001so focused on. Good evening. Tonight is Thursday, March 12th, 2026, and welcome to our board of education meeting. Uh would somebody like to uh make a motion to return to public session? Motion by Marjorie, second by Phil. All those in favor. 5. You would um mind joining me for the pledge of allegiance, please. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Um, so this evening we um are very honored to have the John J. High School String Quartet join us. Yes. And um I think I'll turn it over to you, Neil. >> Yeah, thank you so much. And thank you to our wonderful teacher uh Miss Alyssa Levventhal uh for setting this up. Um
002and tonight we have uh four students and they're all going to introduce themselves in a moment uh and what instrument they're going to play. And Miss Levventhal left me a note to say all four of these students are highly dedicated musicians and fantastic leaders within their sections in the high school orchestra. They will be performing conerto Groso number 10, Alamanda and Minuetto by Baroque composer Archangelo Corelli tonight. And I I'd like to just have them all come up. And if you could just introduce yourself uh to the mic here and to all of us at the podium. So they'll introduce themselves and then we'll all go out to the to the area and watch the wonderful performance. >> Thanks. >> Yeah. >> Um hi, I'm Alex Bond. I play violin. I'm a senior and I'm
003excited to play. >> Thank you. >> Um, hi, I'm Anna Gambelli. I also play violin and I'm a junior. >> Thanks. >> Hi, I'm Libby Field. I'm a freshman and I play >> Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Ty Stanford. I'm a sophomore and I play with >> All right. Thank you so much for coming tonight. So, we're going to take a break and we'll meet you guys out in just a second. So, if you want to get set up, we're right. Thanks. Thanks. Take a quick break, folks. So, and we'll kind of watch our performance. >> How are you? >> Good evening. How are you? Yeah, that's Hallelujah. Glory. Yes. Hallelujah. Hallelu Hallelujah. Amen. Yeah. Halleluah. Hallelujah. That was so wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you guys. >> Probably not. So, yeah.
004That was amazing. >> Hello. >> You got it. Locked. call back. Well, that was a unbelievable treat. I mean, I played flute and piano and piccolo. the strings are always so intimidating and the way that they made those sing tonight. That's thousands of hours of practice out there and it just highlights um what an amazing arts program that we're so fortunate to have here at the high school. So, thanks Neil for bringing them to us tonight. We really appreciate it. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Now, from another talented student, we get to hear from Hudson tonight. I always like when you present your report. >> Thank you. Um, good evening to all the board members, district officials, and community members present today or listening on Zoom. DECA John J's business club competed in at
005the state competition in Rochester, New York this past weekend. Six students received medals for having the top scores in their roleplay and/or testing categories. A special congratulations to Julia Immacelli for placing seventh in New York State in accounting applications and Jonah for placing first in New York State in automotive services marketing. We wish Julia and Jonah the best uh for their trip to nationals in Atlanta and thank the teachers and deck adviserss MC and Mrs. Dpala for their constant support and promotion of the club. We have big news for John Robotics at states this past weekend. Team Mo Robotics went undefeated, finishing with an 11-0 record. Mob Robotics is number one in New York State, number five in the United States, and number 10 in the world. They will be competing uh in the world
006championship yet again. Congratulations Sige, Kira, TJ, Keshan, Matthew, Howland, Emerson, Oliver, Alex, and Caris, and Mr. Peter on your win and putting John J. Robotics back on top. We wish you the best of luck at your competition in St. Louis. On Wednesday, March 11th, John J. Humanities Research 2 classes attended Hamilton on Broadway. Students went out to an amazing lunch before the show. After it ended, students got to meet and take photos with actors Ed UTI, who played Alexander Hamilton, David Donald Weber, Jr., who played Aaron Burr, uh, and David Guzman, who played Hamilton's son, Philip Hamilton. We thank the humanities research teachers, Mrs. Vonsteinberg and Mrs. Herschfield and the administration for allowing this trip to happen each year for students. Spring sports started on March 16th. We could not have asked for better Wednesday
007weather on Monday and Tuesday, even though it's snow today and the temperatures are dropping again next week. John J. High School is hosting the career fair on March 18th. A few workshops and stations that will be at the fair are becoming a professional artist with the create creative director and head of creative production services at WWE, getting into medical school and exploring healthcare careers, speak so people listen, public speaking for real life, and law and law enforcement and military with the a detective from the New York State organized crime task force who is a former supervisory special agent with the DEA and intelligence analyst in the US Marine Corpse Reserve and the Counterterrorism Branch at the Defense Intelligence Agency. We thank the community members for attending next week uh and the administration for organizing a
008special event. KS kicked up PARP parents as reading partners for March. There are many special events during PARP highlighted by the flashlight reading pajama day and star story night on March 25th when students and families can come in at night uh to read with their teachers. Meadow Pond hosted author Nina Cruz last night uh last month in honor of Black History Month to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans. Mrs. Cruz presented on the many steps to the writing process and discussed where her ideas for her books come. Mrs. Cruz visit highlights pillar 2 of belonging in the celebration of diversity. This month has brought much success to many programs here at John J. I again must wish the DECA scholars and team MLB robotics the best of luck uh on behalf of our district in their
009respective national and world championships in Atlanta and St. Louis. These programs prove testament to the engagement, diligence and drive of our students both in and out of school. They're also attributed to the outstanding teachers MC Mrs. Trapala and Mr. Peters for guiding and continuously pushing their students. The future is certainly looking bright for students here at John J. Thank you. Thanks. >> Lots of exciting lots of exciting things going on around here. We appreciate uh your very well done reports, Hudson. Thank you. Uh so now we turn to uh number eight uh board committee reports. Um audit committee. >> Yeah. Uh audit committee met last night. Um I would say that the big thank you to some of the committee members who've served a long time. I think uh I learned a lot from them
010last night and uh internal audit um presented some internal findings. I expect that we'll we'll um they have have a plan of action to approve. >> We do. Yes. The next >> in the next board meeting, right? Correct. And I would just say that generally speaking, the community's reaction was we switched internal auditors a couple years ago and the community members were just thrilled with this detailed report and Lisa and staff were very excited to implement the findings and controls as as they recomit. >> Thank you. Finance committee has not met >> next week. facilities committee >> just briefly um excuse me John J High School vestibule opened a few weeks ago I think since our last board meeting everything is going well with the new entrance and the vestibule and work on Seawwing now
011is progressing which is great news and then of course tonight we are joined by our architects and very much looking forward to looking for the future and hearing just minimally about the BCS which is the building and condition survey that we're required to do every five tonight we'll have opportunity to focus our attention on a couple of specific projects arising out of that process and um so I'll leave it to them when we get to it. >> Thanks Marjorie. Uh next is policy committee but we have not oh I'm sorry parent council but um Arwin is not here. Um policy committee has not met. >> Policy committee hasn't met. I'll just remind us that tonight on the consent agenda, we have one policy for adoption reflecting a very small change and opportunity for some flexibility
012in how and when the board reorganizes. And we're meeting again on Friday, March 27th. Thank you. >> Thank you. Sustainability >> meets tomorrow morning >> bright and early at 8:15. >> Yes. Um and Marjgerie is going to uh defer her reports on NISBA and Westpot until we get to the consent agenda where we have a resolution to discuss. So we'll um journ that for now. District safety committee has not met. >> No has not >> has not um ERJC John is not here but did they meet? >> We did. >> Yeah. Do you want to >> you can Okay. Yeah. Uh we continue to work on the calendar for the acknowledgement calendar that we hope to be completed by the end of this year. Um and we had a nice representation from K12. Um and
013we're making good progress. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh food services committee. >> We did not meet in February. Um but we're definitely meeting in >> Okay. And special education empowerment council did has not met. Uh we meeting come >> April. Okay. Um then we'll move on to 9.01. Any board announcements. Everybody's really excited to get to our presentation tonight. >> So uh I'll turn it over. >> Sure. I'll go ahead and start it off. So >> a little hard to follow up after that performance there. That was >> unbelievable. So, um, so tonight we've got some of our team here, uh, from our architect team to look at. Um, in particular, we've got three things going tonight. So, we'll look at the potential for the Lewisboro campus, uh, uh, bringing that back online as a
014UPK kind of focus also with our capital reserve account and then we'll be closing with the general budget that we've been spending since, you know, last couple of sessions on the non-instructional, instructional, and we'll bring that piece back together. So tonight again the idea will be looking at um reviewing the facility of SEO tonight the plan that we've looked at and identified there some of the related cost inside of there as well as use for UPK as well as some hopefully some significant use for community use. And so we're going to see that and some of the lay out there from a from a whole separate entrance for community access to that space some dedicated space inside of there. Um, as we know, um, our, uh, community has been using that space and more the
015gymnasium and some other ancillary spaces. By bringing this back online, we'll have what will be the cafeteria now as a more open common space and be used for a whole different variety of things as well as what used to be the library to perhap you know different learning opportunities from uh, students uh, during the day to, you know, young students at night uh, community services, all different kinds of things and be it paint classes. I'm hear all kinds of things that folks are saying they might want to do that. really being a hub of opportunity for us to help gain access to that facility for this piece. And we'll talk about a little bit more detail as we get there, but that'll come and then we'll go on the heels of that and talking a
016little bit about that capital reserve account and then that last piece then we'll bring it all together on the general budget. So, I'll go ahead and hand it over. So, we've got Kevin and Mike here tonight. We're going to go ahead and introduce their team on this project and then we'll go ahead and go through this. So again board as we go through this any point in time any wonderings you may have just uh as the antenna is here is kind of a conversation as much as possible and then if you hold those till later then we'll again also capture the end. So wherever it comes then please just uh away. So Mike I'll go ahead and have you started. So thank you sir. >> Uh thank you very much for the introduction. Uh it's
017a pleasure for us to be here tonight. Um we thank the board for the opportunity. Um, we thank administration as well for for your support and and and and you know enjoying this process that we're going through together and any community members that are logged in remotely. Dr. Blanch mentioned I'm going to go over really two important projects that we're currently working on. One is the Lewis Burough Elementary School uh to an upgrade into a UPK center and then the second one is an update on our building condition survey and our and our comprehensive plan update. Um, my name is Michael Antier. I'm an engineer with H2M architects and engineers. I've been with the firm for about 20 years. Uh my my my career has really been dedicated to construction projects on all the way
018from planning through uh construction and and and and final use of the products through project closeout uh for specifically K K through 12. Um I'm here tonight with Kevin Medler, a senior architect, vice president with H2M as well. Uh Kevin is managing and leading our architectural team. Uh a key component to our team uh is Megan who many of us have met before. Megan Bolato is an architect and a an interior designer, a key uh part of our team as well. Um in the audience, it was important for us to bring a new member of our team. Um Nile Washburn to uh introduce to the project and and the team as well. I like to include the next slide and I know that we've introduced ourselves to many people around this table but um it's
019important to have an understanding of what we are. H2M architects and engineers really in a in in short form is a multid-disciplined architectural and engineering consulting firm. Um there's a lot packaged in there but basically what that means is we have every type of architect and engineer under one roof um that would be required to take care of really any of these projects that that we're looking at. Um partic particularly in our case um any projects for the Katona Lewisboro School District are being served out of our Westchester office uh and also out of our our Melville office. Um but all of the staff that we have working on your projects are direct uh full-time employees of H2M architects and engineers. Um like I mentioned, we specialize in architectural and design planning uh engineering and
020then construction services as well. Um we're celebrating our 93rd year this year. I like to put that on there. It's a quite an accomplishment for the company. Um, but I think that kind of just uh uh simplifies kind of who we are. We're rooted in our communities for for a number of decades. >> Thanks. >> So now >> for the introduction, I'll I'll grab this piece. We'll maybe bounce it back and forth a little bit. >> Sure. >> And so the kind of the why as we would look at the campus as you know our board knows community knows the campus close just about 12 years. And so one of the key pieces in there as you may be aware of um at the state level uh both from the um legislation as well as
021from the governor's office there is a clear movement of having mandated um preschool for four-year-olds coming our way across the state. And so when we even started this con initial conversation and it's like okay what's it going to look like? It's changed since then. And so now this piece is that it's expected the mandate would be coming our way in the 2829 school year where we would be looking to provide uh um educational opportunities for kids as four uh at four years old >> if if we didn't move ahead with a UPK center would we be able to have room for all those students as a mandate? >> So right now we have a lottery. >> Right. Right. And so Correct. And so you'll see across many different districts are trying to think about how
022they'll make this come to fruition and um when we think about this kind of relatively came online during COVID and so some school districts at that point in time were able to start that. Um others have tried to slowly bring it online after that and for example us we had a a section last year with that and so we did that. we were able to get that up to three this year. And when you look at those numbers as far as our school district, um, and those are outside agencies that would kind of contract with the district to provide those services. And so talking to my colleagues in different areas, it depends upon the school and the space you're in and what's happening. Um, in the idea of just thinking about how can a community
023even handle uh supporting that from a structural standpoint, is there enough private UPK pieces that are out there? would they be interested in providing those services at that the dollar amount that we do get from the state for that and then as well as is there even any feasibility because it does not include any transportation dollars that would come from the state or anything like that. So different districts might be able to have different communities support that differently. But the expedition is is that um in essence you would be almost a broker and saying okay we need to depend upon your district create opportunities for those families that say oh I would like my child to access that and you need to be able to plug those families into some sort of a piece. So
024some already are existing with the current reality in their school districts. Others are doing a bridge to be have a little space in the school district. Others are partnering with community and others are only doing nothing and so it runs the full gamut of where it is. So everybody's kind of in a different space and thinking about this is now is moving forward how can we possibly make 28 29 where it is a you have to be able to create those opportunities for families. So very different >> and we've been turning around away a lot of families. >> Yeah. So this year we're right short of 130 students I believe who are interested in a universal prek program and we grab three sections of 18 of those kids. So you know about 54 students in
025there. We have anticipated uh right around 200 plus or minus 10 students as far as our kindergarten classes that we would see be coming forward in that regard. So you will certainly see that uh that mandate coming its way. Um that is in in again both both houses as well as numbers. And so that is absolutely going to be intent and is built inside the budget for those changes sir. >> And the mandate's going to be required that we have a seat for every every >> right and that's that's the tricky spot. So if you want it, we as the district are held obligate. So how do we make those pieces connect and so and particularly with us being roughly 50 square miles, we have different challenges that some other districts may have that don't
026have that square foot andor they don't even have a singular company or UPK private in their school boundaries that might provide that. So you're looking at some school districts are reaching out to their sister school districts around them say hey might you have room for us and things. So, there's a whole lot of that already kind of thinking about how do we do that? >> And not to jump ahead, but I think as we'll hear from our architects in a little bit, >> it can't just be any pool room like because of the younger kids, they have certain requirements, >> like uh bathrooms in every single one of those spaces and things like that. Size of the square footage of the room and then um there's absolutely elements as far as egress and all those
027kind of lovely things as uh we would have to put in place in there for sure. Um, next one ahead just again family savings. So if you are a family and you're looking for uh that kind of a preschool experience right now, uh there was a recent piece that came out just year before last about 12 to $15,000 is what that family would be bidding towards for that preskate program. And so that would be a piece that would that burden would not be on those families anymore. Um if those families typically what you will see just like we have now, you'll have what's called a wraparound service. And so if the families would desire to have a little bit earlier time for the kids to be there and or after then that that provider force
028right now provides that wraparound service. And so that uh certainly helps alleviate that pressure point a lot of of what that cost is. And so that would be a spot that we'd be looking at. Typically you're looking at a 9 to 2 o'clock is that day. And you'll see a wraparound typically from those providers that do it before school and or after school for the UPK spot. And >> we're not required to bus, right? No, there's no funding that comes with that bus rating. There's a little bit of conversation that folk would be interested in doing that. Um, this is a pretty massive investment from the state level across all of our uh state to be able to even put this in place and stuff. Again, some districts that don't even rely upon uh transportation
029right now, you're almost walking to school. Whole different envelope than what we'd be dealing with. So, the uniqueness of our state will really kind of come to bear of how we can best support each one of our school districts. So, the next piece really is that community space. I'm really excited as the team will kind of walk us through the layout there. So, uh what's been identified is a separate access for public access, you know, kind of during the public space during the day. We'll walk through that. There's some dedicated space that they be available there. as we know with good partnership with the town and then very much using parks erect with our gymnasium again which will still be in the campus and be available for gymnasium space as well as space that you
030know Franklin uh our town or different uh you know um uh groups boy scouts girl scouts whatever it may be have not been able to access like the cafeteria it just isn't available in this piece it would be as well as what used to be an old library with UPK wouldn't be that would be kind of a open learning space for a whole myriad have different opportunities for community to gain access to and so the team is designing a whole separate access to that from the where the school access would be. So we'll look at a visual of that a little bit later and seeing what can come forth in that regard. So again thinking about the community space in there in a whole myri way. So >> and great you're meeting with um town
031officials from all the constituent districts so Bedford Pound Ridge and Salem to make sure that they're >> Yes. So Kim's getting those aligned, kind of getting those started. So very very uh much right up in line with it and obviously working with you know Lewisburg colleagues that you know they've been using that space and so since day one it's been you know lovely talking with Tony and his team and Nicole and things and saying how can we make this best fit now and how do we might move forward and so the idea is that you know if we're able to move this forward in the community then how can we have the least impact on that space and then how can we make sure we can get that team back in there with even more
032opportunities to open it up for the community and stuff. So, and then even thoughts and ideas like even intergenerational opportunities where again you're going to have four year olds there. Uh, you know, I'm like a guest reader in the classrooms. Kids have no idea who I am, but they're like, "Hey, who's the guy in the suit?" You know, so so those pieces were again just builds fabric, builds community, and builds pieces of connection. >> Well, as as Hudson was telling us about PARP, we could have our seniors come in and meeting with the little ones. That would be >> that would be really neat. >> Yeah. We even have currently some of our students in the high school when they go ahead and do that senior internship, they might be interested in at childhood early
033childhood education. So they'll go and they'll volunteer that last six or so weeks in the schools. So thinking about if you're interested in early childhood education, this is a space where those seniors will be going to and be able to go ahead and drop in and learn how to wow, how can I engage a class? How can I think about you know design what's best practice for, you know, students of the age. So we have a good number of students who do go ahead and cross our elementary schools now and then adding this as an opportunity especially with a centralized location to the high school certainly provides a little opportunity as well too. So yeah. Um then the next piece again the idea about cost of not doing anything really truly isn't an option. Again
034as we know the campus has been closed over a decade now. And so for the majority of the space we've been able to go ahead and do the general upkeep and maintenance on those things. But the reality is that now when you're looking at roof replacement of those if you did anything just weatherizing what really needs to be weatherized. If you don't do that then that just continues to degrade very very quickly. And the team will be able to speak about that a little bit. as we know, we're still in the need to kind of bring up a Shady Lane kind of campus down and things like that, that building. And so once we get the bond behind us, we'll be able to get that. But the fact of the matter is is that that
035is not something that gets less, it actually gets more. If we start looking at, you know, we're having a significant amount of water penetrating through that roof, creates a whole lot of trouble below that just compounds. And so, and there are really some pretty tight constrent guidelines. this team will be able to tell you as a public school uh that we have to go ahead and follow that perhaps a typical residential would not have to and so there's so much around that and then the last one just is really that state funding as I mentioned before there's two pieces so one again when we started and where we're currently living is about uh you know $5,500 $5400 a student this piece is going up to approximately $10,000 a student which then would help the district
036protect the general fund which we'll talk about later tonight, the third. So, we're not, hey, who's turn the lights on? Who's paying for the lights? Who's cleaning that space? So, those dollars will help that go in. So, when we partner with hopefully a community provider, then they're coming in and that's all wrapped in, but those dollars will cover that. It's not coming from the general fund out of the K through 12 kind of uh dollars. So, >> and there's opportunity for Dr. Drake to work with um the preschool provider to So, they're already online with what our curriculum >> Yeah. And we're and especially with the literacy part, we're so excited about bringing that on board as opportunity right there. >> Yeah, we're starting to do that now and my partner Maggie Conrad, our director
037of learning is communicating with preks, but it will be really a wonderful opportunity to have a more seamless transition from prek to kinder. Um, and we've had delightful partnerships so far, so it would only grow. >> It's great. >> So, if it's all right, I'm going to go ahead and turn it back to the team, Mike and K. We're just going to walk through a little that planning process to start. So, thanks, gentlemen. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, the district really is in a in a great position having that that that building that truly has some really good bones left in it and some life left in it and that beautiful campus to um, you know, meet the state mandate while really providing a benefit to the entire to the entire community. I can tell
038you someone that has now a child in middle school um, and finishing elementary school that those costs are real. I mean 12 to$15,000 a year on a per child basis. Um it would be a huge benefit to have UPK available. Um so as I as I move on to really kind of where we are and um where my team has been over the last few months um you know it started with the planning process. We brought our teams out. We uh had had numerous site visits uh with our uh different teams of architects, our different types of engineers as well as the construction manager. uh and we put together a total of four concepts uh that provided a couple different scenarios and we looked at the cost of each scenario and we presented them to
039the board over the last couple months as well as the facilities committee. Um we were able to present one concept. It just happened to be concept four. Um that really provided a benefit of maximi maximizing the square footage that we're able to rate retain um while really still being able to u you know meet an anticipated budget and providing all of the services and support that would be required for for a UPK while also providing a really fantastic community space and access to the building and and to the site. Um we also did develop that plan that we're calling a do nothing plan because there are real costs. there's a decision that the district will have to make one way or the other regarding uh how how that that site and that building is going
040to to to continue in operation. So, we we have begun the funding process. That's kind of why we're here to talk about that and and that stakeholder engagement process. We're we're we're kind of in the middle. We met with the board. We met with the co uh the committees and our next steps would now to be present this publicly and answer any any questions that the community uh may have. And then we will continue the design side and then there's a whole permitting aspect as I get into the timeline and then finally finally we'll be able to enter the construction phase. So the next drawing that I have is is a very high level um site plan. Uh the reason it is high level because there's there's a survey portion of the design that unfortunately
041we have been delayed because of just this weather. there has the snow has to be removed and I I was I was hopeful on my way here that we had that break but it's unfortunately looking a little bit different now but we do think that we we are we are over the top of that hill. Um, but what we're trying to show really with this concept is there is going to be uh a separate uh area for parking as well as a roundabout for uh ease of drop off and a clear visitor and employee parking with safe access to the different building entrances. Uh we'll go into the floor plan on the next on the next slide, but basically the main vestibule entrance is on the top is on the the middle of the left
042which is close to the cafeteria um of the building. And then there's there's also a a secondary entrance entrance as you enter uh the the roundabout or the entryway. Um as we move on into the next plan, which really shows the the the concept for of the floor plan, the way that we now have been able to work it out through the design process. So we're making sure that we're meeting required square footages, required uh required amenities within each of the classrooms. And um really what we're looking at number one the blue spaces which are are on really the left side of the screen or your your community and your student spaces. Uh you'll have a nice uh vestibule that's in the in the in the front of the building in the blue. That's that
043that nice rectangular space. And then that opens up to the existing cafeteria as well as a common use area. And the way that the floor plan uh has has really worked itself out with the existing conditions and what we plan to keep as part of the building is a clear division between community and students uh depending on uh what we're looking to achieve and that's through sectioning off and closing and locking specific areas of the school. Um as we move on to the classrooms are your orange areas. Uh right now we have a total of nine classrooms. Um, and those are really on the right side. And each classroom as required does have a a bathroom in it in it as well. Uh, the green spaces are your support spaces. That that is your uh
044your warming kitchen. That's your your offices. That's your storage spaces. And then finally, yellow is just your general circulation. So that's your hallways. Uh, and that's a a newer connecting corridor between your existing building, your cafeteria to the the other side of the existing gymnasium as well. >> And so, Mike, on that space, just so I can walk through a little bit, I know we don't have a pointer on our our piece here, so my apologies. So, as we come on the left end Oh, thank you very much. >> So, as we come in the new kind of uh entrance for community entrance, right? So, that'll be available. There's a kind of a space in there. So, it's a vestibule. Walk inside there. There's the first room on the right which is like a just
045a general open space for opening pieces, you know, during that time, whatever that is. Walking up to the left and you'll see that full cafeterium is where we're really using that as a truly very multi-purpose spaces. We use those spaces. And then as you just hard right there, you'll see there's restrooms just in that darker a little bit of a tealer color there. That's about >> Yep. So there's restrooms that are right there available uh throughout the day. And then as you continue that walk up the yellow, you'll be heading to the gymnasium. And so that way there's that full access in that loop. So you'll see that community on that left side like I said before is is really open. And then as we think about you know let's say the campus for the
046kids is between before and after school wrap around let's say it's an 8 to 4 or something then that hook to the right then that's where that used to be larber but now open learning space is open for a whole myriad of different opportunities small group activities there. It's kind of where the computer lab kind of used to be and different things there. So that is really open to say how can we extend the learning opportunities for the campus as well as for the community and in those spaces there are classrooms right now we've kind of connected with our colleagues in Boseis and so one of the pieces we're very very interested in is that you may be aware of that you know our students who have high impact needs uh our four-y old kids
047who may be in a in more of a self-contained classroom or really need high levels of support and my colleague believes Ken here as well too. We have had to have families that have their children in our community for those level of services. There's not many of those around. So, they're heading to like Rockland County on a daily basis for four-year-old kids going back and forth from there. So, we're looking to partner with Boseis and we will be able to send our children in our community here and then perhaps other schools would be interested can send their scoot school. We can kind of be the beacon up here in the northern part of Westchester and those pieces. Ely. I mean there's it's such a piece that we've heard very clearly. It is a um talk
048about a challenge. Those kids need such a high level support. They need also other support service not just classroom. So if you mind sharing that because it's something that you know you don't think about too often but it it's real. >> Yeah for sure. So um students under the committee on preschool special education that are recommended that for programs um which they have a higher level of need as you mentioned there are very few programs around to begin with and so um some families do have to opt to to provide that level of support. They have to send their kids to programs that are further down from their community whether it's in Rockland or further down county. um those programs are limited as far as you know being able to be provided for students. So
049having something like that in our own community would definitely support that those those families that have students that have a higher level of need yet they have to put them on a bus for further away than than right for students that may not have that same level of need. And then thinking about also the commitment from the board and the community obviously like with metal pawn where we have you know some self-contained experiences and those children able to push into classes with their typical peers situation like this those four-year-olds would also be able to push in with their typical peers of other four year olds. That's fairly atypical when you're looking at that because you're looking at pretty much a secluded self uh isolated kind of space when you're looking at that level of services
050unless you have multiclassrooms where they can push in and do those experiences. Naples has been instructing us on how important that inclusion piece is. So that's um that would be great >> and those kids that are coming in from that district becomes a revenue opportunity. >> So that would just help us cover those pieces. So that's a district comes in then that's that tuition that stays with them and then they'd be basically paying the tuition cost to come in and so those would be pieces that would help obviously just handle the overall operation of the building and stuff. And then the other space again just where that provides opportunity for students also get other types of OT PT and things like that that are can be very very challenging to go into these different different
051locations where if it's centralized then those services can be delivered very smoothly and regularly within that kind of their their typical day and stuff like that. So we have options since there. So just wanted to point that out because that certainly is a key piece as we look forward about grading that for the all of our kids that we're looking in that regard. So >> Oh yes. Yep. Spoke a little bit earlier in the week actually with our most colleagues and talked about that component and and many times a program like that uh where most would actually they would come and rent that space for us in our in our buildings and then they would manage it and we would have one of our two kids join. We're not going to have a full number
052of students uh in any of those years but a couple of three four students perhaps but the other students come other districts but that would be a spot we would partner with Boseies so they can do it as well as we even had some initial conversations about that could be for the extended school year options for some students who need those experiences in a facility like that can provide that 12 month experience where some of our students need that. And so we have, you know, several dozen students who need that level of support and then how can we go ahead and provide that within our uh school district proper too and stuff. So and definitely BOS is interested in partnering on that kind of expansion as well for our area. So thanks Jennifer. Let me
053kind of expand on that a little bit. So thank you. >> Thank you. Just before we move on from the map, something that we're not seeing here is the sort of exterior spaces, but I know that part of the plan is to also include some fields. And I think for anybody who has kids right now playing soccer, lacrosse or what have you, know that the local clubs have a really hard time finding spots to practice. And so, um, you know, can you just maybe that's too early to talk about that, but is there anything that we could talk about the use of the external space at this time? >> Absolutely. So, um, we did we looked at the the the free field space or creating some additional field space to to to to really fill
054that need. Um, and right now it's really that large back area. You have a large back field um, which is in good shape uh, with minimal work of of regrading and receding. Then that back area can be used for for additional playing fields >> and then being able to access the current playgrounds there. obviously go ahead and and and update that a little bit, but that that playground that the community already did invest in is available here too. Uh certainly bringing that piece back online. So yeah, >> thanks guys. >> So uh the next uh really two slides on on the the Lewis B Elementary School UPK upgrade are are reflecting the project schedule and then and then the associated project costs as well. Um so really the next step uh would be on March
05526 at the next board uh meeting where we would anticipate uh really two resolutions. One is to pose this this bond and to move forward with the public vote. And then the second portion is to uh accept the declaration for SRA. And then the next step after that is the public public presentations um which would include the H2M team uh you know everyone at this table as well as any additional community members uh that that want to be involved as well as well as some some community forums. We would anticipate the date for the bond to be on May 19th of this year. Uh with uh the submission to the state occurring really in the late spring or the early summer of this year and then we're anticipating state approval uh and really regulatory approval
056hopefully by the end of this year. Construction would be slated to begin really at the the very end of this year and our goal right now for substantial completion and to have students in the building is September of 2027. Uh we do you know we do keep that star there just to open up that conversation to about the schedule. It is a very aggressive schedule for not just the construction portion that has to get done but for all the regulatory approvals. Uh we have to get not just the state education department's approval. We have to go through the environmental review process. We have to go through the department of health as well. And then we have to um uh also review part of the project with the state historic preservation office as well. >> How
057are you seeing times for NICE because I remember with the we ran into a lot of problems with that with our last con beginning our last construction project. We were it was months longer than >> so right now the state is in is in very very good shape compared to where they were even a year ago. A year ago, we were projecting out uh believe it or not, like eight month time frames to get through this state process. Um right now, the state's advertising, I haven't checked in the last few days, but it's been about 3 weeks. Um depending on architectural or engineering review, that's really the technical review window. Um that process right now is we're finding to be about a six to eight week process. So, it's significantly better than that eight-month time
058period. Um, as I do move on to the next slide with the anticipated construction costs, um, we have reviewed and prepared a budget internally with H2M, uh, independently. The construction manager, uh, also put together their costs. They walk down the buildings to confirm costs as well. And really where we're landing is on on $24.5 million. And that uh, accomplishes the goal of really upgrading the entire facility. That includes removing portions of the building that are deemed not not available for reuse, as well as weatherizing and providing and renovating state-of-the-art EPK classrooms. Um, that $24.5 million includes your all-in project costs. Um, there is uh a hard cost associated with that. That's really what you'd expect to pay for your paint, your your roofing, uh, all of your construction portion. And then also built into that
059and believe it or not it's about a 35% adder to the hard costs is your incident in incidental or your soft costs. And that includes your bonds as part of the project, your insuranceances, um your architectural engineering and your construction management fees, your legal fees, um any testing for the site, your survey work. So that's your all-in cost. Um, we felt like it was important to just include the note of the do nothing cost because any way we look at it, there is some kind of cost to it. So, we're really just trying to make the best decision to be, you know, as efficient as we can with this building moving forward uh to really benefit everyone. Though, that $7.5 million do nothing cost is really the cost for for weatherization. that included removing a
060portion of the building that uh did not make any sense to keep because of the cost associated to try to to weatherize it. Um there was um issues with the existing construction that would be extremely expensive to try to repair for reuse. But part of that is like ceiling heights. There's a minimum ceiling height and portions of the building. We're not we're not able to meet that height regardless. Um, but it really is your weatherization costs, your roofing, your facade work, your your flashing as the big cost. Um, we also noted that there has been some some realized savings since the building was brought offline um of almost $26 million. Uh, that realized savings is basically your maintenance costs and your staff costs that did not have to be incurred because um, you know, in
061a good manner part of the building was taken offline when it was deemed deemed not necessary. Um, on this slide, we also do have the approximate costs of the local share. Depending on your location, uh, they do range approximately anywhere from about $1042 per month of an increase up to about $27.73. We also felt like it's important to note that that $24.5 million has increased a few million dollars since we initially brought this concept forward. Um, and what that increase is really reflecting is, you know, a few different things, but the two major components are we increased the quantity of classrooms based upon the new mandate uh that we're seeing from the state. We wanted to make sure that we had enough square footage to be able to offer up UPK to all eligible students.
062Uh, and then we've also included the cost to upgrade the water treatment system in that building that we we know uh does have have needs. >> Just I'm sorry. Go ahead, Marie. No, I >> I just wanted to clarify um just for the board that it's not the water treatment plant that we know as a water treatment plant, but it is um water remediation as related to PAS. And I also another point of clarification that 2.58 million is primarily staffing costs. There were upkeep as we all know, maintenance costs, and it was p it really wasn't offset by what we charge um in rent to was profile meant to me. So we even though when I went through I put them the plus and the minus in just to you know um but it was
063it was taking the um the cost that was presented you know about 12 years ago by Mike Jumper but to the board that one point I think it was like eight or nine million and then I escalated by CPI um that's how we came to that cost just so >> thank you before we move on if we're going to transition to the next part of the conversation I wondered if we could just go back to the slide that was titled why um why are we engaging in this project? I wanted to just revisit the first bullet and the last bullet because they're kind of far apart from one another, but in my mind they're really closely connected. I think that we are well aware that UPK has been rolled out in some school districts in
064the region, not in all school districts, and we are aware that we've been fortunate to be able to now offer the three sections. But I think that's also something that's not widely understood in the community that universal prek is not discretionary. It actually is a mandate. And what I think is unusual about this mandate is that it's actually funded. We talk all the time about unfunded mandates. And I just want to, you know, really drive home the point that not only is this a mandate that's coming with funding, it's a mandate that has been funded for over a year now and whereby the funding has just doubled and because the one house budget came out just yesterday, >> I actually was a little bit taken aback, but I'm going to say it anyway to note
065that not only did the Senate accept the governor's proposal, the executive budget proposal for the increased funding to UPK. Actually, the Senate accepted it and separately supports a pathway to universal prek outside of New York City. Wow. >> And the assembly accepts the governor's proposal and provides new definitions for eligible three and four year olds. So again, this is something we have been living with in the region and school board members and school administrators have have watched this get some traction and be successfully rolled out in other places and we're very fortunate that we have pretty seamlessly rolled it out in almost like a pilot mode with these three sections. >> But this is not discretionary. This is already here. It's getting bigger. It's it's been deemed really an urgent necessity for the state of
066New York and we just happen to be fortunate that we're in a position to create the suite of classrooms that we looked at and to be able to then also offer this opportunity to some families in our community who really had to look far and wide. So again, you know, if if these bullets were kind of like on a marquee >> scrolling around, I just can't help but >> take that first one and that last one and and drive home that point that >> a funded mandate funded to this level, you know, it's it's not going away. >> It's just getting bigger and more important. >> Offer it, you know, if if for some reason, I mean, it's it's a mandate, but even if it was not mandated, we would be leaving money on the
067table year after year. now double what we used to get. Correct. >> Uh while families are struggling to find that service already. >> And I think that's a really important point, Barbara. I appreciate you saying that because we have had this conversation in previous board meetings, but we haven't yet had this conversation tonight. And if you don't mind, Lisa, just stepping through it one more time, the reality that we have been getting or been offered state aid or UPK, but but why we haven't been able to fully avail ourselves of those dollars. That'd be great. Yes, that it is a line we see on our state aid runs as we call them that come out and um it is approx $800,000 that we would have available to us each year. So it was approximately it
068was 153 students. The state estimates approxim about 60% of our incoming um kindergarten anticipated enrollment is what they used for their count and that was 5,400 per student. And um re really what the governor also was saying was 10,000 was the minimum. So if you were in a higher needs district they were talking about actually offering more money. But again, that's almost twice of what we've been offered. And for many years, and actually the FAC uh the finance committee, sorry, the finance committee years ago when we looked at it, the difficulty was, and that is difficulty is actually able to provide quality pre, you know, preschool education at at that amount. and the state has come back and said said we hear you and we are going to you know almost like you said double
069that amount of money so we can offer quality programming for our um early childhood education um program. So, it has been something that we the first year we um had one section we were able to utilize, but it's all outside of our buildings um that we were able to do that and that was as we know we added on um to increase Miller that addition open this year. Um we moved a few years ago the you know the special the program over to me pond out of increase Miller and still needed to add to that building. So those are just some of those areas, but it is it is exciting that to see the state investing in early childhood education like that like this. >> Thank you. >> So I understand. So essentially there was
070a lottery for the spots that we did offer. Those who weren't lucky enough to win the lottery still had to go pay 12 to 15,000 even though it's sitting in our bank account. Those funds for those families. >> Precisely. >> Essentially that we didn't have the space. >> We can't use it. Exactly. >> And Lisa, can you remind me the how many kids will be able to serve in the new model? I think it's nine classrooms, right? >> So that's where we're looking at right now. And we'll as we get to the details, the flexibility is see do we need to add another one and things like there's some of that in there, but when we were initially identifying did not anticipate that we beat that number. So hence the increase because each one of
071those has to have meet a certain square footage. So we had to do some adjustments there as well as each had to have their own restrooms inside those spaces as well too. So our numbers are approximately 200 students a year. >> 200. >> Yep. And so we would anticipate ourselves be able to get to 80 to 90% of those that will be able to attend and go there. I don't I'm not anticipating 100% of homes will access that, but if we do, then we can kind of come back to a second space. Look, we do need another uh section or something like that. So we can do some things like that. We'll be able to walk into to about 80% of the students that we able to support kind of right off the bat. And
072again, back I think somebody asked more about we got about 130 or so wonderings could we be in the in the lottery system for this year. So gives us a good sense of where we're going with this. So >> and if we could go back to the slide where we have the average cost per >> town because I think you know I've heard maybe some questions. are we spending $24.5 million to to >> educate 100 students. >> But the reality is that you know anywhere from $125 a year in North Salem to 215 in Lewisboro to $332 a year to educate approximately 200 kids over the course of year after year to have community space to have a revitalized school in our district. So I think I spent more to maybe I won't say what
073I've spent more but even you know um for different programs that take a week to cost $100 $200 and so when you think of the continuing benefit that's going to pay year after year you know this is what we're looking at. Yeah, and I think and I really appreciate the team's looking at the added value here with the community space that's in there. Just being new to the community here to seeing what it could look like for the larger community. Again, um opportunity for even like in that yet to be determined open space, which was was the library. um you know depending upon how we structure that up. If there's adult learning classes at night, if there's pieces where even if there's paint cl whatever it ends up being there's just a whole different opportunity
074that we just frankly didn't have before and we can also bring our partners in the town back from the park and wreck so we get that back to that gymnasium and really take using that as well as now. But if you think about like a summer camp and so we know summer camp is a challenge for us. We try to use school as best we can but you visualize this in the summer. Well, now you know I think they bring in hundreds of kids in their summer camps. And so, oh, now we got a gym. Oh, by the way, also you have a cafeteria that can handle that size of students. And then also you have a learning space that can handle that over here. Oh, by the way, also got these restrooms that I'll
075handle. So, it really would allow us to frankly use that campus more 12 year 12 months around the year and be able to have a little more dedicated. So, you know, um we absolutely very very excited about our initial conversations with our park direct uh team and they've identified some of their hopes as well as we do and so there's I think a strong alignment there and it's been great to have them being partner and provide community support and even think about when there's days when there's a bad weather day. They got to try to get into bad weather day was you were in there and you're already at home so you still keep going to the same spot. you don't have to find another location. And so the opportunity for us to access that
076is is so much more than ever was. And being on weekends or being at school breaks and things, it just just ends up should really be a community hub and a UPK space and stuff like that. So um and even a little conversation with Boseies, they often have also try to coordinate like um adult learning opportunities and things like that. So they'll definitely pick up the phone call and see if there's something they may coordinate for community adult classes and things like that. Certainly, I know you guys work with a number of different schools that kind of bring that blend together and so it's a little bit maybe new for us, but there's there's just a whole slew of opportunities for us there. So, and then I think we'll going to head off. So, that's
077that first piece, but before we do, just any other wonderings about that reported about the kind of leas community upk center and things. >> I just I'm I'm very thankful that we'd started this conversation almost three years ago about Lewisboro. So, we're not now back on our heels. We're on our toes and being able to move forward. And I I do want to thank again the the um community members and our facilities and our administration that served on that committee with us. Um I see a member of the committee here tonight. So, we do appreciate all the time and the thought and just the the thinking outside of the box that went into that community um committee that brought this this forward and your thoughtfulness when you came on board and said UPK >> and
078so it's we're in a really good place. So, thank you >> and and and just again I can't reiterate enough what you said Marjgery that is such a significant uh course change. I frankly didn't see that level of support coming and talk about you never hear the words, you know, a funded mandate. It just really doesn't work. But it get kind of is about as close as we're going to get. And so and then they even think like now it's like are you really talking about well yeah look down in the city that's what they're doing now with those three-year-olds and stuff. So what the anticipation for potential growth is is absolutely there especially again support. So thanks for pointing that uh unique experience out for a fundament. So, we're going to shift to the
079second piece. And so, this again is that large scope spot. Um, and this idea about that comprehensive plan where we have a five-year capital plan, building condition survey basically that was it goes into the state and was just uh submitted there. Then what we'll continue to work with the facilities committee is now taking that massive document, all the information there is now shifting that into a five-year plan. where do we see as a facilities team we're going to be doing that over the next 16 months. So that will come later at the end of the year andor over the summer. But that's the target to now bring this to light. But the reason why we want to spend a little bit time this is go over the process but then also elevate there's a opportunity
080for us to look at uh kind of a savings account that was established uh again about 2014 to allow us to get after some replacements. So Mike, I'll let you guys walk us through kind of these standard kind of six buckets that we look at about the plan process stuff. So thank you. >> Thank you. Absolutely. Um so not quite as exciting as as the UPK project, but extremely important um nonetheless is H2M has been tasked to work through your um again mandated building condition survey. It's basically on a five-year uh rotating schedule. And uh starting towards the end of last summer, H2M again had our teams in every one of your buildings to look at all of your system components. And we really looked at every every area within every building. Um and we
081complete kind of a a two a two-step process. One is your building condition survey. There are standard forms that the state requires that we input into their business portal that answers questions on all of your existing systems. basically looking to make sure that there are no immediate life save life safety needs uh or immediate needs that need to make sure that they're documented and included. Um we have successfully been through that process um with the help of Mike and his team. Uh they are submitted to the state u and they were submitted prior to uh the deadline. Um as part of the building condition survey, we also put together this comprehensive plan. And u we we call it a five-year plan because that's ultimately our goal to develop to develop it into. Um and that
082includes a full list of really every item that we deemed uh as as an important item as well as listening to uh some of the administration, some of the the building staff, uh listening to Mike and and his team, and we've compiled a full document. We we then categorize the document to everything that you see on the screen. uh it just makes it a little bit easier to to put it into buckets to to to prioritize. Those buckets are site uh HVAC, electrically related, uh your building envelopes, that's your weatherization, uh plumbing work, and then your athletics. The next slide is is really the high level of our of our draft where we sit right now. Um and again, this includes really every every project that we have listed to date. Um, it's important to
083note priority one, priority one are what we consider your immediate needs, your life safety needs. Um, within this district, it's evident that the maintenance team has been really taking care of your buildings. Um, and we did not have a single priority one item as we walk through the buildings. That it really does say a lot about the district and and the team that you have put together. >> They're pretty spectacular. >> Yeah. and and then as we move forward into the the priorities um these are priorities that uh H2M deemed as a higher level but some of them also were from the feedback from the different teams uh or the committees that we have been able to work through up to this point. Um the total all-in number you know I don't want it to
084scare anyone because this is really part of the next process. Uh we're honing in on that number. We're determining what the priorities are. Uh we work with Lisa to determine what we think is a realistic funding schedule. Um and then we listen to hear if there's any more priorities that potentially we haven't included. Um along the way too, some of these items do get completed on other budgets that we do have available. Your your maintenance budget uh will also over the years be able to to take a few of these items off of the list. Would you categorize this like if the school district hit the lottery and we were able to do everything that So this is like a a complete wish list? >> Exactly. This is your complete list list wish list that
085we have created to date. Um I do anticipate over the next few months as we go through it. Some other items will probably come on. We hope that some other items also do come off. Um included on this list right now is that value for the UPK upgrade as well. just to really really make sure that we were all encompassing >> and then Mike just from you know looking at different being different spaces and and the overall identified dollars here this is nothing different than you have developed or other districts or things and stuff that is the expectation from our state and from ourselves to again pre-planning so the expectation not to have this done in five years it's like how do we ensure that we don't have things that go over to C priority
086one and and that's really the number one target. We keep things out of there. You're looking at things in prior to that may be coming either close to the end of life or we need to be thinking about that and we're going to be talking about a few of those examples here a little bit down the road so that you can invest a little bit now so you don't have to invest four or five times fold that down the road. So, I've always viewed that idea about really just making sure that we're staying out of a priority one area, which the the district has obviously been doing for a number of years, and then thinking about what is that five-year plan that we'll come forward to and stuff like that. So, and then we'll kind
087of shift to that next spot if that's okay. So this is we're looking at that capital reserve that mentioned before back in 2015 that was established and you'll note here in the language that where those dollars were identified replacing the school synthetic turfs and renovating places like the track and maybe doing some tennis court work and things like that. So identify this as really it's a whole separate account. It's that kind of piggy bank savings account we've had and the district has since 2015. slowly but surely been going ahead and putting dollars in that account specifically for these kinds of purposes and then now we're anticipated that those dollars will be here at the end of this year. We still have just a little bit of way to go to get to that 25, but
088we do believe we'll be there between a little bit of interest we have as well as when we started this we and every year since we've been kind of depositing dollars along the way. So then kind of with our last deposit and the interest, we'll be able to get that to that 2.5. So that's in general. Now that's available to go back and address the foresight of the the community that was at that point in time saying, "Hey, there's some needs that are pretty uh large needs and maybe we can start putting a a little bit of a savings piece along the side." Different districts approach this differently. Some don't do it at all. Others do it more frequently and larger or smaller or have two different ones going at the same time. But for
089us, this is where it was and we're identified. So, we're very fortunate to have this because you will see on the next slide as we look at what are some of those upgrades. So, this will go back to what Mike and Kev were speaking about before. These are some of those areas on that priority too. I'm going grab a few. For example, for example, like that first one, that track, that structural spray that we would need to put on that track that will then take it kind of from a a a category two extend that life out a number of more years. So that'll be more like back to a three now because we have extended life on it. >> And then the and then the AP turf replacement that needs replaced. So getting that
090out of a category 2 and actually putting that back into you know we're looking at another dozen years on that field as we get replacement. So these are pieces that are now being taken offline as a category 2 because of this work. The third one down there just want to highlight. I know Mike and Kevin and the team have gone over and if you're familiar a little bit with the high school with our fitness center and that is a real hub of our physical education program and so a key pot spot inside of there is that to go back in and make that fully AD accessible ADA accessible. So we have as you can imagine going in any space you have different stations in different areas. So there's floor elevation changes. And so what we're
091looking to is do is to go back and get that so it's fully um one platform level. And so whatever a student may need to access those spaces and and can go ahead and be part of that that classroom uh living classroom and being access the the uh machinery that's in there as well as the free weights and things that are in there. But right now it it is prohibitive the way it's set set up in there. So that's a key spot. So that brings us back to our pillars of light for blind. >> Yes, it certainly fits in where if you're like, hey, I'd like to be a part of the but I can't join you in that work. Yeah. >> And then the next one is again an extension of life. So we
092have um some uh tennis court uh repair we need in place by taking care of some of the cracking, doing some power washing on our pieces. That now brings that back to extending that life out a number of years. And then if we shift to the right for the some of the safety and security spaces that we look in there, we do have some exterior door replacement that was intended and desired to be in kind of the last bond project, but as as we know that those projects continue to grow out of it. So that had to be on hold. So that's puts it right on the list here. Here's that's that's a definite priority, too. So that's built inside of there to take care of that. And then also we're looking at getting again
093some ADA access to the plaza. And we know uh kind of connecting with our town parts of town, there's a hope and a desire to kind of get after from the town's perspective of a grant that will allow better walking accessibility there. Can we plug our kids into that in a safe manner for all kids again is there. And then the last couple of examples here are the gyms at the middle school and at KES. Um again with some of those those floors are well beyond we have some um basically um pain peeling up, some unevenness and things. So they do have to be brought down back to the bare wood. So now that they're say for all physical education activities as well as anything that happens after school and then there's uh there's always
094a few other items that we will work with that facilities committee that will be related to this. For example, things like that field replacement more than likely I would anticipate we'll need to get some updated uh of the screening that's there from a safety perspective. Um but smaller ancillary things that will drop in there. So I'm not sure there's anything. This one was fairly straightforward in the purpose and then the charge. So >> yeah, the um the items that we have included really on this list were the items that were deemed um you know some of the highest priority that also had some of the the the greatest short-term impact. Um the intention is to complete everything on this list. Some of it we'll be able to do this summer and then some of it
095would be completed throughout the school year and into next summer. >> You grateful that the board 10 years ago had you it was prudent to to think of starting something like this foreseeing the need for to make some big ticket uh upgrades. And so just I think in that spirit maybe next year or the following year maybe this board will have a conversation around should we start another one and start saving again so that when we get hit with item you know >> ask how does that work? Are we basically taking all of those funds that capital reserve is done? Like this is it reached its maximum amount we take it. >> Yep. Great great question. A couple of things on that is one is that um in the state of New York that once
096that is reached and it's filled you can't like spend it down and fill it back up again. >> So the reality is once it's done >> it's done. Yeah. Yeah. I tried that. No, >> but no, it doesn't work. And then the next piece again back to that five-year planning spot working with the facilities team then that team will say okay here's the BCS we put into a plan where might we see the next need to look at you know creating a next version of a cap reserve and or what would we think about is there a scope of a project uh that's outside of that most often like if you're looking at a significant roofing project that's a massive piece and so that may stand on its own and so those those often work
097in partnership uh together to support that work that you're doing along with as we'll speak a little bit later about some of those smaller uh annual transfers to capital that we do every year that handles some of the other work that will be on an item too. So there's a few different areas you can get revenue stream from. Again, one from that bonding piece, one from a capital reserve like this, another one from transfer to capital, and then finally down to a relatively small number with inside of Mike's budget on the general projects when you know small things come up during the year and handling those things. So that'll be kind of the facilities team will be processing through that. >> And all of these projects really will benefit all of the the entire student
098body. This is not an athletics centric piece because our gym classes are held the high school gym classes are held out on AP turf. Um the middle school uses for recess and for gym classes the track area. Um the ADA walkway. We know that you know we have a family recently that um has needed more accessibility. So that's just going to broaden it for any other students coming up that need that. So this is and the gym floor is at the middle school and KES. So while it touches athletics, it really is for the physical education and other uses because the KES gym is used for a variety of different purposes. >> Um >> in the entire community. So I I didn't realize uses all that. >> Yes. And I didn't realize it last summer,
099my first summer. So boy, we got a pretty uh active flag football that kind of goes out over AP farm and stuff like that. So you know that'll be again obviously a new space. We are certainly seeing and hearing from our physical education classes as well as any of our programs are out there. It's it's it needs to be replaced. It's beyond >> and the pickle pickle ball not only community but our I think that's one of the most favorite physical education classes is that pickle ball tennis court and so we do need to keep that in >> Yep. So that again extends the life extends the life of of the of the um gymnasiums and things like that. So >> um yes if I could I just want to highlight like two of the
100things. >> Thanks. Um I I really appreciate that the two ADA um accessible accessibility um especially in the fitness center um just to make sure that students that need it are able to use it and really just with the plaza and making sure that after school people that want to go to the plaza everyone's able to and you're not restricted based off of um what you can and can't do uh physically. Um and then and for lunches people could everyone's able to use it. I think that's really important and I'm glad we're doing that. Thanks. I appreciate it. >> So, if there's any other questions for our our team here, I'll kind of let them >> I just not necessarily for tonight, but because this is a new opportunity for our community and for the
101board to ask for the authorization to spend out of the reserve. if at some point you could just help us to understand any impact to um our overall reserve health and how that might tie in with our Moody's rating in the future. And again, it doesn't have to be right now. And then I had one other question again, not necessarily for tonight, but just, you know, in thinking about these opportunities connected to classroom spaces. The fitness center is its own classroom space and buildings. I'm imagining that if our community authorizes us to spend on these specific projects because you know these these are the projects that we would be spending the reserve money on that it would perhaps be aidable because we are tying some of the field work to um classroom and building work
102that then creates an opportunity for us to get some money back via state aid. So just also emphasizing like we have plans to do this in the most fiscally responsible manner. >> Absolutely. Thank you, March, for asking. So, first of all, the capital reserve, if anyone ever looks at the property tax report card, you'll see four types of reserves. Um, and one of them is restricted. Capital reserve is a restricted reserve. And as such, Moody's actually does not count that as part of your total reserve dollars because it can only be spent on specific things. So as we know in July we may appropriate and and we do we appropriate some of our reserves monies to offset next year's um tax levy. Um but you we we cannot appropriate with capital reserve also our debt
103reserve also as we know that one is used only to pay down debt. So those the uh balances are not counted at total of reserve. So spending down any part of it will not have any effect on our Moody's rating um in the future of going out for a bond in terms of um again yes it is um instructional space so it would be aidable and then it would all depend there and then of course there were other components um you know our age ratio is about um around 24 25% and um also it depends upon um the probable use. So that track was built actually when this reserve was set up and they were the forethought was we're building we're going to they approved the bid I think on the prior agenda for the
104track and the AP field um turf and set up the reserve in the forethought for 15 years which is probable use. So there may be a little bit of proration of of our aid because it is a a little bit less and Christian and the architects would go into some of the details as to why it's um little little bit less than the 15 years but um that's would just be a small amount they may prorate the building but that is really with so many things you know when uh it's not a straight 24% or 24 by.5% of your costs. There's um there's great there's a lot of things that go into um you know what is considered aidable um when it comes to building a any type of aid really. Yeah, it's a it's
105it's it's definitely a complicated calculation um that takes into consideration a lot of different elements and it looks into how much has been spent out of your incidentals over the last time period um and how much is still remaining and it also looks at what are you exactly like like you said miss shift is what you're what you're what you're also pairing it with on the educational component side of things and that's ultimately what is going to dictate our schedule too to to make sure that we're able to get through the work as quickly as we can. If there is no state aid eligible with it anyway, we can move straight ahead with those. Anything else, we would put documents up to the state to get approval and to make sure that we secure the
106aid. >> Thank you. >> Marree brings up a good point about um Moody's because I think the $2.5 million helps us with that rating because of our our debt ratio. >> The 2.5 is outside of of our reserve because because it's a restricted reserve. No, I'm sorry for Lewis borrow the 24.5. >> Oh, 24.5. >> So, borrowing the money actually benefits. We need to keep debt on our books. >> Just the same as personal finances. The more debt sometimes you have in relation against your revenues, incomes and things is always um gives you a better um yeah, better credit rating. >> Similar Lorraine, which is in our presentation, we spend about 3.61% of our budget in debt service. And I remember I think last time I asked the average in Westchester is about 5%. And
107so even if we were to take on more debt, we're we're using our credit responsibly. We're not overusing our credit. >> Absolutely. Yes. And we'll, you know, we will go into it later on, but on debt actually we say like um it's taken out of the tax cap the levy calculation. It's a capital exclusion. um we we say it's outside of the cap calculation. Um and that so that's another piece as far as like bringing on the more debt. Um you know we we can still we can you know it doesn't affect what we're levying for instruction if you will because it's outside of that calculation and you will see that later on. >> Thank you Mike. Thanks K. I think I got you uh tomorrow afternoon right? >> Sure. >> Very exciting. Lots of
108lot of work went into this and we really appreciate um your diligence and the number of hours you spent just climbing in and out and under and around our building. So, thank you. >> That's what we do. It's what we like to do. Um and we we really appreciate the opportunity to to support Katona Lewis Burrow. Um our team is committed to move us through and we're happy to serve the communities that we live in. >> So, thank you. >> Thanks, John. >> Thank you everybody. >> All right. So what we'll go ahead and we'll make a change over uh with our next uh part of the budget conversation tonight. And so as we look at the next piece, so um we'll now be looking at that general budget piece and we'll be pulling the
109non-instructional instructional kind of pulling that all fully together and then we'll close out basically with those three propositions that'll be coming forth as we would identify with the general budget and then the budget for the capital reserve and the budget or the proposition for the alas community project. So, I'll go ahead and just say again, we'll start with this piece and and Lisa's going to spend a moment just because this all brings everything back together from last couple meetings. So, and the first few slides, it should be familiar, but we're just going to take a second to go through that. So, anybody tuning in tonight, it's the first time they'll go ahead and see where we started from there. So, thanks Lisa. >> Thank you. Thank you. So, yes. So, tonight we will be going
110through and bringing together the last two presentations as as Dr. Blanch had said and um it's exciting. I am excited to uh present the superintendent's budget this evening with Dr. Blanch. So um just as the uh fiscal stewardship here again um the point to highlight is that um that the second bullet is seeds seeks not to exceed the tax cap which we have succeeded in achieving that fiscal goal for this year. And and then as we go through tonight, you will see it was actually it was not easy at all and it took a lot of work u by the entire I can't even mention I mean you'll see names on the front of the budget book but there is a so many more there's probably 20 30 more people we could easily list on
111there um just trying to work their best to prioritize expend um you know appropriations expenditures and um and as it you know our other um uh goals are you know prioritizing in the classroom in instruction. So and as well as um we do have that interfund transfer to capital and those types of things as well which we know as as our architects have told us that um we do make sure that we do invest in our maintaining our buildings with interfund transfer to capital. it is reduced for next school year but we still have a healthy amount in there as so and um the board develop or the development of the budget you know we're well past these stages but it does start way back September October and um we start updating our our our
112spreadsheets as well as um getting you know final you know uh FTEES and things like that for September October so we can start looking at those so it does it is a there's about a about a month maybe. So I think they're like maybe it's actually more like the end of October. So we present the audit in the beginning of October plus last year and then we are like we're starting the like two years later right? So but it's um yeah so and our our budget drivers are um of course school program maintaining um enrollment and favorable enrollment class um sizes professional learning infrastructure as I mentioned and salary and benefits. The drivers of um the this budget are um we have seen as we've mentioned last year we've we did talk about we found
113out that um our aid ratios for this school year were declining as well as um I just want to find my slide. All right, there we go. um as well as they are once again declining for next school year and um some of them have remained flat. Our building aid um has remained flat but we are seeing again our aid our um transportation aid for next school year ratios once again are decreasing by 13%. And um our Bosey's aid are our aid on facilities is um 24% but our um our aid on instruction on our programs non-instructional instructional programs are is decreasing by 17.8 or 7.8% as well as a small decrease in our private excess cost aids. Our uh public excess cost aid ratio is not decreasing because it's actually at the bottom. That's
11425% is the minimum that um excess cost aid can be um set at and that is what um offsets the cost for special education programming. So, as I mentioned a couple presentations ago that so if we actually had our um aid ratios um for th this year and next year if I took our 2425 aid ratios I looked at those expenditures based on the gen reports that the state uses and I um calculated them based on um those numbers we actually are between this year and next year have lost 1.7 million in almost $1.8 million in aid or yes in aid. And so again, that's not money that we levy that then that is the source of our revenue. And as such, that is really the major component that has led to having to make
115um reductions in in what you which we will see later on. >> And Lisa, just a piece on that one too is that I don't want to overstate the reality that's a that's a reoccurring revenue stream. Exactly right. So it's something that we don't again it has to do with assessed value and has to do with enrollment. Our enrollment hours are pretty flat but assessed values have increased. So it's outside of our control and yes so year after year after year yes they um as that will continue as as is you know and >> and so that's where when we look at the budget where do you look for a gap like that to be closed? Well, once you realize it's not a onetime cost, it it shifts back to is we'll see that it's
116those are 80% of our dollars are spent on personnel. And so that's about where you're looking at, okay, how do you make those reductions because it is a reoccurring cost. So again, it can't be over uh estimated as far as the impact you're talking about. Again, just carry that out 10 years and then you're down $18 million from from that piece from the state just on your basic revenue. So thanks, Lisa. I'm going to go ahead and just shift the next piece again just to bring this back to again the educational spot with those kind of those pillars when we've had either student groups here even this evening when you think about what what where did you feel what did you see tonight those investments we make into those instructors the investments made space with
117those children are learning the time and effort and energy that are in there and so thinking about that one one that struck me and I hadn't thought about it but was that learner centered leadership right we students were here on their own accord they got here on their own way. They stepped forward to this community table, presented themselves, said who they were, identified agreeable, then went out, ran their whole thing on their own accord and talked about the quality encounter, but it just I was like I didn't really antic that's kind of that really get a good sense of connection, knowledge, skills, get have really good piece. But then I'm like, wow, the leadership that those kids demonstrated was powerful. >> They've never performed before together. This was their first time. That's what they told
118me. That's what they told me and they were each each a different grade, right? 10 11 struck me too. Yes. Yes. >> I thought they were like all together all year. >> Yeah. They read it like that. >> And they talked with nodding their head, looking in eyes. Like that was amazing. >> Yeah. >> And when you think of this whole week, you know, what happened with robotics and DECA, I feel like it really brought to life what this is all about. and it's about maintaining a high quality education for our students. And so the fact that so much happened this week really was a a great reminder for us as to what this work is all about. So thank you for for >> queuing us on that because it really >> I didn't even
119think about it but I was like wow. And Hudson, like you said before, just the even yourself here at the table to leadership piece and and you know seeing your you know fellow students out there it's like I mean it's palpable, right? >> I mean it really is. And also just like the opportunity to be able to like you were saying just you could be in DECA and then you could also >> uh be in the orchestra and it just interdisciplinary work. I think it's really amazing. >> Thank you. And then we'll just shift a little bit of those academic highlights and things that whereas we're looking at of those um our next best opportunities that have been identified across the organization and just thinking about again as we know bringing on board uh new
120curriculum for our elementary schools. And so, you know, as Dr. Drake has led through our uh literacy audit, K through 12 had the full group coming together and then really focusing on the K through five, she already starting to shift to secondary. And so, that training is already taking place as early as last Friday. That's right. >> A full oh my goodness, it was this is like two meetings in a row. Let's do it was a wonderful Friday. And I mean the training from I had a chance at all the elementary schools and then you're having uh special education teachers side by side with their co their classroom teachers and things like that and looking at cutting across the content areas and stuff and so very very powerful and the excitement level from what I
121was getting from the teachers was there and then now coming in April to follow up right on that to the spot where the team is getting ready to do some field testing on some unit later in the spring by grade level across the schools and stuff. So again, moving that strength forward. Um, expanding things like as we continue to look at some of the the idea about uh exploration of like the project lead the way, middle school and high school. We've talked about that a few times here at the campus. The idea about where do we look at AP programs and so as we think about we have a new course on business that's coming online this year. Our district, I think, is one of maybe a dozen across the entire state that was offered
122the early opportunity here. Then we have 125 kids who've signed up for this AP class on business and stuff >> for class that's not been taught yet that they have no idea. It was amazing. >> So, so again there and then again investing in that professional learning time for our teachers again with our can learning thinking about last Friday, thinking about another Friday coming up a little bit later in April. So looking at that PD that's there and so embedded in what we're doing and then they got D about uh hands-on learning competitive Hudson spoke about a little enrichment opportunities today with some kids and just hard to kind of believe like okay when you I was following you like the state that's pretty good I'm like okay I went here I'm like oh really
123at the at the you know world level this is where it's like yeah that's that's pretty awesome. So again, providing those opportunities as well as we saw in the fall here with some of our student athletes and the the ladies track team and how well that they had done and stuff like that. So just and those enrichment opportunities continues to cut across and then the maintenance and we spent a little time smoking on those those fine arts programs. Oh, and by the way, tonight I think the middle school >> spring musical, >> right? Right. I think their own uh what's the f yes, I didn't let my kid get into that. So, but that's that's what's tonight. So, I'll see you tomorrow night. So, but again, maintaining that and moving those things forward. So, those
124are just some of the highlights that I think the team had heard in the last kind of pieces. So, >> did anybody notice the background of or the the project in that photo? >> Brain versus >> very appro. I love that they took that on. So, it's brain versus phone >> and I I could imagine it has something to do with us being a a phone, you know, technology free >> cell phone. That's really neat that what are they >> elementary >> first grade second that they would take on that as a a project and using real life experiences and putting it into action that young. So that's pretty cool. I don't know if that was an accident if that was intentional but that's neat. >> And I think then shifting to that other spot
125there again this is that special education lens that when Dr. Plartier was here we again spoke about some of those next opportunities that we are familiar with. And so looking at in particular some of that training as we look at the budget supporting uh those co-taught learning experiences across you know all of our elementary classrooms and then also looking at just the idea of following up on some of those PCG reports where we're partnering with a group called GNR that will help us better and support all of our learners in those uh areas and things like at the secondary level offering more chances for co-taught for students to get that also in the mathematics area and in the science area and things like that. And so as you look at math, English, science, social studies
126now is more of a full spectrum than we had before. And then also they're in an inclusive setting. So they're in with uh their peers getting that support. And then over to the professional learning is that last slide. Again, things we've talked about in the past, but just wanted to reiterate and highlight. again continuing just skipping around some of the continuous support from Boseis that literacy leadership piece we talked about before and then a piece at the bottom as we're really looking at updating our multi-tered systems of support using uh the ability for us to look at at more of a data visualization of our students learning and then how we can use that in the classroom while the students that are within our classroom now we can make adjustments mid-stream versus kind of the
127state test stats really don't come till six months later. So this is really being much more proactive with that and stuff. So and then I'll just shift it to the infrastructure piece and that's kind of where we just were at. So this idea about those uh those debt payments for the bond kind of that just did our most completed work that were just about completed work. >> Yes. Yes. So that's just the way you structure your debt is um your building aid doesn't can't begin for a minimum of 18 months after your building your projects are approved and they do they cannot the building a does not begin to flow until you submit your final cost reports. So you we structure our debt based and we it builds up based on when that building aid
128begins to flow in order to minimize the local impact on our taxpayers. So that is um again so we they so it'll be another trunge another we'll be um rolling some more band debt into bond debt and um and that so we'll see an increase there um just for clarification purposes infrastructure the bond so the bond the next bullet point is not there isn't any money in the budget for that because we will not begin to borrow obviously um um and uh until next year sometime and then so the first if everything's approved I mean but so there isn't than anything budgeted for bond debt. This is the approval of the bond the the proposition that is on the um that will be on the ballot in May. As well as the next item there
129again there isn't anything in the general fund budget. This capital reserve is the monies that's already been set aside. So that isn't anything that is um in the budget proper. Um and as has as as been has already been discussed these two items as to what the um work is there. And then the last item is our interfund transfer to capital which we uh do include every year and that it allows there is a part in the budget proper 162434 which is building improvements. That's like as as Dr. Mike said that's part of Mike's budget and that's a lot of your preventative maintenance and your and then there's an interfund transfer to capital and that's and a lot of times those are actually the projects that sed approves but there could be smaller projects they
130could be our capital outlay projects um which is limited 100,000 although they are looking at increasing it to $250,000 which would be um be and but as and that just means that you start to see the aid the subsequent year that you close out the project instead of being amateur ized. But uh again, so those are looking at repairing, we're looking at repairing and replacing sidewalks, um storm water rolloff improvements, um particularly in the middle school over there, as well as um any items as we go through the BCS and we start to develop that five-year plan, then we will take those items and um and take the top priorities and use the interfund transfer capital for that. >> Is there anything you want to add? >> No, I appreciate it. Thank you, Lisa. Okay.
131And so now we'll go on to um the calculation and tax cap as well as the tax levy. I I just always like to say this reminder. I think we are past hopefully that point where we have that 2% tax cap you know and all those years that people say how come the ley's increasing by more than 2%. Right? And and so again it's that factor that is a part of the tax cap um calculation which is called the allowable levy growth factor that is capped at 2%. As we have already discussed um we have not seen CPI below 2% in over five years. So that um that calculation is um that CPI that's capped at 2% it has not allowed our tax levy to grow at the same rate that that inflation has grown.
132And um >> and may I interrupt you just to say to connect to something you said earlier because it just really struck me that >> so our state aid has decreased by $1.7 million in part because property values have increased but there isn't a correlary whereby we can increase the levy beyond what we're looking at here. So, right, the burden has shifted the local taxpayer, >> but the school districts are stuck with this cap. So, there's just sort of invariably gap and we're kind of starving the public schools. >> Yeah, that's >> No, that's a great I that's a really great connection. And and even here, the assessment growth factor actually decreased also for next year. So, it's you know, our assessed values have increased, but they're saying the amount of building hasn't changed, right?
133So there isn't new builds. So there's the same number of buildings if you will. So it's in theory the same number of students that you will be educating around the same number. But so so again it the the calculation doesn't it doesn't line up with the realities of funding for school schools. uh projected revenues for next school year um is um so we're looking at a rough a little bit more than $4 million increase in that tax levy and that is um at the maximum allow allowable tax levy limit health services and that is what we build other districts for their students who attend Harvey school because it's a private school within our geographical boundaries so we they we have responsibility to provide health services as well as some other services to that private school
134Um so that is what we bill for and that offsets our costs for nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, whatever those services we provide to the students in Harvey. Um insurance refunds that you know that's just a flat number. Interest is basically taking the projections for what the feds will do over the next 12 18 months and plugging in. What I do is I take the last 12 months of balances and I kind of like take what our capital market advisors is projecting the rates to be and then say like this is where our balances were a year ago. This is where they're saying the rates will be in a year and just kind of using that as a way to project what I think our overall revenue will be next year. And then um admissions and fees
135is what we charge um for uh building use rentals. Um we still um will have the CCC using um they provide before and after care in elementary schools. Um so there is still some income there as well as um we're you know looking to support Lewis Borl Parks and Wreck with our gymnasiums or other gymnasiums. They use Lewis Borl Gymnasium for many years. um I think nine years we've been renting um the gymnasium to them and so we have space in the other school as much as we can you know accommodate them we will look to do that as well while you know if Lewisboro is offline for a little while and then tuition the day tuition is what we charge other districts for um available seats in our um programs and our special education
136programs specifically because we have a specialized TSP program that mo many districts do not have, most districts do not have. So, we have the opportunity to offer that program for students um who need that specific program here to come to our school and then we just charge what the state says is our um what is what we're allowed to charge for tuition to other districts. >> The increase you see in state aid is attributed to our building aid and that's and 1% increase in foundation aid. the two houses have said 2%. So that's another 70,000. Hopefully that'll get that. So um but you know, but that's still for us is um but that they're talking about um a 2% increase in foundation aid refunds for Boseies and that is just anything that is in excess
137of um what Boseies had projected the tuitions and costs would be. They cannot keep a reserve. They have to give the money back to the component districts. anything in excess. Um county sales tax stays pretty flat year to year. Um the you know the rate doesn't change. Miscellaneous you see a $300,000 increase that is for next school year. Um what we will have our first interest debt for our EPC project. And in order to keep that debt as um as uh budget neutral and tax neutral as possible, Honey Well has actually agreed to um to give us $300,000 to offset that first payment to keep it again as neutral as possible. So it would be a very small amount of the budget. The other parts of that debt is offset by the savings and we
138will shortly when the snow finally melts for real, they'll be able to get on our roof. though I mean we had planned on March. So as soon as um everything does get melted uh they will begin working on the solar projects. >> I just I want to pause there for a second and just again thank Honeywell because they were a true partner through this. We were ready to walk away and they came back to the table to make it possible. So a huge thank you to them again. >> Thank you. And also anyone who attends the sustainability fair, Honeywell will be here and and Gia will be coming as well. and they are engineers who worked on the energy performance contract. So that's exciting to have any you know so for our students to be
139able to speak to those engineers and architects about solar and PE and all of the in all the photonics and all of that that goes into it and everything. So I think that will be exciting opportunity for students. So again so continuing to partner we do um that's something we do ask when we do put out our RFPs and bids is that we want them to come in and you know incorporate the work into our instructional programs as well. So, thank you for bringing that up. Our committed reserves, as I mentioned earlier, those are any of our unrestricted reserves such as ERS, TRS, employee benefit acred liability. So, these are things that again that we appropriate from our reserves to offset those future the years the costs in the next year for retirement increases in
140retirements and things like that. We use our reserves and we appropriate them in order to um offset the tax levy for next year. Our undesated fund balance we are decreasing it a little bit and that is just um we are just want to just um reduce a little bit of our reliance on that uh unrestricted unreserved undesated fund balance. Um and that's just as our revenues are just becoming tighter. It's just we just want to ensure you know the sustainability of using a fund like that. So we always have to have additional excess funds available in a current year budget because we all know like unexpected things happen. We have to have a rainy day fund in our budget. Um but we just want to um just reduce the reliance a little bit on that.
141I won't go too much into the calculation. We've already talked about this. said the only other part though I do want to uh emphasize is as we mentioned or as I mentioned earlier is that um you will see here the um wish I had a pointer less um building aid uh trans or excuse me plus debt service capital expenditures including transportation so right under that second subtotal line. So it's because basically you start with your current year levy you um you're allowed to then you increase it by your taxbased growth factor for us which is um 0.57%. Then you um you do back out the uh prior year capital exclusion because we don't want to like double count that essentially, right? So it's backed out and then you um you take that that's your adjusted
142prior year levy. You increase it by the allowable levy growth factor which again that's the CPI which is capped at 2%. And you get that um you get your basically your tax your allowable tax levy. Your maximum allowable tax levy is then when you now we are allowed to take our debt as well as that interfund transfer to capital. So our debt um and our into fund transfer to capital next year is 1.1 million. Prior years we hadn't used the 1.1 million for to as a a capital exclusion. Um and that was because you have to spend it in the year that you levy those taxes. Um, and that is our intention is to spend it next year, the entire amount next year, so we can use it as an exclusion again. So that stands
143outside of the tax cap. And again, those are but we do have to offset that with any building aid we receive because again, that's something we wouldn't levy taxes for. That's additional aid. We don't want to double count anything. So with that, you get your maximum allowable tax levy, which is that $13,558, $31. Um, which again is a 3.72% increase levy to levy. Our enrollment for uh next school year is uh based on our demographer reports with the current looking at current kindergarten enrollment as it's coming in um which our register keeps us you know updated on regularly. We we think it probably is probably more likely flat or lower than this number is based on live births and there's all these other for you know that's that the demographers use but it probably be
144closer to flat but again we've seen this the slope on this graph has flattened out over the years and so it's important for us you know just to recognize that as we look at the growth in our budget um and enrollment the tax rates are um they it it is based on assessed values um that we receive. These are preliminary numbers. The tax levy is um set and these rates are set in uh July. So these are very preliminary numbers. It's early in their um in the process in their cycle for our tax assessors. Um but these are just estimates at this time. Um and this is just a the class sizes. I don't know. Did you want to speak to them? >> Well, I think again that's a piece that as we just lead
145into some of the staffing pieces we're looking at next. And then as Lisa and I spoke earlier before about the reoccurring drop in the revenue from the state, we're in a a position where certainly we would have not anticipated to be just uh you know 16 18 months ago with this drop. And so what we've got here is this is specific to administration and instructional kind of staffing adjustments. And so we've been able to majority of these through kind of attrition in those areas. And so if you would look at the kind of that reduction side, we've had uh some of those from instructional coaches to perh section in elementary school administrator at both the middle school campus as well as the high school campus. We'll be bringing offline an assistant principal in both of
146those spaces. Um also another instructional coach for the secondary level. Um we also anticipate a physical education across the district. We have a number of physical education instructors. Um that'll be some in some share between buildings and so that's a part of us bringing that down a little bit uh in those numbers again with we're kind of at that floor as Lisa described before. So as we kind of bring that down we're basically at where we would see the districts small the smallest we're going to be or relatively plus or minus you know 10 5%. And then if you look to the right, we've talked at our last board meeting and before that, we spoke about it tonight with Dr. Pertie a little bit about the idea of bringing those co-taught experiences in every single
147one of our elementary schools K through five. And so that will be an experience we'll have here next year for all of our families. And then also at the high school looking at uh the kind of a coordinator student empowerment that's intended to support all of the different uh opportunities and access that we have our students getting into uh opportunities like this evening during the day after day as we look at some more of our leadership opportunities and thinking about especially as you're bringing offline uh an administrator there. Um you're looking at a highly engaged uh uh student body that after school hours as well too. So trying to help with some of that coordination with the different leadership experiences that they'd have in there. Uh and then also the last piece we have in
148here, this this honestly I think if we look back to last year with our PCG report and the information that came forth was that idea about how can we best support our families in in helping support our children that are going ahead and getting CSSE services. And so by looking at a third CSSE chair, again, we'll be having uh an administrator coming out of that was that centralized assistant principal for 504 is now we're no longer there. That allows us the ability to have hopefully smoother transition between our elementary to the middle to the high school. And then the relationship that a family can have will be a multi-year relationship with those, you know, cse chairs uh in those 504 uh cse meetings. So, and all you'll see about a net reduction of 11FT here
149from the instructional administrative side. Again, as I mentioned before that because of the drop in the the reoccurring revenue stream drop here. Um, it certainly is what I would describe as a spot, we're we're basically at that ceiling where the year before last, like kind of we had five of those like instruction coaches helping us kind of be as good as we can instruct. We're down to two, elementary, secondary. Um, we've looked at reducing some positions uh like at I'm middle school. So there's a English, math, science, social studies that are coming offline. Paying attention to those those numbers will still be in that previous slide that identify the goal and the range. It's still inside of there. Um but we're again we're trying to to basically just thread the needle on on where we're
150at with the revenue stream and the challenges we've got ahead of us. So >> I think it's important to note that the reductions that we're having, none of them are direct classroom. They don't affect our school size, our class size. they won't affect the student um experience. Whereas our bus five actually will have a direct impact on the student experience um and provide more inclusivity and um belonging sense in our schools for those students. So um you know and be interested Hudson in hearing what you think about the student empowerment coordinator. >> Yeah. Um I mean I never I didn't know about this until this meeting. um from what you said that sounds really really great. Um just to have someone to coordinate all these events and what's going on. Um much about it, but
151it from what I've heard it that sounds really amazing. >> Yeah. >> And I think that's where as we we think about adjusting from our current reality with an administrator who's kind of helping coordinate some of that work, bringing that down a level of kind of uh not from a full year position, but to a 10-month position. So from a fiscal standpoint that assists there and yet it allows us to continue the work in support of working with our student body and our leadership pieces and stuff. So >> yeah, this is great. >> Yeah, thanks. >> Just on that note and to connect back to something we heard about at our last budget presentation, I'm sorry I don't remember the exact name for it, but the concept was a summit for the coaching staff, a
152coaches summit, if you will. And my thoughts kind of turned to this opportunity and this position. And I thought about, you know, whether there might be opportunity for a comparable summit of adviserss for clubs, you know, to share some best practices around how to um generate new membership and deal with elections and succession planning for leadership. There would be so many different issues that I think um touch clubs that are similar from one to the next but that are probably quite idiosyncratically administered and yeah this opportunity for a summit really resonated with me. Just wanted to mention that >> and I think we're you know Hudson I and we've been working with our you know uh advisory team for our students and one of the pieces that has elevated there is to in essence create
153a um basically a a learning center uh where students can go and access resources for to help them academically. So we'd like to kind of explore that. This is again that kind of a role would hopefully help explore that. We're also interested in exploring uh students as the tutors. And so again, that'll need adult coordination in those work. So that's where we'd see if we can kind of move that forward. That coordinator or that student empowerment will hopefully assist from a that level of coordination with the adults that might be in there andor the students that might be in there as uh tutors themselves. >> That's that's really um hopeful and aspirational. And I think um at a middle school conversation recently PTO we were hearing about um or we were talking about I should
154say leadership in in ways other than you know sort of conventional uh elections or or um title type um leadership opportunities and and what you've just described sounds like a really expansive wonderful opportunity to cultivate leadership for so many kids who I think would really benefit whether they're the tutor or the recipient of the tutoring. That's great. >> Right. Yes. Yeah. And I think that's where as we would look at an academic support space where um it gives students an opportunity to they certainly may be taking some of our most challenging highly academic challenged courses and and they need that support to go ahead and come. So hopefully there's some drop in opportunities as well as maybe a student's like just needs a consistent piece in there. So that's a spot we'll be working through
155the spring and actually we have a touchstone meeting with our advisory team tomorrow and so we're meeting with you know kind of taking that to the next piece and actually a little bit of work there. We've got our kind of uh CVY habits seven how havoc habits of teens his boy wrote the book Sean um and then we're on our third co like putting first things first and so we'll be talking about that a little bit so this is where we'd anticipate an adult needs to help manage coordinate and and when Hudson and I even spoke talked about if you're a student mentor we want to have those mentors trained as well too not hey go mentor this kid in that subject it's like how do we talk about how do we work as a
156mentor and stuff Great. If I may, I think this is something that's really important for families. >> Families care about class sizes because that is really important to the quality of the education that we provide. And I heard you say, and I just want to make sure that it's absolutely clear. >> Um, with these reductions, you know, if if we look back at this demographic slide, you can see that after the close of lees, the enrollment did decline and then now it's stabilized. So what I heard you say is that uh with these reductions we're going to maintain favorable class sizes and even when we look for example counselors and principles you feel comfortable that that ratio of coverage is still going to remain favorable so that we can continue to >> Yeah I think
157that's a great example combining uh if you don't mind Lisa just back to the table there that goal in that range. So everything is pretty much that goal and and and rarely you're going to get to a number that's in the range. And then with that declining enrollment now with some of those positions being vacated for folks who are going to retirement and you can just see in the last couple years where those have dropped down to closer to 950 a,000 now retiring. Oh okay for example the counselor. So that ratio where it used to be at, you know, for 1,100 kids, now we're coming down to close to 870, the ratio is very very close to where we're at today from where we were before. And so yes, and and so we're well within
158uh when if you look around our neighbors and everything like that, we're well within those numbers in in that regard. So yes, I would say we're we're right in alignment with ratios from admin to staff as well as from our counselors to students and things like that. So yes, >> one of the reasons losition staff is notes. >> Yes. And and we did a little bit from last year to this year. And you're right. >> Wondering how are you getting rid of those people? >> Yeah. >> Well, you see that these are priorly in the secondary level because the elementary has already done this and so >> Yes. And if you've now done the secondary and if you look at going back to the budget along that same pathway, our school district for approximately I
159think was nine years. You go back to that budget for the overall budget actually was less for the for the subsequent nine years because the district consistently kept chipping away and chipping away because they could because these classes coming forth here and so there was part of that. you won't be able to gain the full savings of that, but a portion of you were and so when retirement took place like oh let's let's not go ahead and refill that and could be in elementary was where it kind of started and then now we're finishing up with secondary. So it it was a long journey of roughly a decade or so. Um but this is where we brought ourselves to that closure and you can go back and look at and even in our budget book
160you can see there's a specific chart that identifies over those years about how many years we went where there was no increase in the final number for the budget. Henceforth that's where those reductions started elementary they're not there anymore but we just finished at the high school. One more thing. So for people watching at home, they watched the first part of the presentation and they saw, you know, a proposal to make these capital um investments. Um you know, these reductions are happening as a result of what you described and as part of our operating budget. Whether or not we move forward with the lees project would not in any way affect this slide. And this is what in terms of the the reductions in >> Great. Yeah. Absolutely. So yeah, so it's a kind of
161the here's the op the general budget side and then we've got that little piggy bank over there with the capital reserve and then the other is a whole different bonding project almost viewed as like a second mortgage if you had to do some major repairs in your home. That's kind of what that would look like. So does not influence the other as far as the dollars will not come from one spot or go to the other. So yeah, >> and a couple two weeks ago Neil presented on class sizes as well. So he did go into the specifics at the grade levels and everything like that. So you can go back and look at that uh presentation to see. >> And they were quite favorable. I remember that. >> Yes. And it was and it
162was um very much this was again this is a probably six months of of work and being very cognizant of primarily managing it through attrition and as people maybe moved on even if earlier this this school year saying you know what we we're not going to replace this position because we can't sustain it. Um as well as you'll see like reduction of special ed in one in one column or you know two reductions at the secondary level being brought over increase in elementary level. So it's you know the redistribution as well being very deliberate in those. >> Thank you for reminding us that we looked at the the chart publicly. Also it's information that is included in the proposed budget that's publicly available with tonight's agenda as well. Also, if anybody wanted to just dive
163into the proposed budget, they can see the favorable class sizes at each elementary school. >> And what what that doesn't what doesn't reflect, however, is the fact that we now have ICT at every level. So, for those classes, your ratios are even like unbelievable because you've got two two teachers in those rooms actively teaching all students together in an inclusive manner. So, I mean, it's really fantastic that um we've been able to bring it to all levels in K through five. >> There any more questions about staffing? So, this slide, it just illustrates how what we do to balance the expenditure and revenue budgets. And um so it just is really just a summary of what we've gone through already. Um and uh just again a reiteration of our current school year budget of 127
164million. Our proposed budget is going to 131,81642 an increase of4 million4,45,933 which is a budgettobudget increase of 3.46% 46% and a property levy increase of 3.72%. which this does meet the New York state uh tax cap levy limit as well as it requires what we call a civil majority which is 50% plus one vote um in order to that is uh what is required for um when it is meets the tax cap and just wanted to go into the major areas of budget increases benefits as we know um we've discussed and and is across all um public and private sectors health insurance increases is is just everywhere that is just something that um is abs you know it's just doesn't keep up with anything else. So we know that that is something um that you
165know we can we see as well as um is everywhere. So so the majority of that benefit line is uh increase in health insurance. We also as a requirement for NICHIP reimburse for Medicare because once you become Medicare eligible you switch plans and Medicare becomes your primary NICHIP becomes your secondary drops decreases the cost of the program. So NICHIP requires that we require Medicare Medicare is increasing by approximately I think 9% next year. So again that will increase our expenses and you know of course folks are living longer too. So it's also that too. So that is the primary uh increases we see in the benefit line. Special education is um has to do with tuition. Um and that is um out of district placements for our students and again tuitions are not set by
166us. So that's outside of our control. as well as any additional supports that are needed for our students. um whether it be paraprofessional supports um as well as we know um really there's a net FTE of only one increase really in uh in in teaching staff but um but it is mainly has to do with um the needs of our students and the debt increase that you do see here of $1.3 million is actually offset by that increase that we saw in building aid as well as the $300,000 increase uh or excuse excuse me, $300,000 contribution from our our partners at Honeywell. So, in reality, really our net debt increase is more along about $370,000 once you take the building aid offset revenue as well as the $300,000. So, that's why when you see the
167major budget increase of 5 million, you're like, that wait, that doesn't add up to the last slide. And that's why because there is revenue offsetting as well as a special aid or special education. Um there's also revenue in um state aid, excess cost aid that will also offset the increase in that expenditure line. And that's about um that is you know and just to reiterate of um you know that the the budget does maintain um all current programming while expanding our literacy program and continuing to prioritize favorable class sizes. Maintains supports for all of our students as well as professional learning. incorporates additional debt improved by the um voters in 2022 to support the significant infrastructure enhancements that we've seen at all five of our schools. And um be but being mindful of our taxpayers
168and holding to the tax levy uh limit >> and then you'll see just on those next three slides what we spoke about before. So here's the overall proposition for one the general budget >> budget. Yes. >> Prop two is for the um is authorization to access the capital reserve. Right now the reserve is about 2.4 million. I estimate anywhere from 30 to $40,000 in revenue over the next you know four or five months. And uh we hope then to bring that to two 2.5 the maximum allowable for that with any additional uh funds excess funds at the end of the school year. uh revenues. We've seen this specifically interest um interest rates have you know they have declined but they still are very favorable relatively speaking. So we would use that to um transfer into
169the reserve to bring it up to 2.5. And on the ballot you'll see a much more abbreviated version of this. This is all the legal um information that we need that needs to be included. Um and then proposition three is the um request as to borrow to create a UPK center as well as space for community at Elliot Lewisboro Elementary School but primarily for the UPK center. So those are the three propositions you will see on the ballot on May 19th. So, um we potentially could have another meeting in a week or or else um in two weeks dependent upon the board of education and at which time on March 26 hopefully to adopt the presented budget by the superintendent on May 7th, which is Charlotte's birthday. I'm just putting it out there because she's
170a little upset that I'll be here. She wanted me to move the meeting. I said, "We can't do that." I mean, so I said next year we'll be okay. But um but yes, so May 7th we'll be here. the public hearing of the budget and on May 19th is the budget vote. Public vote as well as the vote on um the propositions. >> Is there any additional questions? >> Wow. Thank you >> and thank you to everyone who contributed to this. This is um >> been a great journey following and appreciate it all coming together tonight. >> Thank you. >> Thanks everybody. Thank you. Thanks board. Thank you. Um, next we turn to our public comment section and I very excited to see we have some people signed up to speak to us tonight. Uh,
171we do remind you that this is our working meeting and um, our board policy is to not engage in any back and forth. Uh, we will take everything you say under advisement tonight and we may come back and revisit your comments at a at a later meeting. Um, comments are limited to three minutes. Um, Kim has a a timer in front of us. And if I remember correctly how it works, it's been a while. You start at green and it two minutes, it goes to yellow and then red is when your time is up. Um, and we just remind people that uh by coming to speak with us, you agree to abide by our code of conduct. Um, we ask Miss Glick, please join us at the podium. Good evening. My name is Erica Glick.
172I am the parent to a middle schooler and a high schooler. And I am not a stranger to this board. I've stood here for many years advocating for improved literacy programming and I want to acknowledge that this current board has made real progress in that area. That work matters and it deserves recognition. So, thank you. Um but tonight I am here regarding the proposal around universal prek. I feel compelled to speak. Um early childhood education is an area where I have deep professional expertise and when it is oversimplified or underfunded, it's not something I can sit quietly by and watch. I operate a successful preschool. I understand both the value of early childhood education and the very real cost of running a highquality program. The district is now asking taxpayers to approve 24.5 million do
173a $24.5 million bond to revive a building that has been allowed to fall into disrepair for many years. I won't spend my time on the building itself tonight, but it is worth noting that the public is being asked to make a very large investment in order to launch a program whose financial model is already strained. The bigger concern, the bigger concern is how this proposal is being framed financially. The public keeps hearing that offering free preschool will save taxpayer money. That's not an accurate characterization. UPK is not free. It is publicly funded and the funding level matters. We're hearing tonight that there's an anticipated mandate in 2028 that it will be required in all districts for all children. This is an anticipated mandate. It has not occurred. The state reimbursement rate is roughly $5,400 per
174child per year. Again, we're hearing the word anticipated. It's anticipated to be $10,000. It is currently $5,400 per child. When you break that down, it comes to $5 an hour per student. As someone who runs a preschool, I can say definitively that you cannot operate any type of quality sustainable program at that rate. There's also been repeated language. Thank you. Uh repeated language suggesting that the district is leaving money on the table by not filling 152 seats, not 200, 152 seats. But if the reimbursement does not cover the cost of the program, filling more seats does not create savings for the taxpayer. It increases the financial burden. And at a time when the district is already discussing cuts to a program and staffing because we are losing New York State funding and state aid, it
175seems especially important to be honest about whether this model actually works financially. In conclusion, early childhood education is incredibly important, but it has to be built on a model that is financially honest and operationally realistic. Otherwise, we risk promising something to families that cannot be responsibly sustained. Thank you. >> Thank you. Can't tell if there's a typo in the second line. Is it? >> Okay, there's Okay. Uh, so next we ask Richclar to join us. Good evening. Richard Scaren, uh 28-y year resident of Golden's Bridge. Both my uh children went through John J. um want to talk about the uh universal prek proposal and the $25 million expenditure. Uh people across KSD are hurting and I don't believe that your numbers really add up as to that part of it. It's kind of a uh
176paradoxical financial presentation that was uh brought forward here today. You mentioned here $128 million in long-term expenditures plus $25 million for this. That's over $150 million and you're talking about maximizing the amount of money to be put aside 2.5 million. That's doesn't make any kind of dent under the circumstances. $25 million for a nine classroom suite as was uh mentioned to house up to 152 four year olds doesn't seem to make sense in this environment. It's not a financially responsible use of taxpayer dollars in our current economic environment where people are hurting. Um why existing district buildings I believe can be utilized for prek and perhaps spend save millions of dollars over time. I did my leg work at the top of the uh enrollment about 4,100 students in districtwide. Now it's 2748. That's down
177over,300. And in the junior high school, John J. Middle School, there are 615 students enrolled. That's 205 per classroom. You extrapolate that, that's an issue where there is a lot of physical capacity. Would it be difficult? Yes. Would there be planning challenges? Yes. But in this economic environment, it's worth exploring and taking a look. And also to be honest, this district doesn't have a particularly great track record of maintaining existing uh physical facilities. Look what happened to in over a decade, how it deteriorated. Look what happened to one shady lane. Why is that? Because you have financial strains and financial difficulties in having the money to maintain them. That's the problem. and spending $25 million on the nine classrooms doesn't seem like the wise way to handle it. Now, if passed, this would create a
178lot of economic pressures to an increasingly aging demographic here in our community. Now, for the people who can least afford it, we could all take a look at our electricity bills as they've been recently. That's a big dent and a big problem for a lot of people. It's not the time to spend $25 million on this, especially when there's other opportunities, at least to explore to meet the goal, which I support, of having universal prek, understanding it's going to be a state mandate, understanding it's important for the education of our kids and should be implemented as soon as we can. Now, and notwithstanding the superintendent's gracious comments about uh community, unfortunately, the opportunities in this project are fairly limited. What is my one minute or I'm done? Okay, let me wrap it up then. Sorry.
179>> Um the community center is unfortunately is not much opportunity for uh the town to have uh access to that. There should be greater opportunities that are presented. um senior center is something we should look at as I mentioned also and to conclude and thank you for the extra few seconds the BOE is supposed to work for the residents and taxpayers of the district to ensure a high quality education but at the most fiscally responsible way and fiscally responsible uh way to address it at cost $25 million for this proposal at this time in this economic environment doesn't fit that bill. Thank you for listening. I appreciate the time. Thank you. There is no one else at this time signed up for public comment. Um but I invite anybody else who would like to speak
180join us at the podium. No. So at this time I will close public comment. Uh we appreciate public coming down to speak with us this evening. Uh next is our consent agenda. We will be pulling uh 15.01 01 I'm sorry 15.09 from the consent agenda. Uh can I have a motion to move the rest of the agenda? Motion by Bill, second by Barbara. Um I think we have some discussion coming back to our Westpot and thank you Marjorie. >> And I will be brief but thank you for letting me just postpone the West putt update very quickly and this won't relate to the consent agenda tomorrow. There's a money talks webinar that I know several of us are planning to attend on food services. It's a discussion of financial and regulatory um uh it's the
181regulatory side of food services is what I mean to say new policies program updates impacting districts and then I wanted to just mention ahead of time that on March 23rd there's another virtual webinar called assess to connect and this is really focusing on how districts can use data to create a culture where where students feel connected supported and present and there will be case studies with superintendent from new Relle Byron and Terry Town. So, that's just sort of by way of programmatic update, but the connection I just wanted to make to our consent agenda is just to share that we're kind of at the end now of advocacy season and um we had our legislative advocacy forum on January 29th. We had our most recent um listening session with Senator Shelley Mayor on Thursday, February
18226th. In between, we also got to speak with Assembly Member Berdick and Senator Harkham. So, thank you very much to our um elected officials for making the time to hear about the priorities from public school perspectives. One of the things that has come up repeatedly is a call for increased flexibility around establishment of reserves, whether it's a reserve for health insurance, whether it's a reserve for other post-employment benefits. And so tonight we have an opportunity in our consent agenda not to establish a reserve because that would just be too simple, but to advocate for this increased flexibility and specifically the opportunity to reserve for health insurance increases. And just even in listening to the presentation at the very end when we were talking about our major cost increases, it really is the increase to our
183health insurance that is accounting for approximately 50% of the overall proposed increases to the budget. It's 55% if you just sort of look at um the increases in the budget proper, but if you look at the increases as offset by the revenues, then it's closer to 50%. So somewhere in the neighborhood of 50%. And um and that's really it. So just wanted to update everybody on on what's happening on the advocacy front and thank so many of you for participating in these conversations and the programs that are coming up and um I didn't have anything further. Thank you. >> No, thank you for the um additional information on that. I appreciate it. Um guess we can now vote on the consent agenda minus 15.09. So all those in favor 50. Um, next I would like
184to make a motion uh on 15.09 that is uh for the spring coaches. Uh, we did pull it because Teresa Schwarfiger is on the agenda to become uh our softball coach. So, um, Bill will be abstaining from the vote. Um, so if I could have a second by Carolyn. All those in favor zero. Um, we've had a lot of great dialogue tonight, but uh, this is our final opportunity. If there's anything else that anybody has to bring to the table or discuss this evening, do want to I really appreciate all of the discussion we had tonight. I think it was been a, you know, all season at this budget season. I think we've had some really good conversations. We've made some hard decisions um you know trying to support our administration and our students. So,
185thank you very much um for all of that. Uh next is our future meetings. Um March Oh, that was yesterday. March 11th, we had our audit committee. Uh Friday, March 13th at 8:15 a.m. we have sustainability committee meeting in the district office. Uh, Wednesday, March 18th, we have the finance committee meeting at 6 PM in the district office. Uh, Thursday, March 19th, we will no longer be meeting. >> Feeling a need. >> I think we did a great job tonight. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, no meeting on March 19th. Uh we will be back here March 26th uh 7 pm for the board of education meeting followed by March 27th Friday at 9:00 am for the policy committee meeting in the district office. >> Blanch, I turn the floor over to you. >> Oh,
186thank and I just want to thank the board for this evening and and the conversation and allowing us to spend some time with our architect team and walking through the potentials here. And and Barbara, I want to I want to grab the numbers and I just had them from the the budget book, so I thought I'd pull it up. So that idea about going back to that 20134 school year. So just basic round numbers of that year the school budget was basically 115 million following years 111 109 106 107 108 110 110 and then finally 113. So eight cycles of the of the piece the budget was less than what it was >> 2013 14. So that's where you generate those avoided costs in that green bubble chart in there because of those years when
187the district made extremely difficult decision. I've been part of closing a school and no matter what it's the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in my opinion as administrator and and the reality is is what you see here that decision certainly from a fiscal piece did did certainly make sense for eight consecutive years on those on that budget which rounded up to you know 20 plus million dollars of savings. So I think again I would say that um that decision certainly didn't come lightly to the community and you can also see that it did have a fiscal uh impact there as well too uh in a positive way. So I did want to just you know kind of bring that point back again being new here and I know we have you know some
188of our new board members on the team as well too. It's like okay that that's a pretty amazing sequence of years that it the budget was less than it was for that many years in a row. So, um, and >> now we're bringing that those road back to life, >> right? And so, if we're able to do that again, I certainly I and the our towns have been very kind and trying to go to their their their meetings and have a chance to just talk to the to the town and have a conversation there. There are four different groups there. And then also we have a little bit later uh in the year just I think it's um Kim is that's later in May one of our community meetings that >> Yes. Thank you. So
189we'll have we typically meet at the high school in an evening meeting. We'll have another one two days later during the day. But that idea about hey kind of coming and if there's other wonderings we'll kind of get that message out. Also you know we have a few coming out at some of our buildings. We'll do the same thing with our PTOs and stuff. So, um, again, good, uh, questions and took some good notes again from our, uh, folks who came this evening about how I can do a better job of sharing, you know, the possibilities here and thinking about what this can mean for the larger community as well as, you know, our support of our current uh, program we do have for UPK. And so, again, um, with us, we do have three
190sections going now. and and I would say uh and I know that we have an opportunity to visit some of those sections for uh all of our students as well as we have some students who are involved in our special education program. I know Dr. Parte and I were speaking just earlier about uh the the strength of that partnership that's been created with our partners there to do that work. And so um hopefully this will get a little closer to us actually making do this this business model. when I I know our speaker came forth about saying that yeah you need to have a business model and um and that is absolutely concur that's why it really wasn't realistic before um and so as we know very much right around the corner we'll have the
191state budget and all indicators would say that yes uh whilst it is an anticipated fully it I don't can't think of a time that the governor's office and and both houses have said it's going to come >> right I was going to say the one house I mean the one house roundly supported it so it would be hard to understand how it wouldn't sail through. >> Right. Right. So, um, lots more to come. And again, I I really appreciate you having our team here this evening. And then, um, I guess the last thing I wanted to say just a few times tonight, I really appreciate how the board is helping us connect to like our kids out here this evening. And you know, with Hudson here again as representing our student body and then thinking
192about how can we use our student leaders to lead our school district things and and aligning to what our community said they had hoped to see in our schools um from a very practical day-to-day experience. So, thank you. Thanks everybody. >> Thank you. >> Um does somebody want to make a motion to adjourn? >> Motion by Carol and second by Bill. All those in favor? 5. Thank you. And thank you for joining us this evening, everyone.