October 7th 2025 - Board of Education Meeting

001All right, we are back from our short break and we are at item 3.01. Before we start with um our director of transportation's uh presentation, I just want to read a draft um uh addition to our public beheard comments um for this meeting and our next meeting which are both discussion meetings which will not include public be heard and will also not um include voting on any items. Um, I just thought it was important to make these, uh, statements, um, for ourselves and for our community, uh, should they decide to join us for these discussion meetings. Um, at some point, if the board agrees, we would be adding these comments to the end of our public beheard statement, which we read at every meeting. And when we do that, then we would present the policy

002to the board for a first reading and then a second reading and vote because we, you know, in in order to add or subtract anything from a policy, the board has to agree on that. All right. So, just going to read this draft for tonight. We understand community members are passionate about certain issues. We all want our schoolboard meetings to serve as an example to our students that members of our school board and members of our community can deal with controversial issues in a civil manner and show and show how and show mutual respect for one another. In that spirit, we ask that all speakers and members of the audience maintain civility and respect for the differing views of others. Further, all individuals at board meetings are expected to abide by the rules for public

003conduct on on school property as set forth in the district's code of conduct. At board meetings, speakers and observers may not engage in behavior that disrupts the meeting, such as shouting, interrupting others, blocking the free movement of others, or obstructing the views of others. In the event of such disruption, the board president will remind those in attendance of the rules under this policy. Any board member may request a brief recess of the meeting, which would serve as a cooling down period. The pre the board president may order the removal of those who are a threat to the safety of others or who disrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting. Thank you. And now we will have our director of transportation, Nicole Summer, present a transportation update. This is my emotional support, Monica. >> Good evening,

004everyone. Thank you for inviting me here to give a presentation. Nicole, could you um like pull the mic toward you a little more or or even pick it up if you have to? >> Thank you. >> Good evening everyone. Thank you for inviting me here to give a presentation on our district transportation program, past, present, and future. A few months ago, the board of education asked my department to build a central campus routing scenario so that everyone could visualize what that could potentially look like. We went a step further and put together data for everyone to show where we were, where we are, and where our future may lie. Okay, it doesn't say anything. I don't need that one. Well, so so the first slide is basically the the history of the presentations that Nicole

005has has done for the board. So back in November of 2022, um she pretty much did this this presentation June of 2023 and here we are back again in October of 2025. Yes, we have done this before. So, our district operations current staffing uh looks like uh five full-time bus drivers, six full-time bus monitors, and one mechanic. We also have uh multiple bus drivers and monitors through our contracted first student. Uh we have one dispatcher, one head bus driver, and a director of transportation. Our current bus fleet looks like four 65 passenger diesel buses. One of them will be retired very shortly. We have seven 28 passenger buses, two five passenger SUVs which are primarily used for district personnel. We have two six passenger SUVs that are used on out of district runs and a

006seven passenger minivan that is used on an ind district run which is four-wheel drive up to Crump Castle in Lexington where we have students Okay, our current route structure uh right now is 51 total in district bus runs comprising of 27 high school, 13 Bennett Elementary and 11 Woodstock Elementary. We have 11 out of district bus runs that comprise of both our special education and private and prochial. two VOTE shuttles midday down to I park and we have 12 late bus runs six at 4:20 and six at 5:15. Our indust uh bus routes that that we do with our bus drivers uh include six in district bus runs, one out of district bus run. The vote shuttles are done uh but the our staff does not do any of the late runs. that is done

007by first student. Our potential route structure uh if we were to move to a single campus is projected at 47 in district bus runs, 27 high school and 20 Bennett. Um the routing scenario that we did uh allows us to make shorter bus runs. Um, mind you, you know, we used this year's data to compile these bus runs. So, that will not look the same in four years. Um, I can't predict what it will look like in four years. Um, I have tried predicting the weather and that hasn't worked either. Uh, we uh we predict that we would still have 11 out of district bus runs. Um, that could also change. Uh the VOTE shuttles have not changed in the 18 years I've been here and the 12 late bus runs are not scheduled to

008change either. Uh we would continue uh to do six um in district bus runs, one out of district and the vote shuttles based on our current structure of of drivers that we have. But that also can change in the future. Okay. So, here we are uh moving on to our maps. Uh the first map you will see is uh the Bennett um routing scheme in the 2023 2024 uh year. Um we had 16 bus runs, but mind you, we shared a couple of those bus runs with Phoenicia. It saved on time and it saved on resources and it saved money. the Phoenicia uh bus runs. There were eight and again one of them was shared with Bennett. You will actually see if you look at Phoenicia, you only see the purple one up in Olive.

009You don't see the one up in Pine Hill. That was the Bennett bus run that picked up all K through six students in both Phoenicia and uh Bennett and it would go to Phoenicia first then move along to Bennett uh you know disembarking students. Okay. And then we had 11 bus runs out of Woodstock. And you can see that all of these uh routes between Bennett Phoenicia and Woodstock um encompassed pretty much the whole district. We had multiple buses on multiple roads. Uh moving on to 2425, we were able to um we didn't have Phoenicia anymore and we were able to keep the Bennett bus runs the same. Um but we were able to lessen the length of them. We, as you see, there are still multiple students in the Woodstock area coming to Bennett.

010They were the fifth graders because Woodstock was a K through four last year. And again, Woodstock had 11 bus runs um comprising of uh a lot of area in the district. You can see kids coming from Pine Hill. You can kids see kids um coming from uh south of the reservoir. Currently, uh Bennett has 13 bus runs uh down three. Um, as you see, a lot of the Woodstock area is is not going to Bennett aside from along the Glenford Wittenberg Road and then down in West Turley and Woodstock has retained 10 bus runs uh this school year uh comprising again of multiple areas in the district. The last map that I'm going to show you is the potential for a single campus bus run. We were able to accomplish those uh 20 bus runs

011um to pick up our students. Um and then I'd like to show you um Whoops. This is what I want to show them. The next slide. The next slide. Um, so it is very interesting to see that in the 2023 2024 school year, the elementary school miles were nearly 430,000 miles driven by our buses. When we moved to 2425, they were the mileage was reduced to 297 and change between the two buildings, one K through 4, 1 K through 5. have a reduction of 132,000 miles. In 2526, we are currently at 264,000 mi to two buildings, an additional reduction of 33,000 mi. The projected single campus is just under 200,000 miles to one building. The projected reduction of additional 65,000 miles. And of course, this also assumes the current student population. Our annual contracted savings

012uh through this has been 11 fewer elementary runs uh since 2324. And at a current daily rate, what that looks like is a little over a million dollars in savings the last two years in bus runs per year. Um and we could also potential looking at the future another reduction of three runs which would be approximately $100,000 uh per run. Um again you know looking at the future we won't know what that will hold. The annual fuel savings through this has uh with the reduction of 230,000 miles on the road. Um all of our buses get between 8 and 12 miles uh per gallon depending on the bus size. The 8 miles per gallon is a diesel bus. The 12 m per gallon is a gas bus. Um at the average cost of $3 a

013gallon, the district would see uh approximately $69,000 a year in fuel costs. the annual carbon dioxide savings from transportation only. Um, according to the EPA, a gallon produces approximately 22.38 pounds of CO2. By reducing our mileage, the district would reduce its CO2 emissions by over 234 metric tons. This is equivalent to taking 51 cards off the road. The analysis of our student bus ride times um in 23 24 uh they were very long. The average the longest ride time was approximately 61 minutes with the average being 30 minutes. Last year our average uh time or our longest bus ride time was approximately 47 minutes and the average was 30 minutes and for 256 we're averaging about 43 minutes and um the not average I'm sorry the longest bus ride is approximately 43 minutes with the

014average continuing to be 30. Um the projected single campus uh student ride is projected to be 47 minutes for the longest uh bus ride and the average of 30 as well. What could make these numbers change? Um well a lot of things can make these numbers change. Just a few of them that uh students move in and out of the district all the time. We set our routes at in in the middle of August and we release that information. And from the middle of August to the start of the school year, we get multiple uh enrollments. We get people leaving the district. We have IEP changes and 504 needs that are changed that are last minute. Uh all of these can affect our bus routes. Um boarding time. We set an average boarding time for

015each student, but we know that that doesn't always always work. We have to adjust timing after the first week or so of school. There are some bus runs we do have to adjust timing on. There's traffic um especially uh on Tinker Street in Woodstock. Uh very very very slowmoving bus going along uh you know Main Street in Woodstock. Student wrership can also change. Uh we have we we build our bus runs based on the needs of all children in our district and we ask and hope that parents let us know if they will or will not be using transportation, but we don't always receive notification. Her contracted operations to first student uh was last awarded in 2024 um at an annual cost of approximately $4.3 million which was a 40% increase u in perr run

016cost from the prior contract. Annual uh increases are built into the contract and there are also penalties built into the contract for nonp performance and uh it's very nice to share with you that we have not had to do that. Uh the contract expires uh June 30th in 2029. And I also want to point out to you that's not on here is um we often get asked about um the length of of a ride and and what's appropriate. And the commissioner of education has deemed that there is no length of a bus ride. uh that they've they've actually many times have come back and said even up to an hour and a half is an okay bus ride. And I'd also like to share with you some data from a neighboring district which is Rond

017Valley Central School District. Their bell times and their routing looks almost identical to Anture u with one significant difference and let me give you those examples. And you can find all of this on the Rondout Valley Central School District website. All of their high school and elementary runs are posted for times. And you can see that the high school times, earliest pickups are 6:30, 7 in the morning. And we also have some early pickups looking like 6:30 7 in the morning. Most of them average about 6:45 for the first pickup. Um, our student release time at the high school is 7:25 and Rondouts is 7:30, making theirs 5 minutes longer. Uh but what's significant here is that Rondout Central Val Rondout Valley Central School District is 151.3 square miles and on Tiora is 278 nearly

018double the size with the same length of school bus rides. And this also holds true for the elementary and all of that is on the website for you to check out. Thank you. >> Questions for Nicole? Trusty Jared and then Trusty Mitchell Morell. Thank you so much and I'm glad I have the opportunity to look you right in the face and thank you for everything you do for all these years. We're going to miss you terribly. Um, this is an amazing presentation. I can't thank you enough and only because I do not have your map reading skills and I'm assuming somebody else out there might join me in in my non-ability to read the maps. Can you tell me um just on the central campus 20 bus runs which number or color puts me understanding

019where Bennett is on that map and So, if you look um there is a light green in the center of the map and it has a number 13 on it. >> You see that light green color? >> Got it. >> That is the approximate area of our main campus. >> Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. Um, I'm not sure this is a question for you or for us, but um, in a central campus, would um, like who would take the bus together? Like if the fifth grade is in the middle school, does that mean they take the bus fifth through 12 together? And then for K5. Okay. And then if five was at Bennett, then it would switch. Okay. >> Right. So if if fifth grade was at Bennett, K5 would be traveling on

020the bus together. If fifth grade were at the middle school, then 512 would be traveling together. >> Correct. This particular single campus projection is a K through five only single campus. >> Thank you so much. Wonderful presentation. Um I wanted to um there during our um presentations on the optimizing onto your um project last year. Um I think the bus information was pres presented in a slightly different fashion to what it is here and I just want to be able people to be able to translate. Um because I think in the on optimizing antour it was presented in terms of buses instead of bus runs and the numbers that I remember from my head was uh two years ago it was 36 buses then 27 and then 19 was the three that I remember from

021those presentations. But we see numbers here 51 47. Is that because some of those buses are doing multiple runs? >> Those buses are definitely doing multiple bus runs. The high schools are paired with the elementary. It's two-tiered. It's two-tiered. Um but um now that we have less elementary runs, our there's a a few high school six of the high school buses that are not tiered tiered with the elementary and those buses are now able to get to our 420 late runs on time. Yoohoo. Very good for us because they never got there on time. We were traversing too much square mileage to to get to that to get there at 420. They weren't getting there till 4:30. Uh, now we get there by 4:15. >> Thank you. >> Could you just provide a little bit

022more context about the, you know, um, I know that we'll hear back about how any time bus is fine and an hour and a half is fine. just a little bit more specificity around that the context and I'm assuming that I don't know if you have any more context around that statement. Um I don't want to gloss over it just because I know we'll get questions about it >> for sure. There's I do not believe that in district run should be an hour and a half. That's that as you we don't have them an hour and a half because it's a long time. We try to keep them around 45 minutes. Uh knowing that we do have enrollments that come in at the last minute, even the second week of school, and they could be

023in an area that that doesn't have a current bus run there. And we can't add a bus run for one family. So, we extend a bus run, which can make it a little bit longer. Therefore, it could be 50 minutes longer. We strive not to make them longer. uh but we don't have the bus drivers or the monitors to always uh to add bus runs to alleviate alleviate that. This this is just solely on the state education website. You can look it up what the state education department deems an acceptable bus ride. >> Yes. I just wanted everybody that's listening to be clear that we don't think that's ideal by any means and that we know that you do everything you can within your power to keep the the time limited. Thanks. You're welcome. >>

024I just want to add one thing and then superintendent. Um I as somebody who worked, you know, in special ed here in Antiora, I I mean I can say that we definitely had and probably still have students who were picked up at home and are traveling to very specialized programs way outside our county. And so those students who are receiving that kind of a a daily program. It's not they're not residential. They go each day are could technically be on the bus for an hour or an hour and a half, but it's the right program. Their parents agree. Um so something like that would be I guess something that the you know commissioner of education would consider appropriate because it's it's what that particular child needs. >> Yes, I agree. And we do have out

025of district bus runs that that are that long. We go to Monttoello and and other places. We have gone to Green Chimneys in Brewster. We've we've gone a lot of different places. Um so they can be even up to two hours long each way. >> First superintendent then Trusty Goodrich. I just wanted to add even a little more context to what um our transportation supervisor was referencing in terms of time on bus. And I think for me um the the point of clarification actually comes from uh during our last meeting there was a reference um by one of our public be heard speakers to um not being able to travel more than 15 miles and that actually is not a rule. Districts are not required to transport students to before or after school care and

026activities beyond 15 miles. But there is no mileage limitation on hometoschool bus runs. And as uh our transportation director mentioned, the commissioner actually has ruled that in certain circumstances, an hourlong bus ride is not um is not unreasonable. And even in some particular situations, a trip of an hour and a half would not be unreasonable. As everyone has said, and we all agree, we would like to avoid that in every instance possible except for a very specialized program. But I think to just be really clear that there is not a mileage limitation in place for uh home to school bus rides. >> Thank you. So, thank you so much for this uh indepth report. This is great. Uh we needed this and um as you know uh when I ran for this office, I was

027uh very concerned with time on bus and u I love this. You know, the central campus time on bus looks very reasonable, very equitable and nice job. Great job. >> Thank you. Another question more for us, but um I know this was a fight of many years ago and I don't want to drag it back out, but school would start at the same time as it does now with a central campus. Just want to confirm. >> We have not proposed changing the start times of school. Thank you for that everybody for providing context. It's so important. I also just wanted to bring up another we don't have to address it tonight but I want to mention it as we're talking about bus runs but there were there was mention um with a former trustee about

028like a bullet train kind of a bullet bus um from certain parts of the district. Um, I know that that's not something we need to dig in tonight, but I just want to keep that open as a possibility. That could be something that brings um community together waiting for the bus, you know, um being a shorter run. Um I just thought it was a great idea at the time if there's still concern over the length of the runs. Actually, when we were talking about it, we were calling it an express run and we were, you know, trying to think of um, you know, an appropriate location in Woodstock and maybe one in Phoenicia or out that way where um, students could be driven to the bus and get on the bus and come to Bennett.

029Um, you know, and I, you know, we didn't we didn't go farther than just a kind of conversation. >> I think it's a wonderful idea. Um, I love that idea. I had forgotten about it, so thank you for bringing it up. Um, I think, yeah, I mean, I just feel like as a parent and anyone who's a parent, like it's such a good time to bond in the car. Partly, I think, because you're not making eye contact and like you get a lot of info and especially, you know, when your kids are five or six, you kind of don't want to lose that, even though you may not want to drive all the way to Antiora. So, I really love that idea. I actually foresee many many parents utilizing an express bus. >> Would that

030make things easier or harder for you or you don't know yet? >> It's it's it's hard to tell you deciding on who's actually going to use that express bus, but it would likely shorten some of the other bus rides as well. Um, I'm wondering what it is like to find bus drivers currently just because I know in the last year or two there's I've definitely heard about that it's challenging to find bus drivers and I wonder if that's not something we should be considering similar to the teacher shortage but I don't know. So is it what is you know do we are there lots of people that want to be bus drivers or is it hard to find bus drivers? >> It's very hard to find bus drivers. You have to consider the fact that

031these drivers are not getting paid full-time wages and they have to travel to and from their job twice a day which costs time and money and gas. Um it's not an easy job. There are multiple certifications, testing, everything that you have to go through in order to be a bus driver that many people don't understand. Uh so it's it's not it's not easy to find the most mostly we find people who are retired that have already you know done their job and now they're just looking for a little extra cash and that's basically you know who we who we find. We're we're lucky now with the reduction in bus runs that we're more covered than we used to be. There were times where I was on the road every day. The dispatcher was on the

032road every day. I have been a monitor. I have been a bus driver. I've been a secretary. I've been a dispatcher. I've been a transportation director. You name it, I've done it all to get the kids to school. So, with the reduction in the bus runs, it has been a lot less stressful. And I'll leave it at that. I just wanted to add real quick that both of my kids uh rode the bus from kindergarten up till they could both drive. And just to say it was always a maybe not always, but it was overall a great experience. Uh safety was always at the forefront. Um it really gave them time to spend extra time with their friends and maybe uh reflect on the day they had. Um, so just for anybody that might be

033doubting the bus ride or think, "Oh, it might be too scary or a little bit too much for the the small kids," I think when my kids were younger, they actually enjoyed it so much more. Um, so thank you for for that. It was always a a comfort to to have that. So >> that's it's nice to hear. And anecdotally, uh, when I was the dispatcher here many many years ago, my younger daughter had the opportunity to drive with me to school every day, and she opted to take the bus because that was her happy hour. One of the possible benefits of of a central campus that we that has been raised and I think is a very important one is the possibility of of providing afterchool enrichment at the elementary level with transportation home

034after. So obviously this is all theoretical and it would depend on the amount of uptake and where they lived. But um if that were to be instituted with could you speak to how that would impact the current afterchool setup, the current late runs? It will really depend on the timing that you would like to see these children going home and it would take a lot of of route planning but it could be done. It could certainly be done. >> Nicole, uh, for clarification, could you just describe to us what the Bennett afterchool program transportation was like? Because, you know, back when we had uh after school programming at Bennett with district transportation, um you know, that that ended when we split into two separate elementary schools. >> Absolutely. Um the 420 bus runs would pick

035up here at the high school and then they'd go up to Bennett at 4:30. Um and this is actually the reason why we have six late runs. We used to have five um because we had so many students who participated in the afterchool program that we needed to add a bus and we did it strategically to give more coverage throughout the district as well. Um and it held the held the students. We we've continued to keep that because it gives a better level of service for the afterchool programs and um we couldn't do something like that. Again, we would you just have to plan, you know, based on timing and plan our routes so we could get to the Bennett uh school, you know, in time to to be able to execute those bus runs

036for the district. But it's something that I do feel that uh would be beneficial and that we could carry out. This is such a great conversation. I'm like, what are any last questions? So in the instance that we get to a year where we have a central campus and there are runs that we think it would be great to add an express bus or we have really robust enrollment in K to5 after school and the thought is let's add two more buses to the 420 run. Is that how does that process happen? Does the board in the district approve SP? That's what I'm wondering. So, so how do we how do we get from just so I understand oh people moved in over here. We could have an express run over here. How do we

037go from somebody realizing that to it happening? Well, that would be a conversation, I think, with the transportation department and the administrators that we would put something out to the public, you know, a questionnaire, you know, who would likely, you know, sign up for this, have a deadline for it, so we could build that that run and then we could build the other runs who who for the people who were were not going to take part in the express bus. Uh, we would need to do that over the summer. We would have to have we would have to have that information, you know, early in the summer for us to be able to to to do that. And that would be a conversation with the administration. I just wanted to take a moment because this

038is the last public meeting that um Miss Summer will be at and I wanted to personally express my complete and sincere gratitude for all of your years of service. I have always known that the leader of our transportation department had all of our students safety and health and emotional well-being at the top of her mind. And I never once questioned any of the recommendations and our many many probably hundreds of 4:30 a.m. conversations and all of the times that at 4:30 my phone would go off while I was still in bed or just waking up. And you have been out driving the road sending me pictures and videos from Bair. And I I just cannot express enough how grateful and thankful that I am for all that you have done for this district and all

039of the successful bus runs that we have had. And I'm you are going to be incredibly missed. Um, but I'm so grateful and happy that you get to move into retirement and um you have all of our best sentiments behind you and hopefully we'll see you in June for the retirement celebration. [Applause] Thank you. That means the world to me. And I did uh share with Superintendent McLaren that I'm not moving. I'm not going anywhere. that I am always a phone call away for any questions or any help that you may need. Not at 4:30 in the morning though. >> Thank you so much, Nicole. Ditto everything Victoria said. >> Thank you. Sure. We're moving on to uh discussion item 4.01, our continued capital project discussion. I just wanted to um sort of start off

040because there were a lot of questions that came through and I wanted to see what I could answer. Um at the beginning of this um I did want to also mention another clarification. There was um a speaker last week who indicated that there is a New York state class size limitation of 20 students. I just wanted to clarify that does not um actually exist. There is um some class- size limit in place in New York City that does not extend to the rest of the state. Um so that um that is not um something that is in place >> and I had learned that that we are as a district have our own policy about ideal class size. Right. We have a regulation that is in place um that is guidelines for optimal class sizes

041and it is a range and it is part of our policy manual um backing up one of our policies. Yes. Um also I wanted to continue on with some of the requests for information that have come in um and were mentioned at the meeting. So, one of the questions that came up last week was, "What if the building is not ready for students to move into?" And we have already filed with the state. Um, I had a very uh incredibly rapid response from the state. Um, and I was so happy to have it. But the response is the simple answer is yes, we would allow an amendment to the forms that are filed with the state. um and they were just trying to cover all of their bases. So, they said if the move were

042to be midyear because the building wasn't ready at the beginning of the year and we wanted to move students midyear, they would do a temporary change uh to cover the time from the start of the school year until the move. Or if we were going to delay it until the next school year, they would just withdraw our request for the change of grade level and configuration and we would be allowed to do a new one for the next school year. They will not force us to move children into a building that is not ready. Um there's a there was a question about um the Bennett fuel tank and whether it would only need to be moved if we were to build a new gym. Um and if we don't build a new gym at this

043time, would the fuel tank uh stay where it is? And um the short answer was it could, but um the architects and the engineer Timmoot would likely recommend that the fuel tank ultimately move um and it's going to sort of also come on come into conjunction with moving the electrical service. And so things things are um conjoined and it would make sense to move it. Uh would all the Bennett windows be replaced or just the original wing? And it would be the original front of the building. So the main office, the principal's office, the nurse, and all the classrooms along the front of the building. The existing music classrooms also have the same window condition. Um, so they would also be in line to have those windows replaced. We would need to decide if we

044want to spend the money replacing um replacing them and then potentially renovating those music rooms or add a small addition to change the shape of the existing music rooms if we want to keep the front of that building um a straight line. Um, when reconfiguring the outdoor space, will be will we be able to use the playground equipment equipment we already have? Um, or do we need to start with all new equipment? Um, the answer is that we have planned for the playground to be relocated and use the existing equipment, but we also have included $250,000 in the budget for any equipment that can't be relocated to be replaced. Um, there was a question about if we um needed to address the most physically urgent project, things that um need to be done immediately this

045year or next year. And I think really the the answer to that is we can't do anything this year um or at this point next year because it would need to be approved by the voters, designed, and then bid out and then have the the construction take place. So, we we already had started to had planned on beginning work in the summer of 27, which would still be in line with something that we got approved um coming up. Um there was a question about how to pay for things, what could be done out of our budget, what out of the capital fund, what would need to be bonded, and that's really going to be a question of how the board decides as a group to um budget things. Our annual budget right now includes the

046line item titled transfer to capital capital. We have historically had at least $750,000 in this line and generally when we um bring the budget to the voters, we indicate the projects that we believe will be accomplished with that money. So we would continue to do that. In case in point, one of the things that we had contemplating doing would be potentially the nurs's offices and resurfacing the track with next year's transfer to capital if the board wanted to do that. Um, aside from that, we have fully funded our capital reserve. Um, we have an additional 3.6 million towards the additional 5 million of cash that we had planned on having on hand for construction. And so then it is up to the board um how we would like to allocate projects to the different buckets

047of money. >> Yeah, of course. >> Can I just ask a question midway? Um the the items that um we may suggest to be paid for using the transfer to capital are those items that have to be voted on? >> They would be voted on if they are included in the budget um documentation. So when the the public approves the budget, that line item is in the budget and we will we have to include in the newsletter what we anticipate we would use that money for and then that is voter approval. >> So they wouldn't be on a they wouldn't be a part of a proposition for a bond vote. They would be part of the budget vote >> if we wanted to use that funding stream. Yes. >> Are there any other questions before

048I just continue? Um, I thought we said there would be like 15 million capital reserve come 2027 or something. >> So, we planned on 10 million in the capital reserve, an additional 5 million in cash. So, our capital reserve is fully funded and we have 3.6 million of the five that we had projected to have by the time we began the project. >> Uh, is there a concern about using it all up? I mean if we wanted to put it towards you know these projects. >> No that I mean that is what we intended to do. That is why we saved it and the capital reserve certainly the voters authorized us to save money in a capital reserve to use for capital projects. So we want to use it and if you don't use it

049within I believe it's 10 years you have to actually give it back. So, I'm just trying to wrap my head around like available money um um or what potentially could be available. So, 10 million is in the capital reserve right now and plus 3.6 which so 13.6 is basically set and then we're going to get to 15 somehow. Tell tell me Monica how that works again. So what would happen is at the end of this this school year, the 2526 school year, any monies that we save would then be used added to that 3.6 to make the five. And if we if we think that um we have favorable spending or favorable savings throughout this year, we would potentially consider even asking the voters to create another reserve. So if we have more than that

050additional 1.4 that we need, we could create another reserve and keep saving. Just for clarification for me and anybody else like me that I my understanding is that the board sets the direction that the district moves in towards things like capital funding. So if I take a step backward, the board that set a goal for centralization 2728 with a capital project at Bennett set the direction of gathering the savings from closing Phoenicia from the busing to put into the capital reserve in order to move towards that plan. That's how we come to do this, right? Like it was all the steps that were laid out that were that goal setting by previous boards. Am I right? >> The board um decided to ask the voters for approval to establish the capital reserve and then the

051voters approved it. So everybody is is on the same path in terms of creating this um method of saving. >> So I remember voting yes on that. So the savings that are being acred in the capital reserve, the voters approved two years ago, three years ago, two years ago to do that on the the ballot. Okay, thank you. Yes, say it into the microphone. And just for people at home who may not keep up on every detail, um the board creates the capital reserve fund, but when the district has an actual project to spend the money on, we do not have complete, we can't just say we want this, so it's going to that. We have to owe again to the voters and say we are now we have saved this 10 million and here's

052what we're going to spend it on voters. Correct. Correct. Just to be really clear, we don't just say it. We say, "May we spend this money on these projects?" And the voters have to approve it. Yes. >> Any other questions for what uh the superintendent has informed us of so far? >> Okay. Um, and then there were some questions about kind of the the potential of a 58 program, um, and how that might work for students. Um, and whether sort of what the educational and extracurricular opportunities might be. Um in terms of uh whether there would be a possibility of additional electives or accelerated classes, you know, that really will be student enrollment and schedule dependent. There may be um cohorts with more students who would um benefit from accelerated classets classes. Um and there

053may be cohorts that based on their numbers simply couldn't support additional classes. So that that really is going to be something that we need to look at every year much like the high school and middle school look at their schedules every year already. Um in terms of sports, sports by regulation begin in seventh grade. So um sixth graders are not allowed to play on modified teams now. Fifth graders similarly would not be allowed to. um in terms of creating additional athletic opportunities for them. One of the things we run into um as a challenge is space. But you know, we could consider alternate athletic type of activities for after school for younger students in the future, such as maybe a walking club or a yoga club or some other activity that maybe doesn't need to

054compete for the spaces that our teams are using. Um, I think one of the things that we all know would be greatly enhanced by bringing all of our students together is the positive effect it has on our music programs. Um, because playing in an ensemble is just so much uh of a more rich experience with more students uh to participate. Um, may we have the ability to offer language earlier than seventh grade? Potentially. Uh but that's something again that when we get to that place and we work on the schedules that would be more clear. Um let's see uh fifth graders uh if they were part of the middle school would they be uh able to do after school or would they be able to participate in after school at Bennett? Um, so I would

055think if fifth grade were in the middle school, we would look to include them in afterchool programs similar to sixth grade and maybe we could contemplate combining fifth and sixth grade clubs and then seventh and eighth grade club so that it's more age appropriate. They would not be able to go to Bennett to participate in after school because Bennett would still be in session. Um, so that that wouldn't that would be a timing mismatch. Okay. Um and then there was a question completely unrelated to that topic about um funding and savings and um if we were to come up with a bond and what we could fund with our savings. So it's hard to get really freewheeling with those types of questions. Uh but if we were to assume assume and please nobody misinterpret this.

056I am not proposing these numbers. These are just round numbers that we could work with. Uh if we were to assume a $50 million project with $35 million of borrowing or multiple projects, 15 in cash and 35 in borrowing. The bond payment for a $35 million bond over 20 years is approximately 2.5 million a year. Assuming that we would get about $980,000 a year in state aid, the difference being about a million and a half. We are currently estimating that if we were to close Woodstock Elementary, we would save about 3.2 million in year one. So we would indeed have significant funds left over. But that is assuming we had to pick a number. So we picked a bond of 35 million. That is not a number that is being proposed or projected or presented

057to anyone. >> So that 3.2 million is the first year. So on the 20th year it would be more than that, right? >> Yes. Because everything everything increases every year. >> Yeah. So the savings would >> the savings would also increase >> savings increases every year. >> Correct. And just as another note, the savings will increase every year. The bond payment however remains exactly the same every year. So kind of like your mortgage. Your mortgage payment is the same. Even if your salary goes up, mortgage payment stays the same. Bonds work the exact same way. Any more questions at the moment? I also wanted to share um Assistant Superintendent Laughen very graciously um updated the planning work that we had done when we incorporated sixth grade into the middle school because there was a question

058what would it look like if we were going to plan on incorporating the fifth grade into the middle school. And so um I can kind of run through this and then I can put it um in an update for the board um later this week. But basically, we would establish the implementation year uh which if we were to centralize in September of 2028, that would be the 2829 school year. We would establish a fifth grade transition committee with the goals of working collaboratively to design and implement a calm, positive, and efficient transition and the opening process for that first year of that configuration of the middle school. um providing another layer of district-wide communication and collaboration to be sure that all needs are met and ideas are shared. The roles of the transition committee participants

059would be to provide input on action plans for the various components of the transition and to be a conduit for communication. The committee would provide regular reports to the board on the work of the transition committee. And the committee would be comprised of elementary and middle school principles, central administrators, fifth grade and middle school teachers, the director of technology, transportation, food services, buildings and grounds, and have both um our teachers association and non-eing employees association representatives. The middle school principal would work with the high school principal, the director of school counseling, building leadership and staff to identify needs um needed shifts in room assignments and scheduling. Middle school principal would meet regularly with the fifth grade staff to listen to their concerns, share planning ideas and steps. The district would work with fifth grade staff

060to support students as the transition approached to create involvement, address any anxiety, and build excitement. Um, as you may recall, we we had multiple um events during which we uh did that with sixth grade. Middle school principal would begin to meet with the fifth grade classes. Middle school principal would host a welcoming activity for the fifth graders. The district administration and the middle school principal would meet with the fifth grade parents and guardians to address their concerns and share information. and district administrators would work with the transition team to plan events to support the integration of the fifth grade staff into the culture of the middle school. So, that's kind of an outline of the planning process that was followed for the last um integration that we had. Is that information that could be shared

061um somewhere for the public um either on our website or optimizing onora website? I'm not sure what would be easier or the easiest place >> for folks to find that. >> Yep. We can look at um finding an appropriate place to put it. Absolutely. >> Trusty Goodrich. Then Trusty Jared. So, do you think we would uh after we got your presentation, I guess like you did for sixth grade, do you think we would entertain maybe a community forum where we could address to the community any questions they have on that or or would you you think we need a community forum? >> I think if we were um transitioning the fifth grade into the middle school, we would more want to work with the fifth grade parents and families. I wouldn't I I would be

062concerned with having a full community forum that the parents who were directly affected may not um feel comfortable enough to express themselves depending on the attendance. I just recall when um when the transition for sixth graders to move into the middle school was happening, there were some really great gettogethers and um parents were feeling really supported and really informed, well informed at the time. Um, you know, I would hope that in the event that fifth grade were, you know, we're moving to the middle school that the same really thorough um planning process and collaborating with the parents and certainly um like superintendent said, you know, fifth grade teachers and sixth grade teachers, the you know, middle school principal with the Bennett principal or the, you know, elementary principles, there's a whole process that would would

063So my personal uh concern is uh with fifth grade and middle school is the socialization aspect. Uh it's not necessarily classrooms or things like that, but obviously social socialization and uh between fifth grade and eighth grade is there there's a big difference there. So, how much interaction would there be between a fifth grader and an eighth grader? >> I don't think that's the kind of question that we can really answer right now. There's a lot of planning that has to happen. There are a lot of ways for schools, schools who have a 58 middle school. My son attended a 58 middle school. Uh honestly, he didn't have any issues with interacting with the older students, but there are some districts who do little like a house houses. So, it would be fifth and sixth that

064sort of travel together and seventh and eighth that travel together. That's an option, but it it at this point it's really hard to project what the interactions would be. Trusty Jared and Trusty Mitchell Morurell. >> Okay. I mean, my heart is racing a little bit, you know, but I've been really thinking deeply about this. Um, and I guess what I I even made some notes, which I try not to do because I try to listen actively, but I really wanted to figure it out in my brain. Um, and it is what I understand every month that goes by. I feel like at this point the percentage of chance that fifth grade does go to the middle school is increasing. So, I mean, I tried to play out all these different scenarios on paper for myself

065because those community members that might say like it's nothing has changed in 20 years, but that's very very untrue. And um things have changed in two years, things have changed since last year, things have changed since July when we had a a really big offset to our state budget. And the only scenario that I can see that keeps K to5 together for sure is expanding Bennett while we have the capital as a district to make that doable for the community. The other scenarios I see are like the bond fails, we can't put it up again for a year is my understanding. in that time we lose aid and we know from the busing just from our contract going up we would have had to close Phoenicia anyway because it would have been a number that

066we couldn't make up for with a 2% tax cap and when Monica explained to me the 2% tax cap I was like part of me was like thank goodness because I don't think people in our area can tolerate any more tax increases but at the same time it's like we have the crown of our head pressed against the ceiling right now like Alice in the room where she drank the drink me thing and got really tall, you know, and it's like here we are extended to the very tippy edge of what our budget can do. And then we closed Phoenicia, which was very sad, but I'm really proud of that community for how much they've like come together to problem solve now. And it gave us like a couple inches of head space. But something

067so small like our transportation contract coming up again or like I am expecting my heating bill to be ridiculous. I don't know about anybody else like personally I'm thinking about like I'm expecting my electric bill to become ridiculous. Every the cost of everything is going up significantly and I don't think any of us are earning any more money. So eventually we can't dial up taxes on people forever to keep accommodating for the cost of three buildings even without the loss of federal aid. So, just like something bananas happening with Central Hudson could be enough to push our head through the ceiling and Woodstock closes and fifth grade goes to the middle school because we don't have the runway to do this Bennett expansion. Or another scenario is we kind of keep going like we're going

068and we chip away at the savings that we have and some of that money I understand from being on the audit committee is like a very lucky windfall like we got a million dollars back right um Misslair from some t insurance holiday right like but you know there's money that's in there that is like very lucky that it's there but we could also let that trickle away, you know, as everything increases in price. And then we could go to our community and say, "Okay, we want to keep K to 5 together. Here's our bond." And the community is like, "My school taxes have risen so much that I just we can't do that." And then fifth grade is going to the middle school. I mean, the only scenario I see here that keeps our K

069to5 kids together is passing an expansion at Bennett. And I just really wanted to quantify that and to say that out loud because I don't think I had realized that because there it was kind of something that we would be like kind of like and that would be terrible, you know, but honestly I can't talk about it like we have to really look at it with um open minds now because I would take a gander to say it's more than a coin flip at this point that our fifth graders are going to the middle school. There's only one scenario that that doesn't end in that. I don't scenarios that don't feel serious to me are we get a large bucket of federal found foundation aid that that does not feel like a serious thing to

070consider. And another thing that doesn't feel serious is like a huge boom a big boom in children that would make it necessary for us to keep these two elementary schools going. And the last piece I just want to add about fifth grade to the middle school and the central campuses, just from my soularching, if Bennett could fit all of our K to5 children, if it could fit them, I would vote right now. Like right now, I'd be like, let's get the kids together. You know, we are in this situation where to keep this cohort together if that's what we want to do as a community. We do need to stretch that elementary school a little bit. We need to do it. And the community needs to make that decision because we cannot make that decision.

071But I'm really feeling like this bond passing is it. And if it we can't put it up again for a year, if it goes down, we might have this one shot really because it is not good out there in the money situation in our state is very very bad right now. And um I would just be remiss if I didn't just say what I was feeling in my gut out loud. And you know, we we all were like, "Yay!" And we put it up and people didn't really understand that. and then it got voted down and then like fifth grade goes to the middle school. You know, odds are, you know, I just really wanted to put that where I've been thinking out loud. Thank you, everybody. >> Trusty Mr. Burrell. >> Thank you, Jenny.

072That was very helpful actually for me. But um I was wondering I mean basically I was going to say something related to that which is like we wouldn't really have the like uh more nitty-gritty conversations about moving the fifth grade until after the vote. Is that correct? That's how I see it. You know, I mean, I I think that we don't even we've spent a lot of time in discussions with our architects and engineers, and we haven't, but the administrators have, and then we've had the opportunity to to ask them more, you know, detailed questions. We've seen the um the posters, the um you know, aspirational posters like what what's it going to look like? What are we hoping for? But the planning actually starts after the bond passes. So, you know, either way or

073or after the bond fails, you know, um because I think we've probably all read the uh report that came out from the office of the state comproller and it is really dismal. You know, the state of New York is spending more money than they're taking in. We are running out of money. Um, if we lose our federal education funds and we lose some of our state education funds, we are really going to be in very serious trouble. We will not be able to keep operating. And when I read that report, which we will be linking in our uh board briefs this month because we just received this uh oh my gosh, I don't know the exact Oh, yeah. On uh it was it was written on August 8th, but we received it um actually from

074Trusty Kudson about a week ago. We're not facing a bright financial future. Um, you know, we're in really good shape because we have really, really good fiscal managers in our district. Um, unfortunately, the state and the federal um government are are not necessarily in the same situation, especially in terms of of education right now. Um, yeah. So, we really have to start we have to start thinking about it. We have to keep thinking about it. We have to make some decisions. But um the actual planning starts after those votes. Trusty Goodrich. And then I'm going to look on this side of the room. >> Um thank you so much, Trusty Jared. That was great. That you did an awesome job. I mean, this is transparency. What you see here, folks, if you're listening, I mean

075it's it's it's all there, right? We uh you know we have a K5 plan that we designed with the community with the architects and I agree with Trusty Jurn. It feels like this is a one one-time deal to get this passed and uh it's it's a great plan. It really is. And it it it's going to help the students being centralized. uh we know that uh thanks to all the experts here and um I want to thank uh our superintendent and the assistant superintendent. You guys do a great job. I can't say enough. I have the utmost respect for you and u the fact that you we could pull off these improvements and bring the school up to a 21st century uh completely paid for by the savings of uh closing Woodstock. That would be

076amazing. You know, it's a win-win. >> Trusty Kenson. >> Yeah. So, I just want to say a couple things. Um there may be people watching at home because this discussion led off with so much detail about a 58 middle school that may have interpreted that that that is what the board is planning to do. It is not should not be interpreted that way but um at the last meeting on the 30th uh trustee Goodrich had many good questions about this. It came up uh from the public and the public be heard. So, uh, this discussion came out of that the last meeting where there was appetite expressed for the board to discuss in public what that would actually look like and flesh that out. So, that's what we're doing. But, it's not because this is

077a first choice of the board. Want to make that clear because I'm sure there are people who were made very nervous by the amount of time that the beginning of this discussion um took up. Uh, I also just wanted to put a little more um meat on the bone in terms of the the context of how uh sort of the uh fiscal picture of New York State has changed. Um, and what struck me the re what struck me about that title, if you if you want to look for this dapoli report online, the headline is federal cuts and a weaker economic forecast, economic forecast could create budget gaps not seen since the global financial crisis. Now, I had a sobering moment today when I realized that there are adults with children in our district that

078were still in elementary school when the global financial crisis of 2008 2009 happened. But I remember it very well. And back then what was happening it's it's very diff you might read that headline and think, okay, well, we're not in a in a deep recession like we were back in 2008 2009. It's sort of the opposite. In 2008 and 2009, the economy was cratering. The financial industry, which is a huge component of the New York State budget, was cratering and the government was very supportive of was doing out bill hundreds of billions of dollars to stop that recession from turning into something more like the Great Depression of the 30s. What we have now is is is is the opposite. We have a decent economy. It's it's not, you know, it's not wonderful, but it's

079it's okay. But what what has happened is that the federal government has put a lot of burden that the federal government had been shouldering onto the states. And so the fact that the the Congress on July 4th of this year passed a bill that put a lot more responsibility on New York State for things like healthcare. Um that is what has created the budget gap. But it sort of doesn't matter whether it was a bad economy and you know the the Fed's helping or a good economy and the Fed's taking money away. The result is the same for New York because New York just like Antior has to take in in taxes whatever it spends every year. It can't the federal government has a printing press with money but the state does not. So they

080have to make up um budget gaps um somewhere and they have to look in the budget. And I was wondering actually I had um mentioned um superintendent uh you were in the district in 2008 2009 I think assistant superintendent you were also in the district at that time and I I just wonder if you could speak for a couple minutes about when the state last faced huge shortfalls like this. What did it look like for school districts? So back then it was um it was almost shocking. Uh I remember going to a meeting and I think it was in Westchester. It was a huge meeting of all the business officials of school districts um because we had all gotten our state aid runs for the next year and they were listed categorically um and foundation

081aid did not exist back then but there were more categories of aid and so each of those categories was listed and our allocation was listed and then at the bottom there was a line called gap elimination adjustment and it just had a very large negative number and I was so confused because I thought what does that mean gap elimination adjustment and then the speaker at this particular conference said oh that's not your gap it is now but that is the gap that the state has and in order to achieve their budget they're taking money proportionately from every school district in New York state and it was just dropped on us and we all had to scramble And unfortunately, we had reductions and layoffs that next year because we had no idea that that was coming.

082And it but it was just a number assigned to every district based on the amount of money that they received. And that continued for several years. And it was uh it was incredibly difficult. Those were those were budgeting meetings uh around the administrative table that lasted you know five hours at a time because everybody had to give up things and it was painful. I just have a quick clarifying question based on that um for you or assistant superintendent. parent had said that their their takeaway from a community meetings uh six months maybe a little plus ago was that we you know aid wouldn't foundation aid or aid would not go you know in a short time frame but that there would be we would have a good amount of warning but that wasn't my takeaway

083from how budgets can be adjusted did in a gap. But so can you speak to what we might actually see the range of scenarios we might see? >> The recommendation of the Rockefeller Institute was that if they were going to take foundation away from the schools that were overfunded like we are to do it in a leveled manner. So it wasn't a steep like one year fallen off the cliff. That was their recommendation. That was is also our hope. A lot of schools said that if you're going to take our money away, give us time to plan for it. But as Superintendent McLaren said, when they did the gap elimination adjustment, there was no warning. It was off the cliff. It was literally one year you had it, next year you didn't. So that's the

084problem. You just don't know. Can you also just remind us of what it was like just a few years ago when we found out that we were overfunded by 6 million something and what I I guess what the state's plan was to rectify that that year and what we went through that year. So that year was when we were told from the governor's budget that we were losing $3 million of foundation aid, which was at that time about half of what we were overfunded. Um, and again, it was sitting in a room with the administrators and really looking and unfortunately we are 75% salary and benefits. So we're very people driven. Um, you're not going to save that kind of money by, you know, saving on pencils and paper. It's got to come from people.

085So then it's where where do we do this to to cause the least amount of harm to our students? Um you know that is always our number one goal. Where can we cut to do the least amount of harm to our students? And it's it's it's very hard. >> And how did that all play out? I'm I'm not even recalling myself exactly how that was resolved. So the legislature the legislature put it back in after the governor took it out >> because of all of because it affected so many schools. I mean a lot of schools. I think the difference is at that point the state had the money in the budget to actually restore it and our concern is that it this will be a situation like it was back um during the gap

086elimination years when it it wasn't really an issue. There was no money to restore. >> Trusty Kson, did you have more to say? Um yeah, there was one other just topic I wanted to touch on which is um a feature of our district that I think got short shrift last year in these discussions. Um until recently the um the state published a a percentage a a statistic they I think a couple years ago they called it economically disadvantaged. Now it's attached to free reduced lunch. Um, but what that basically says is how many of our families in our district, and please correct me if I'm wrong, um, how many families in our district are at a at a middle to low income level in their families. And that's a real contra. We we live in

087this slightly strange area where there's a lot of property wealth around us, much of it owned by second homeowners, things like that. But the families who actually live here, half of them, nearly half of them are struggling economically. Um, so that's another reason that, you know, it may um seem like a contradiction that we we have a lot of property wealth around us. Well, why can't we just raise taxes? Well, the first uh group to feel, you know, because tax increases, whether you're a renter, whether you loan, they filter through to your um living expenses, right? And so our families, 47% of them, 40 whatever the percentage is right now, would feel that um pinch um that that pressure of the the school tax bill being part of what is making it difficult for them

088to get by. Um and so and that's I brought up earlier um you know afterchool enrichment um for elementary school kids with with transportation. Well, I feel like for working families who are in that economically disadvantaged population, that would be a huge um thing for them. Um a a huge help for them. Um so um how you view these choices can be very much filtered by your personal circumstances. And I think it's important to remember that uh our families are school um communities makeup is not necessarily the same as the uh all the towns in the in the in the district. Trusty Jerome, >> I just wanted to say since there seemed to be some confusion at the last meeting that I am very much aligned with this conversation and I think the whole board

089is in one degree or another very aligned with this conversation. Um the 34 I'm not a numbers per person but it was 34 34.3 billion dollars that's that was a number that has stuck in my head and that was the dapoli report that was shared with me um but even before then um I not only see the obvious fiscal advantages but I have been on the board for almost two years and I see that there are a lot of student benefits which I've that on a scale that I weigh against other benefits um from keeping Woodstock open. And the benefits of centralization are great. It's the path to get there that these conversations are about and the path to get there was what was being discussed last week. So I just want to say that

090um yes thank you for sharing that and we are all in agreement that the outlook is bleak. >> Just quickly I just want to unpack that 34. So that 34.3 billion cumulative budget gap. So I think that is for the next three fiscal years. The next fiscal year starts in July of state fiscal year starts in July. April April of 26 through sorry April of 26 through April 27 and then ensuing two. So if you average it out it's like 10 or 11 or something like billion dollars a year but it's a you know it's a big number. Um, >> just to add to that, because I am not so great at math, unlike my children, because I didn't go to Aunta. Um, so I took out my calculator. Um, and the thing that really

091got me was that it's a $34.3 billion gap New York State has in its budget. But 7 billion of that is since January. So that's 20.4 4% increase in our budget gap since January. So that's to me when I I did that math, I thought if this was my personal life and I had had a 20% gap open between what I was earning and what my expenses were, I would hustle. I would hustle before it was too late to do anything, you know, cuz that time comes. Where shall we go from here? We have I'm just going to say that um I sent uh the superintendent an a request for information earlier this week or later late last week um asking for a trimmed down version of a bond or bonds. Um, and I think

092out of that uh RFI, some uh other board trustees came up with some ideas as well. Um, Trusty Goodrich, do you want to talk about what what your thoughts were? And then um maybe um after a conversation about that, maybe superintendent can share what schoolhouse construction came back with based on my RFI. So, what I did was I took the uh schoolhouse construction uh information that was passed out in the last board meeting and I put it into a spreadsheet that's on Google Docs and then shared it with everybody here and everybody has right access to it. So, um my what I was trying to do is trying to figure out what can we get past. So I came up with proposition one which was the Bennett Elementary K through five. So fifth grade stays

093with uh the cohort of the rest of the elementary kids. And um so this was I was trying to get uh to a minimum. What do we need to get to the point where we have the 10 classrooms, the library expansion, the office space, security vestibule, the bathroom, uh new boiler, drop off loop, reconfigure outdoor play space, replace uh the slab, which is a small number, uh remediate the drainage. So that was 23,637. [Music] uh thousand about. So it's a little less than 24 million. So that would allow us to uh move all the K5 students into uh into Bennett. So that would be one proposition. A second proposition would be based on you know maintenance and building condition survey uh work. uh Bennett replace windows and exterior walls because that could be a separate

094thing. We don't need to wait. It's it's not tied to the expansion. Uh the five high school uh science classrooms renovated, the nurses suite at the high school, the field drainage at the soccer field, and uh the track upgrade. So, actually that's that's a lower number now. So that's uh with the lower number, it's probably going to be a little less than 12 million for that proposition. And then the third proposition uh well basically it's requires proposition one to pass. Uh this is an optional proposition. We can put it up for a vote in December or we could wait till May. Um it's there's a lot of flexibility here. Um so that would be the new gymnasium at Bennett which would be used for K through eight. Um Bennett new electric service and relocation the

095fuel tank relocation the reconfiguration of the uh cafeteria and the kitchen which is a big number. So that all came to 17 million. So again that proposition three would be dependent on proposition one passing. And then at the bottom I included all the other additional stuff in the spreadsheet that was in the uh uh in the schoolhouse uh document that was handed out. So a couple changes that uh our superintendent listed. So, we had new numbers for I guess the Bennett replaced and the five high school science. So, that would need to be updated. Some went up, some went down. >> Excuse me. Just one second. >> Just to make it clear, the the number on the right hand side of the science classrooms that was um there was a a request for renovating three

096out of five. So, that represents what the three out of five would be. >> Three. Okay. All right. As opposed to the five. I had Okay. >> And uh everybody knows I'm big on science, so I had the five there. Um and then the uh change in the uh the track uh went down to from 1,00 1,317,000 down to 351,000. So that was a big decrease. and then the uh the cafeteria and reconfigure cafeteria and the kitchen. Uh so that number is hasn't changed much. So it was still five 5,82. So just to recap, proposition one would be somewhere around a little less than 24 million. Uh proposition two is going to be somewhere around 12 million. And proposition three is that's dependent on proposition one passing would be 17 million. And again, we we

097don't need to put proposition three out now. We could we could wait to May. Depends on what everybody feels in the spreadsheets there. We can move things up and down and sideways and whatever we want to do. >> Trusty Mitchell Morell, Trusty Jerome, and then Trusty Kudson. >> I'm sorry. Superintendent, do you want to go first? >> You first. >> I was just going to say I think the um That's okay. The architects and engineers would recommend that if we're doing uh a large renovation in addition at Bennett that we would include the electric service um new electric service and potentially the fuel tank renovation all at the same time. Um, and then there was a question about what other um, building condition survey items, if we were renovating Bennett already, could potentially be considered.

098They are not listed as priority one, but there are things that could be considered, and I added those on the bottom. Um, those include renovating the toilet rooms in the front of the school, which I think if you've looked in those toilet rooms, they're pretty aged. Um, replacing ceiling and lights in the corridor of the front wing of the school. Replacing ceiling and um, lights. Oh, I think I I did something there. I'll have to check that one. Um, but that was not in the one of them was in the classrooms. I think one was in the hallway. Um there's a number if we wanted to uh replace or restore um a s a section of the roof and then replacing the domestic hot water heater for 105,000 I think we could probably manage that

099out of our budget but the architect suggested it is something to consider if we were looking to include other building condition survey items. I guess my first question is how did you decide not to include like the music rooms and turf? You just feel like those were more optional items or I'm just curious. >> If you look at the report from last meeting, they were listed. >> Oh, they were we didn't choose them. >> Yeah. >> Oh, got it. >> So, >> okay. Because I was just um >> I mean, again, >> I just kind of wanted to propose the idea of adding the turf and field lights to one, two, or three. um really stuck with me that the student representative said almost everyone does sports and I just also think the field lights

100we had talked about this a long time ago about how if you're driving by how that could be like look at that I don't know I I like the idea I just think there's a lot of focus on sports at this school and I think it's so great and I feel like the turf and field lights could get a better position than no position I wanted to thank you. This doesn't make my head explode anymore and it really did at the last meeting. And so, thank you so much for starting to break these out into smaller bites. Um, and I'm looking forward to the discussion like Trusty Moral just made this suggestion that we can start to talk about and entertain and understand like what do we put in? Do we do two at once?

101Do we do one, two, three? I think that Trusty Jared had mentioned and what I know to be true is that if it if these fail then it's a whole year delay before we can vote again. So, you know, that also figures into my, you know, the prioritization piece. Um, and certainly, yes, the news from the budget report, the, you know, for New York State fits in. So, anyways, but thank you. I'm I'm I'm not sure yet. I'm But this is so much easier for me to to swallow. >> Yeah. Just wanted to if everybody could turn to the third page because I I detected possible. So, I believe the high school science classrooms at the top lists a number of 3.968 million, right? And then if you add the sort of 20% overage contingency,

102you get to 5.125, which is the number in Trusty Goodrich's um and then below it says 3.2 million for three classrooms. And on the other side it says could see almost two million in savings. So, 3.2 2 million is about 1.7 that's almost 2 million. So I believe that the 5.125 is for the five classroom superintendent and that if you did 3.2 million plus a contingency it would not be that high. Um just because numbers are going to be key here I think um that we want to make sure we're accurate on on our assumptions. Um I I just want to say that um just as an opening thought that I wholeheartly agree with um that with we we started this conversation in in August about talking about trying to figure out what's essential, right?

103What is essential for the kids? And um I think I think um Bennett adding 10 classrooms to Bennett to be able to bring our kids together and maintain a K5 which is the preference of a lot of people in our district um is is a proper proposition one. And I do I also um agree with Trusty Bishop's RFI that given the realities of the economy, people's personal circumstances, um how the last bond was received by a lot of people in the community as being too big that um we need to show that we take those cons concerns seriously and um kind of do everything that's really essential And if we need to save some things for a phased in approach later, um I'm okay with that. Um I'll I'll let somebody else talk now. >>

104Can can you just clarify again what you were saying about the science classrooms because I have both numbers in front of me now. >> Yeah. So when um when Trusty Goodwish pointed out the the 5.125 million that he had for science classrooms, you said to him that's for three because that's what we asked. >> I'm sorry. I >> that's what >> I was not clear >> the number that I have to the right hand side he had said the 5.125 which there is a lower number for >> the lower number to the right hand side which is 3.2 2 million is for three classrooms. Um, Schoolhouse actually gave me today the most up-to-date number and five classrooms is actually 5.14. >> Okay. So, very close to what it was. >> Yes. Very close to what

105was there last week. But the 3.2 is for three science classrooms. >> But just since last week, it's gone up from 5.12 >> 5.25.14. Okay. So, that's a reduction. No. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> 5.125 to >> Right. Right. Right. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Jenny, >> I love this conversation. I just want to say again from deep in my gut to all of my beloved trustees that I am so concerned about this number. Um, yeah, all of them. Um, I'm I'm really So, here here's my concern. Um, the Bennett work is on its own its own, you know, I think I added up from Trusty Goodrich's numbers. You know, I would call it like the core Bennett Prop One. I would call like the core Bennett, but it didn't have the electric and fuel

106tank and it didn't have the cafeteria or the gym, which based on our tour with Principal Bono, I really got the feeling like at least adding a half-size gym, I would be really worried about K to5 in there with the gym the way it is and the cafeteria the way it is. It's possible. But if we add those things in with a half size gym, then we're at like 38, you know, 144 196. I think something in there is digestible. But then when we start adding the science rooms and the drainage, you know, we we are starting to push that number up. And December is tomorrow and there's still a lot of confusion and there's still a lot of people who are still reaching out to me and my husband to vent about how upset

107they are about how much the last bond went up for. So just because it's a it's it's a moment for no bad ideas. I'm not attached to this. I'm just putting this out there as a thought I've had. Um, I I would maybe like to see us chunk off, and I feel like I've heard this from a couple other trustees and some community members, chunk off what is essential that we can do as a standalone, not only to get that going because we don't have a guarantee that the community is going to pass the Bennett expansion. There's no guarantee there. And my fear is if we put it all up together and there's confusion or emotions and sentiment and the whole thing gets voted down then we have a whole year then we are getting

108into trouble with the track and the science rooms. So, something I'm thinking about is what if in December we put up all of that work that we could do standalone and we get that out of the other bond whether we decide we ask to do it with some capital savings because I don't think it's very much compared to what we have. Um, and then we get that rolling with SEDD and then we buy ourselves until May to put up a skinny as we can make it essential. The purpose of it is to keep our K to5 together bond that you know like others are saying could be phased in and expanded over time in order to bring that number down because I worry that people are feeling pinched right now and if they see this

109proposition for 28 and then this proposition for 17 and if prop one goes through Prop three also goes through for 18. I just worry that we're going to be right back where we were before. Ideally, it would be great to do it all together. We know this about economy of scale. We've heard about all this and how it is preferable, but preferable and doable, you know, in in this mental mindset that we're in right now financially, I fear might the the juice might not be worth the squeeze there trying to do it all together. So, sorry if that was all over the place. I'm wondering if we could hear about what um schoolhouse how how schoolhouse responded to my request for information. >> Sure. So the based on uh what was requested they put together

110a package. Um it included renovated three science rooms. Um, it included the 10 classrooms with association toilets, library expansion, main office, that whole chunk at Bennett. Um, remediating the drainage at Bennett, replacing the exterior windows at Bennett. Um, and replacing the boilers and adding a boiler to service the additions. Um, it included the Bennett dropoff loop and R whoa. The Bennett drop off loop and parking um for nuts and bolts. Uh it included grass sports fields improvements including baseball fencing, outfield regrading for field hockey, the Bennett upper playgrounds and parking and just resurfacing of the track standalone, not um the smaller amount, the 30 essentially 350,000 and then it included the new electrical service um to support the addition at Bennett. So the total of all of those things was 34,604506 and that was in

111response to kind of a a nuts andbolts package that covered um Bennett and included the science rooms. >> Trusty Jerome, then Trusty Mitchell Morell, then Trusty Goodrich. Um I am much more inclined towards your thinking trusty Jared in that I think that we can't afford to fail to get our K to five together and also I mentioned it a lot at the last meeting and I do feel that building on wins building trust getting some of these things done which have been promised for a long time in our community um would go a long I and I mentioned at the last meeting when I go into the gymnasium or I get a tour of the vestable vestibule which will be ready I think on the 22nd of this month look at the improvements to the

112parking and the tennis courts and um it helps me see the vision in these incremental steps and so um I I think that's a very interesting idea idea and one that I would likely support. I think I also wrote an RFI, didn't I? Um, October 3rd asking basically for this exact thing, which is what is most, you know, needed. But, um, I guess I mean I agree with you, Trusty Jerome and Trusty Jared. I think if something doesn't pass, it's literally meaningless and me moot. So, we want to like almost work backwards and be like, is this something that would pass easily either from a number or from items? And I can you name propositions? Can you like proposition one urgent situation or something? Well, I think um your RFI is the one that I

113referenced um about the most physically urgent projects that things to be done immediately this year or next. >> I mean, I guess that's a little a little bit of a literal interpretation of it because I just also mean like what is inarguable to everyone like something across the aisle that people could say, you know, we can't argue with this, we can't argue with this. Okay, fine. We'll vote for it. you know, maybe maybe they'll like this is a little expensive, but fine. You know, like maybe it's not their ideal situation, but I mean, I just sort of want to reiterate that if this we we just needed to pass like that's our priority more than anything else because otherwise it doesn't matter at all. So, I just kind of wanted to go back and say

114that again. And I like the idea of it being sort of projects that are indisputable. Um, and hopefully there will be a way for us to get across that these are just that's why they're in all in a proposition together because I think that will be something people can agree on and therefore it will pass and therefore it will matter. So, um, Superintendent McLaren, so the 34 million that would be for the Bennett Elementary >> pretty much >> that would be, uh, Bennett Elementary and science rooms and some improvements to the sports fields, not turf. >> Um, >> okay. >> Resurfacing the track, >> the electrical transformer, the electrical, I'm sorry, transition transformer to support the addition at Bennett. So um question for assistant superintendent. So we so if you have uh two propositions um

115each one could have a separate bond correct >> I mean they would I mean they you would have to say what the funding source is. Um, I mean, you're not going to have I mean, if you're going to bond, you're not going to >> So, you can how do I say this? So, you can have a you can have one proposition and have 10 projects and bond it once. You So, it's it's it's not necessarily that you're bonding Proposition one separately from bonding Proposition two because you're going to do all the work. Whatever passes, Proposition 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, you're going to send it to SED. You're going to get all those projects approved. You're going to borrow the money to pay for it. And then once the project's done, kind of like when

116you build a house, you've got your line of credit. You're going to now you're going to go to the bank and you're going to get a loan for the whole thing. So, it's going to be one bond. Can I >> how would you you know when you'd be interested to know most complicated case let's say you had three propositions just hypothetical how would you describe to the voters what's going to be capital reserve and what's going to be the the bond on each one of those. you know, is that pretty complicated to explain to the voters or >> I feel like it would simply be what the board decided what funding to allocate to which one. Um, the only thing to keep in mind is that when we have multiple propositions, if the bids come

117in high on one and low on another, you can't cross them to support the projects. But, you know, it it's a question of what the board wants to allocate to the capital reserve versus a bond or, you know, if we're just doing capital reserve or if we're just doing bonding. So, thank you for everything so far. Um, so I want I I have also sort of um played with a different configuration of propositions in my head that I think might address some of these um considerations. Um, respectfully, I want to say that I think um that doing uh the Bennett expansion is time critical in December. I really do feel that way just because we are in such a volatile situation in the world. Um, and I feel like we have built momentum with the

118community in terms of presenting the we've built momentum in terms of educating the community about the various elements of the first proposition. And uh if we run it out again out to next May um it just creates so much opportunity for division, confusion, mixed messaging in the community. Um I worry about that. So but I and one of the things I noticed in the run-up to the last vote was that we had a $70.5 million project and a $55 million bond. And what that those two numbers created a lot of confusion in the community, even in the media, I pointed this out at a previous meeting that routinely our our $55 million bond was described in the media as a $70.5 million bond, right? Because I don't know, it's it's complicated. And um and I

119think a lot of people just didn't understand um that we were actually borrowing less than the 70.5 million and that it would that it would the savings would actually pay for the entire series of payments on that bond. Um so what I would suggest that we consider um is if you look at proposition two that uh uh trusty Goodrich put together um there are a couple of things in there. If you look at the Bennett windows, which is a standalone, the science classrooms, which is a standalone, and if the track upgrade, if you add the track upgrade to that, um, that puts us right around $10 million, maybe a little over, which is almost exactly the amount that we have in our capital reserve. So, hypothetically, this is again, no bad ideas, just putting ideas

120out here. Hypothetically, we could put out a proposition two that was these things generally on the building condition survey. They're things that we have been promising to get to. We have put this money aside. The community has asked us to spend the money that we have put aside. So if we if that was a proposition two that was funded entirely out of the capital reserve fund then if we had a let's say a um so I've taken some things out of the schoolhouse version now of of uh the Bennett work right because that $38 million superintendent that you quoted included the windows right and the science rooms right so if those things come out of the Bennett proposition then we have a Bennett proposition that's say somewhere in the in the range of 25 to

121$30 million. Now, at $55 million, fiscal adviserss ran the numbers and it was going the the payments on the bond were going to be exceeded by the savings. And but our very conservative messaging administration team didn't want to say that it's a t it will reduce your taxes. They they said tax neutral because it was close enough you know the future it was the margins weren't huge they were real but they weren't huge so it was presented to the community as tax neutral now if we take that bond down from 55 to 25 or 30 we are going to be able to go to the community and say this is not only tax neutral this is going to reduce your tax burden every year um and I I think that would create a much different

122feeling in the community. First of all, we'd show that we are able to take a very large number and bring it down, which I think would generate goodwill. we would be able to say we are trying to keep your taxes low because we understand especially the way the economy is going, the way central Hudson bills are going, all the things we talked about earlier that we are taking your personal struggles in this community in this economy seriously. Um, and I feel like that could be a winning message even if because people are feeling stretched. Um, that we we still want to do what is most essential and what is important to so many people in this community, which is keeping our elementary K uh program K5. Um, and we can do that and we can

123do it in a way that we believe will contribute to keeping taxes manageable in this district. And um I just and I think when you say we have to get it passed and you know the community feels a certain way, well that's where we come in in in my mind is that we need to be out there communicating and and be really involved in the in explaining this really well. all of us, not just the administration, not just our Boseis communications partners, but really all of us really trying to explain what's at stake here. What has changed? Because, you know, in 2023 when the first central uh centralization resolution was passed, it was a certain set of circumstances in the world. Then the uh the governor's executive budget in January of 2024 changed the world

124right for for Antior and a lot of districts like it. And since then the bill that passed in Congress on July 4th of 2025 changed the world again. But a lot of folks have not caught up to that. I I could from last the last meeting we had on the 30th I can tell that very many folks in our community have not caught up to what has changed. And so I feel like if we can communicate what we talked about at the beginning of this meeting, you know, I don't know what our YouTube count is right now, but uh I hope a lot of people are watching, but I'm not optimistic that it's thousands, you know. Uh uh yeah, so maybe we can get a report before the end. Um, I just don't think we

125should discount our ability, our responsibility, and our ability to really get out into the community and make the case um for a December vote. And that public opinion is not something that's immutable. and and we've even actually seen in private emails to our board movement in in in in me from members of the community who you wouldn't have expected to see it from. >> Okay. And Okay. So, um I really like what you framed out. I liked the fact that you talked about making these promised improvements using the capital reserves. This is where you and I differ. I don't think we have to convince people that that's a that that will make sense to them. That's what they voted for in the first place. That will build trust with them. That's what I'm talking about.

126So, I really like that. and making it skinnier. Um, so that you know, I think that the reality um of the the situation just the way that you framed it like taking away the science that classrooms again from the K5 and those expenses and whittling that down and making it tax neutral potentially or I don't think that's going to take a lot to convince people like I think this is what we needed to do and so thank you and also like I'm I fully think that the public will understand that this to me because it just feels better. You know, the other thing just didn't it felt forced. But now I'm like, okay, so they heard me. I want we had these capital reserves. We have these old items. They're going to take care of

127that. They heard me that they can still make it tax neutral. They, as you said, we brought it the number way down. And this is something I could seriously think about, you know. Um, so thank you, >> Trusty Jerome. When when you just said the other thing felt forced, what exactly what were you referring to when we went for the huge bond that included everything? If I'm being honest, I went ahead with that because I thought it would fail and I thought we had to fail in order to figure out where we would get to to get it passed. And I think that and when we kept on tangling everything up together with the um with the the Bennett improvements and then these other improvements and they were always being like like sort of tossed

128together. That was confusing to me. There was friction there for me. And so now I am this is much more frictionless. I'm much more agreeable to the way that you framed it. even though in some ways it's the same but just there's something that's satisfying about knowing for me and I don't know we'll hear from other people but about knowing that that capital reserve is going to be used for these projects that have been on the table for a long time and that we're trying to we we have you're right last week we got just one more huge piece of news that makes this K through5 question really real and so you know coming up with a solution that is um prudent and lean and skinny I think somebody called it you know that I

129like that. So anyways yeah that's that to clarify that's what I meant. I think that um uh just give me a minute and then I'll and then I'll yield to you, Trusty Goodrich. Um that I'm here. I heard what Trusty Jared said about needing the new gym, even if it's a scaled down gym and you know, just the other upgrades. I 100% agree with that. I just don't think we can do it all at the same time. I think we have to go with the items on the building conditions report. Um, you know, I I haven't seen the science classrooms. I know that some of you have t have been able to take tours. You know, like I I've said, I' I have seen some of the areas that that are um being either on

130the on that conditions report or being requested uh to be upgraded. Um, but I haven't seen them all. Um I feel really strongly that however we decide to uh put these bonds together or proposition how we decide to put the propositions together if we can utilize our capital reserves and you know put them toward the the really important issues that are sitting there um now at the surface on the buildings building conditions report that at least one proposition has to be adding the classrooms to Bennett. We have to do the upgrade to Bennett. um in four months between the May vote and last week when we received our information from um schoolhouse construction, our incidental and what's the other word contingency expenses have have risen 10% in four months. So, the additional costs that go

131on uh on a project like this in May were 20%. Last week, they were 30%. I don't think we can afford to wait till May to put another vote out for our Bennett expansion. Um, I don't I don't know that we can gain the trust or the yes vote from the folks in our community who spoke to us last week telling us if you put it if you put it before us for a vote, we're voting no. They were so clear. We're voting no. And I think that we have to find a way to assure that we can move forward with this. Um I I know that at some point we're going to discuss the resolution to clarify the 22 uh the 2023 uh resolution. I think it's too late for that conversation tonight and

132unless somebody else uh wants to stay here later. Um, we did say we'd end around 8, but I I am really very concerned about the um the power of what happened to our to our uh bond vote in May happening again. you know, no matter what we put up, if we add the 10 classrooms to Bennett, all these really important things that have to happen will be voted down, too. That doesn't make sense to me. It just doesn't make sense. And waiting until May to pass a bond potentially for the 10 classrooms or not means much more money, a longer time waiting for the bottom to fall out if it's going to. We, you know, we can't guarantee, but we can't guarantee that it's not. um and possibly forcing us into planning a lovely plan

133for our fifth graders to go to the middle school. So, I mean, that's just how I passionately feel about where we're headed and I hope, you know, that everyone will just take that in because it comes from the heart and from the mind. Um, so please, uh, Trusty Goodrich, then Trusty Mitchell Morell. >> So I think our local newspapers would love to drag this out as long as possible because it it helps them sell their newspapers, but I agree with uh, Trusty Kudson, Trusty Jerome, and uh, Trustee uh, Bishop on the last three statements. That's great. I mean, yeah, I think we need to do the Bennett build out uh in December, you know. Um it just keeps wearing the community down, you know. We need to end the uh the anger, you know. We

134need to, you know, just come to come together as a community and and move on. You know, if we can get that passed, I think it'll go a long way to bringing everybody together. Um, and I I I said this the last meeting, I'm concerned about uh the polarization filtering down to the students. Um, you know, they're involved. They probably read social media, too. And, uh, I've almost stopped reading social media here because it just gets uh a little too crazy. Um, and there's a lot of misinformation out there. So anyway, that's all I have. >> I mean, I guess I wanted a little clarification because I feel like you said you think the Bennett classrooms are urgent, which I totally get, but then you said you don't want to put it with urgent things

135because of the voting block voting it down. So, I was just confused. So, oh, if I said that, I misspoke. Um like I'm what I'm hearing from the board is the potential for more than one proposition. Um one might be um the science classrooms, any any upgrades that we're considering for the athletic fields, the drainage on the soccer field, um that sort of stuff. And then the other potentially would be the the Bennett upgrade including the 10 classrooms, the library upgrade, office area, um security vestibule, and so on. Um and and other things that I'm not naming right now. My fear is that if we wait, if we if we put up the the bond uh that I'm going to call like the improvement bond, the the property imp the infrastructure improvement bond and science

136classrooms um which would be paid by uh capital reserve money in December. I think it'll pass. But then if we wait till May to put up the 10 classrooms and the Bennett expansion and all the other things that could happen at Bennett, I think that'll fail because we were told it'll fail. I don't know how between now and May we're going to get the people who have assured us that they'll vote no that to vote yes. I think one way that you could do that is saying sort of that there are two choices which are if you vote for it they'll all be together K through five and if you vote against it the fifth grade will be in the high school as we are saying today in a way for the first time I

137think that's much more clear-cut I think the resolution did not have the intended desired effect I don't think it would have the desired effect of it passing necessarily and I don't think it had the desired effect of like clarity. I think it really mostly just made everyone really mad and upset and I I didn't find that super productive and I didn't like especially since I felt like things were going so well. Like I think the I guess we're not talking about the resolution right now. But I guess if you kind of put it just not in those like don't don't put it like that and like sort of in an implied way. These are the two ways it can go and we're not deciding anything. we're just saying these are the things that could happen.

138I think that makes it a lot clearer and I think that's sort of a new terrain for us that we're just sort of entering today. Maybe am I wrong? And um I mean I I do and I've said this so many times. I am scared that anything you put with the Bennett editions are going to get voted down. So I just think we need to be conscious of that. I don't think we should live in fear of that. But like, you know, if you really really want something, maybe we put it on the second proposition. I also just curious, Jenny, like what number you do think all these people who are calling you are looking for because I I'm like, don't you know, 23 to me seems so much less already, but it's like you

139seem to want to go lower. >> So great. So great numbers. So, what Trusty Kudson came up with totally solved for my fear and why I thought we had to break them out to two completely separate voting times because what happened with the 70 million, my understanding is is that when we bond for 10, I'm picking numbers that are not real so nobody gets confused. when we bond for 10 and then we use 2 million of cash we have we have to tell the voters a $12 million project. So what I was trying to do was like what your proposal does which was get that capital money that cash off of the proposition so that we didn't have to have 24 for Bennett expansion plus 15 capital and cash which looks like oh my gosh

140can't do that math that fast but almost 40. So, I'm like Trusty Jerome a huge fan of this idea and I think that if we can separate it in a way that I feel confident that we aren't going to have to wait a year on things like the track because I do think that if we say here's capital funds we saved that's going to pass. Um, and I think that, you know, a number like 23 to$25 million bond with the amount of savings that we know will have from closing the other elementary school will feel like a huge difference to to people, especially since the essential proposition is money we've already saved. So, you can't really add them together in the same way. Um, and I think it would be really exciting next time we're

141together to really start to get into the nitty-gritty of, you know, what goes, you know, how like how what, you know, I think that like 24$25 million number is like a really winning bond number. Um, yeah, I'm all for this. I think this is great. and Trusty Bishop, I know we we have to relax because nothing is in our control, but I I agree with you and I think that if we have two months to get the word out for our best shot at this, I think that there's a lot that we can speak to a huge part of this community that didn't vote in the last bond, but who I think this this arrangement really speaks to, you know, 47% of our families are considered, you know, struggling economically for those families to hear

142and and they might not be watching these board meetings. We've got to like go to PTA meetings and we've got to say we're talking about free afterare with district busing. You know, talking to Principal Bono about how popular that was with parents and children when we had it at Bennett, he said like you cannot overstate what that did for parents to have a whole eighth hour that the children are I mean I think that we focus ourselves on, you know, the whole community and um I think there are a lot of people that will come out for this. I think this is great. Clark, then Emily, >> what a great meeting. I mean, it really I'm really proud of everybody here today. I mean, everybody, you know, just chipping in and, you know, giving great

143ideas. Um, moving forward, I don't know what to do with this spreadsheet. Um, I know the superintendent I you can make a copy of it and make the updates and then other people can make copies and change it or make it their plan. I I don't know. There's I'm just throwing out some ideas here. I don't know how you want to proceed here. Um, first of all, I just want to make a general statement that I agreed to these meetings thinking they were 6:00 to 8 and they're more like 4 to 9. Um, and I just feel like I tell my kids I'm going to be home for bedtime and I would like to wrap this up. But I also want to say yes, I think that's the next step. I think this needs to

144be just reorganized a little and then I think we're sort of on the same page that the second one would be capital reserve, right? And then the first one similar and I think just a little reorganization and one more talk and we can keep it moving guys. Yeah, I just want to point out for a December vote we need to at the end of the next meeting we need to come to a decision because at the next well the thing is between the next meeting we would have to vote on it on the on the meeting after that which means we will need to give schoolhouse and CPL this is what we want at the next meeting correct >> we have to give not only them but the attorney who drafts the proposition that's really

145actually the even more important and fiscal adviserss. >> Yes. >> Yeah. They all need >> so >> the final decision or consensus has to be reached at the next meeting so we can vote on it on the following meeting. >> So, if we reorganized it on a spreadsheet, we couldn't talk about it at all until next week. Correct. Who would reorganize it, I guess, is my next question. >> Rick seems like the guy for the job for sure. Well, if I I think I hear a consensus that we want to move forward with two propositions and basically organized along the lines that was described tonight. So, I could certainly reorganize the spreadsheet into that configuration. >> I thought there was still a third proposition, but So, what happens to all the stuff in the third

146proposition? You're spreading it out or it goes away. >> Uh, I think that's May or beyond. It's it's t it's it's it's phase three, which is not part of December. I think personally I think that um that third proposition um those third proposition items will become part of a long-term plan. you know, I feel like we need to go bare bones right now and if we want to like let's get a proposition passed or two and um and then the community like we'll we could still keep visioning, you know, um we'll we'll still want feedback and input, but we can't do it all this time. We we found that out in May. We can't do it all this time. >> And Caroline has said this before, but like once people see, oh wow, look at

147this, look at this, that might help our calls. I just have to point out the electric service and the fuel tank relocation are currently located in Prop 3, but we need to move them in. >> Yes. >> Just have to say that out loud. >> It will reflect everything that was discussed tonight. >> Do you want to let uh the superintendent take a shot at moving stuff around from what schoolhouse? >> Yeah, you're going to work together. >> I think I think I will schedule a meeting with the superintendent. We'll work on it together. How's that? Okay. >> Any final words? Okay. Um, may I have a motion to adjourn? Trusty Smith. Second, Trusty Goodrich. All in favor? All right. We'll see you next week.