this, you know, that come at a cost. These are things that we could, you know, just put out a little survey question or something to people um rather than, you know, spending thousands or whatever on and decide whether people, you know, like to see us do something like that. >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I just I'm not convinced that like graphs are going to solve solve our communication

053problem. >> I mean I Yeah. Like one of the comments was about we got to get a budget passed. We got to get a budget pass. Our default budget has been less than our budget for what the last two years. >> No, only one year, two years ago, >> but it still didn't get passed. So that's, you know, that bothers me when that happens. you know, you say your budget can't get passed, but it was less than the default and the default got passed, which was more. So, that's a misunderstanding. >> Yeah, I I understand what you're saying. I think that there's potentially distrust. >> So, they're just voting no, no, no, and not really thinking about what that means. Well, that's what Yeah, like kind of what we've talked about is we need to

054be careful what things, you know, trying to put in or cut because those things create distrust and people will like we've seen it with the town budget too, right? People are like if they do this one thing, I will not vote for it. You know what I mean? >> It's one one minor. I guess one thing that it it's frustrating to me through this whole process is that I do hear people say, "Oh, that board, all they do is spend, spend, spend, spend." And I'm like, "Okay, I've been on the board two years. I can't think of a major thing that we have put into the budget that is spend, spend." Like, so tell me I I don't feel people are reaching out to us and saying, "Where do you think we're spending too much?"

055A couple people are. heard some things tonight, but all in all, you know, it's just like, well, all you do is spend. Well, tell me where. I wish more people would reach out and say things. Since I've been on the board, I've had maybe two people reach out to me specifically about budget things. And it's like, talk to us too. >> Yeah. And I just And that's what gets frustrating. And it's like, you know, talk to us, tell us. You know, a few people do, but for me, not a lot. >> I'm not I'm not sure we can graph our way out of that problem, especially because >> I think people are inherently distrusting of any information that we put out that seems like we're trying to promote our budget or we're trying, you know,

056anytime we do something, they're like, "Well, can you trust that the school board made it?" You're like, "Well, your options are distrusting it or trusting it. I don't know what to tell you." Like, [laughter] >> but but the bottom line is right now we shouldn't spend that kind of money because we shouldn't be spending money. >> Yeah. I think that's kind of how I feel about it. >> I know you and I appreciate you bringing it to us because it's a good idea, but I think that we cannot make any kind of decision to spend that kind of money right now given what we need to do. And I think that if people have ideas about things that they want to present about or create a story about or we should do it, I'm happy

057to spend time doing it and I'm sure anyone else is too. Um, so I think and then I think if we keep doing that and it becomes too burdensome for the board, then I think we look into a program or some sort of support. But I think we haven't even taken the first step of like let's try to do this ourselves before jumping in. trying to close him out. >> All right. Uh, budget review. [laughter] >> Good. All right. So, um, Amber prepared a new summary sheet for you from last time. So, this summary sheet on top with the orangey yellow, uh, box on the front paints the picture of what has changed since the last one. This one doesn't talk about the overall changes because you got that the last time. This one talks

058about any changes from the last meeting to this meeting. So, part of the changes that are part of this uh second draft of the budget are um is high school tuition. We did get some final tuition rates that came in since last time. So, CO Brown's final tuition rate came in at 21,617 per student. uh [clears throat] and that's their general education. That's not the special education tuition. Uh so there's a slight uh decrease there. We had uh put a potential number in there, but the high school tuition line decreased by $610. So that's reflected in here. Um we had to add a line because it's required by state law now. So line 12.5 in the budget on page four uh is a line for open enrollment tuition. We are required to create that by

059law. Um I believe Amber put a dollar in there. >> Jess, you want to give up? [clears throat] >> Oh, sure. Yep. >> Um so far we've heard back from all but six about the high school choice. Uh CO Brown, uh 31 students will be attending um Co 17 students will be attending Conquer High School and Penrook Academy is one. Um, but I do see on here that it says two. So, it might be somebody that I'm not aware of >> on on another sheet. Maybe maybe Amber was um guessing. >> I think she was guessing. [laughter] >> So, [clears throat] we definitely do have one one student academy >> and we're waiting for six more responses and I have sent reminders. Um, >> thank you. >> Yeah. And I've stopped kids in the hallway

060and I say, "I don't know." when I say are you going to high school? [laughter] >> Do we have any idea about does that questionnaire ask about um usation? >> No, not yet. In the past it did because we weren't we didn't have a set bus for co- brown. Um but there's that we could do that after. There's certainly we can follow up on that after but I think we just wanted numbers for the budget. Well, >> it would affect the budget with the number of buses that we have going to high school and where they're going. So, >> yeah, you would be able to fill you there would be a need for another bus if we could get it for CO. >> Well, >> and there might be one less going, >> right? That

061that'll be that's a discussion that I think you guys definitely have to have is >> cost, >> right? Roughly for three if we're budgeting for three buses, we're budgeting for three buses, >> correct? might be slightly cheaper to go to coound than conquered but >> so trans we'll talk about transportation a little bit too because there we went out to bid for transportation because our contract was up with Dale um so there I'll go over that summary sheet in a minute >> um you you skipped um the education technology I just wanted to make sure >> Oh yeah just because there was no change in there on the on the um the Yeah. Um and and the appendix. So um in going through some of the uh the subscriptions that we have, I worked with

062Colon, our digital learning specialist, and we talked and my agarian about some of the some of the schoolwide subscription versus educational subscriptions. So just so you know that note at number line number 11 includes the cost of several subscriptions. it doesn't have all of the subscriptions that we've purchased. Um, and then we've we've moved atrium, which is a library, schoolwide library um, resource, and we've we've moved Swank. Um, so Atrium has been moved to a schoolwide subscriptions and Swank has actually been moved to the SAU. So that amount was taken out. Um, and I believe I included it was in the um, it was on the in the drive but not necessarily in the pack and I included information about the process we go through. I know Ellen you had asked about that the process

063we go through to to decide whether to bring some educational software on board or not. Um, and I also included um all of the subscriptions that we have that we that we currently have or um and would like to continue to to get. Um that was in a separate not that was not part of the um >> it is printed off though >> appendex, right? And I but I made a copy for you. Yes. [clears throat] Um and it goes through everything like is something that has been asked about in the past. What grade level it's for, how much does it cost? Um so that is that is something that um I put together with our our learning specialist to go through the educational software that they have at the school including the schoolwide subscriptions

064what they're for what's the value of them. Um, so that's that's for any any questions that you have on that, please. >> I think I have a question on one. >> Um, Pebbles >> Pebble Go. >> Yeah, Pebble Go. >> Yeah. >> Um, and I can't right now. It's okay. It's 2,00 $2,200. And I was just wondering is is that something that's really needed because >> Oh, if you if I take Pebble Go away, you will hear there will be a mute name. >> Yes. And um Nancy, did you use Pebble Go when you were here? Um our second the whole kids use it and it's used for so many reasons. There's all kinds of science things on there. There's I somebody from >> I think I did. >> I guess I'm just thinking I

065mean I think about old school and Nick. We have so many science books here in the library about all these different things. If children are interested in animals, they take out a book. Does this stop? I mean, I'm just worried about reading a book as opposed to looking at a screen. >> Well, they they still do that, but this is just an you know, this is a way to integrate another another way to get more information. And uh Pebble Go is one of those resources. I mean, I used it when I was teaching years ago. And the kids, it's interactive. the kids. There's reading that go there's a whole bunch of reading that goes with it. There's activity um activities that the kids can do with with the information. It's it is a phenomenal resource.

066I'm happy to show >> that you can I'd love to see it. And it does say that they share with families. So that's something that there's a code and they can go home and do >> Yep. You can log on from home. It's it's no secret what our password is. [laughter] >> My brain is just gone. But password probably they get it from usually the librarian has all those passwords. >> It's not it's not >> top secret. >> It's really [laughter] and I I'm tell your grandkids would love it. I mean Pebble Go is one of those things that is just and and it's on their reading level, you know. It's not it's Yeah, it's a great resource. I really I really encourage you to take a look at it. And there's social studies on

067there. ELA bangs, health science, I mean um health kids use it for the biographies. The second grade uses it for their animal reports in addition to reading books and all those things. It's just another way of getting information. >> I'm remembering it now. And we also we never I didn't >> the kids had to have more than one >> Yep. resource >> resource for their report. So >> that was one resource and then book was another one. Usually a book was the two others but you know I mean there was but it was one way and and for kids that were it's difficult for them to read some of theformational books this could be read I believe it could be read to them >> for those kids that needed that and then for those kids

068that you didn't want it read to them you could >> they had to you know read it themselves so it was just another resource. >> It's okay. Okay. I just Yeah. I just wanted to No, that was kind of the one that popped up for me. because there were a lot of other things that they could use. >> What about the silent dismissal? >> Yep. That's something we use for dismissal time. We started using it after COVID. Um, and it's a system that is used for our buses and for our car riders as well as notifying teachers if there's been a change of dismissal plans. Um, so, so basically during dismissal time when students are, uh, when we have the 100 plus cars out, Zach, Brian and and the whole team of PE, fleet of

069people, Lisa's out there as well. Um, they go to each car and every family has a family number. So maybe it's, you know, number 50, 23. >> 23. So, um, so somebody will go up to Canon's car, put in 23, and that information once it's released goes right to Canon's, um, son's classroom, so he knows that he's being dismissed to one of the zones outside. So, there's no calling over the intercom. There's no walking up and down and say, "Who are you looking for? Who's your kid? [snorts] Who am I dismissing?" And then calling, "Oh, it's all your mother's here. Your father's here." >> It's very patient. >> Yeah. So, um, it goes through the teacher's computer. Yeah, it go it's a system that every student uh so it'll go to their their home room.

070The number is connected to them and then it's connected to their home room and a lot of teachers either have their laptops up and say, "Oh, so and so you're dismissed." Um or they'll have it up on the telephone so the kids can actually see when they're dismissed. And then we also dismiss our buses that way. So of course we dismiss our middle school students. So instead of calling over the intercom saying middle school students are not dismissed, we just put it in, kids see it, and they they start coming down. I also think it's um like an important safety tool. Like you can pick up someone else's kid, but you have to know the number. So like their parents have to give me their number so that I can't just take a random a

071random child with me. Um >> like you want, >> right? I don't need her. But [laughter] like but it is knowing that like my daughter's not going to get in some random car. [clears throat] >> Yeah. Um again we started using it after CO and it's one of those um systems we brought in. Uh there's another school in the district that uses it and we we went to visit their school and see how they use it. >> This result is very efficient. I will say >> and drop off too. Good enough. [laughter] I can't imagine not having it. It has >> No. How do you dis [cough] 100 plus kids out to the cars? >> I don't know. >> Yeah. >> So the what what is um so that's beyond the other curriculum subscriptions that

072we talked about like big ideas, >> right? It's it's it's a supplemental program. Um a lot of students a lot of uh it's fifth through eighth grade. Um we are there are there so basically we have 250 student subscriptions that's purchased and um they uh students might as a as um an extra resource for so maybe they've done some of the work on the in their workbook page and then a teacher might assign an excel strand for them to do so that it's just another way for them to get the information. Um and it and it's we have all the subjects. We originally only just had math. Um and one of the um we we started using this in 2013 is when we got ISL to start with and it was just math at the

073time and then during COVID the um a lot of these educational softwares made themselves free for for teachers and educators to use. So, it hooked a lot of teachers into using it and and and then wanting to flip it as a continual uh program that they were using. So, >> I I did bring that up at CRB and the teachers were all like, "Oh, I love it. I love they were talking about like social studies science and the science teacher showed me how she uses it." So like um say they're doing a unit on forces of motion or something and then um she might even make it a station where they go to that they have to do the little section on forces of motion and so it walks them through and then it's another

074way a tool for her to see if she's understanding what they're doing or what area they didn't understand so she can go back and teach it again. >> Yeah. If there's data that's gathered and wrong answers and right answers. It's also one of those if a kid if a student gets an answer wrong, it'll the the program is it will actually show them what they did and what what is the right way to do whether it's a maths assignment or math problem or >> something else. >> I think they did the same thing in science if they got it wrong and explain why >> show a little video. Yeah. >> And and I believe it's adaptive. >> I believe it's adaptive. So, as the questions are going, if they're getting more and more wrong, you

075might drop it down a little bit and fill in some of maybe those gaps that um figuring out why is it why are they getting this wrong? Maybe they need a little more practice in this particular area. So, and teachers, like I said, can gather that data and take [clears throat] a look at it and see where some retaching might have to happen with them as the teacher. All right. Are we okay to move on? Yeah, that's very helpful. Thank you. All right. Um, still on the front page of that summary sheet down at the bottom, there was no monetary change for art. Um, just the note had been updated in the budget. Um, it had a lot of math in the art. >> Yeah, the math I had [laughter] it. So, >> I was

076looking at say I was like >> math. Yeah. Yeah. So, we put the art um line there and then um I did update the math. >> Why don't you do one? >> Yeah, go. that's next on this. [clears throat] >> Um, so there was some question about what does the digital access provide and what is what does the bundle and it's $35 as a student and so I worked with our math specialists to um go back in time a little bit and at one point your was free I believe when Nancy the year that Nancy first year you guys you used it. It had been piloted the year before and then we adopted in 2018. Um, and we did use the free program and teachers were making photo copies of everything that they needed. And

077so, um, there was the cost of paper and the cost cost of the upuse of of of a copier and math had to include that in their budget moving forward. Um, and it was almost cost-effective not to use the free one in the end because of how much paper and um, use that the copier was getting and time and effort that it took and and when the copier was working and when it was not, right, Trish? [laughter] Talk about that. Um, so the digital license does come free with the bundle. I showed you what the bundle of digital workbooks looks like and every grade from K to 5 has um, this bundle of six um, books. So every kid gets their own student workbook. Um and the the digital access also is u for the

078teacher to use and it has the slides to teach with and um a lot of the slides are interactive. So kids go up and put the answers and then move manipulatives around and um and then the digital uh license that comes with big ideas. I think I've explained um all of the student books for we we have hard copies of the student book um that stay here at school and then they have access to the digital um book at home that they use um to do homework or study for summitive or um or do purchase are advanced for seventh and algebra for eighth in that digital access. >> [laughter] >> There's a slight decrease in that line for that math on line 18 by 39 cents. Um science, there's no monetary change, but the note

079was updated. Kristen, do you have any matter? >> Let's see. >> Uh somebody asked um to look into the supply line. Uh so Trish pulled out as much of the science and as much of the tax supplies as she could from the budget line from the the general supply budget line. um because we are looking to uh put a thousand dollars in the tax supply line. So that's the that's line 25 right below. So we're at line 23 is science and line 25. So speaking to both of those, uh we purchased about [cough] $675 worth of science supplies from the general supply line because we have no money in the science budget. Um and uh but just keep that in mind that that doesn't always include everything. Like a lot of teachers do purchase within

080every teacher is given a certain amount of money every year to buy general supplies like markers and crayons and paper and all the things that they need consumables and some teachers do purchase science uh science things out of their general supply line for example rocks the fourth grade does a rock unit so they might purchase that with their aotted amount of money from general supplies and we we couldn't necessarily pull that out so that could be higher for both of these the tech supply line in addition Um, keeping in mind for tech supplies, we were given a nice donation of headphones last year, so we didn't have to purchase [clears throat] those necessarily. Um, so some some so that $750 again is um is about how much we pulled out, but it could be higher.

081So we are looking to still put $1,000 for tech supplies. And I we are looking to give every classroom pre preschool through fifth grade $100 for their classroom to use specifically for science and $500 for each of the three science classrooms at the middle school. >> And and I would like to when I was here, our budget when I was here was $3,000. >> It was It was $3,000. >> I don't know how it got down to it. >> It was a It was a mistake. >> A mistake. >> It was actually zero. And I we couldn't do anything. Yeah. And so Amber was able to get at least the dollar back in there so that we could at least move funds if we needed to. >> Um then this technology supplies note does remind

082me um so when I'm looking at this draft budget and I compared it to an old budget, it doesn't have it has the 2425 budget actuals but it doesn't have the budget. So you're com So it's a little bit confusing because you're comparing the budget actuals to offer you can't fit it in your default. >> So I'm I'm just pointing it out because I don't want people to look at the budget actuals from last year and compare it to our budget for next year. >> That's fair. >> Because the actuals are not for the current year. Yep. >> Um I have the 2425 budget with me because I I was like very confused when I was looking at this earlier um why there were some major discrepancies and I was like aha we're multiple years

083behind in actuals obviously. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's just because there's not enough the program can only fit so many columns in there. Um, >> so I will just say >> that's why >> if there's a discrepancy or if there's confusion, I would go back to the 2425 budget to see what the actual default budget was. >> Yeah, because that doesn't show the 2425 default. >> Correct. >> Right. >> Yeah. So anyway, it was just very confusing. I just wanted to make a point saying that. >> So yeah, like in this line it says >> why it's not easy to read this. >> 100%. It says the 2425 tech supply line was $750. So, you wouldn't have that information looking at it. >> Um, so I wrote them all on my budget, but it took me

084like an hour to do that today. >> Just one more thing to mention about um some of these budget lines in terms of materials that we purchased to support the curriculum. Um, I do want to go on record of pointing out that many teachers actually do make a lot of their own resources. Um, teachers are so creative and clever and um, you know, they might do a literacy station and realize, oh, the thing I used last year doesn't work, so I'm going to create something that will work for this year's group. So that [cough] create [clears throat] Ellen and Nancy, I am positive, 100% positive, you've created things over the years to use with your students. And not only that, but teachers all over the nation are so generous and share free things all the

085time. And every week I put a memo a weekly memo out and I always try to include free resources or ideas or things that teachers can do. So I do want to make sure that I mention that the teachers do actually we don't always purchase materials to support the curriculum. The things that we purchase are things that we need for every grade level across the board. Um but teachers are do create a ton of their own materials. [snorts] >> True. I remember when >> Yeah, I know. >> back when we used those and >> giant books to use with your kids and drawing the pictures out. Yeah. >> Yeah. Coloring. >> That's a great That's a great >> My husband made me a two-way mirror that >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> All right. Take

086your time. I'm going to push this on, guys. Um All right. the technology. Page six applies. Page 24, no monetary change, but the note has been updated. I think Miss Whitty addressed that a little bit. Um, page seven, line 26, the schoolwide subscription has decreased by 6,900. Um, and the note was updated on that and that was some of the streamlining that you talked about in moving them to um, lines that better represented where they belong. Mhm. >> Um, line 33, no monetary name or change, but the note has been updated for line 33. Um, this is I was I was tried to be pretty specific about how many Chromebooks we needed, what the cost of Chromebooks was, what this was, um, information that I provided to Jess for um, something that she needed for

087for to respond to. Um, so a Chromebook license is about $300. a Chromebook and license is about $300. You can't just buy a Chromebook off the shelf and put it to work. There is a license that you have to purchase to be able to use it at the school. Um, and we are retiring 55 eighth grade Chromebooks. Uh, we are purchasing 52 new Chromebooks for the rising fifth graders. So, our fifth graders next year will get a brand new Chromebook. They carry that through them with them from fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade. So by eighth grade they are ready to be retired. And as of we mentioned before retired Chromebooks do go into our um pile of things that we can use to we pull screens off. We pull keyboards and

088by we I don't mean me. Um and um we also do have to update u our aging K to4 Chromebooks. We uh purchased I believe um several Chromebooks for our K1. They were touchscreen for um I think last year we we used some money to to replace them. So we're really looking at our second and third grade. We have a whole fleet of third grade Chromebooks that cannot be used with I Ready benchmarking. So um which we didn't realize until we were ready to start doing benchmarking and all of a sudden kids couldn't log on and uh so we do have to uh so we had to pull Chromebooks from other areas which we are able to do um pretty quickly but there will be some replacement of that. aging aging desktops, moners, printers, keyboards.

089Um, so that's $60,000 in the budget. Um, as you can see, the actual was 58,000. Uh, so we get pretty close to needing all of that money. Thanks, Jess. Page 11, uh, line 63, um, is increased by$1. And there was a note taken out in the note line on line 63 and I think that was just an error instead of I think it was put at zero needs to be a dollar in case we need to use that for assessments. Um, page 13, line 80. U, there's no monetary change, but the note has been updated on that. That line real quick. >> Oh, I think that was just saying that. Yeah, atrium. >> Uh, line [clears throat] 155. This is your health insurance increases. So, last time we had budgeted for um what we thought

090was a prediction of what health insurance costs would be. Um and right now this does represent school cares uh bid that they put out to us. So, in the drive I included a copy of school cares um projected cost for us. And so, Deerfield came in at 9.9% average for health insurance. We have districts of SAU that range from about seven up to 30 increase. So Dear Jill had one of the lower increases for health insurance this year. Um we are still out to bid. We haven't got any quotes [laughter] back yet. [clears throat] We should have some of those in the next couple weeks coming in. Um so I I don't even have a ballpark of where some of those other companies are going to fall with quotes for health insurance. Um if they

091do come in lower, we will have to have uh a more robust conversation and probably move forward with the projection of the budget for this until because it would require us going through some negotiations with the uh collective bargaining unit if we wanted to make changes in healthcare uh because there are is specific language in the CBA that talks about health insurance and what we will offer. Yeah. So, um that would require some negotiations to happen which probably wouldn't happen in time for uh budget season or budget proposal in March if that was I guess because that does take a little bit. But doesn't mean we can't make it happen. It just means we would budget for where we currently are at with our current provider and then if something changes then we would adjust

092that because negotiations are going to happen next summer. >> Yes. Yeah. For the whole contract negotiations. Yes. for the for the whole something that could be considered in that. >> Yeah. Well, and this would be if we got a big we got [clears throat] a quote to come in that we wanted to go with instead, it would require us to meet with the union reps and we could do like an MOA if everyone was in agreement, but it would it's it would just require some time. One thing though that came up at executive board though if I'm remembering correctly that if some other quotes come in >> if one school district said well we would prefer >> this one >> that that could have a domino effect on the other schools and their rates going

093up >> for school care. Yeah. >> Yeah. So say insurance company A comes in and says we can do this for this price and we say oh we like Deerfield says oh we like what they're offering blah blah blah but the other schools in our district don't it can backfire on the other districts if their rates could go up and actually if a isn't getting the other schools it might change too or something. So there's some kind of domino effect that we >> could be. So and that would be all things we have to work out. So it just right >> um I don't want to give the the false hope that we would have this buckled up and ready to go by voting day in March because that that would be highly unlikely but

094>> we would we would budge it for our current provider what they currently offer and then we would do it like be an addendum contract um that would have to be changed. I'm getting rid of them. >> I will taste it. >> Was that I have them and I'm getting rid of them. [laughter] >> Do you have school? Oh, okay. >> I do wonder though because I think a lot of districts are very frustrated with school care. So, I wonder if a lot of districts will be pulling out which impact our budget >> for me. They've gone up because I kept the insurance after I retired. It's out of control. >> I've already changed it. >> Well, unfortunately, I think we're going to see that with all the quotes that we get either way. like

095health health care costs are not going to be cheap no matter what plan we go with. So >> [laughter] >> um all right, next one. Dental insurance is down a little bit from the last budget just because we had budgeted for um an anticipated number that we just didn't have yet. So dental insurance went down based on the quote we were given from the last budget. Um [cough and clears throat] the on the next page, page three of the summary packet line 171 and 177 of food service uh decreased slightly and that was because of the uh quote that we got for health insurance. So it's reflected there as well. Amber also updated the budget increase drivers chart for everyone so you can kind of see it in pictorial form of what are the drivers

096that are driving the increase uh in the budget. So those are broken up there for you. I think it missing orange label is special ed based on label here. >> Yep. >> But based on the listing below, I believe it is. >> You're right. >> I didn't like how the the benefits and the teacher and the salaries are separate. >> Oh, because they're separate lines. >> Yeah. just it kind of skews the pie chart, right? And to me to me those together it's salaries and benefits. But >> yeah, I think we just have been in the habit of breaking out because there's separate sections of the bud budget. That's all. Um but does the benefits include the benefits of special ed employees? >> No, because it's in a different section. Oh, the benefits. The benefits,

097sorry, not the salaries. Yes, you're right. Benefits are all grouped together for the >> benefits are grouped together for everybody. Salaries are separated. >> Correct. >> Yeah. So, this is why when I do my presentation, I have it's se it separated differently [cough and clears throat] >> because to me it makes a little bit more sense, but it's very hard to do based on our budget >> because they're they're the way that they're grouped is very confusing. So I spent a lot of time recategorizing the entire budget. It's just because the way that our budget the way that we have to submit our budgets broken out by certain lines that categorize these things and so we can't combine some employees with others in our budget because that's not how we're legally allowed to >> and

098that's an RSA requirement >> and I think it's accounting like the accounting notes >> right >> are the account codes are prescribed by whatever accounting gods there are I don't know how it works but like the accounting look at the account because each thing stands for a separate thing. So you can say this is the program, this is the I don't know that all the numbers mean something. So we can't it's the second bracket of numbers. So it's your 1200s are always your special education. Your 1100s are always general education and so you >> but then you benefits al together. >> Benefits you can't really benefits are all they're benefit lines. They're not special ed benefits or they're all just your benefits lines. those get grouped in together. The only one that's separate is your

099um food service because it's a whole separate budget within your budget. >> Yeah, I was just saying I just think it the way that it looks in terms of, you know, focusing on the tuition being the primary driver. If you add those together, >> it I mean tuition will always be the most. >> I think it would still be your biggest driver. It will be. >> Yeah. No, it is. It's bigger, but it's a what 297 verse 249. >> I I personally I mean I feel sort of agnostic but I also think there's a lot of discussion about teacher salaries and those being exorbitant. And so when you're looking at this, I think it's helpful to see it broken out into benefits versus salaries because I think you can get the impression that, you know,

100if we're paying $200,000 for salaries, people might take that a certain way versus >> say salaries and benefits. >> No, I understand just >> No, I hear your point. Yeah. I don't know. I I've we have heard that before and I think it's fair, but I don't know. >> Well, maybe the key is to come up with a couple different pie charts. >> Right. So, like my pie chart has them all together, >> right? And maybe there's another one. Yeah. >> I wonder if um the website could do it. [laughter] >> Break it up any way you want. No, if there's other things that you want to see on here, we can add things in. But, uh, it was just her attempt at giving you a look at where your increases or decreases are. It

101wasn't meant to sway you in any certain direction. >> Um, so th those are your changes from last time. Um, overall the budget is um the budget proposal is increasing by 2.59% overall. Um the top line there, the one that says overall including warrant articles, um that's fine to look at, but it's not really representative of your full budget increase because it doesn't um because it does include the warrant articles in there, but we haven't voted on this year's warrant articles yet. So, it's based on last year's warrant articles that are represented in the budget. Um, so it's like a it's like a false positive because you build in your warrant articles into your budget because it has to zero. So the bottom line is actually your >> the budget increase. >> Yeah. So if

102you look at the budget right now, it will look like it's only increasing by 276,000. Right. >> But in actuality, the amount of appropriations is increasing by 536,000. Correct. But it's because of the warrant articles being included in this year's budget from last year's warrant articles. >> I got a different number for the that difference that 276. Is that am I looking at Am I comparing the wrong ones? It's the proposed 2627 versus the default 2627 or we're comparing it to the 2526 voted. [snorts] um you're comparing him to the voted default. So the overall change is up 1.3% over the voted default budget >> because what was voted was default >> but really your increase isn't that first line for the 276. The actual increase from um the default from last year is 536.

103So, I just want to make sure that that is clear that we're asking to increase the budget by 536,000 and change, [cough] but it looks like it's only 276 because of the warrant articles that are in this budget. >> So, and then when you look at the proposed default that includes the warrants in there, 289 you >> that's not including the war articles. But that is what the increase for default would be for the actual budget until we get warrant articles in there. So whatever warrant articles are approved in March [cough and clears throat] will change that number >> because they're in addition to the fun one budget. >> So like if you for instance I did this >> those numbers don't mean anything to me then >> correct? >> So they they mean nothing.

104The only thing you should the only thing you should look at is the bottom line of what >> what were what the increase would be. 536,000 for the proposed budget, 289,000 for the default budget. >> Yep. >> She puts it in there just so you can see because if you were to turn to the last page, you would see the 276,000 increase because the warrant articles are in there. So, she wants to make sure that the numbers match, but the real increase is 536 because warrant articles are in there from last year. So, it would be I mean, you could go around town looking at this saying the default budget's only increasing by $30,000, but that's >> not accurate. Not accurate. But if you just looked at it, that would appear accurate, right? >> Very

105It's very simple. [laughter] And unfortunately, there's just no way to separate that out in our accounting system because we have to net to zero. So, we have to account for that in order to fund it. All right. So, transportation is also part of this. So, I want to make sure that um we talk about that. So, we did go out to bid because our contract um ends at the end of this school year for our trans transportation needs. Um currently we uh Dale has our contract for transportation. Uh we did get two bids this year. So, there's a um company called Butler uh bus company or bus services that also put in a bid for our transportation. Um we it got sent out to seven different places. So we sent out first student STA Butler

106bus transportation pinnacle home base and royal ride. It was also listed in conquered monitor. Um and then we got two proposals back on the RFPs that were put out. So, I'm not asking for you guys to decide on anything tonight, but I will uh you guys have the information to review, to look at, to look through the proposals and see um which direction that you guys want to head, but we will need a decision uh sooner rather than later on this so it can be put into the budget. >> The proposals. I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> So, are we not voting on this sau? No, because we w we did four separate RFPs um to see if that might give us a different take on um companies bidding and because we've always just done it

107as one big one. So, we went out and did each district individually um and we ended up getting two back this time. So, there are some options for us to look at what would be perks, what might not be perks. So, I really um encourage you to lead through these and really ask questions as they come up. Um I'm happy to answer. I'm happy to have phone call, happy to meet with you. Happy >> for how many buses this is for? >> It's for the current number um 10. So, right now, seven for K and three for high school. Is >> that the current number that's in this proposed? >> Yes. Yep. You have 10 buses. So, do we know why we had a ton of bus? >> Because right now we're short of bus

108at the elementary school. We still need seven buses at the elementary school. We're still short driver and the you can speak more to that if you have anything else to add, but we're still short of bus at the elementary. So, we we could use that >> on how long we've been short of bus. >> Yeah. >> Three years. We always had seven buses. When I started here, it was seven buses and then three for the high school. >> Two for the high school. >> Yeah. Because we we took the [cough] we utilizing [clears throat] the seventh bus K funds for co round right now for this year. >> Correct. >> So we have six buses currently. We've had as low as four buses and we need to do a double run. We used to only

109have roughly 50 cars a day. >> Now we're close to 150. >> And what um >> that means we need buses. >> Well, we we >> No, they're like technically every kid is supposed to have a spot on a bus. So 15. [clears throat] >> Well, and I can say like my bus stop for my child is an hour and we live six minutes away. >> So I could put it on. She's the one of the first stops on the pink bus. Could put her on it for an hour. She gets motion sickness and generally does not enjoy sitting on the bus for an hour or I could spend, you know, 10 minutes driving her here. So, I think if there were more buses, a lot of the routes would be a lot shorter and

110then to the comment earlier, kids be on the bus for an hour and then there would be less drop offs. postco there was a >> they're getting dropped off and they don't need a bus. >> But I think people would not drop off if they if there was a reasonable bus route for their kid to be on. >> Postco there was a huge push to have parents drive because we needed less seats on the bus or social distancing and then over the years it's dwindled a little bit but not much. Um, and that's technically you're right. Every student in the building should have a seat on the bus. We are required to offer transportation K8 [clears throat and cough] >> only because that's what our capacity is right now. But if there was an option

111of another bus, absolutely it would be full. Mhm. >> And we have kids on the bus for a half hour, 45 minutes versus an hour or more. >> And we tried to get rid of a bus a couple years ago. >> I think it was last year. >> I don't know. I thought about the bus at NBC so many times. I don't >> That is true. >> I [laughter] don't remember anymore. So, I mean that that is something to consider and we can talk about, but right now it was just put in that was budgeted for because that was what we had budgeted for prior. So, if the board wants to make a different decision, we can go down that route. But, um, now's the time to make it just because we're >> No, I

112I think I mean again, I just know putting an RFP for 10 buses when we haven't talked about how many buses we're gonna >> we put out. It doesn't mean that we have to offer 10. It's just that this would be our max capacity or our max number would be 10. Um >> but essentially these bids are based on a 10 >> which is what's budget. >> It's in the budget but it's not going to change it won't change the RFP. That's how we budgeted for in the past and it's based on capacity because student needs going to change. So you wouldn't re you're not going to redo the RFP to now do it for nine buses instead of 10 because there's we know that student populations fluctuate. So at any point we could be

113not needing another bus or need another bus in addition to this, but their rates are their rates that they're giving us. >> Okay? Because during the last meeting, I know I wasn't there, but Amber said that, you know, she's putting it out and then maybe one smaller company would do x amount of routes and that there could be savings if they took all the routes. >> Yep. >> So, in that respect, if you thought you were getting 10 and you put that rate out there, but then you're only getting nine. So the um bids that we got there was um I don't believe there was any cost savings for doing all or one. The spreadsheet on the back of this sheet that you have walks through the actual numbers of the proposals. Um I will

114say that where is it? I had one one thing that I wanted to put out that I was a little concerned about was [clears throat] one of them had a cost per gallon of diesel at 315. Um, which I don't think is really re a reasonable prediction for the cost of diesel fuel. So I am a little concerned about that. Um, maybe it's a moot point. I don't know. But just bringing that to your attention. >> Where's bottom? There it is. And maybe they know something. I don't know, but I don't >> I haven't seen people do that. >> Well, they buy it in bulk, right? >> Maybe. >> They definitely show. >> So maybe and maybe that's why. >> So there's a lot of information for you guys to look through here. Um, I

115mean, if you have a way that you want to lean now, we can move that direction, too, if you feel strongly one way or another. Um, >> I just I don't I don't like how we extended the deadline to, you know, to try to get other bits like that. I think that that's not that's just not good business with that currently. >> We do that all the time for bits. If we have companies um ask request for an extension, as long as it's reasonable, we'll extend a deadline. So, it's not something that we don't typically do. Um and we're not looking to necessarily get rid of any company. It's just our due diligence to the taxpayers to go out to bid for big contracts like this. And if we have the opportunity to bid, we

116have a responsibility to do that. I mean, that's my responsibility to the taxpayers to do that. Um I I have no skin in the game on which direction you guys want to head, but I want to make sure that you have the data to make an informed decision to do that. >> Yeah. I just I think that this is a, you know, we've had we've how many times have we asked anyone to come here for, you know, [clears throat] to give us updates? Are we going to have that kind of advocate at this other company? >> Yeah. I don't know. >> Those are all things to consider. >> A lot of her, right? Um, I think that's definitely something to consider. She knows the school. >> Um, she knows how it all runs. >> I

117I would be um pretty hardressed to switch to someone that is located in the state or something. I mean, if you guys feel confident in the direction you want to head now, I mean, you can you can choose to make a motion on one of these and that's fine. Does this um [clears throat] proposal does it matter if the rest of the SAU joins in or No, >> the only one that >> Yeah, the only one that would matter would be the Butler one. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So, okay. But you guys should do what's in the best interest of No, no. I'm just Yeah, I just didn't know [snorts] if there would be any uh any change one way or the other. Is there anything about the um requiring that they have a

118certain number of buses or Yeah. So part of uh so one I believe in our RFP um we do have caveat that if we have a right to what is it called [cough] expensive >> we have a right to I think it's um give a fee or charge a fee if our needs are not met. Um, so that is in there and I think one of the vendors did respond that they weren't in agreement with that. >> Oh yes, >> not agreeable to the district assessing financial penalties for failure to number provide number of required buses for specific bid, failure to arrive 10 within 10 minutes to start an end time of school and failure to maintain a backup bus driver. [snorts] So that was part of the RFP um assessing the district could assess

119a financial penalty for the contract not being fulfilled. That's on page three of the packet. And this does also include athletics and field trips which we haven't seen in a while. >> Field trips. Yes. Athletics. We haven't had postco we haven't had a single athletic institute. >> So do we anticipate that Dale would be able to have athletics? >> It's a fair question. So on the last page is is able to provide transportation for athletics and field trips at the rate of $140.86 86 for year 26 27 potentially able to school. >> Yeah, I I'm cautious about that only because I think that has been in our contracts previously that they provide athletics and then their answer is we don't have a bus and then there's nothing we can do because we can't assess a

120a financial penalty. So, is I mean I would love to be able to provide a bus for athletics at least for some [snorts] portion of the time or I don't know I don't know how it work but >> when we used to have well for here we would have some maybe the whole team take the bus on the way home >> one the bus would either be empty or maybe one student and the coach >> and the coach is also obligated to wait on the bus with that student. >> So amount of money was [cough and clears throat] a lot. >> Got it. >> When you get to high school, you have to >> right >> back and forth, [clears throat] >> right? [cough] Making it worth the amount. >> And is that not something

121we could do for middle school? Forced bus riding. [laughter] middle school boys. >> No, it would be I don't think I I be honest with you, I think parents would be irritated by it >> by having a bus. Yeah, because >> right >> if you're at Northwood or Ningham and now you're literally driving by and then everyone just kind of congregate here. >> Okay. Well, I don't I don't pretend to know or have all the opinions about athletic trips. Um but would love to hear from people if it if it would be important to them >> and the parents have done an excellent job. >> Yeah. >> Of like a grassroots organization that and we'd never not have >> players don't show up. >> Okay. So, so this the top one is the current deal

122rates. The middle one is the [clears throat] >> proposed rates from the bids. So the top one is Butler if they won all four districts. The middle one is Butler if they only got Deerfield. And then the bottom one is Dale. >> So the Dale is cheaper. Unless Butler gets all this. >> Correct. >> Which we don't currently have no control over. >> Correct. >> Um, who do the other districts use now? >> Everybody's using Dale except for Chai Chester is using Marston's. >> So, and they're going to stick with Marston. >> Yeah. [cough] So then that kind of pretty much tells us then that we only have one of their proposals to look at. >> Well, that was it's a four. So it's not included. >> It does. Okay. Sorry. >> Yeah, it's just

123it's for the bid was only for four. Not try included because we already >> The other schools already have this. >> Yep. They they got it got it yesterday. I think Epson got it yesterday. Chai Chester is getting it tonight. So, all at the same time. >> And when do we need to make a decision? >> Uh, well, no later than the 3. So, we can build that into the budget because you guys have to vote one way or another on your budget for the third unless we do an emergency meeting like the day after. So, >> well, I'll make a motion to move forward with the Dale contract. >> I would probably not recommend that you're the one making the motion. conflict interest because it's arguably a conflict of interest there. >> But I'm

124happy to make a motion. [laughter] Um the only thing I'm worried about is I mean I'm kind of ready to go with deal two, but are we going to be screwing the whole SAU if we tonight say because then that means boom. Not necessarily. You know, >> only one of them could choose a different >> Right. Right. I understand. They could screw us. I get it. But yeah, just not necessarily. >> Okay. All right. So go ahead. Okay. I will make a motion that we accept the um transportation contract from Dale that has been presented. >> I'll second. >> Uh any discussion? >> Ellen, you seconded. >> Yeah, I second. Seconded. [clears throat and snorts] >> Um my recommendation, Canon, is that you probably not vote on it. But um [laughter] >> check yourself. >>

125Yeah, I just I I wouldn't want there to be, you know, some people thinking there was something nefarious. Um when I I don't think there is, but >> yeah, I think just as in discussion, I mean, the the Dale is definitely cheaper than the standalone deer build contract and the other one is cheaper, but what's interesting is in the third year, they're almost the exact same price. There's like $1,000, not even less than a thousand. >> Yeah, they're relatively very similar. >> So, they're pretty similar. It's not that much of a a savings. And to go with a company we know nothing about, whereas we know we can depend on Dale and like, you know, you said before how Amy comes and talks to us and they work with us. They've worked with us with

126the high school bus. I mean they've really done an awful lot to work with us >> and you know just having the expertise about Deerfield which roads you can ride down in a bus you know which roads are very hard in the spring to navigate on a bus sorry [snorts] going with a company that knows nothing about our community for saving a very little amount. >> I agree. >> Okay. All in favor of accepting the Dale Transportation proposal. >> I opposed absentions. Okay, that well that got taken care of. That was pretty easy but yeah. Um, okay. So, I'll have Amber include that into the next round. >> So, do we still are we budgeting? [clears throat] >> That might be your next >> I don't know if it's [clears throat] I think I can't

127add another bus. So whether that's one of the three high school buses, send one each. >> Well, our default budget now is for >> 10 buses. So it already is. So we're not adding a bus, >> but we're not using the bus. >> Yeah. So that >> there's no driver's, >> right? We're not using the bus because there's no driver and you could definitely use the bus >> and things might change next year with Well, you should say like Ken and I were talking before and he was saying like there are not many kids riding the conquer bus, right? There are very few on the bus. It's not being utilized and we're sending two buses over there. What did you say? One day it had like eight kids in it. Yeah, it's, you know, that's

128that's really to have two buses and total up to one full bus that >> Yeah, I mean I I don't know that we anticipated sending two buses to conquer next year. >> Yeah, that's what I was thinking. We might do one bus, but we might need two buses to cover [laughter] round. Correct. So then we wouldn't really be changing the number of buses. The only >> well again it goes back to our our ridership and priority that we've talked about special ed and freshman getting the priority. >> Um I think we would still fulfill that with one bus to each. >> Yeah. >> If that's all we were >> because your current sophomores would shift out of being able to ride the current >> become juniors but the current freshman would be sophomores. And I

129mean, again, not all of the 31 that are going to go brown are going to ride the bus. Um, so I think I think there would still be a substantial number of sophomores that would get to get on the bus, the current freshman. Um, but if I mean, we're going to end up in a situation where they're I don't think that both buses will be full. I mean, I guess they could be if we're going to open it up further and say, "Oh, some juniors can still get on the bus." Um, but again, kind of conversations we have establishing, you know, are we trying to provide busing for >> every student? Right. >> Right. You have to figure out your priority. I mean, if you really are worried about that bottom dollar in increases, it

130might be a consideration of cutting a high school bus and doing one in one. That way, you're not cutting more from your K to8 to pay for another bus. Really, I'm wondering when you said there were only like eight kids on the bus going in or coming home or in general, >> does that make sense what I'm asking? >> Yeah. Um >> yeah, >> just conversations. >> I guess we should probably ask Amy to come in. >> Yeah, because I'm thinking of when >> Yeah, when Amy was came in before to talk about bus ridership at that point, she was concerned if there would be, you know, room and everything, too. So I guess I to see it that it's gone down to eight. I'm wondering is that always? Is it you know I I

131would like a little more information >> always. But the question but the question would be between the two buses can it fill one bus right >> with what they normally have. How about I reach out to Amy and have her give me the data and then >> if there if there's a low number on conquered if you give me the permission I can just cut one high school bus out of there for it to be ready for next budget. >> Yeah, >> that makes sense. >> The numbers make sense. >> I think the only thing that we haven't feared of is whether we would offer two buses to co >> right. Are we just flipping it over to co still have three or we just doing more each >> still? >> I don't know. I

132I kind of like I do sort of like the idea of offering it to >> the kids that really need it but not everybody. Like I said, >> keeping it with your freshman sophomores. >> Yeah. And and especially >> Well, because if you provide more of that, you're providing a luxury really that we're not we're not required to provide at all. >> Yeah. We're not required to ride at all. and I was selling can and when my kids went to school I paid for the bus you know so right [laughter] and and I do want students to go and if there's a hardship like maybe do some kind of hardship thing if somebody which is I mean we could we could consider charging for high school buses >> outside of the budget season like if

133if that's going to be considered revenue it doesn't really impact our budget we just have to still figure out how many how many buses we want to offer I think the problem is is what parents are doing is they're signing up for the bus and then they're just not putting the kids on the bus. >> That does happen. >> And and that's it's costing us $90,000 to have a bus, right? >> So that's a lot of money that taxpayers are paying for kids that aren't going on the bus. And that gives me heartburn. >> Yeah. And I when we look at the what $524,000 number 80 or 90 grand for one buses, >> right? I think I wouldn't um I would love to see information from Amy >> and you know not that she will

134make the decision but if she has a recommendation >> and then instead of I think taking it out of the budget if we could maybe have some simple math. So like leave it in the budget but if we take it out this is what the bottom line would be so that we could approve so you can approve it a bottom line potentially. All right. So that I don't have to sit here and do math. That would be great. I mean in terms of a the DCS 7 bus, how do you feel about that? >> I guess I feel like at first I was thinking, oh, you're getting by with six, but when I hear that kids are on the bus for an hour, that really bothers me. >> Yeah. And the fact that you're up

135to that many cars bringing people in that that's just telling me that it's too long of a trip and parents are bringing their kids in. And personally, I don't want all those cars. That's that's not a good thing to have. Accidents can happen. You've got all this traffic going through the school >> and it's very annoying for people that are trying to drive through town. >> Yeah. [laughter] I mean, the line is right through the street. >> Annoying is luxury. >> And if I want to go environmental, it's not good for the air. >> [laughter] >> And there's a lot of uses that have three kids per seat. Like we've they're smooshed in there like sardines which leads to some behavior issues that we are dealing with on a daily basis. So they're [clears throat]

136they are sitting three to a seat though for an hour. >> Four littles. Yeah. >> Right. That's that's asking a lot of little kids. >> So I guess my recommendation then would be to keep the seventh bus and keep trying hoping we'll get a bus driver. Yeah, I feel that way, too. >> I didn't think feel that way until I started hearing people talk about that long. I didn't realize our bus stop pickup is 650, >> which is a long time. >> Yeah, that's a long time. >> Correct. >> Okay. Um, so you're done with the summary. So now we can sort of talk about anything that you want to talk about. Um, obviously we did not really go line by line with Amber, but um, sort of any anything is up for discussion. >>

137So um, I wanted to bring something up and I just want to put a caveat here on anything I bring up. I might have been reading this wrong. >> Sure. because this is really confusing. But um I want to bring up line five first tutor >> page two um page >> two. Yes. I'm just going at the beginning. So I'll just start one. Does anybody have anything before that? >> No, you can you can hop around as well. >> All right. Um so the actuals for last year were 55,000. >> No, two years ago. >> Two years ago. So >> Well, I mean it was last year. >> Yeah. So you can look at the budget roster for last year to know what we budgeted for her salary for last year or for the current

138year I should say. Well, I've looked at the expenditure report and the expenditure report if you look at that and you kind of figure out how much has been spent, how much you know like we've done two months worth. I'm assuming this is November 13th, so it's actually more than two months worth. and you're you're not going to get to the full amount of 60,000. It's less when I did it I did it on the other expenditure report and it if I added 11 [snorts] months was 48,000 but we're budgeting 62,000. So this um staff member you can look on the budget roster. I mean, I assume she has a contract for the full amount. So, why the accounting is lagging? I'm not really sure. >> She might do summer. >> It was all set

139up by grant funding and it was a new person in the position last year, which was more was she had more experience than the person that she replaced. >> So, I don't know if that has something to do with it, but it is offset by title one grant funding, >> which is confusing. And I did email Jess about this today is I I also was looking at the budget roster and saying so you'll see this staff person's name on the budget roster twice. So a portion of her salary is paid by the title one tutor line and a portion is paid by uh title one grant. So the grant portion is in a different part of the metric. >> Okay. I I didn't know it was salary. So, >> yeah. And this is a this

140is a certified um >> staff member who's who has a CPA. So, >> does that answer your question? >> Okay. the the accounts on the roster are not labeled, but it is the second grouping down. I believe >> it's number right. >> The account number is correct. >> It's uh 110015108 >> is the I was I was looking at this earlier today. I was very confused myself. [clears throat] Um, so I guess so I guess I'm getting confused because of the way this is. And so are you saying when I look at the actuals from 242? >> It would be last year, but we're budgeting for next year. So the current year is what is the data point? >> What's not here? >> That was a conversation for earlier. really important. Okay. So, that's what

141I didn't follow. >> I'm gonna ask I wrote a note to myself to ask Amber if she can replace the budget actual with the proposed budget for 2020. >> Well, I like I like the actual though have both. >> I like having the actual, but yeah, I wanted to know what Yeah. Last year, >> but the budget the budget number is missing. So, it's Yeah. So, sometimes it looks like there's a big >> this year is different than what the actual was for last year. >> Correct. >> Okay. So, so >> especially for staff. >> Yeah. So like so for instance um if you're looking at our administration there is a raise that they're getting this year is that >> fine are you? Oh, so it would be Yeah, there's a couple because one lease

142is a special principal. >> It's on page 16. >> What is it? >> Uh top left number. Page 16, budget line 108. Okay. So, um, because I was looking at the old figures. >> Mhm. >> So, it was like a 6% increase, 6.1% increase for everybody, but now I don't know what last year's was. So, is it a 3% increase? >> I would imagine so. >> So, it goes back to the default subract. So, you're going to see here it looks like she's Kristen got a $10,000 raise. That's not the case. What happens is is it defaults back to what the original the first year of the contract was. So Kristen and Brian and Lisa were fiveyear contracts. >> One to two. So written in the contract, is there like a 3% increase every year?

143>> Yeah, there's an increase written in there. >> Okay. Correct. >> That's fine. Just >> where the numbers are coming from. Okay. All right. Yeah, that is >> not trying to take away. >> It's a good question because it looks like a big disparity in there and it's >> not because when I see like when I figure 6% increase I'm like well that's a merit increase and so how is that being confirmed? Right. [laughter] >> Right. Right. So that's why I that's why I raised the point earlier because I was like why is there such a big gap here? And then I was like, "Oh, we're missing." >> Yeah, I know you said that, but it didn't quite get all the way in here. >> And because we in default, it goes back. And so

144every you would have to revote in to pay her what her contract is that has already been signed into agreement. >> Okay. And we'll have to find that funding somewhere. The operating does not >> And the same thing with the other administrators as well. >> Yeah. This is so confusing. And same thing with hourly staff who are noncba and we do the same thing. >> You have to reapprove the raises if you go into default because they default back to whatever it was. >> Anyone who does that with CV >> what is that? Where? Which one are you looking at for principal? 108 >> actual and the proposed >> the difference between the the voted 2526 default and the proposed. So the proposed is what would be the value of the third-year contract that was

145already agreed to that was signed and offered. That's the proposed budget for 2627. The difference between voted and default is it would have to default back to the proposed default budget >> which was in 2019 >> but then you would have to meet after that and reapprove expending the funds that were already agreed to in the contract. So this is essentially the difference between the salary from 2019 and 2026. Much of which has already been we've already paid her. So this is not based this is not based on her actual she's not was on a $10,000 raise but it is the difference between her 2019 salary and 2026 salary. I'm just going to be easier. >> I don't know what year it's defaulting back to, but the the last approved budget was 2019 2020, >>

146right? But I think there was updates. So Amber had reached out to legal to get further guidance on default because I think before you guys were including >> um admin contracts and default, but Amber realigned that practice with current uh regulation and guidance for legal. So it's no longer included in default. That was only So that would have been Yeah. two two years ago because actually it'll be year three. So we we've typed up some practices around default budgeting. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. >> So not quite back to 2019. >> Okay, that makes sense. Can >> I ask another question? >> Yeah, [laughter] the same thing. Line 136 which is on page 18. So, electric our proposed budget has gone up. Um, and I don't know what the actual was now for last year,

147[laughter] but >> Oh, we know what it was for last year. We don't know what the current year is. >> Yes. Right. Whatever. So, [laughter] I'm just wondering about solar. That should be bringing this down. Now, I know we don't have it running or anything yet, but that's this should be bringing this down. It should be >> should be. But I I would caution budgeting when we don't know what we're budgeting for yet. Like I think we need a few months of data before we can put a number in there. >> Okay. >> I you know like I don't we can blind budget for it but I would I would just caution that >> or I mean it's not going to go up last year. >> I don't know. I wish I had a magic

148eightball, but I would say where >> I would say where we haven't even turned on the solar yet. >> Yeah. >> And [cough] who knows? >> I guess they're waiting for one part, >> right? >> I mean, I >> can't predict when it's going to go on. >> Okay. >> If if we're going to encounter any more >> That's okay. Just shove me down that I [laughter] bring up. It's okay. I MEAN, YOU CAN PUT THE MOTION FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT. [laughter] Not to discourage you. I just >> Well, I have another thing I got very confused. >> Okay. So, this is appendix C. >> So, if you turn to appendix C, it has to do with the co-curricular stuff. >> Yes. >> All right. If you look on Mary's first one, co-curricular salaries. There

149is on page 24. >> 24. Y. >> No, it's >> page 24. >> Oh, I'm looking at I'm sorry. my old one. That's >> Oh, no. You can't look at the old one. >> Too bad I'm looking. >> That's what I marked up. >> All right, I'll help you out. >> There has been a change. >> Oh, well, I think maybe not what I'm saying. I don't know if we have >> It's not in there because there was no change made. So, the technologies one is in there because a change is made. >> Okay. Yeah. So, we do have to go to the old packet. >> All right. So, if you have your old packet, if you add up on the left, it says, and I actually had to get my magnifying glass out so

150I could read this, but anyway, if I subtract the 2627 from the 2526, they took away a B boys coach, girls soccer, B coach, the drama stuff, after school environment coordinator. If you do that math, it's minus 7756. But if you look on the the budget, which I have some here, it says like 5,000 something. Was that the addition of the coach the um student code the >> I don't think No, Amber didn't have that yet. >> Okay. 14. We're looking here. >> So, we're looking at page 10 in the current budget. We'll get you budgeted items. >> So, we're 56. >> Yeah. 56 and 57. Yeah. Yep. So the co-curricular salary. So that it's the and I don't even know what number anymore. The difference [laughter] is the difference between the voted and the

151default post budget zero. It's it says you're going to say $10,932. >> From the default >> and the default the voted default was 42,000. So if you're look so that number probably you said was 7,000 >> 7756. >> So that's the difference between So you'll remember we got the budget packet on October 15th. >> Yeah. >> No, the principal's budget is that October 15 that has been decreased by roughly $7,000 between that meeting and this meeting because they took out those sports teams. >> Okay. >> So in total so it's already in here. Correct. Okay. >> And then the other like the other one was it like supplies went up but on this coordinates chart they only went up 500 but it says they went up 1500. So that's like the next one. >> [clears

152throat] >> So the proposed budget here 6500 50. >> Yeah, the appendix A. Um, >> yeah, this says it's an increase of 1500, but according to the chart says a 500 increase. But I'm wondering, Brian, in your chart, appendix A, when you have 2526, was that what you proposed or was that the default number? >> That was the default? >> That the default number,000. >> Just 5,000. [clears throat] >> Six, >> right? But it says six on your chart. >> It says 6,000. So, I'm wondering if that was your proposal amount, not the default amount, because it would have defaulted back to five7. Um, ask is for >> 65, correct? That's your proposed. >> Yes. >> But defaults 5,000. So, it'll default back. So, the proposed is an increase of 1,500 >> just because everything

153has gone up. So, money, >> right? I got no problem with the money. I just the numbers I'm just about because >> this is Brian. These are like >> these are worksheets that Brian works from from his calculations. This isn't something that like Amber put together to build the budget. Like this is this is Brian like livable working docs that Brian lives from. And so the six at the bottom is what he had proposed last year. But that's not necessarily what's in the budget because that was a default. >> Okay. >> Because we had a default budget. So it'll default back again if we don't. >> So the proposed budget from last year is fairly irrelevant, >> right? >> Because it didn't pass. >> But an interesting data point potentially. >> I think that's why

154it's an appendex 2 is because it's not built into the grid of the budget. It's a reference. >> Okay. I don't remember. >> I have one more. I think I have one more. >> Um these teacher stipens for the summer curriculum work, you increase them, Kristen, and you went from 25 an hour to $30 an hour. >> Well, no. I said I'd like to um right now they're making $25 and and I have to limit the amount of summer curriculum work that can happen because it's we keep referring back falling back to the $12,000 if [clears throat] I had an additional 50, you know, $3,000. We could include a little bit more summer curriculum work and a potential increase to $30. I'm okay with the increased curriculum work, but I'm not sure I agree with

155increasing it the money to $30. It just seems like an awful lot of money, >> right? You won't get as much. >> Yeah, you're spending $5 more >> because then the money's really going paying more instead of getting the curriculum work done, right? >> What line are you looking at? >> Um 72. So, it's line 72. But potentially 73 if you're looking at the new budget. >> Oh, because we added a line. Yeah, >> that's right. The line. >> Well, no, no, no. We added 12.5. So, it should be the same. [laughter] >> Yeah, it's line 72. >> Yeah. Curriculum of developments 72. Stipens are 72. I don't know. How does anybody else feel about that? >> Yes. But you're saying that you your fine would be increased to 15,000, but you want to stay

156at the same >> Yeah. I mean, if they if they really need to do more work on curriculum for that needs to be done, but it just seems like that's a lot of money. >> Well, $25 has been the rate since I started in 2018. And I actually increased it. It was 20 and I increased it to 25. So, that's been How many years is that? Eight years. Yeah, I hear that. But it's but it's extra stuff that I mean I've done that work myself and it's just extra things that you do. It still is a good that's still a good rate compared to other things you could do. So >> I'm just looking at it from the standpoint. I hear you. >> Not that I don't appreciate the work that teachers do, >> but

157that's >> Yeah, I agree. Just in terms of getting getting more as well, right? That's the way to get the extra money. >> So if we approve this like that doesn't set the rate though. >> Yeah. You'd have to make some kind of motion to solute that. Do you also have to get a pass budget? [laughter] >> Well, yes, that's a good point. >> So, I move that it's okay to increase the budget by 3,000, but we would keep the rate that the teachers get paid same. discussion. Is that a proper I assume it's a proper motion. >> I mean, you guys can you can move that. [clears throat] >> It's not going to pass if your budget, >> right? I was going to say it shouldn't be like is it untimely [cough] >> but

158I guess it's if it's a condition >> otherwise I might to get rid of the 3000 that would be my other motion. >> Okay. >> Sorry Ellen, can you just say it again? >> How can we line 3000 but to keep the teacher hourly rate the same? Yeah, >> that would that wouldn't go into the budget. The amount would stay the same, but that would just be a decision that was made by the board that would be documented for >> Okay. Work um discussion. >> [snorts] >> Um, I guess I don't know. I I don't know if we've done the math. So, how Okay. I don't I guess I don't know enough about how this line works. So, what is it? How do we decide who we're giving curriculum statements to or how >> usually

159our math and our reading specialists will um plan um a day over the summer from you know 9 to 2 or 8 to one. It depends on what the team has been looking for. So maybe the [clears throat] math specialist will get together with the kindergarten team and work on work um aligning things, working on assessments. um in math they might work on developing their center work for um for Eureka math. Um they really try to get a sense from each team of what they're looking for to help support their work throughout the year. So um you know math specialists will work with so I'll pay the math specialist the amount of money. So if it's a five hour day it's $125. >> Um and [clears throat] I'll pay the three kindergarten teachers $125 okay

160>> for the day. And then the next maybe the next day they'll work with the reading specialist and do ELA work. Same thing. They'll get $125 for the day. Reading specialist will get $125 for the day. Um and then maybe they'll work a couple weeks will go by and fourth and fifth grade will come in. Uh this past summer we had some social studies work that was being done. Arkinson came over from the SAU. Um Matt McCabe and Lindsay Maxfield worked uh facilitated the work. So, um, anybody who does the work, whether it's facilitating or actually or doing the work, gets paid at $25 an hour. And it can range anywhere from some people only come for a half a day. We've done half day work where they get $75 for for the half day

161work. It really depends on the needs of the of the teams. Um, and it changes every summer. It's where the curriculum is, like where they are in their fiveyear cycle. And if they need work to to finish writing the curriculum, >> sometimes new teachers I'll give them or a teacher that's changing grade levels, I'll give them some summer um curriculum type in work so that they can prepare for uh the year, the beginning of the year or the year. Um you know, depends on on really depends on the needs of this of the school at that time going into the next school year. >> [clears throat] >> And I try to get a sense from the um teams and the specialists prior before the school year ends so we know what to plan for for

162the summer. >> So is there a possibility for not increasing the amount that they're paid hourly that they're going to do the same amount of curriculum work or is it guaranteed that we would do more curriculum work if if it's not if they don't feel it's needed for their groups? Um we we always go right up to that line and I could have done three or four more days with different groups if I had a little bit more money to work with. >> I see. So okay. So the money is certainly but we we have to decide if we want to spend it on more days >> or the days that we have typically had but pay people more for those days. you know, some summers no grade levels want they don't they don't need

163summer curriculum work so they might not do anything. Um, and other summers they do all the things science, social studies, math. So it really depends on >> so more but I always try to um get a sense so that I can budget for it [snorts] for the summer. >> And so if I have $12,000 to work with that's what I try to budget and work with. If I have $15,000 to work with, that's I can be pushed to have more work being done. >> Gotcha. >> And we do middle school work. The whole middle school will come and they get they get their $25 for for the hour as well. We've done all of our probation work, updating our probation work. This summer was updating it to the ASIP process. So, that was all done

164over the summer. And um if I had, you know, if I had more money, I could have we did it two half days as opposed to um two full days. >> I guess my feeling about this is that I would prefer to defer to administration as to how to use the money if they want to based on the needs. if if there's not a lot of need that we increase the rates or that we split we increase by a dollar or two and then use the rest for extra curriculum. So, I guess that's my position on that on the motion, but we have a pending motion. Any other discussion? Okay. All in favor of approving [laughter] the the additional $3,000 but keeping the rate of pay the same for curriculum stipens. >> I >> So

165was the motion I'm sorry. Was the motion to to approve the $3,000 or was it to keep the rate at >> Oh, it's both. So they have a little more money to do more work but not increase. >> Okay, >> I'm going to do this again. [laughter] Um all in favor of um increasing well as presented >> having 3,000 additional loss for curriculum [clears throat] stipens but keeping the rate of hourly work the same >> $25 [clears throat] >> $25 an hour. >> I >> say I >> Okay. All opposed? Nay. >> Nay. Uh 32. Okay. That's all right. Other area. >> Yeah. I wanted to talk about the uh fourth kindergarten position. >> Okay. I know that following I feel like we've talked about it but that was strong back in the screen and

166I don't think any of us really had a good opportunity to really think about that before we made that decision that night. >> Well, I'll take issue with that only because I do agree that it was sprung on you as a new board member. We had all been discussing it since the previous budget session. So we we should definitely have a robust discussion about it tonight, but then you know it's like saying we're having this discussion about it now and then voting on it in April that no one was prepared. I think >> on the budget it wasn't on the agenda. >> Oh that you know what that is true and I I do not appreciate Yeah. I was not a fan of that either. Um >> yes. >> Sure. Sure. Sure. I think that's

167true. to make a decision that night, >> right? Correct. >> Yes. I was not I was also not super pleased about that. Agree with you on that point for sure. Um, okay. Fourth kindergarten. So, this is something I've been thinking about a lot. It's because it's hard to decide now when we don't know what numbers are going to be for next year, you know? So all all of a sudden we could have all these families moved to town that all had kindergarteners and our numbers could be way up. My one thing though um several years ago talking to um a kindergarten teacher at the time when they were deciding that they were going to go three or four. This was many several years ago. Um, the kindergarten team at that point had actually said they

168would do three. They didn't mind having larger classes if there was guaranteed a another adult in the room all the time, like one of the teacher aids, which I think is what when kindergarten first started, they did always have a person in their room that wasn't connected through special ed. they had another adult because they are our youngest kids. They do have more needs and especially now we're seeing kids coming in that aren't toilet trained and they come in yet to kindergarten and things like that. So for me to decide to go with a larger class, I would want to know that there was another adult guaranteed in each of those rooms. one of the teacher aids be assigned to those rooms. Not one that goes from class to class because I've subbed in I

169subbed in kindergarten and there was times of the day that I was the adult in there with all the kindergarteners and this was when the classes were bigger and it's a lot with our our youngest kids. So for me to reduce a class would have to have another adult in that room all day. >> Yeah, I don't disagree with that. Um, I will say just anecdotally, having a daughter in kindergarten last year when the classes were 18, um, sounded super chaotic and but was there another adult always in the classroom to help? And I'm not saying that I there's a piece I'm going back and forth with this all the time because I'm also basing it on some information. And again, that was a few years ago, but from a teacher saying that, you know,

170we had another full-time like we felt like, yeah, we could do 16, 17 kids with another person in the room. >> Yeah. I mean, I think kindergarten is especially hard because kids are truly coming in all over the so like >> there might be students who need more help with learning the alphabet and then there are students who are learning to read. So, I think it's just it's a very hard age for me to support bigger classes because I think it is such a foundational time for education. And I I'm just not convinced we can adequately prepare all of our students for first grade it with bigger classes. [cough] And I'm not convinced either. >> Yeah. >> I'm just throwing it out there because we, you know, I'm not I'm not convinced that I want

171to reduce it either. I I talk myself through this all the time. >> Well, if we did reduce it, we would probably have to add aids into the budget, right? So, there was in every classroom. >> There's four classroom aids. And we we make our staffing decisions based on the needs of the classes at the time. Um and there were several para educators already in kindergarten last year. Um and so having class size of 18 with multiple adults can >> um reduce the square footage for our students and on top of everything else. Right. Can I also in a lot of [clears throat] ways it's an unfair ask for a special ed para to also act as a teacher aid for students not supposed to. >> Are we talking gened parents or >> there are

172gened paras but I um what I'm saying is that you know you have we >> do have well one on >> y >> we do one-on- ones and parents. Yeah. >> So that's just that's a lot of human bodies in each room. >> Correct. So not only the the children take up a lot of space but then there are multiple adults as well >> or we have really small class sizes. >> It started with having you know saying that we need more classroom space have such small class sizes. >> Yeah. But it would be it's hard for me to argue that small class sizes are not worth it. I mean, I think we have to decide as a board if if we are more invested in the building and where students sit than we are

173in education. And to me, it I will not be convinced that it's worth it to have smaller class. [laughter] It is not worth it for kindergarten to have bigger class sizes just for the sake of the classroom. Well, it's not just the sake of the classroom, right? That the flip side of it is that I think we want to get the kids out of the modular. So that would provide potentially a better >> I'm going to disagree just my and again this is my opinion but have we ever truly said our goal is to get the kids out of the modulars it always comes up as that is oh we need the kids in the building we need the kids in the building I'm not totally convinced of that. Again, talking to people that have

174been in the modulars for classrooms, they don't mind. I mean, a lot of who I have talked to have actually said, "Oh, when I moved back in the building, I kind of wished I was back out in my modular because of just how things worked for them and everything." So, I don't know that we as a board have ever voted and decided that our ultimate goal is to get all the kids in the building. Well, we're gonna have to start figuring that out because those projects aren't gonna last forever. So, >> should be a goal for not going to build >> I have always been interested in having no students in modular. So, I don't know, not speaking for the whole board, right? But I myself would glad to see the kids inside the school

175building. Yeah, I just I'm not willing personally to sacrifice quality of education at with that as the only basis. >> I don't think that's the only basis. You're always going to have a better education, right? If you have less kids, >> right? I mean, I think that's >> not necessarily. You can get to a point where there's not enough kids and then the education is hurt. >> That's not exactly true. much. I I could tell you when I taught I didn't if I had 14 kids, it was awful. Hated it. >> I wanted middle school 18. I know, but I'm still But Nancy will say the same thing >> and she taught elementary. If it's too small, it really does affect it as well. >> The other thing I wanted to mention was those kindergarten

176classrooms, Lisa 2, are the biggest. They're very big classrooms also. And they have to I mean, they meet have state standards. They have to be, but they do need the state standards for kindergarten and they need it for like 18 kids. >> I'm just wondering in the past like you know you may remember more what the size of our kindergartens I know things >> they never were they weren't ever that big. They weren't as big as what they had last year that I can remember now. But we also at one point had half day. >> Yeah. I know. I know my my uh granddaughter's school, they have very small kindergarten classes. They have two and then they move into one class. So then they have a big class in first grade and it's a lot.

177I mean, they put like 25 kids in their first grade classroom. >> Well, they don't have the room. It's a tiny school. They do what you have to do. Um it is just hard making this decision when we have no numbers. >> Yeah, we never will. We never will decision last year based on numbers that weren't >> that weren't Yeah. >> So not not not that we were like >> No. No. But >> what was projected didn't come to fruition. So >> and that will always be the case for kindergarten because we just we don't know what's out there. Um, you know, there's not a great way. We can we have information from our in-house preschool. We get some information from the other private preschool in town, but then there are kids who have not

178gone to any formal preschool >> or they go to preschools in other towns. >> Yeah. Correct. And I I do remember one year when I was teaching that we did away with a first grade, we called it entry at the time. Um classroom and every single family that moved to town came in to register a kid had a first grader or an entry level kid. and we ended up having one classroom of like 29 kids and they put a second teacher in. So because we had, you know, so it can happen and there was and I know it happened one year when I was teaching third grade. It was like every day a new third grader during the summer was added to our list and the third grade teachers were kind of like, "Okay, your

179turn." you know that one's going to and we see kids walk in and they walk in the building and it's like yeah that looks about like the third. So it's hard when you don't know what's going to happen and kids enroll all throughout the summer up until like the back to school barbecue. [laughter] >> Um people are showing up saying, "Oh, where do I sign up for class?" And you're like, "Oh, >> welcome to school." I think if you [clears throat] talk to any of the kindergarten teachers, they'll tell you that last year was very hard and this year is just so much better with a smaller class size. Um, I think if you ask around, I know Mr. Grieve made phone calls to every single elementary school in this area and every elementary school

180in this area has class sizes, kindergarten class sizes of 10, 12, 13, and 14. If we're comparing schools to to schools, you know, it is that um >> what's their total number of >> you know do they just have 36 kids broken up into three classes at 12 or >> I don't know >> they have 40 kids in >> I don't they just have small they keep their kindergartens small >> I mean I'm going to advocate for four kindergartens period because I know I see what's coming in the door and I see how I see how hard my kindergarten teachers work. And [clears throat] um you can talk to you welcome to come and speak to anyone. You are welcome to come and observe in the kindergarten class. Um they are small but mighty little

181kindergarteners. And I I would advocate for small kindergarten sizes no matter what. It's to the benefit of all of the students. I think the students who come in who need a lot of extra help and support will get that. the students who are slightly more advanced already coming in will be able to get that extra support. And I would I I my perspective from the outside looking in is that there are so many behavioral issues that are coming through the door and catching kids up to where other kids are that like that takes a lot more precedent than working more intensely with the children who might be further ahead to keep them progressing. You know, I think a lot of attention goes to the to the students who are farther behind, which is a detriment

182to everyone, I think. >> Have you looked at the birth rates with Deerfield over the last couple of years? >> Yeah. Well, they did that study that [laughter] >> I was just curious. you've looked at that in the last >> I also say >> New Hampshire planning did a study de one of the groups and they said that the population is not expected to decrease like a lot of the other communities >> and I think we've seen that and I >> not that it's going to increase >> right >> but that it's going to it should stay pretty stable >> and I was going to say our population has stayed quite stable >> yes if you look at our school population it's been quite stable for many years now >> right so while other places

183>> have decreased we have not seen mean the number of students leaving or not being enrolled. >> I do have a question for you, Kristen, because when we had that really tiny group of kindergarters that were like nine, 10 in a class or whatever, they went into first grade and you kept them three classes, I believe, and you talked about maybe switching them to two classes in second grade. Is that like what's going on with those guys? Did more >> They're now in second grade. >> They're in second grade this year. And I I I think I've spoken about there just an anomaly class, right? So if we send them to third grade, um if we marked if we put it down to two third grades, the following year, we'd need to have another teacher

184because you have we have 18 kids in our first grade classrooms right now. So it's not it's it's very shortsighted in my opinion to put them into two groups and get rid of a teacher when you just have to bring a teacher back the following year. We would just be doing it every single >> moving up to fourth grade and it would be two classes and moving up to fifth grade maybe even two classes. So it wouldn't be just one year. You have to move teachers round which we've always done. >> Correct. >> So it's actually more of a threeyear thing >> and when they get >> all the way all the way up, right? Middle school's hardies that they have to do. So it's comfort >> that starts in sixth grade. >> Yes. Um

185I mean so if you are interested in doing that it would be eliminating one classroom teacher classroom teacher and then the admin would have to sort of figure out each year >> where staff are moving, >> right? And it wouldn't be just one year that staff member would then go back the following year. And some teachers are better at that than others. Um, you know, because you'd have you'd move a third grade teacher maybe to fourth grade or to another and then or would you there's >> you have to get rid of I would have to cut a teacher. >> You'd have to cut a teacher initially. You have to move teachers around for the next three years, >> right? And then and but then that teacher would have to come back to that grade

186level the following year. >> Yeah. Depending on what your numbers were. Yeah. >> Because you might get another anomaly class. Yep, [clears throat] that's true. >> So, we do have the support staff for four uh for to have one in each to have an aid in each kindergarten class. >> We have four classroom aids. Yes. that um we we were typically [clears throat] in kindergarten >> and then um I think we did one year I think it was the year we had four first grades and we moved >> classmates so keep them we try to keep them at the K12 level most of the K1 this year we were able to put one but we have four classrooms yes [clears throat] >> you have five in the budget a library. Yeah. >> Well, I I

187know that after that convers after that vote and everything, we had talked like you were talking about Nancy about um if there was that support in his classroom, then you know potentially you would feel differently about >> but I haven't convinced myself. I just threw it out there because we had had that disc. I I keep going back and forth with myself because when it came up about, okay, we could have bigger classes and have a person in there all the time. And then I had forgotten about, okay, there's a child that needs a one-on-one or there's another child that needs shared. So you now at one point in the day could have four adults in the [snorts] room and that goes crazy because it is more people too. Yeah. So I I'd kind of

188forgotten that piece of the others coming in. You would have Yes. You would have a full-time person all the time but >> people then you'd have two people maybe. >> Yeah. And that gets and that gets challenging too. So, >> um, Kristen, just going back to that one class. Is it 14 in each class? Is that what they are right now? 14 in each class. >> So, there's a few different things that a board member could do right now. So, you could make >> that would still be pretty high. It would be really high >> and then get some >> I think 41. >> I think Kendra's going to lay out a couple options that you guys consider based on some of the conversation that's happening. >> So, a board member could choose to cut

189a a specific grade level if they wanted. They could cut a full-time position and let admin decide. >> Or you could cut two positions, a kindergarten and a classroom teacher if that's what you wanted to do or leave it or leave it. Correct. Option four. [laughter] So, I'm always going back and forth. I'm kind of with Nancy, so I'm always thinking about this and everything, but I I hear the kindergarten thing and I have to agree with with that. And especially if all the other area schools are doing the same thing. You've got kids coming in, they they don't have the socialization skills. They don't have some physical skills. It's not even a learning thing because kindergarten is supposed to be socializing anyway. >> It's not supposed to be teaching, but that's [snorts] what we

190do now. But that's a whole another discussion. >> So, I just think that to keep the kindergarten classes small makes a ton of sense because of the issues that we're dealing with. So, I guess I'm going to say that I'm for that. I was talking about changing that other grade into two, but then when I started doing the math, you're talking 2120 in a classroom, which is an awful lot for an elementary school, especially because you might get more kids coming in, right? >> So, I guess I've just talked myself out of not decreasing any teacher staff. >> So, that's going to be my >> but I want I like having the conversation. >> I appre I appreciate having the conversation. I think it's something that we have to really think about. You know, I

191think about some of the comments and I have to say I am totally against reducing music and art to one teacher. I've really thought a lot about it. I've been going back and forth about it, but I really think it's very special that what we have here and I don't want to change it. And fizzed, we have to have two teachers. So Nancy and I looked at the case managers to see how many students they have. It's reasonable. Everything I've seen is reasonable. I hate the budget. I want to increase it, but I don't want like one of the speakers says, I do not want to hurt the educational experience of students going here. I don't and for me too, I mean, I think I've talked myself out of something to just I never had

192decided I was I needed to talk it out with people to see because something might trigger me either way. But I keep going back to when we were doing high school choice, school choice, and a comment that used to come out at meetings, and I wasn't on the board at the time, but I was here at every meeting, was, "You spend x amount of dollars on your elementary school kids, why won't you spend the same on your high school kids?" That was said often. >> It's true. >> So now we're spending that amount on our high school kids. Why won't we continue to spend it on our elementary school kids is how I look at it too. And I understand that conquered and co-ound their tuition rates are extremely close now. But how much did

193we have to put in the budget to make school choice happen the first time? >> 1.2 million. Was it 1.2? >> I thought it went >> it was 1.2 over the first two years. >> Yeah. >> I think the first year alone was $800,000. >> See, I thought it even was more than that. But >> yeah, but to have it happen, that amount had to go in initially. And that's not ever going out of the budget. It's not like you put it in and it paid itself off kind of thing. That that amount is there now. It's part of our budget. So I guess to me, if we and and they're here with us more years than they're in high school. So I guess I go back to the Yep. we're going to spend this

194much on high school kids. Great. That's fine. But now, let's not jeopardize our take away from our elementary school kids for that. And I guess I think with art and music and other specialists, whether it's >> reading or any >> No, but I'm not including PE, but somebody said we need to cut >> math and reading and all those things. Why do our elementary kids need to take a step backwards and have things taken away from them? I mean, that's really technically it's the only place we can take from the budget is here at DCS >> unless we say we're going to, you know, not have buses for people and not have this. This is and I guess I'm just feel that's unfair to our DCS kids. That's me. >> Well, probably to I'm going

195to make a motion to eliminate one kindergarten class teacher position. >> A second. >> Uh further discussion. Okay. All in favor of the motion to to reduce to three kindergartens say I >> opposed. >> 23. Any other motions that people would like to make? >> Oh, just started talking about the brought up about the art and music. There's been a lot of people all the comments that we've got are that we're eliminating those programs and not my idea [clears throat] wouldn't be to eliminate music and art. It would be to have a reduction in those teachers and offer it less often so that the program's not going away just shuffling of the schedules. Um, kids would still have music. >> I Yes, I do. I do think there would be an issue with performances. Like

196I don't know that we would be able to have choir or band performances. I think I don't know what what the historical uh schedule looked like, but I recall hearing that we would probably only be able to offer things on a trimester basis potentially. So, if we had art for a trimester, music for a trimester, I think we'd have to have PE more often, but um there would be less opportunities for our students. Um, so that's that's something to consider. If we made band or chorus be after school, I think there would be unfortunately very steep drop off because of other activities, sports um, that are conflicting for students who do want to participate in those things. I think that would be very challenging. And then there would be an issue with busing because if

197a student wanted to be in chorus but they didn't have a ride home. Um [clears throat] >> yeah that's I mean any after school activity whether it's after school or outside the school deal with that >> I just I just don't I mean I don't know what the numbers are for those who participate in the band versus just a general [cough] class that band or some general said have a couple different choices, >> right? >> They wouldn't be able to offer all those if they were just to teacher >> and um I just I go back to like when they did the presentation of the music program. I mean, this is like like probably one of the best music programs in the state. I think that's wonderful. I personally like to keep it. I think

198we have two teachers that are phenomenal right now. I couldn't imagine losing either of them. But the other [clears throat] thing is we always forget music is incredibly important. math, you know, in literacy it's important in so many other things besides just music. It really is like a like another subject that should be given that kind of um you know what do you say importance and art like there there are a lot of students who that's the only that's the only class they like you know that they're able to do art and a lot of times like I hear people complain on some of the like we got we got an email about complaining and his kid doesn't like drumming and I'm like drumming is a small part of music. It's like I had kids

199who didn't like physics when I did physics. Too bad that it's part of the curriculum. They don't like that. And then the idea about art where they can just do whatever they want. That's not true. There is a very set program that they have that introduces them to different media and different types of artists and different ways of doing things. And I just think we have a great great program here and I really hate to lose it. And we don't offer anything else, >> right? You know, if you think about other middle schools, they might offer, you know, like what do you call it? >> Industrial arts, >> working industrial arts and things like that. We don't have any of >> even foreign language. We don't, >> right? [clears throat] We don't have a foreign

200language. We lost our foreign language. So, it's kind of like the only thing we have that's really extra. And I just think it's it's robust. It's a really good program. And I just hate to lose it. And again, the information that came to us about surrounding towns and how often they had it and what they had for teachers and stuff like that. We're we're we're not really that far off on our numbers compared to the others because again, I mean, you have Chai Chester, but their population is >> it's really small. >> Yeah. Very tiny. So, of course, they're going to have less because their population, but now you have, you know, Noddingham's close in that they have like according to this chart, and this isn't my chart. This was information given to us, 502

201and they have six and Deerfield, you know, it's like, but no, I'm sorry, not that one. Auburn, he didn't include the numbers of guidance. So, they have guidance. Um, where does it say? Sorry. Um, one to grades 1 to four have 40 minutes of guidance each week, but he had that they only have 7.5 IIA teachers yet nowhere is guidance listed in those numbers. So, it really should be that they have more nless there's one guidance counselor. So, we're not far off from the other schools. Everyone says we have three more. We really don't. We don't. And I did a I did a a survey of that, too. I went to the state website and I tried to find schools that were similar to DCS because it's if you're picking schools that are way smaller,

202that's really not appropriate. >> And um they were like I you can only find like six schools that are like us, but out of that six schools, it's like three had two art music and three didn't. You know, I mean, we're kind of like in the average. But you also have to look at like you said I mean some schools have a social worker some schools have additional staff that we don't have >> or additional programming like I know Hook said has >> uh wood wood shop >> in in their middle school we >> and family and consumer science >> right >> so Alan um last year probably when we were doing the chart step of the highest population of DCS. Do you remember what year that was? Was it 2002? >> I don't know.

203I'd have to I had that all mapped out, but I don't I don't have that with me. Let me see if I find it. Are you still talking? >> It's on the SA website. >> Is it? >> Yeah. >> I also probably have it in my drive. >> Talk about something else. >> I can give you ballpark figures. It's not fully accurate, but of our sixth grade, roughly 40 kids out of 52ish do band and or chorus. >> 40 out of 52. >> And then out of our 78, so we don't bring they're clustered together. Um, uh, 49 out of 107. >> How many, Brian? I'm sorry. >> 79 out of 107. >> Okay. >> Oh, I'm sorry. 60. Sorry. 69 out of 107. >> Sure. so successful. But uh so students [laughter] >> that

204is fair. So it looks like our highest student population was around 2004 2005 right in those areas we had like 571 569 and then it went down to I only have to 2023 but then it kind of was 492 485 went back up to 514 487 back to 513 464 47 497 496 517 515 541 that was kind of higher 531 495 5324 so you can see it's pretty same pretty much the same it's around 2004 2005 we had over >> yeah that was that was a time when we had a lot and that was right around when I started teaching and I remember we had a huge yeah we had a really big class >> and if you remember correctly because that's when my boys were in school too >> yeah I we had

205a big >> they're like 70 something in you know seventh grade yeah >> um we had at that time we had one art class, one music class and music I remember we we had band. >> Yeah. >> We had >> well that was done after school >> or and we had and we used to have musicals. >> We don't have >> Well, the musicals were the musicals were done if they you had a teacher who did it and that was after school where like I know I did a musical and then the next year I did a non-musical but Carlson did musicals. She did it after me and she did it when she did it as a class. >> She had it in her class. >> Yes, that's what I >> music class. Yes. >>

206It was during class time, right? >> Yeah. >> But when did you think we only had one art and one >> I I actually I actually have that somewhere too >> because ever I don't I mean over at GB White I remember we only had one of each, but >> remember don't recall having two. I I've talked to previous teachers and that the reason they went to music was two musics was because they really wanted to offer the chorus and the band and all that and the reason they went to art was because they figured if they were having two music they have two art >> and it started with two pecar >> and then the PE is required right so they yeah so they did that really because of that reason but let's see

20717 >> so 2005 we had two art two music we did >> I just I since moving into this building I don't maybe the first year because >> music teach >> oh we've had we had many >> had lots of music different Jacobson was one of our music teachers. Brian Love Joy. >> Um there's one I can't remember her name. I can picture what she looks like but I don't remember her name. >> I'm not sure when it changed. 1999 we have one music one art one >> movie. When did we move into year >> around right around that like 2000 early 2000? Yeah, I've done it somewhere. I've got another graph where I put it because it was the staff members increase. [snorts] >> I will say um I remain largely unmotivated to change

208things back to how things were when I was in high school. >> [laughter] >> Um I I don't I don't think much of my high school or middle school experience is relevant to today's um educational educational scene. So if we're hearkening back to 2004 as a basis for making educational decisions in 2025, I think that we're that that's [clears throat] a misstep. >> I was just trying to remember how many people actually were >> Yeah. Yeah, the population wasn't here. >> Yeah. >> And what the setup was then I was trying >> not necessarily just like said that they second art because they added a second music. >> But that was just teacher opinion though, right? >> That was just a teacher. I wasn't here. really indeed. You know, when you look at the schedule,

209those two music seem to have a lot of free short periods that glaring. And it just it just seemed kind of backwards to me that our music had that many planning periods, but then our teachers are lacking those periods. [snorts] >> The classroom teachers. Is that what you mean for the planning periods? >> Yeah. What did I say? >> I I I just couldn't my ears don't work. I mean, yeah, I would love to give all of our teachers more planning time, but um I mean, unless we increase the school day or have another place where we can send students so that teachers can have more planning time. See, I I I don't know how we would rectify that. mean to our teachers? Do we need to >> I would say if we want to

210maintain the level of uh programming that we currently have, yes, I don't think we could offer art every three days to every student >> mess up your scheduling if you got rid of an R but you had two music because you kind of alter Yeah, we would have fundamentally have to change the entire makeup of the schedule. >> Yeah. you might have to make up another >> to take the place of >> right. So then where are students going for that future prep period? >> I mean when I started when I started teaching we had to create our own IAS because we didn't know what to do with kids like I did a puppetry course and I did a you know drama thing and all that and that's not necessarily the best for the kids

211but that's we didn't know what to do with the schedule. you would end up with that same problem. You'd open up that time that you would have to fill >> contractually teachers minutes that have to be fulfilled. That's I think it's 50 >> but is contractual though we have to fill that. I think it's 200 I think it's >> 250 >> schedules are reworked and frequently I wouldn't I wouldn't rely on scheduling to drive budgetary decisions but that can change in any given point but factor I don't know I feel like we've had a lot of outpouring from parents talking about how they really appreciate both the art and music program and they don't want to see it reduced and I know that I hear what you said we're not getting rid of it But

212they would go a whole half a year without having it. That's how it would work. They'd have like music for happy year, art for the other half year. So they wouldn't have it for the whole year. And for some kids, that would that would be a big deal. That's their favorite class. And it's not just about favorite. It's get to the whole thing again about how important it is for them developmentally to have both music and art. So it's not it's not just this, you know, silly thing that we give kids that's just fun for them to do. It's developmentally. It's not. It's It's very very good. >> I don't I don't Do we know that that's how it would have to work? Is it half the year on and half the year off? >>

213I believe so. I'm trying to think back [laughter] because I know there's always been two, but there was I don't know if we had a part-time one time like we had one and a half art at one a long time ago and again the kids had like half a year they had art and then the second half they had music or something. There was a time with that and I just I remember scheduling and I know we could work scheduling but scheduling was very difficult but it also the kids like what do you mean we don't have art anymore or what do you mean we don't have music anymore? I mean the kids really do it is part of of what of their school day and what they enjoy. And again, I I just can't

214see putting DCS kind of backwards. I don't think that's [snorts] fair to the DCS kids. >> Can I speak? I don't know. Am I allowed to speak? >> Yeah. >> So, my I was very fortunate. My son went here for a couple years. Well, four years essentially, five. Um, then they transferred to Bington. >> [clears throat] >> My son went from having art every day in music to then having to make a choice between art music and chose band became very good trumpet player but couldn't do art. So he gave up band to do art. So that's essentially what would happen here. So you would have to force kids to give up one or the other. And so he was still angry at me three years later that he still I sent them to Barington.

215But that's a side story. But also, I get the biggest picture is how much money are you saving >> the town's people? I mean, I don't know the numbers. I'm not good at math is not my forte. But if you had a position with health benefits of a full-time teacher, are we looking at $130,000 in a $21 million budget? What is that per household in Deerfield? Is that a dollar? 50 cents a year. >> So to disrupt an entire >> I think a dollar is $800,000. >> I don't know if that's still the case. I think that was based on the prior assessment. So that number may have changed, but it used to be $800,000 was $1. >> So like I mean I've been here 14 years. Well 13 14. But anyway, um to disrupt

216an entire program like that seems personally as a I feel like I'm more invested in this community than any community I've ever been in that it's you're taking everyone backwards. I don't know. I'll buy everyone a cup of coffee over 10 years up [clears throat] to 100 grand. I don't know. like just seems when you put it into that big picture and you're not gaining any space, you're getting one classroom for months. I don't know. >> And again, I think if we had to have kids choose between band and chorus or if we'd even be able to offer those. So, say we couldn't offer them anymore. Say it just couldn't happen with scheduling and everything. So there's another thing that our kids going to the high schools won't have the experience of >> because I

217know a lot of kids when they go off I mean Co Brown has a great course and band program >> they continue >> and they continue and I know with conquered you have kids that then go into marching band and that's how they develop a whole group of friends and they're feeling a part of that community is because they go in and they join banned. So, I think we're now then taking another experience away from our kids and sending them off to these other schools without that advantage or that opportunity. I >> mean, we're sending cutting back on drama, which really concerns, >> right? And we're also we've already they don't go in with a foreign language anymore. >> Cobra did mention that as a request for some point that there. So I I guess

218I I actually your kids gave that feedback to >> coh >> that they really want foreign language >> and the older you get when you get a foreign language learning. >> Yeah. >> So [snorts] they want social studies too. [laughter] They've mentioned that. >> Um [clears throat] and Nancy had mentioned Chai Chester and one of the things we pride ourselves on here is how how long the longevity of our staff in the arts has been. I mean, you don't find that everywhere. They they come here, they stay because they love the kids, then they love the programming that we're allowed to provide. Um, and Chai Chester is looking for somebody. Every single year they're trying to fill those part-time positions because people maybe will take a full-time position and then the following year something full-time

219opens up. Same thing happened to our health teacher. That's a 75% position and we have not been able to fill it. I have posted it. I have kept a post. I've reposted it. We have not been able to fill that position. So, our kids have gone without health for the school year. applicant. >> There's not one applicant that sorry >> no that person left for a voting position. So I think I think that is something we that does speak to our programming as well is the number of staff members and from where they drive from. I mean we have somebody in Maine that comes all the way here. You know I just feel like that's so important. >> One of the art teachers she's a professor at you know >> bring a lot to tell

220you a little bit about how good the art program is. I mean, obviously, I'm not going to change it. It's mine and but I think, you know, yeah, what is $130,000 or if you if you start to, you know, if we were able to cut a bus at, you know, $90,000 in a position or two now we're over $300,000. Like that's the only way to start making an effort to have things that reduce our budget, which obviously people that work in the school don't want to reduce the budget because that's a reduction of their what they can offer and what they have to utilize. So, I just as you know, somebody that got voted on to this board and promise to try to look at ways to reduce the budget, I'm going to continue to

221explore those things. But, um, >> and that's totally fair. And I think the three of us, maybe not Nancy, she wasn't here. Um, I know Ellen and I feel very sensitive to the fact that because of a decision that we made, taxes went up $800,000 in one year because of the high schools in here, >> right? [laughter] You were you were here a lot. >> I was here. That's why we ended up here. Um, [laughter] and I it just like what I said the entire time that whole discussion was happening was we absolutely can have high school choice. We can have whatever options the town wants [cough] to invest in, but I am not going to make cuts at DCS to make that a reality. So, if the town wants to invest, you know, now

222I don't know how much increase this year, but over a million dollars into having high school options, that's great. I'm I'm all for it. People can go where where it fits best for them. Great. But that was an investment. That doesn't mean that we're going to cut back at DCS. And >> I feel the same way. I mean, yeah, because I mean, we were here. >> Correct. And that >> did it because that was what the people wanted. That's what the warrant article was. But that was heartburn to do. >> Correct. >> And if people are really upset with the budget, then maybe we need to send all our kids to come. >> But I don't think we can I don't think we can have the discussion of we need to cut staff, we need

223to cut a bus, we need to cut all these things without also talking about we need to also look at high school choice. Yeah. >> Like I I read somewhere on social media the other day that high school it is what it is. The cost is what the cost is. And that is absolutely not true. The cost could be lower for sure. >> 18,000 per kid. >> Yeah. >> 18,000. That's already a savings >> instead of 21. >> So I don't think we can as a board sit here and say, well, the only options are cutting staff because that's not that's not accurate. But no one wants to have that discussion of high school options. I don't want to open that can of worms again. It was a painful few years. Um, but I think

224it's disingenuous to sit here and say that isn't the largest budget increase every single year since we instituted it. >> And it's frustrating, too, because we fought we fought for that change because we felt that that's what people wanted. So, we fought for it. And it wasn't more than a couple months later when people started coming and said, "Okay, now you need to cut staff at ECS. You need to cut this. You need to cut that." And it's like, whoa, that, you know, we didn't implement that high school so that we could come in and just sever everything that's going on at DCS. And if I felt that we had a big surplus of of teachers, I would be saying it, but I don't think we do. I also just I I have I would

225be remiss if I didn't point this out that so much of our woes of school funding are at the state level >> because the state won't pay enough per student. >> Like if if the state actually contributed what it costs to educate a student, we wouldn't have to have any of these debates. We wouldn't have to debate where our kids are going to go to high school. We wouldn't have to debate, you know, how many staff we have. we but we have to because the state doesn't contribute and you know I am I am engaged in trying to change things in conquered but that's going to take time and that's hard and I don't know that there will ever be a reasonable solution for that but and I just don't think the only answer is

226cutting staff and cutting services for our K through8 students but Yeah, but it's it's our say that um EA is 18,000 a year now. >> Yeah, it's gone. >> So that's the um we currently are I think around 165 this year. Um next year is looking at um 18 I think it was 454 for next year. Um and that is mainly due to >> decisions made in conquered >> decisions made [laughter] in conquered regarding open enrollment. Um that chose to verify and allow families to violate the area agreement to send their students to open enrollment schools that we didn't adopt that policy. Um so which Prem is currently looking at open enrollment by the way for moving forward. So, um, it just wasn't an even playing field as of currently, but we're looking to amend

227that so it would be an even playing field moving forward. >> I do have a question about the open enrollment line. Um, but I'm happy to finish the discussion on staff before we move on to that. >> I have a couple more things to question. >> Sure. >> And I'm not sure I'm not well verssed on this issue, but um, talking about different high school options private schools, religious schools, whatever. And I keep getting feedback that they're they're not certified state certified or curriculum. >> Yeah, they do not have to be. >> And they also they don't have to have any IP kids. They don't do testing. >> They don't have to do testing. >> Some do it, but they don't have to. They do not have to follow the same. >> Yeah. They don't

228have to meet any of the requirements that we do. public education does. They can, but they don't have to. >> Right. Okay. >> And some do, >> but they don't have to. >> I doubt that we would be. So, a big priority for us when we were negotiating contracts for high school was that any student or any school that was going to become one of our high schools had to accept all students. And I do not think a private school would make that agreement. >> Do we do we have non-certified staff here? >> Yeah, there's a roster of non not not as teachers have to [laughter] be certified school or they have to have a sitebased learning plan to work towards certification. For example, the digital learning specialist um doesn't have that certification, but it

229was an emergency authorization that we did last year with the board and she's working towards that certification, but she's a certified teacher. >> Yeah. >> So, yeah, you'll see a you'll see a roster in here that's non-certified staff, which we do have to talk about in a little bit. Those are our hair educators or administrative assistance food service. >> Um there are some just because I'm reading between the lines some of your questions. There are some schools that do have agreements with local private schools for high school attendance and tuition. Um, I don't know the stipulations around their contract or agreement that they may have stipulations that say they have to accept them. Um, I have a feeling that one of them toward the Vermont border may have that stipulation. Um, but that is definitely

230something to consider is that they most likely would have the right to deny any kid that they didn't want to take. >> So, there are some that might be a caveat. And I also maintain that we we felt comfortable moving forward with the three schools that we did because it fit exactly with the warrant article that was approved which said public schools. So in my view if we wanted to open up high school options to private and or religious schools I think that would need to go before the voters again >> right >> at least to have those included. So, if someone wants to include that as a warrant article, they are more than welcome to propose that and then we could then the town could vote on it so that next year when we're

231just talking about high school contracts, you could consider other schools based on the town's feedback. But I would not look forward to that unless there was another vote personally. Um, okay. Does anyone else have any other things to discuss about positions or motions to make? I just had a question about the um 133 for the modular 19. >> Thank you. Um, when I listened to that movie ago, never referenced modular and it says 32 year, but um I'm thinking that that number should be double that because [snorts] we were paying like that 32 a year. So I would think that [clears throat] >> I'll check whe >> I thought it was 32 for both for a year. >> No, it's 32 each. >> They were slightly different. One was like 33 and the other was

232like 31. >> Yeah. because I think one was slightly newer than the other. [laughter] >> Yeah, we got them at the right time. >> Um I'll check with her and I'll um I'll have to change that if that was different, but I'll have her verify. I wonder if maybe the payment plan was one if if they were different ages. Maybe we finished a payment plan or something. Okay. All right. Yeah, I'll check with her. subject. >> Yep. >> For like the Deerfield's assessment evaluation number might be in the last. I have the 2425 budget. >> I was gonna say the modular rental for 2425 was also 321 196. >> So that's contract [laughter] and the actual for 2223 was 32 196. I'll check with Amber. Yeah. District share in 2425 proposed budget was 471638 and

233our assessment percentage was 21.20%. I don't know what it is. >> Maybe look. [laughter] >> I wish I remember those off the top of my head. It's usually around 21, but >> Oh, we did have line numbers. >> Yeah. >> Trying to be more efficient. This was pre-line numbers in the budget. I don't think I know. Sorry. It'll be close. Got it. I got it. Okay. So, it's 21.5 right now. The percentage share. >> Last year, you said 21.2. Yeah. For 2425. >> It may have based on 2526. Um I don't I don't have that budget with me actually but yeah there is a current chair's 21.5. >> So last Yeah, that's what I was looking for. Yeah, it was 22.7 last year. >> No, for the current year 25 26 for 26 27 it'll

234be 21.5. >> Right. >> Yeah. >> It's very easy to work in three different budget years. [laughter] Okay. Um any other questions? I did have a question. Uh the open enrollment line >> um >> 12.5. It's right after our high school tuition. It's a brand new line. >> Is it only for high schools? >> So the No, the um line the line has to be added through all budgets K. >> Right. But is there a possibility that we have non- high school open enrollment tuition? So the the letter of the law doesn't um isolate high school as schools that can choose to be open enrollment. >> I ask only because the description of the line is high school open enrollment >> at elementary. Don't you have you have to agree to be an open enrollment

235school in elementary school? Yeah. Oh, you have we would have to accept children >> but not to have our children go to an open enrollment school. >> So, open enrollment if you if the school chooses to adopt open enrollment, it's you have to make a determination on both of those items. You would have to make a determination on what your limit would be for sending out and accepting it. >> But we don't have to accept it right now. >> Not right now or anything. Correct. >> Correct. But we do have to put a budget line in there. >> But high school, it's affecting you because because you're a high school. Why is >> Penrook? >> Yes. Because we have school all the districts all send to Penrook Academy. >> So that automatically makes you an

236open. >> No, they're not currently open enroll. >> What what happened is that there are students that left um Pemrick Academy that were from another town that were going to Pemrick Academy. they choose to leave leave and go to a different high school under open enrollment because that high school had adopted open enrollment. >> Oh, okay. So, they chose the families chose to enroll their child in that school. >> So, there was lawsuits, litigation, it went to the Supreme Court, all of that stuff. The Supreme Court has essentially ratified that yes, families can choose to take and send their child to an open enrollment school even if their hometown has not adopted an open enrollment policy. Right. So that's why I'm confused like can we can't determine that students can't leave DCS to go to

237an open enrollment school. >> I'm not sure I understand your question because yes you you could do that if you wanted to put a warrant article on your field. >> No, but currently currently no. >> Yeah. >> Unless there was a a school next to you or near you that was an open enrollment school >> and there's only like two or three in the state that >> currently there's two currently >> I know. I I'm just saying it right now. >> Correct. But I is it just a a vote of the board or is it a vote of the town? >> It has to be a warn article. >> But I'm just saying like Northwood could become an open enrollment >> correct >> elementary school tomorrow and [snorts] then now we have to pay tuition

238for Deerfield students to go to Northwood. >> True. >> So I'm wondering if we fund this budget line or what we do about it. >> I wouldn't fund it now. I mean, that still has to be something that's going to have to pass the law because right now, and I know like the New Hampshire School Board Association is lobbying to not allow this to happen to to make it required, >> right? But the Supreme Court just said it's kosher like a week ago. >> Well, to make it required. They said it's okay for schools to be, but not to require. And right now, I I don't know. Are schools really wanting that? I think some schools that have decreasing tuition or decreasing enrollment I think would >> it would take care of our space problems

239but then we're paying taxes involved >> and we have no say ination >> and you still have to pay for special ed for any kid that leaves who >> right? So, is that something we need to be thinking about when we do warrant articles? If we didn't open enrollment, >> I would say my opinion is that we try the tuition warrant article again, but not limited to high school. So, say that again. I'm sorry. So, we floated for the past two years having a high school tuition trust fund. >> Oh, okay. And I would propose that we have a trust fund for >> tuition. So if a student were to leave >> because correct. >> Well, we can discuss that more. >> Correct. Yeah, we get to get to war articles. I just >> Is

240it something? >> It's a relevant topic. You should have it in the back of your minds. Uh I didn't bring it here because I didn't think you guys were ready to talk about that yet. >> I'm ready. [laughter] tonight, >> but because I mean it does kind of affect you by proxy, right? Because Pemrook Penrook is pursuing or the board is discussing actively um about open enrollment and so if you know if the town votes to approve open enrollment in Penrook and then some of our kids in Fairfield could go to the Penro. >> Yeah. I mean they still can do that now. >> I mean high school. >> Oh, you mean Yeah. If the Peber board chose to adopt open enrollment K to8, >> then potentially yes, students could leave any K to8 school

241and apply to attend to Penro if it got to that point. [sighs and gasps] >> Okay. As it currently stands, but can should we change the description to just open enrollment tuition? So the the way that we have to put that in there is dictated by law. >> It says high school tuition and open enrollment. >> Open. >> Oh, I'm looking at the old budget. >> I don't know what this is then. >> In line 12.5 in the current budget Amber gave us. It says open enrollment tuition. >> Got it. I'm looking at the old one. This must have just been changed. >> Yeah, I think we we were just trying to get that in because we knew but now clean or cleaning things up. cell. Okay, cool. For those that are interested, RSA 194D

242is where you will find the language on open enrollment. I am interested. >> RSA 149D >> 194D. [snorts] Um, I think you know when one thing that always bothers me I will say and it's not something that we really can control but I do I want to bring up for discussion because there have historically been pretty sizable and significant overages in special ed budgeting. Um, this year I think was less. There was about $153,000 difference in the bottom line for special ed programming, but $153,000 looks egregious to some taxpayers. And so I don't know how to deal with that. So it's it's difficult because kids plans the budget is based on a current plan for the current population of kids. And so between now and next year, our special education population changes drastically and the

243services they need because their service plans might be updated three to four times a year, right? >> And so the cost for whatever that one kid's cost might fluctuate four times a year depending on the services that are being uh recommended by the team. And so if we have a student who changes a placement that they're in or we change a vendor or we are able to hire somebody locally whereas before we used a vendor, our costs are going to change. Um and so it's really hard to predict >> what our special ed numbers are going to be 18 months from now. However, I will say, you know, it's some something that we need to maybe really consider and improve on is that when we do have overages in special ed, make sure that we

244give that back to the town because in good faith, we said we thought we were going to need this for special education and if we didn't and they don't have a say in that because that is federally mandated, >> right? So making sure that we are being very cognizant of that when there are surplus funds in special ed lines that that goes back to town. Yeah. It just it feels it's hard to argue when you know I'm thinking selfishly myself when I go to the NBC saying you guys actually can't change this number but historically we've had you know anywhere between 400,000 to whatever um surplus in those lines every year. >> I mean here's the thing they can change it but if the expenditure happens we are required to spend it. So if for

245some I if say if uh you know you or the NBC decides to cut the 1,200 lines by $500,000 >> okay do that but you run the risk of now being in a deficit for the following year >> for sure. >> So it's not that you can't cut it. It's just saying we this is what we are proposing that we need >> based on the students that we currently have in the population and we have done a kid bykid budgeting and this is what we anticipate. So if you cut that you are willingly saying well we know you are saying you need this but we're going to cut it anyway and run the risk of being in deficit for the following year. But I I understand your point and it is it doesn't feel good

246>> when you have a surplus in special ed when you said you were going to need it. Right. But I think that's why you have to be very good about returning special ed funds that are unused. >> Yes. And I like I think what feels um particularly bad is that there have been years that we've requested to put money in the special ed trust fund and also then had an overage of, you know, $300,000. So we're like sort of hitting them twice. were like, "We need this money in the trust fund in case there's an overage, but also we had a surplus of $300,000." Yeah, I think your guys's trust fund is in good shape. I, you know, I I personally would recommend around $500,000 in the special trust fund because that would account for

247one uh residential placement and it would be wiped out. Um, so that is a good buffer to have to prepare for a catastrophic event that might have burn the budget. Um, and I think you guys are in good shape for your special interest fund at this point. >> I like the idea though of the surplus, making that very cognizant. This is surplus. We're giving it back. >> Yeah, we haven't done that before. Special surplus and we decide what we're going to do, but >> I think that's a great >> I would recommend isolating out your 1200s and saying, "Okay, this is how much we had in surplus for 1200." And making sure that that goes back. >> Yeah, I think that's fair. >> Any agrees? when I talked about it, >> we did make some

248reductions in special ed. >> Yes. >> Um I mean I it was obvious to me that the increase this year was not at the same level that we've seen in the past two years. >> Yeah, we worked hard to bring that down >> or Lisa is probably hearing about it. Well, and you know, it's it's one of those things where $153,000 sounds like a lot, but could be easily used in >> Oh, it's transportation for one kid. >> Correct. >> For one, right? Correct. >> For one kid. >> So, [clears throat] yeah. Yeah. >> Maybe maybe Conquer should step in. [laughter] I'm gonna keep saying it. Not conquered the high school. conquering the [snorts] legislative body. >> Can we are we all right to talk about non-certified increases real quick? >> Yes. >> So, one

249of the decisions you guys do need to make um to have reflected I mean it doesn't have to be tonight, but I would recommend tonight is a choice on where you want to go with direction for non uh CBA staff increases for next year. the there's a chart with orange um rows and columns on there. They look similar to the transportation. Sorry about that. [laughter] Noticing that now. [clears throat] So, Amber broke out four different options for you to consider. Then non-certified staff are up top, food services in the middle. Um and then admin would be on here sometimes. Right now, they're in the middle of a multi-year contract. So, that is already included in state budget. So she gave their sal starting salary is on the first column on the left. There's a what

250a 2% increase would be the increase and then the column next to that reflects what the salary would be after that increase. The next one's 2.5 reflects what the salary would be after 2.5, three and three and a half. So it would be helpful if you guys pick a number tonight and then we can put that into the budget for next time so you can see. I think that's the only thing missing out of this budget right now is non-certified staff increases. >> Okay. [snorts] >> And then if you guys are ruminating on it over the next two weeks and decide next time that you want a different number in there, we already have it calculated out so we can change the number. So is it set in stone for tonight? 2% >> what is

251the do you know what the standard cost living adjustment is? >> Oh uh I haven't calculated the cost of living increase that's like you're talking about the like >> society wise >> I haven't calculated that out yet but we can I can get that for next time. I would assume it's around a three >> based on trends based on last year and the year before. I would assume it's around three. My employer did 2.5 across the board. Your answer [laughter] >> I'm looking at um the first person under noncertified. I'm just confused on his number. >> Yeah, we're not staff. We got to >> Yeah, she's not saying the name. It's not It's the chart's wrong, I think. >> It is the same number under 2% and 2.5%. >> Oh, >> It's just a mistake

252in the chart, but I didn't know if that offset >> the problem. It probably does totals >> probably a few hundred bucks. >> Not much, but I just Thank you for domino effect. Just doing a quick check to make sure there's no other ones there. I think that's the only duplicate. All right. Just rough math. It looks like it would be a uh $1,45847 increase. >> 1,458.47,6 478,6 [snorts] [laughter] [cough] for 2026 be 2.5. Okay. >> Yeah. I was I was going to be about three. So8. [cough and laughter] >> Yeah. I had a feeling it was around three. >> Yeah. I think a 3% is fair. >> Yeah. I mean, I think especially because health insurance costs are also going to >> and some of these positions are not >> a lot. >> Yeah,

253they're not a [laughter] lot. [snorts] >> I will make a motion to increase uh non-certified staff by 3%. >> Second. Any discussion? >> All in favor? >> I I so that map will be in the updated next week. >> Thank you. >> Anything else you have specifically for us to review? >> I think that's it. I think that's all the pieces. [snorts] She should be. I think we covered everything. Um, yes. Just quickly too, um, the food service is missing this staff member. All right. The name of you >> and it is on the roster, but it's on page. >> It is on the roster. >> Okay. >> Page the bottom of page 36. >> Get that added. Thank you. >> Everybody else is one. So, uh, yeah, copy and paste it on if it

254was a different page. All >> [snorts] >> right, other budget items to discuss. Um, we are going to be reviewing this again at the what date is [laughter] December 3rd. December 3rd meeting. Um, at which point it would be my hope that we could vote on a bottom line number so that we can get the draft budget to the NBC for their uh, December 9th meeting. It's going to be a quick turnar around. >> Yes. >> Do we think that we need to have another meeting before December 3rd or >> I don't know that there is time before December 3rd because you've got >> Thanksgiving next week. Yeah, you've got Thanksgiving next week unless you do some like a meeting Monday or Tuesday next week. Um or you know if there's we might want to

255wait and see where Wednesday ends up and if there's an impass on Wednesday the 3, then we can do an emergency meeting either the Thursday or Friday. It's up to you guys, [clears throat] but we would have to get that meeting in before that weekend because That'll be a real crunch to get the budget recalculated and put together on the 8th for the 9th NBC, >> right? Because they usually like ahead of time. Yeah. Not always possible, but I I generally will send them electronically a copy of the budget so that they can sort of get a head start on reviewing it. But they do like to have the binders. Yeah. Well, there's something we said about flipping through papers. >> Um, yeah. Anything else for tonight? >> Well, do you want to we get

256the hanging decision? Do you want to schedule a meeting between now and the third or do you want to wait till the third? I don't I don't unless there are plans to propose additional staff cuts like you could make changes on the third and we could still do the math and approve a bottom line number. The only complicated part is if you cut staff then we I don't know what their benefits cost. So we can't calculate a bottom line number if staff are cut on the third. So that would be the only reason I think that we would need to have another meeting. >> If you know ahead of time um something that you really want me to bring forward, if you let me know sooner rather than later, I can come prepared with like

257>> correct >> a side sheet to prepare for you guys to approve and how that would impact the budget. >> Right. >> So I mean I have my own notes that I've been taking based on conversation that I'll have Amber prepare. Right. So like a bus like we'll have the bus numbers. So if we wanted to cut a bus, we will have the bottom line number. >> Correct. Like I'll >> Yeah. >> And if you if something comes up during the week, you can feel free to email Jess and give her a heads up so that she can prepare for that. >> Anything else? >> So we're sticking with the third, >> I think. So unless the third and then if we need to meet either the >> fourth or the fifth or >> Yeah,

258I'll have Okay. Manifest discussion. Ken, I think that was your >> Yeah, I just uh I wanted to discuss and maybe we have a longer conversation about it another time, but um I just in terms of reviewing the manifest, I'm sure you see this as well, is that [clears throat] we don't really I don't know that we're necessarily like really qualified to be, you know, the check and balance on us when we don't have any standard of, you know, what these numbers should look like. I had talked to Patty about it back, you know, when I first started doing it. She pretty much said, well, if you saw like a $100,000 charge to Amazon, that would be a red flag. >> Yeah, you look for red flags. >> But I don't I mean I don't

259know. to me that just that doesn't seem like much of a check. >> I mean I will say that we are like the third check. So obviously the the SAU is entering or we're entering them. The SAU is reviewing it. >> I'm approving them. >> Yeah. The treasurer is also reviewing everything >> and then it comes to us I think. Finally. Yeah. >> I also talked to just so you're so you're um wanting to add this on there. I went and talked to our AP person or person who does the um check writing and helps put out the manifest um because I'm not on the district manifest and so I talked with her about adding that layer as well. So there's like a fourth like checks and balances in there um because I am on

260the SAU manifest but I'm not on Deerfield's manifest. And so um we did talk about adding another layer of review and security. um to make sure that there's nothing going through that shouldn't go through. So, because you're right, how would you know if a book [laughter] of order of books costs $20 or if it cost $250? Like, how would you know unless you spent 20 minutes googling what one of those books might cost 200 lines out of a manifest? >> There's usually not enough information to be able to do that. >> Yeah. A lot of times it'll say see attached list, but there is no list. >> Oh, right. that that would be list that Kristen would have been given by the teacher. >> I do think that's why we started doing the expenditure report.

261I mean, not that specifically, but we can look at the expenditure report and see sort of if we're on target because all of those lines on the manifest have to be aortioned to an account. So when it, you know, we're paying $250 for books, that has to come out of the science budget or whatever. So we can see on the expenditure report >> all, you know, cumulative um accounting of all the manifests, if that makes sense. >> Well, I think it's important for, you know, I think like the conversation you have with Patty, looking for anything that looks like outlandish. And so, you know, I've had other um treasurers, board members reach out to me if they notice that um an out of district placement was costing a certain amount this month, but last month

262it looked like this and wanting to know why that is. And so, I'll have a conversation with that board member of like why that would cost like that. And they verify they're like, "Hey, I think this looks off. Can you just check this for me?" And we walk through like, "All right, nope, that looks good and this is why. Thank you for checking." Or, "Yep, you're right. That does look off." and then I'll go back in and I'll go um check some stuff. But really, it's just it's making sure it's kind of that fraud barrier of making sure that, you know, the same person isn't get getting reimbursements on a bi-weekly basis for things that we really shouldn't be reimbursing them on. Um to kind of try to prevent some of the things that other

263districts have been nailed for in the past. Oh >> yeah, there's just some some weird things with um like I don't want to say anybody's name, of course, but >> there was a contractor that got paid and instead of the check being made out to their business, it was made out. [laughter] >> Yeah. Anything anytime you have a question, call and ask. I I would prefer you ask than just sign it and send it through. Um because we can look up why that might be. >> Right. >> So >> it's the way the W9 comes through. >> Yeah. >> And they will put both like when I go into Infinite Vision and I'm looking something up, I'll see that person's name, but then the business is also there's a line one and a line two.

264the business is in there. >> Oh, and you may not see that on >> your but then you could if you call me I I can call it social instead of >> Right. Yeah. Like we could certainly double check that to make sure we have a >> an appropriate W9 from them. >> Well, yeah, it could be technically it's not wrong if if they put their social down instead of an as a sole proprietor. It's not wrong, >> right? >> Sounds complicated for tax, >> but it's worth but it's worth a look at >> to make sure that that's the case. >> So, because remember it's Deerfield, so we do get worms and frogs and waiters and bow and bows and arrows. We do get those things. [laughter] Those do those are we can put

265to good use. No doubt. No doubt. >> I used to buy hearts and loves >> Yeah. We think we got a cow heart not too long ago. >> Got hearts. Yeah, >> she used to get hearts all the time. >> Oh man, that improgs will be >> seriously service. Like if you ever have a question or a doubt, please please call. I would rather >> check 10 different items every time versus something go through and there be a fatal error. Mhm. >> So, >> and I try to catch I don't I don't think I've ever really caught Maybe I've caught the wrong line like it's it's you know something po has been written in too long. >> I thought that sometimes to see a text like library doesn't order 25 30 books to list every

266book with everything. Yeah. >> Very time consuming it would take a whole day. Yeah. So I mean when I attach when I attach it to pay it that's what see the attached list. It is attached there with all the items individually. >> Yeah. Trish has a paper copy of everything. >> I have paper copies of everything. >> Yeah. >> No, I'm sure somewhere just we're not seeing that. >> Yep. >> That's it. >> Um All right. PTO update. No one is here for that. Um, CRV, did you want to talk about this? >> No, I kind of talked about it last time. I just said that they did talk about a lot of the technology things they used and how they used it, which made me feel good. And the only other thing uh is

267that the ELA might come up to us that'll be reviewed. >> Yeah. >> This year. Yeah. >> And then science might be postponed till next year, which we don't having a hard time getting everything together with the competency. That's really the only thing I have. >> But ELA will definitely be coming forward this year. It's a huge curriculum that they're putting together. So really >> excellent. Um facilities. >> Yes. So uh just see Chris and I met for this meeting. um started reviewing our um CIP and um projects that we use back fees for. Um looks like looks like we go for the uh cafeteria floor replacement. Um we did get an updated um quote for that floor and it did come in um less than we had budgeted for which is nice for other

268projects >> change >> and that that's an impact the uh project um so I guess city is going to put an out for that um in February he said and that'll be a summer project next year Um, we also see what else we need. That's really the only thing for right now that we're and oh that that was it. The um the elevator we're um putting an RFP out for the for an engineer to oversee or to assess the current state of the elevator and determine what needs to be done. potentially oversee the project. So, >> um do we have an idea when we're going to get the capital investment plan and draft one of that? >> Um I think we're gonna try to um Chris gave it to us today, but um everything kind

269of needs to get shifted over >> a year put in the wrong column. up and update it and hopefully have it for you for the next day. >> Excellent. >> Um I also emailed Jess, but um I I had been going through old emails on my in my email and there was a request a number of years ago from the fire department about having a dry hydrant built and I don't think we ever did it. So I just wonder if we should add it to the list of things that you guys are looking at or thinking about. Um, I thought of it specifically when we ran out of water and I wasn't sure if our sprinklers were on our well system and whether we should have a dry hydrant in case we run out of

270water again. That would be a huge fire hazard. I think >> there is a tank that holds all that watering system and that's good. >> The discussion around the dry hydrant was that that pond is too shallow, >> right? I remember >> it was okay. >> Yeah. would had have been from what we I can't speak all about it but it was it would have been a really big project um >> correct >> and there's a whole environmental piece to it too. So >> yeah so the uh oh the storage tanks we have at this point are sufficient for the fire. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. like throughout that whole throughout the whole update. >> That's actually on this plan as well is to replace the water storage. >> So that's like three years

271out. >> Okay. It was just it came up. I was going through all the emails. I was like I don't think this was resolved, but I wasn't involved in the discussion that week. So that's helpful. >> Um you want to have them move the minutes? >> Oh yeah. And so there's just minutes from >> our guys, >> but it was just from our meeting the last time. I think we talked to you guys about stuff about the uh >> the cafeteria floor and just [clears throat] I think that was our first meeting actually talking about C. So make a motion to approve the minutes on October 1st. Second. Any discussion? Wendy. Second. Wendy. >> Missy. [laughter] I don't know where [laughter] I'm tired. >> Okay. >> Um, all in favor of approving the facility committee

272draft minutes. I >> I >> Any opposed? No. >> So, I have a question. >> Yeah, they do need to be approved >> by the Okay. So, because the first ones we sent just to you. >> Yeah. >> And then I haven't sent you our second ones yet because my computer was >> I think I feel like we approved. We didn't. >> All right. I'll make sure they get on >> and I'll Sorry about that. >> I think my computer's working now, so I should be able to get it. >> All right. I'll make sure they're on the agenda next time. >> Okay. >> We learned something. umformational items. I did just want to add um the co brown annual data report. Um I don't think anyone from Deerfield went. I don't know if any

273Parkinson was able to get >> I think she went. >> Okay. >> Um but I don't think anyone from our board went. So Dwight Barnes provided us with these. Um so we're just handing them off to people for their review. So, I will say the on the first page, um, I did a little correction. I'm going to talk to Coan about this, but where we had so few students there up until like just now, um, it really becomes identifiable information with special ed numbers and so I whited out because they actually put the number of kids in each grade, [clears throat] which was alarming to me. So, um, I turn them into percentages. So, you still get the >> So, you could do the reverse math, but >> if you were able, yes, you could

274do that. Um, but [laughter] >> um >> I'm not going to. >> All right. Thank you. >> So, anytime you see like a white out, a percentage, it's because I took the broad number and turned it into a percent just because I don't want our kids to be identifiable that have disabilities that are attending these programs. >> Yeah, I apologize. I totally missed that. I signed up to go to it, too. coming back from >> Oh, yeah. They're usually I mean they're usually decent meetings. >> First one. >> I usually go to try to go to the spring one. It's hard. They always schedule it on a night in an exec board meeting. You guys >> Okay. So, that was just I just wanted to add that. Um and then the state rep meeting. We

275talked about this a few meetings ago. And there was sort of an update at the full SAU meeting. There were I think multiple district or multiple school no multiple districts in the SAU that wanted to also have a state rep meeting and so they suggested that we have a joint meeting hosted by >> a neutral third party. >> Oh yes. So like hosted and moderated out of UNH so that we would invite the state reps from multiple um towns and then it would be the discussion would be moderated by this group out of UNH that sort of specializes in types of discussions and the full SAU board felt like that was worthwhile. Also, I didn't know if we still wanted to go forward with having the state rep meeting here or if we wanted to

276participate in that and then see how that goes and see if we want to invite them for a secondary meeting. >> Well, if you participate in that, it's our date. That's right. >> They would be [laughter] I think it's in J they're solidifying dates in January. I think there were two dates given one date and then a backup date. >> I haven't heard anything about it since the full essay. >> I think they were waiting to hear confirmation of it. There was a few different details to be organized. >> How many reps? >> It would be a lot. A lot. >> So there within RSAU, >> Just our reps. Yep. But there are five towns and >> not everyone has a >> each one has their own reps. There's not a lot of overlap actually

277>> um between those towns. So it could be like a lot of reps. So, so I think it's worthwhile to do, but I also think we may want to do that a separate one >> with our reps inviting them to our meeting, >> but I my position would be we should do the bigger one first and then see. >> Yeah, we see [clears throat] the format how it works and get an idea how to do it. Are they going to be focusing on educational issues? >> It will only be um just education. >> Education. So will they do like a panel and you get to talk to them or >> I I think it might I think there's going to be a mix of opportunity. I think there might be some panel but there also

278might be some small group discussions might be some different breakouts with different like priority areas. Um that's the beauty of having somebody else facilitate it is [laughter] they will and it's free um is that they will or do all that organization for us so we don't have to worry about it. Yeah. So once we once I hear about the dates, I will certainly circulate because I hope everyone will attend. >> I'm fairly certain that there were two dates they were being on Mondays in January. >> Perfect. Won't conflict with NBC meetings. >> Yeah, we tried to look at the calendar to figure out what would be the least conflict. I also would just as anformational item encourage people to plan to attend the NBC public hearing about the school budget which I believe is the

279second Tuesday of January but I'm not positive about that. >> Yes, that's what I have written in. >> Yeah, I think it's the >> January 13th. Okay. Wow. I do remember things sometimes. So, I would encourage people to attend. Ed is the NBC public hearing generally not that well attended. Um would love if there was more community participation. Um would certainly love uh any >> sometimes it's been like nobody >> which is like which is very sad because the NBC really controls the budgets after we pass it off to them. So >> yeah, it's a bigger responsibility and then no one no one sort of shows up for those meetings. >> [snorts] >> Um but yeah. Okay. Sorry I keep going off questions. [clears throat] >> Is that public hearing that's for town and school?

280>> Correct. >> Um there was something about stage road. Oh >> yeah. I actually do need everybody's help. I I unfortunately got this kind of late. What I did is I put something to go into uh Errol Rhodess newsletter and I passed it on Jess. just made some corrections and then I gave it to Errol and Errol we kind of redid it and um so I just wanted to I have to get something to him because his deadline's pretty soon about getting it into a newsletter. So I just wanted your opinion first. Has [clears throat] anybody seen this? >> It was the printed it's printed out for you. It's the two paragraph. Yeah. >> So if you just want to take a minute the top one is the one I wrote and the second one

281is the one Errol wrote. And there's just a a couple changes in that that just want to make sure we're okay decide on because we make some decisions. >> [laughter] >> Flippy flippy. Okay. both paragraphs. >> No, trying to decide one or the other or >> or make changes. Yeah. So, like I like some of the things that Errol changed, but then there's some things we need to talk about >> with what he has. >> Well, in his he doesn't give any of history of the piece of the land. It just says asking for volunteers to serve on the committee to explore the future. It doesn't tell why it was purchased. >> Like I like I like his first sentence and then I would add the second sentence that I did as far as when

282the property was bought. >> Yep. For what? >> Yes. You guys are done. >> I also think it I do like the inclusion of the public hearing from September 17th in case people wanted to watch that meeting or the public hearing to sort of understand. >> Right. Yes. [clears throat] So, um I think what he's talking about though in this is anticipating holding one or more public hearings in addition to the one we had. So what you're saying is maybe we need to reference the question we've had. >> Yes. >> Right. Did I have that on mine? >> Yes. >> Okay. So I would I would keep that. And then I also thought he said the goal of the committee will to be hear ideas. It's not here. We've already heard the ideas. >> So

283I I would change it to review the ideas from the public >> for future use. >> Research the ideas. Propose a solution anticipation of 2000. And then what do you think about holding one or more public hearings? Like that's kind of putting it out there that we're definitely going to have another public hearing. Is that something we want to do? >> I imagine we would have to I think it would be a public hearing when the committee comes to the school board presents their >> having that be a public hearing. >> Okay. So maybe get rid of the or more >> just >> Well, it says it's just leaving the door open for possibility because it says anticipate and then or more. So it's not guaranteeing you're going to hold one or more. Um, but

284in case something happens, you're giving notice that okay, you might need >> So, you guys are okay with keeping that? >> The one thing I have take a little bit of issue with and it's not a huge deal, but a future use of the property that's to me suggests that there will be a future use of the property. There's a very good potential that we don't do anything with it. So, how do we So, so um possible ideas for what future [laughter] >> I'm just the problem pointer. >> Okay. Well, I'm the solution person. So, >> the goal to be able to hear ideas from the public on possible >> I mean, future use could be doing nothing. That's still I mean, it's not really a use, but it is >> future future of the

285property. >> The future of the property. >> Yeah. There you There you go. Po is on the >> takes me a while. Sometimes it comes. [laughter] >> It's late. >> Picture of the property. Okay, that's good. And then I'll add those other two sentences in and get it back to him. >> All right. Does that sound good? >> Yes. >> Great. >> Yeah, I'm gonna add that. Yep. So, I'll keep everything. I'm going to change the here to review and then I'm going to add those two sentences up top about the property of the court and that and that we had a public hearing. I may have to change a few things when I add that. So, but we could also include a link to the public hearing video if we wanted to. >> Sure.

286>> Just to I mean I think it's always helpful to direct people to our um YouTube site. >> You could just highlight public hearing September 17th and turn that into a link. Well, it's a paper. >> Oh, >> it's a paper newslet. >> QR code. >> Sorry. >> QR code. Yeah, >> QR [laughter] code. QR code. Yeah, you can do that. >> Okay. >> Loves this. >> Yeah, he does. >> Oh, perfect. >> Well, then I'll give him the link and he could do the QR code. Absolutely. All right. [laughter] All right. Everybody good about that? All right. So, I'm going to probably use pretty similar to this to this language and send it to the chairs of all the boards and committees in town. I just wanted to wait till you guys were okay

287with the language before we did that. >> There's also another >> Yeah. And is it Dana? >> Dana. >> What's the name of it? >> We had one and then I >> Deerfield News, >> I think. >> Dearfield News. Okay. >> Let me see if there's a email or something. [snorts] And should I also have um give this to Candy to put in the bridge? >> I think that's a good idea. >> Yeah, sure. >> It's our Deerfield [email protected]. >> It was our I thought you said R. So I wrote it. >> Oh, our deargmail.com. Okay. [laughter] >> Okay. >> Right. Um, do we want to table policies? >> Well, we can do really quickly. >> We probably want to >> table is the JJ. >> Yeah. J the JJ. We need to talk that

288discussion. >> Yeah, we really need to have a discuss a board discussion on that. But the um JFAB like Nancy and I both thought looked fine. We were just wondering who the leazison person would be for that. This is for homeless people. Uh so the leison are usually typically the guidance counselors >> in the school. >> Oh wait you actually you are here correct? >> No school counselors. >> Okay a little different but we just [laughter] >> you know us we're curious. >> Um and then um >> yeah we have to have one and this policy just so you know >> is required by law because we receive grant funding to cover some of the costs of it doesn't cover much of it but it covers some of it. >> Okay. And and the one

289question I had too was I was we were looking at the New Hampshire School Board Association one and some is highlighted yellow but then some toward the bottom is highlighted green. Do you have any why it would be a different color? >> I don't think I noticed that >> from Yeah, just from what I went back to read it says like the highlighted parts were maybe things that your different districts might like. >> We didn't have any problem but we just didn't know color. Sometimes they tell you why they uh highlighted something differently. >> Yeah. >> I couldn't like if it's optional or something, >> right? And I couldn't >> I wasn't quite sure. I looked back and it just kind of I read it as for us to, you know, that was a section

290to look at on our as a board. I'll sign the fine if I have that. Oh, I wonder if this uh my guess is that this is the new language that was added to make it compliant with the federal. >> Oh, okay. That would make sense. Yeah. >> Oh, um >> here it's for adoption, but then >> yeah, I'm fairly certain that's the language that was added that's new that makes it um compliant. >> Okay. Well, >> just because of the findings we got on some of the grants because we didn't have this policy. >> Okay. >> Well, we were fine. We were fine with that policy and we're fine with the DN policy. >> I know that I think these are just first readings, but um >> I think first >> second. >> So,

291second readings. So, we talked about moving maybe second readings forward. So, um, so I'm going to move that we approve, uh, the policy DN, equipment and supply sales, and the policy JFAB, admission of homeless children and unaccompanied youth. Um, move it to be approved by the board. Uh, second. Any discussion on either of those policies? Okay. All in favor of approving DN and JFABD? I I >> any oppos Okay. [clears throat] And we'll keep the third reading and just keep those tabled because we really do need to have a discussion on that >> for sure. Okay. Uh public comments. >> I can't believe you guys stayed the whole time. >> I know. Impressed. >> He he told me he went to a meeting at 4 and I've been I left an early meeting early. I

292started at 4:30 almost. Um, uh, half of what I've been forming my thoughts while I was just sitting there and I lost track. Um, one I'd like to thank I support obviously the music in York program as is. I do remember Nancy when she was running for the school board saying I do not want to see DCS hurt. Um, and I will fight tooth and nail to not allow DCS to hurt over this high school position. And that's before you were on the board because you were running for the board. So I appreciate that. Um I have a dumb question for Nancy and that is um well I'd hope to catch you before but the meeting started. >> Am I incorrect in that you're related to an astronaut? >> I am related. >> And can

293I ask is that person named Alan Shepher? >> Yes. >> And I came across a Time magazine when I was clearing up my house. That's Alan Shepard. Would you like that? >> Sure. Because we're actually putting together stuff to take to the Christa Mala because after my mother passed away, she had a whole bunch of stuff and it's like where's it going to get the best views and so I have to tell you I had a pile that also included the US the the Steelers winning the Super Bowl. [laughter] >> I did pull out a couple good and I hope to talk to you before. >> Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet him. I met his wife and I met his mother. >> And then I also really hate the fact that my brain holds

294on to stuff. It pisses me off actually to no end. Why in heaven's name would my brain hold on to the fact that I know who she was related? >> Oh, that's funny. >> Um, and lastly, I had a question. Well, not lastly, but a lot of things. But why weren't the terms of the school board, and this is not to put you on the spot, but why weren't the terms of the school board, not the school board, I'm sorry, the school bus um reviewed. Normally in a bid, the numbers are given. They're shared as part of the like anytime you've ever been to the town, you know, we have a bid on the gasoline and you read it out. or I work in public sector work on what's it going to cost to build

295a multi-million dollar septic system. It just wasn't revealed and that seemed >> there might be a reason. I don't know what it is but with transportation >> I don't know. >> We never reviewed them at your bill. >> Well, if you only have one >> I just because I personally don't have any idea if you're paying more or less or how much less it was than the previous. That's all. It just felt like we were talking in code as a people sitting here. I'm no more enlightened. >> Was was that not in the drive or >> No, no, because that that was hot off the press and so we didn't get the bids in until Friday and so it was the public packet was already made so it'll go in the addendum. >> That information

296will go out in the addendum. >> All right. As long as it's revealed. I just my point is I think it should be public information. Is that really all I was going to say? And the rest of it all down. >> [laughter] >> head cross thirst pond road. Um, you know, I appreciate a couple of things. I appreciate the fact that you you put a lot of time in. This has been four and a half hours almost. Um, I do also appreciate trying to find ways to be a little bit more conservative financially in looking at areas that we can make cuts. um $100,000 at a time is moving in the right direction. So even though we have a $21 million um budget, doesn't mean that we can't cut $100,000, $90,000. So I would certainly

297encourage you to continue to try to find ways to make cuts. And the only other thing I would that I don't particularly care for is when you're looking at data as comparison data to make sure that you're in line. And if everybody goes by that rule, there'll never be a change because you'll all still be in line. So when you're looking at the data of comparison on the on what people are spending or how many students or whatever the population is, if all schools do the same thing, and that seems to be what happens, then they say, "No, we're right in line, so we don't need to make cuts there." So be careful what data you look at and be bold enough to actually be different than what you actually see every other school doing.

298We don't have to be compared to the Joneses. We need to be physically conservative and look at opportunities and ways to make it happen because the town's people are just looking for something different and change in a different direction. And it doesn't have to be all at once. It can be just one little step at a time. [snorts] That's all. Thanks. >> Thank you. Other public comments. >> Okay, we do need to Don't get too excited everybody. We have a non-public session. >> Um, >> thank you. >> I will make a motion to go to non-public pursuant to NHSA 91-83 section 2 subsection L. >> Second. >> So, we just roll. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. [laughter] >> I didn't know if it needed to be second. I knew it needed a roll call. >> Everything

299needs a second.