Pelham Budget Hearing- March 26,, 2026

001sitting for too long. >> Okay. Thank you. So, are we good to go? >> Um, yes. >> Okie do. Um, seeing the presence of a quorum, I call the Pelum School Committee meeting to order and um I will uh take roll call. Jenny >> here. >> Sarah Bess >> present. Rachel here. Um, and I see William has popped up. >> Yeah, I'm here. It just it says it have to have Dr. Z's permission to join. Um, it won't let me join under my other under the ARPS email. So, I'm just on my personal email. >> We can see you. >> Yeah, I just It's not It's not my the ARPS email. It Zoom keeps kicking it out and it says that it needs Dr. Z's permission. Dr. Herman RPS permission that it sent her an

002email a while ago or something. I don't know. >> Okay. >> You're here. You're here. Presumably, you can raise your hand and you can talk because we can hear you. Um, yes. Thank you. So, you just want to acknowledge that you're here. >> Yes, I'm here. >> Okay. All right. So, we're all we're all here. Um so the meeting tonight is the budget hearing for the pelum fiscal year 27 bud budget. Um the process will be that we'll have the presentation of the budget. We will have any clarifying questions from the committee members about the presentation. Then we will take public comment and then we have we'll have committee discussion. Um, so with that, I think I'm going to turn it over to Shannon to start the presentation. >> Good evening. I am going to

003go ahead and share my screen. Um, okay. So, we are So, I'm going to share some of the slides from the budget book document, but not all of the slides. and Tanya is going to start us off and then I will take over and um finish it and and then we'll take questions and things of that sort. >> Hey there. Good evening everybody. I am happy to be here and excited to share with you um some just some basic information around Pelum Elementary. As you know rural schools have heart. Go rural schools. Um, Pel Elementary has 127 students and uh, it's a small school. It allows for personalizing. Um, things when we think about the students we serve, but what I want you to know is that we have 22 approximately 22% of our students

004with disabilities. Uh, we have a low number of uh, multilingual learners. It's at uh,8%. And then we have um, a relatively high 29% of economically disadvantaged students. uh with Pelum, we're going to take a look at academic performance. But as I tell you all each time I do the MCCAST uh um data report, remember that because it's a small school, one student can fluctuate the scores and you'll see volatility in it um which you've seen over the years. Um but right now we have an ELA um academic uh result of 49% meeting and exceeding and then 54% in our math. there is a gap that exists uh with our high need students. I'm going to only speak about high need students because as I remind you that we don't 10 is the magic number in

005order to report and talk about uh disparities between other subgroups. So we do not have 10 in our other subgroups. So I will only talk high needs. So between our high need students there is a 26% gap in ELA and a 21% gap in math. when you uh take a look. Thank you, Shannon. When you take a look at this, um I want you to know that we have our enrollment that's listed there. And I want you to look, you can go ahead down to the enrollment um numbers because I think that's important for Pelum. Um enrollment is relatively stable. However, what's fluctuated is the number of residents of Pelum that are in the schools. And right now um we are outsized in terms of school choice students versus uh Pelum students. So that has

006been a trend over the uh past couple years for Pelum um with the low being 58 and 20 uh FY23 in terms of students of residents. Um, like I mentioned in terms of uh our special population groups that we can speak of, uh, you'll notice that I talk again about the economically disadvantaged and our, uh, students who receive special ed services. When we think about the pressures of Pelum, the pressures of Pelum are really about um, it's the assessment data that you can't see. It's what's hiding. That's really where pressures lie which is important around curriculum. Um we also have um all the positives that are happening. It's a small school. You know I told you I'm from a very small town. So rural schools are important because they have small small numbers. They have

007rigorous academics most times and Pelum is one of those schools. We have a strong tier one. We have uh inclusive classrooms. we have inclusive practices and there's a close partnerships between families and uh students and the school. So I'm going to pass it back to Shannon and we're going to talk about where the financial realities are for fellow. Thank you. >> Yep. So um on within the budget we have included as you've you've heard all of the these things before increases for staff based on uh the union contracts. We've had a big increase for our health insurance that's settled at 8 12%. We have some other operational increases. Um, and we've had some significant costs within special education this past year that I think we'll continue to see in FY27. Um, so this is the

008I'll try to zoom in a little bit. Um, this is the operating budget. So at the top we have the total salaries. um and the total costs for substitutes. And then we move into the expense lines. Um and I I mentioned this before, the reason why there is a decrease in special education um and an increase in other programs is the other programs is our um tuition or our school choice out. And we do um have a student that is choicing out of the district. Um one that is not a Pelum resident. So Pelum will ultimately be reimbursed for that cost. Um and then one that is um a Pelum resident and also charter is within um the charter expense is also within the special education. Um we have an increase in regular education and

009that's partly due to some of the I Ready curriculum um materials that have to be purchased and uh the PD around that. We did go through all of our expense lines and make some adjustments where we could like within our information systems which is it. Um, we do have an increase in our utilities to align with our actual spending trends that we were seeing and and then an increase as we move into year two of our transportation contract. Um, and like I mentioned before, an 8 12% increase for our health insurance. So when you take that um I'm going to come back to this town appropriated number of 1.9 million. Um, but we we took the estimate for chapter 70 on the cherry sheet and we placed that in here. The town is going to

010cover 35,000 of the charter student. There's only currently one student that we know of that's attending charter. Um, so it's $35,000 in the budget, but then the town's going to offset that with $35,000 of free cash. Uh we also have an an increase to our Medicaid reimbursement which is actually set up so um what we receive in reimbursement one year then we budget in the next year. So that also um does come from the town as well. And at this in this current budget, what's listed here, we have 500,000 of school choice um anticipated that's already been built in here. And then an estimate for rural school aid and rural reap grant funding as well. And you'll notice this has gone down um from a previous year and that is because we don't know how

011much it's going to be. And last year, rural school aid we thought was going to see a big increase, but then um they were talking about uh level funding it and then it ultimately received a decrease in funding. So we want to be conservative in in the event that we don't actually receive all of those funds. Um so with that um with this budget to be fully funded it would require Pelum to pay or to to um appropriate 1.9 million um to be level services. However, based on the town's guidance of um not receiving level services budget and instead they are going to level fund this 1.8 8 million that you see here is the same amount in FY25 based on that guidance which leaves a total gap of 109,000. So I'm I'm going to

012skip over a little bit of this um and I'm going to come down to what we're doing about this gap. So, at the recommendation of the school committee um or guidance, I would say uh they would like to bridge this funding using uh additional school choice money. Um and you'll notice this says 115,000 whereas the other the gap that I presented on the prior page was 109,000. And so we're increasing it slightly because we would like to have this budget addition. And this budget addition is um to increase the clerical staff at Pelum to 241 days. So it's not fully full year um but it moves them up from school year to partially full year I would say and allow work for over the summer. So right now Pelum um does not have a register

013and they currently um that registration process happens with the Amherst register and that person that historically has never been charged to am uh to Pelum. So that would be a 4% of their salary which has not happened and being that um the request has been to separate uh Pelum's um registration process separate from Amherst um we thought that increasing the number of days for this clerical person and allowing work over the summer and actually take on the task of being that registar that was needed for Pelum to separate that piece of Amherst. Um so that is with that included that brings us to the amount of school choice needed would be 115,000. Um and then this was just a little bit about what I spoke about before was aligning this with the school committee priorities

014um for both the increase in clerical and the um additional school f uh school choice funding. Um so that's what I have in terms of the um main operating budget. I will just touch really quick on our capital. So this is actually if you if this is posted on board docs um which is the more detailed information on the budget book. Um but if we scroll down here um we have the uh proposed FY27 capital projects which would be um refinishing the stage um a tree removal, repairing the front door, um repainting the cafeteria space and ongoing ADA needs. Um, so with that, I know there were um some other questions that came in uh in preparation for this. So I'm happy to address some of those now, Margaret, if you feel or if you

015wanted to wait and have questions um first or if you wanted me to speak about those things now. >> Um I think maybe first we should ask the committee if they have any clarifying. I what I think we should do is get clarifying questions um hear from the public and then bring that other information forward when the committee has its discussion. So with that um committee members do you have clarifying questions you'd like to ask? Sarah Bess. >> Thanks Margaret. Um my question is uh more general I guess than specific to this budget. Do we know what the town ended up proposing as budgetary increases to the other departments or did everyone stay level funded? The meeting that I attended uh all departments were told to present level funded budgets. I do not know ultimately

016what was presented by departments, but that was the instruction for all departments. >> Okay. Um I guess and then as a process question, we're not voting tonight on the budget. We're voting on the 7th. Correct. >> Correct. >> If we could have that information for the 7th, I would really appreciate that. If if so if all um departments in Pelum ended up being level funded >> or if after that initial presentation there was um a different recommendation if we could know what those percentages were that would be really super helpful. I would appreciate that. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Great. Thank you. And thank you Shannon and the team for working on this. It's great to see um some more meat with the budget. Well, these are opinions, so I'll just wait. Never mind.

017>> William, >> I was just going to ask so that uh on the next budget that we'd be voting on, the 115 would be worked into the budget and not be parcled out because right now it's 109 and then it's 115 actually for the revolving. >> Yeah. So it would be 115. So yes, when you get to actually voting the budget, it would be worked in, but at some point um like we don't want to make any more changes. If there is any additions, adjustments, or reductions, we want to make sure it calls it out and and that's what we did. So if there was something different, um between now and the next one, I would add it to the ads and cuts and make the decision. But if we're just moving forward with this

018plan for the April 7th meeting, then yes, it'll be woven in at that point. Rachel. >> Um I I think this maybe is also a process question. I just wanted to understand if we're voting by call center or total number by cost center is the word I meant to say. Um like how how are we voting on the budget? Just as we're hearing conversation and input from community, I'm trying to understand how we're thinking about the budget for our process. I think that's a Margaret question or a committee question. That might be a deliberation, not a clarification. >> Uh it it I don't think it's for deliberation. Um my I'm going to say something and then I see Sarah Bess's hand. My understanding is that in Pelum the budget is presented differently than it is

019at the region and Ammerst and that we vote on a final number. But if that's not Sarah Best, did you want to add something? >> Uh, we tried to talk about cost centers in the fall, I believe, at Pelum, and they were I don't think they were approved or voted on. So, I think this budget is a bottom number budget. And then if we want to do something different for our next year's budget, then we should think of that um >> be ahead of time. So this year is just a bottom line budget. >> Um for anyone listening, cost centers are se are effectively just just to clarify what I'm talking about for folks listening in. Cost centers are like um sections of the budget. So like areas of the budget that are determined with

020input from the school committee and administration. So that might be like a line of teacher salaries for example. Um I wanted to ask Tanya if you could just say out loud you've explained this in other case places but just for anyone who's newer listening can you explain what uh high need students refers to. >> Sure. Um high needs is a multi-faceted thing. So it could be um a combination of SC, low income, um multiple um MLE, it's a variety of things. So it's a composite of the individual subgroups that you might have. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Um and I just want to re reiterate Sarah Bess's question. I know we got it. What I heard in a last finance committee meeting was folks presented a level fund level funding funded budget but

021because but they may be receiving higher numbers than that. Um so that seems like important information for us as we're >> I I will find that out. I will have that for you all. William, >> I think those minutes are posted. So, I think we can it can be verified through their finance committee's meetings. >> Um, okay. Uh, I can do that, but I will also talk to John Tricky and find that out as well. Did do you have another question, William? >> No, no, that was all I was just gonna say. I think it's posted on their minutes. Okay. >> Answer to Sarah Best's question. >> Okay. So, I don't see any other hands with clarifying questions. So, um at this point, oh, Jenny, sorry. Uh I'm wondering, do we have somewhere in the

022budget or in other documentation um a cost per pupil average at Pelum? It's not in the budget book, but it is in or posted on Desi's website. Um, so that Desi has a financial section and there's a spot that says radar and when you go there, you can see all um comparison data. You can see the per pupil data on there and I'm happy to share the link as well. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. All right, I'm looking again. I don't see any hands. Um, so at this time would take comment from uh people who are attending the meeting. Megan, do you have do you see hands? Don't see hands. There are two written questions in the webinar chat. Um, I'm keeping an eye on hands, too. A hand did just go up. I

023don't know if you would like to take the person with their hand up or answer the questions in the chat first. Do you have a preference? So, well, I'm looking at them. So, I think Diana Epstein's question is the same one that Sarah Best asked, which is the question about level service versus level funding for other departments. Um, and can you please explain where Okay, so this is from Sarah Seagura. Can you please explain where the cost of the cameras falls in the budget and what that specific amount is? And I guess the question is, are there cameras in the fiscal year 27 budget? Because that's what we're talking about tonight. >> No. Um, not that I know of. Um, no, but those the cameras that are being referred to were already purchased. Not but

024that has not the 27 budget. >> Okay. So, Sarah, I think um that that's a topic that may come up at our April meeting, our April 7th meeting won't be forgotten. Uh, John Larson is asking, "Will the school hire someone to do the clerical work of registering or will that be added to a current staff member's job description?" >> So, that would be because we're adding additional days and am a salary amount to the current clerical person, it would be the responsibility of that clerical person. >> Okay. So, it wouldn't be hiring a new person. >> No. >> Okay. All right. Um, you do have a person with a hand up. Julio. >> Oh, Julio. Okay. >> I'm gonna allow you to talk now. >> Hi, Julio. >> Hi. >> Can you hear me? >>

025Yes. >> Um, and this is just questions related to the to the budget, not public comment, correct? >> Yes. Well, it's public comment about the fiscal year 27 budget. >> Oh, okay. I have a couple things about the report, but um about the explanation of the increased registar cost are with if we're going to itemize that, are we going to out um are we going to do outline costs for other central administration tasks that are for Pelum? Like for if we're saying $6,000, which is is that like for the for just the incoming class of p elementary kindergarteners? Like so we're paying we're paying six $6,000 for potentially 15 to 20 kids. Is that what we're trying to say? >> Well, registure Oh, I'm Margaret. May I responders? um it's it's less pelm sees less

026move in students but there can be movein students within other grade um within other grades and and also it's it's I guess I wouldn't just say it's solely registration of making sure students have sign have signed up but it's also a piece of the school choice um and processing that which is something that historically Amherst has always done um not not charging Pelum for um so there's that piece and then in terms of itemizing other central office staff most central office staff like myself like people within the business office HR the um the superintendent's office that are uh really active within all three districts do have 4% of their salary charged to Pelum um in some cases depending on what the nature of the job is uh the percent changes um depending But majority I'

027I'd say like 98% is 4% of their salary. >> Yeah. I just I just I'm concerned that you know we already have a high central admin and regional costs already and if we're going to itemize this are we going to itemize other things and see where we can cost save on those other spots too? >> Yeah. So, one thing I would like to mention is the so um and I'm going to say this broadly for all three districts and then I'll zero in on Pelum. For central office staff, we are 54% region, 42% Amherst, and then 4% Pelum. And that split ratio came from many years ago um based on enrollment at each of the districts to determine how much uh percentage of someone's salary should be charged. that was um what was used probably

028over 20 plus years ago. Um so if we were to look at the current enrollment now for the same configuration that we haven't changed um Pelum's percentage which would actually be around 6%. So it but we haven't changed that we've kept it the historical 54 42 4%. So I guess I I I don't know the answer of would is 4% you know should it be less than 4%. Based on enrollment the answer would be no. Um if there was another mechanism for determining that then uh we would have to revisit between all three districts. I guess my question is like who is on that 4% and then the yeah I'm concerned that there's a growing cost of Ammerst that we're a small school. So even if we're 8% it's still like the costs grow for

029Ammerst and we're absorbing that growth even though it's only like let's say 15 to 30 kids that come into our school. I I I just want to make that clear. I guess >> um I'm not sure if you wanted a response to that or if that was just a comment, but yes, I I do hear that. Um but it what has been happening is that Amherst was essentially covering the cost for Pelum's registration and being that uh since the superintendent has been in place and I've stepped into this role we're really trying to ensure that subsidation between the districts doesn't happen and our financials are clear for what is each district should be and is responsible for. Um so be if we're separating out um Pelum not being with Amherst for the registration process um

030then Pelum should you know I mean it should have been done a long time ago but Pelum should be paying for their clerical to do their registration to do their school choice um for their implementation of their curriculum and PD thing things of all of those sorts that we've been working Okay. Um, can I also talk about the report itself? >> Um, I think so. It's part of the presentation. >> Okay. Yeah. Um I guess I'm uh as I was reading the report the things the terms like pressures, supports and needs are not explained in a way that uh families and community community members need to make informed decisions. For example, like highquality support and services, but it doesn't say what those supports actually are or what they cost. And if we're going to be

031asked to invest in new services, we need to know specific positions, interventions, and price tags and how they differ from what Pelum already provides. And then um Pelum is praised for strong academic program, but it doesn't include any academic data. Um no comparisons, no growth metrics, and no plan for improving instruction in FY27. If Pelum is strong academically, and if improvement is needed, the data and plan should show it. And I guess we went over the $6,000. Um I guess the other thing is framing of school choice is incomplete. The current numbers 61 Pelum residents and 66 choice students is almost balanced. But more importantly, the long-term data shows that school choice has been a stabilizing force in Pelum for nearly 20 years. The graph presented by the district makes this clear. School choice enrollment

032has remained steady over time even as resident enrollment has fluctuated. This stability is what allowed Pelum to maintain viable class sizes, preserve programming, and keep Pelum Elementary functioning as a K- through6 school. It's difficult to understand why, without projections of FY28 and FY29, why school choice is being framed as a structural concern when the long-term trends suggest the opposite. And and the other thing about the report is attendance is included in the budget report. Even though our attendance rates are normal and absenteeism is not a budget driver, it's not clear how this information helps us understand the FY27 budget. And like my my main public comment that I wanted to say is the biggest challenges facing the town of Pelum are not inside Pelum Elementary. They come from outside forces that the report barely acknowledges.

033the statutory metrics used to calculate the regional assessment which dramatically inflate Pelum's required contribution and the limits of Proposition two and a half which cap the town's levy tax and restrict how revenue Pelum can raise each year. Together those two forces squeeze the town's appropriations to all services including Pelum Elementary. And if we don't address these structural issues, it we risk blaming the school for problems that originate in state formulas and state law. And that's the main thing that I wanted to say. >> Okay. Julio, I I just want to say some of some of your comments that issues about school choice and other things I think are not directly applicable to the fiscical year 27 budget discussion, but they are issues. I mean, I I hear what you're saying and I think >> the

034report was the report was showing it as if it it's an incomplete presentation for what they were presenting. It makes it seem as if it's a strain. >> All right, I hear you. Um, all right, Diana Epstein. >> Hi, Diana. Megan, >> can >> Yes, I can unmute her now. >> Thank you. >> You should be able to speak. >> I don't know. >> Thank you, Megan. Um, thanks for explaining that line item for the registar. That was what most of my questions were around. Can you explain a little more about how the registration for Pelum is being separated out and and when? Right now it looks like the online form for registration and school choice is just a singular form with a single contact person. I didn't walk through the entire form, but it

035looks like there's only one contact listed. >> Diana, um, you're asking about this year's registration. We're really talking about the next year's budget. So, um, these are questions that I think are going to be part of the agenda on April 4th. >> Okay. So, for this year, there is one registration process and one school choice process for both Ammerst and Pelum. >> I'm not in a position to answer that tonight. So, please come to the meeting on April 7th because those things are going to be on the agenda for April 7th. That's one of that's a regular school committee meeting. >> Okay. Okay. Well, then the note I'll make about about that 6,000 for the next year is that I hope that the plans for consistent communication, improved enrollment process, and strengthening outreach, as noted

036in the report, are clearly communicated to the community because right now, I think there's a lot of confusion around who owns school choice promotion and what who is responsible for what. So I hope if we're adding additional hours that that process is clear and you know executed in a way that everybody understands what's supposed to happen. >> Okay, >> that's all. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um and I see something in the chat. >> With the low registration rates for Pelum, how is the cost of additional clerical hours calculated? Um I I Shannon I I'm >> So what's happening here is it's the current employee is school year um not full year and we're adding additional days. So the calculation of that is based on the additional days. Um but it's not a complete full

037year position at 261 days. It's at 241 days. And so the increase from and I I cannot remember off the top of my head how many days is school year. Um I'm maybe Tanya or Jen remembers. I I know they do. >> Hi Shannon. >> 210 days. The increase is from 210 days to 241. Right. So, it's a total of 31 additional days and that will allow work through the summer whereas right now there is no clerical work during the summer. Um, and then we'll allow her to do or that clerical position to do the registration, the choice, the outreach, things of that sort. Okay. Thank you. Um, don't see anything else in the chat. Let me see. So, I see something in the chat from John Larson. I'm I'm having a hard time understanding.

038It's a comment. Okay. I think perhaps it's a comment, not a question. Um to Julio's point about how school choice is portrayed in the budget document here is the first bullet in the where pressures exist section. A small overall enrollment with only a portion of students residing in Pelum which impacts funding stability and long-term planning. So, I guess that was for Julio in the comment from John Larson. Um, okay. All right, then. I think it's time for us to move on to committee discussion. William, are you putting your hand up? It looks like another community member has her hand raised. >> Yeah, I see a hand. I was um I can ask her to unmute to determine if she's asking another question or if >> Yeah, I just had one more comment to make. >>

039Oh, hi Diana. >> Hi. Um just to you know the point of breaking out Julio made this point and I just sort of wanted to share my comments on it. If we're breaking out services that the central office was previously doing like registration, I would be interested to see what we are paying specifically like this like this was broken out for other services. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I see I see John's hand up also. >> Oh, thanks John. Megan, can you let John Larson in to speak? >> Yes, I am right now. >> Sorry, I clicked the wrong one. Hang on. >> There we go. >> Hi, John. >> John, you should be able to speak now. >> Thank Thanks, everybody. Uh, and thanks for uh all of the important discussion here. I just

040wanted to maybe add a little color to my comment in the chat, which is that uh the first bullet in the budget document when it talks about pressures on the district and the budget uh talks about how it doesn't mention choice kids, but it's basically the reverse. It's it's implying that choice kids are a problem because of the fluctuating enrollment of the residential population. So I I think it is I just wanted to point out very clearly that Julio's comment is like very clear in the in the pressures on the district or on the on the school budget discussion. And that is I think what he was trying to come at when it was saying how um choice students are uh portrayed in the document as a risk and a challenge when uh the rest

041of the actual data in the document is very clear that they've been a stabilizing force for a very long time in the in the Pelum school history. Thanks for the comment. >> Okay. Thank you, John. And also your um your written public comment is posted to the agenda. Thank you. >> All right. >> I do not see anyone further. >> Okay. Um then we're going to move on to committee discussion. Um who wants to start? William, thank you. >> I guess I'll start. Um, I took some notes, so let me see. Uh, I wanted to I guess this is asking a question. Com whatever. Um when Shannon you made uh the comment that the um we pay for 4% of the most of the district stuff and it if you really look at the numbers

042it should probably be 6%. Um I'm just curious if our enrollment is taking total enrollment or only town kids enrollment into consideration. Are you adding in the choice kids? Because in my opinion, Desi doesn't use the choice kids in their data. They only use the ones that reside in town. And then I think for the region, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but the region uses the rolling average of the four towns and the choice kids are not part of that. They would be totally separate. Um, so I'm just curious when you're doing the figures of it should be really be 6%. Is that taking in consideration just our town kids or is that including the choice kids too? >> Um I will I will get back to you on that. I have

043to go back to where I have that formula. Um and I and I'll say the the 5-year rolling average that's just for the assessment method. That's not for the to actual total kits. >> Yes. Right. Okay. Um just for clarification too my understanding is central administration includes HR, IT, um finance and the superintendent's office that th those four departments are all part of central administration. And then I haven't my another question I have is that I saw when I was going through the the documents that on one hand it says that the I ready IMATH the 19,000 20,000 whatever that charge was includes PD and another piece of information I saw that it doesn't include PD. So I was just curious which one it was because I saw conflicting um conflicting information about the PD

044piece on the I Ready and IMAP. >> Yep. Tanya, would you be able to answer that? >> All right. So, initially we had everything rolled in and then we took it out. So, the last document um if you notice the price was different. We took out the um cost of PD. So, that's why it's broken down on that sheet. It does not include this and this part is free because I think at the time um you all were talking about the cost like the price of it. So just made sure you can see the bottom line of what the curriculum not the extra the extras in it were. >> So there's no just to clarify there's no PD on the I Ready IMath in this budget >> and the budget I'm I'm not sure if

045what's numbers on the budget book but on the document that you all um the question list. >> Yes. We have $19,266 and this is based on pre-proed enrollment numbers and that's what we have in the budget. >> Okay. >> Right. But it just in the budget it says it's for PD and I think on the sheet it says it's not. >> I think the numbers are the same on >> Yeah. I think the reason was that that document um this piece on the in the budget is not updated to remove that. But I can I'll make sure that's removed. The PD piece is removed for the next one. >> But it's still 19,000. Still the same cost. It just does not include PD. >> Right. >> Okay. >> Thanks. >> I think I'm done for

046right this minute. >> Okay. >> Rachel's hand is up. >> Oh, I'm sorry, Rachel. Go ahead. >> No problem. Um, Tanya, a related I Ready question. I I read pretty closely and couldn't really fully understand this. Is that cost per pupil um or per h how how does I work? Like what might we expect if there were to be an increase of 20 students? Would that number go up significantly in the future or how does that work? Yeah. >> So there is a per pupil. Let me find the per pupil cost. And Stephanie, if you're online and you know that per >> and if you need if you need to look that up and get back to us, that's fine. But that would be helpful information. >> I have it somewhere. I'm just trying to

047see where it is. But yes, I will find that for you and get back to you. >> Great. >> Call. >> And this next question is not for Tanya, so it looks like you might almost be there. So, if you get it while I'm talking, >> um I we we had comment that really said this. I just really want to reiterate agreements with the with some of the comments we heard from John and Julio. Shannon, I really appreciate the um context that you shared around working to make sure that no district is subsidizing the work of another district at at the central office level. And I think it is important that that get done in a holistic way rather than starting um here. I understand we've got to start somewhere, but I share the concern

048that we heard from the public about starting with a single cost that will need to be on Pelum's balance. Um and would really like for us to find another way or to uh I I would really like for us to find another way to do that. It doesn't seem like a reasonable plan to me that that balancing start just with a single position um immediately. >> That is not a question. That is a comment. >> Okay. So that that is something we need to keep in mind when we start to talk about the budget for fiscal year 28, which would be our opportunity to change the way things are done. >> Yeah. Yeah. That's my that's my thought. If we're going to talk about um changing how individual charges are coming from the central office

049in that way, I think that needs to be done in a holistic way and we need the time. Shannon, I know we are asking quite a lot from you and that that can't happen in this kind of kind of time frame. Um but I do imagine it can for a year from now. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. >> Do you have anything now, William? You said you were done for them. >> Got a hand up. >> Yeah. I it it's for the the I Ready IMath stuff. Is it is that curriculum? I know it's when I I looked online. I think it's like 32 to $35 per child kind of thing, but it's IMAT and then also I Ready? Like it is like double the cost or whatever because we're doing two of them

050and not just one. Um is it for K and all the way through six that we're doing it? Yes, K through six. And there is the cost per like math. I think the math cost is Thank you. $50 per student um for two volumes and then $70 per student for six volumes. >> And by volumes, are those the consumables or is the consumables separate? >> Yes, ma'am. The six workbooks uh plus the personalized instructions. So like the um Rachel's nodding her head, but like the my my path all of those digital components as well and that's magnetic literacy and uh ready classroom math are the two curriculums that curriculum associates use that we use from there. The I Ready itself just to make sure I ready is just the platform like the data platform but

051the the curriculum itself is called magnetic literacy and then ready classroom map. Okay, Jenny. Um, yeah, I I'm trying to understand, Tanya. I know that we have been uh this is sort of a couple years now that we have been trying to integrate this curriculum within the school. Um, and we don't have yet, is it, is it accurate to say that we don't yet have kind of year-over-year data to show the impact of this new curriculum on the school? I feel like the last time we got a report, uh, that was the case, >> right? because at the time let's say I think it was in um last year uh there was only one um classroom using the uh piloting the reading um the magnetic at the time magnetic literacy and K so you don't

052have that information yet for um Pelum where you know in the other district several other classrooms were using it over time so but Pelum last year it was just the one and it was kindergarten if you remember you saw the kindergarten I ready um beginning and end of year, but you did everything else was blank. That's why. But this year, all the classrooms are using it. And uh William, that's probably where your question came from because last year it was only kindergarten for the reading. >> Mazelle is making sure you know it's first. >> First grade. Thank you, Miss Jazelle. First grade. Yes. Excellent job. >> Okay. And if I could just say thank you so much, Mr. for actually piloting last year. >> All right, I'm looking in all the corners. Sometimes those hands

053get lost in the in the background of the corners, but I don't think I see anymore. Oh, yes, Rachel. >> You didn't miss me. I just raised my hand. Um, Sarah, you're making me very nervous with your camera on while you drive. I'm just also need to say that out loud. Um, I >> I'm not driving. I'm passengering. >> Okay, great. Um, um, I think this is less of a this is also not a question. This is a comment that I want to like invite my colleagues on the school committee to consider. Um I looked back the meeting notes are not online from the finance committee that meeting that we're talking about but I received a summary from other people who did attend. Um, other departments are receiving level uh services, not level funding. And

054I would like to invite us to consider if we might want to increase our request from the town to what is on my mind is that in February when we last discussed increasing our use of the choice revolving fund, we were talking at 80 to 80 85 to 90k point. And I would like if our if if our dip into the choice fund remained at that level. Um I know Margaret, you're gonna find out more information definitively, but in in the next two weeks, I would invite all of us to think about what that might look like and how how we might navigate the next conversation and vote on the budget. >> Okay. All right. Shannon's hand is up. >> Hi Shannon. >> Hi. Um so if our next meeting um for the Pelum school

055committee is April 7th and I'm not sure if you if you all are meeting between now and then, but if um some direction guidance that you all would like to see so that I can prepare the budget vote information accordingly for that meeting. Um that would be helpful. Okay. Um, if we were going to consider whether we might ask the town to increase what they're giving us, that's going to have to be a discussion deliberation, which means we have to have a meeting. Um, it would be possible to have a meeting just for that topic. William, >> can we not discuss it tonight as a budget? >> We could discuss whether we want to ask for more, >> right? I mean, can we have we could give that guidance tonight to um I mean, because

056we're not giving the guidance to the town. We're not asking the town tonight. We would be asking the town through presenting them a budget that we vote on is how we ask the town, I think. So tonight we would we could just ask uh give direction to um Shannon on how to format the budget for our vote on our next meeting. >> Okay. I I see Sarah Bess's hand up too. >> Sarah Bess, >> can you hear me now? >> Yes. >> No. Okay, good. Um okay, so thank you. um Rachel for finding that. So yes, I would be very interested to know what our budget at level services would look like and what the cost differences between what is currently being presented verse what um level uh services would be for us not tapping

057into extra from our revolving choice fund. um keeping that at the steady I think it's 500,000 that's usually used or some number that sounds like that. Um and and then what that would look like. Um so thank you >> William. I was just going to say I think that number is already figured out for us, Sarah Best, because it's the 115,000. It was originally the 109, but now it's the 115,000. Um, so I I would I I was thinking in my head like to to be able to have a conversation about the increased cost from the 87,000 that we were presented in I think January, maybe it was February, I can't remember, to now this 115,000, which is like almost $30,000 increase that we would be dipping into our evolving fund. So, I was, you

058know, thinking that we maybe could um ask the town to meet that 30,000 extra, which would be like a 1.6% increase over last year's monies. Um, but I I guess I haven't figured it out, but I you know, obviously the less we have to dip into our revolving fund, the better, and we're already dipping in there 500,000. So, I could definitely get on board with what Sarah Best is saying is to take the whole 115,000 and put that into the ask, but I would have to see what percent increase that is over the the 1.8 million I think that were asking from last year. I don't I don't know what that percent is, but I certainly um I I I would not vote for this budget and us dipping the additional 30,000 into our revolving

059fund. Um, I would be prepared to vote uh yes on a budget that kept us at that 87,000. And certainly I would be very much for what Sarah Best is presenting, which is the um asking the town for the 115,000 more. >> So, are you saying two different things, William? >> I I'm saying that I I would not vote for the budget as presented today. >> Yes. I I would vote for a budget that I think Rachel was talking about which was the the 30,000 the difference from the 87 to the 115 which is like 30,000. So yeah requesting that I think it's the 1.8 million from town that's in the budget and then adding the 30,000 to that amount. >> Okay. But I really do like what Sarah Best is saying, which is offering

060um you know presenting a level funded >> a leveled service budget which I think it would be asking the town for an additional 115,000 over what we asked them for last year. >> That is correct. And it's a 6.5% increase over FY26. >> So in the light of that, I think that's the right thing to do for students. But I don't know if I could vote for that either. So, >> uh, 6.5%'s pretty high. >> 6.05% just >> 6.05. Anybody else have any comments about that? Uh, Rachel. Um, I don't want us to be in a situation of having our proposed budget denied. Um, and I think proposing that the town cover that much is likely to land us in that place. Um, and so I'm not usually the conservative voice among us, but um,

061my input is that we find somewhat of a middle middle ground there and increase our budget request to the town by somewhere between 20 and 28,000, which is what I'm seeing as the gap that that we have right now between that 87 and the current gap. Um, that is is one. Um I would welcome other input there. Um I did I do have the meeting minutes um from the meeting where finance committee said that they will be increasing the allocation to every department except the elementary school by 2 and a half% which comes to a total I'm reading really quickly so I think it's 18k it might be 16k um but somewhere in there which is obviously a lot less than 2.5% from the elementary school. So, with the knowledge that 2 and 12% from

062our budget is a whole lot more money than 2 and 12% from another department in our town, um I would like for us to be increasing at around 1% which I believe is around $20,000. And with a lot of respect to the work that was done to propose this increase to the registar, I I would like to see a budget without that included because I don't think we have enough information to be increasing central office costs like that at this time. Can I just add that the clerical at um Pelma Elementary School is uh not rolled up under central office. Thank you. Yeah. Yes. I guess we've been talking about it like that's part of central office but that's a pillon position, >> right? Okay. So, but so if that's like part of an effort

063to not be subsidizing costs from the central office, that still feels like the same conversation and >> I think it's no it's it's not sub being subsidized by the by the other districts Ammerstand. I understand. What I'm saying though is um if in the past registration was covered by the cost from the central office and we do not yet know with with the detail that our community is asking for what central office costs are are actually providing to >> Pelum. >> Um I don't think it is reasonable to now put that cost back into our school. That's my input there. Um, >> yeah. >> I also a, as we've heard, we're talking about, I think, in a very good year, 30 new students over the entire year joining the school. And so, $6,000 feels like

064a lot of money to be talking about for 30 students to have their documents reviewed and join and and be processed through a register. That feels like a whole lot of money for us to be talking about. I understand that it is a cost being transferred theoretically from the central office that was subsidized previously and now moving into the school and until we know what is being subsidized and what's not I don't think that that is a reasonable cost for us to pick up. >> Okay. So I would like to say I think we need more information. We need to know what all is involved in the registration process. Um I think that we need to know where the money for that is coming from. Um is it coming out of the Ammerst budget because

065we're combined with Ammerst right now or is it coming out of central office? I think we don't know the answer to that question. I think we need to find that out. And I and I I just want to add because there's so many discussions of what central office is, what central office isn't in terms of cost centers with um central administration. That's um the business office, HR, uh it actually on Pelen's budget, it is not included. So it's just HR business office and superintendent office but the registar in Amherst is under the family center and the student support services. So I guess it all depends of what you consider central office or um central administration and I feel like a lot of it's interchange. So maybe in our next meeting we can kind of or

066some org chart or something might be helpful to really explain who is who and a part of what. >> Yeah. I what I'm just saying though is that if if we're the what you were explaining was that the reason this is an increased pel cost is because it had previously been subsidized by the central office. And so if that is w with that as the case until we have full information on every single person that is being covered under Pelum's budget even at 4% um I that that is what my input is there. I I guess I've said my point. Sarah Bash um can't hear you. Can you hear me now? >> Yes. Okay, good. All right. Um, so I that's why I was I wasn't suggesting that the town cover the whole 115. I

067know that is a unreasonable ask which is why I was asking what the other what the increases to the other departments were so we can see possibilities of being in line with that. I do um I like what both uh Rachel and William presented as a around somewhere between one and one and 3/4% um additional ask. So that would be I would be very comfortable voting for a a budget along those lines. Um, I think it's also important to remember when we're talking about registration for kindergarten and school choice that um given how um the public and the committee has been invested in uh kindergarten registration this year as opposed to years in the past. So it to me what it sounds like is that we're asking for more and in order to have more

068it costs more. Um so that is how I'm thinking of that additional uh cost. Um so that would be yeah that's where I'm sitting with these things. Okay, Jenny, >> I'm just trying to get clarification because it sounds to me like what Shannon is saying is that that registar cost has never been covered by the central office. It's been covered by Ammerst and Ammerst is and now because we're saying we want to decouple ourselves from Ammerst, we are bearing that cost ourselves which I think is aligned with what Sarah Best is saying that we're asking for more so it's going to cost us more. So, I'm just trying to get clear on where that why are we facing that additional cost this year when we haven't ever had that cost in the past. Is it

069because we're asking for more or is it because that cost was being covered by Amherst in the assess? >> So, I think it's both. Um, it it was a clerical person um split between only between Amherst and region and not split on Pelum's budget at all. And there's the request to separate out Amherst and Pelum and their registration whereas it was always Amherst just added Pelum in and did their registration process. Um but without any charge to Pelum for that but if we're changing that process and we're doing more then Pelum's clerical should take on that role to do that. William. So to clarify that briefly before I get to my other question if Pelum clerical should cover that are are you I guess I want to clarify is that something that the clerical office

070like the and I don't know what their title is but the the the person who runs the the front area of Pelum is that something that that could be worked into there? um >> that's who would be doing it. >> Okay. So, the $6,000 is to supplement that position. >> It's not to supplement the regional. It's not to supplement the Ammerst person doing it. >> The 6,000 is to um have one of the Pelum employees take on more responsibilities. >> Correct. >> Okay. So I guess for me I would want to know I know Margaret said that that's for next year not this year but to me this like we are today starting registration and I understand that this budget cycle doesn't start paying for things until July. Mhm. >> Um, what would like I

071I I guess I'm just I'm just concerned that will we get I I I feel like we need more on the choice to get to to beef it up. And so will this bring us that do you think by spending the 6,000 uh for our clerical staff to do it in Pelum? Do you think that will be helpful um >> in terms Oh >> yeah, that's all >> in terms of helpful in getting more choice students. Is that the question? >> Yeah, for this coming for this budget cycle like I know the budget doesn't start paying till July, but >> yeah. right now it's my understanding that the current registration process um that it's not changing for the registration that's happening right now is not changing um to the clerical person at Pelum at this

072moment it would stay um with that person however do I believe that um it solely being in Pelum will increase school choice I think this person will be able to do more like outreach and that'll be part of their description in order to do that. Um, but I it is also separating Pelum from the Amherst application piece which has been asked um and so in the past the if students choose to attend Amherst for school choice um and they could pick options you know Pelum was listed as one of those options with doing this. So then we're separating that out. So then families and parents have to go directly to Pelum and not it won't be on Amherst they'll have to go to Pelum to and want to apply to Pelum to go to be

073school choice. Um so that's a difference that we'll see and I guess I don't know 100%. Um but the idea would that be that this person would be doing the registration and doing the more bigger outreach um for school choice. >> Then one last clarifying question. I understand that this budget starts in July. Is that correct? >> July one. So then could we expect that July one the registration will be separated starting July 1? >> I think so. I think there'll be some transitioning. Um but yes. >> Thank you >> Rachel. Um, my question wasn't about this, but I Shannon, how I don't mean to put you on the spot and you can say you really don't know. I'm confused how the registration could change midcycle and answer in like follow up to William's last

074question. So, at that point, I guess what I'm saying is right now for fiscal year 26, we are continuing as is. And there were I think you already had your school choice vote if I remember or maybe your it's upcoming. >> Yeah. Y >> um >> I'm not firm into the logistics of registration. I really don't touch it. I know some about school choice and I know a little bit about what this plan is, but to speak to all of the specifics is not my forte. Um I don't know if Tanya if you have anything you would like to add that could be helpful. Sure. Um so currently the way it works is Ammerst has uh Ammeris and Pelum are school choice together on one application in order left if a parent wanted to school

075choice into Ammeris they would not be able to submit their application unless they choose Pella. So whether they want to um >> submit to PEM when people are talking >> so yes Sarah best I just want to make sure you know you're on unmuted um but whether they wanted to school choice to Pelum or not they would have to select Pelum in order to complete their Ammeris application because it's all together so what happens now is there like this is the time once you vote the applications start and then in I'm looking at the and then in Um, the lottery happens, the school choice lottery happens and they get notifications the first week of July, but school choice doesn't actually officially close until October 1st. So people could keep applying if there were spaces. Now

076again, this is if there are spaces, >> but the process is available. And so when Shannon says July 1, it could still happen, you know, because you would still be school choicing. What would happen is it would be a separate pelum school choice so it would no longer be on Ammeris and so that choice application continues until October. >> Yeah, I think Tanya I think the question was more if if we if it's transitions from the person who currently does it to the clerical in Pelum in July. Is that if I'm understanding Rachel was that the question? Yeah, I'm just just like mid process transition seems complex. I think was maybe part of William's question as well. >> Well, and that's my point. So, it would be that you would have to have your process

077set up in time >> for it to be July 1, but that's what I'm saying. Right now, it's still on Ammer, so it's still pushed into that. So, if they change it, it would be basically starting another process. So, you would have to then let families know that to school choice you have to go to the PELMS for if you do it in July. But Mickey has her hand up and probably can add more uh clarification if there's something missing for you. >> Hi Mickey. >> Hi. Sorry. >> Okay. If if it does happen to be that it transfers to Pelum July 1st, then we would need I think the extra 6,000 that you're talking about would have to be um making sure we have an administrative assistant throughout the summer because right now we

078don't. We only have a couple of weeks. Um, and I don't know how, you know, I think Marquita is that person and she works maybe one week into July. Um, so that's where the challenge becomes. I do think that having it separate can be hard on Pelum. Um, I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that. Um because people can choose Pelum as a second choice if if they have their heart set on something in Ammerst as a first choice. Um but if we're moving separate, I think it would be great for Pelum to have like encourage people to apply both to Pelum and Ammerst if they're kind of in between Ammerst or Pelum. Does that make sense? >> Mickey, can I ask? So what you're saying is right now if somebody

079gets the application it has both Ammerst and Pelum and people can have a first choice and a second choice they can yeah they can choose one two three and four um right now um next year I think it'll go down to three because of the com combining of the two schools. Oh, okay. >> Um, but yeah, they used to label which one they wanted first, second, and third. So, we did get some school choice kiddos where Pelum was not their first choice, >> but because they didn't get into their first choice, they opted to come to Pelum. >> That's interesting piece of information. I had some more questions. Um, let me just see. Mickey, was that all? >> Um, yeah, I'm happy to answer other questions if >> Okay, thank you. Thank you for being

080here tonight, >> Tanya. >> Go ahead. >> When I I had I had a few questions kind of relevant here that got got off the rail. Um Tanya, I think you might be the most knowledgeable on this and I also think that some of this is under Marta, so thank you for filling in as much as you're able to. Um but I have some concern about when we're talking about things like registration and outreach. Um in my professional field, when we talk about outreach, we really make sure that the people doing outreach have marketing and communications professional skills. Um my understanding is that in many school districts that is also how outreach is run. it are the people that are in charge of outreach at for Ammerst for the for how choice and registration have

081been done until now including now um folks with some comm skills and is that something we would risk losing by putting that on Palum's admin support person who I don't believe that that's her area of expertise. So I I don't know everyone's >> sure >> but we do like the comms Seth's on now does work with that. Um but I'm not sure how that would go if you switched it like >> either way Seth is a central office employee and 4% of his um >> salary at this point is charged. So, he would certainly be able to assist with pushing out of information that he already does for all three districts. >> Okay. Um, that just feels relevant as we're as we're >> and and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use the name. Um,

082he's our climate and media specialist. >> Thank you. Yeah, that's helpful context to share. Um, I may have lost track of my last question and I >> Let let me go to um William and then we'll come back to you when you when you're ready, William. >> Um, so I was just going to ask, do we know if because I I don't know this like I don't know if Pelum ever maxes out their choice seats. Um, but I guess I would say does Ammerst max out their choice seats? Do we know >> by grade level in each place? >> I don't know the exact per grade level, but yes, they sometimes max out >> just because I think that if right right now it's easy because you go to one place and you can check

083off the box for, you know, Ammerst and Palum. Certainly if you know wherever these families are residing at, if they do not want to stay at their home school, I would assume that they probably would still go to Ammerst and then drive up the street to Palum and fill out the forms or maybe they're online. I don't I don't know. But >> it's it is there is online. Um but it's current where let's say the kindergarten this year was maxed out for Ammerst and then students came to Pelum as I think Nikki was trying to explain the second choice or their default choice um for it and then if let's say the seat opens up in Ammeris sometimes they go back to Amoris because that was their first choice and Mickey I'm not sure if

084your hand >> still or again >> I can um answer the question about whether we max out. In certain grades, we definitely max out. Um it in the older grades we often are have either maxed out or are already maxed out. Um this year was a little bit of an anonym I can't say it. >> anomaly. um in that we didn't fill first grade and kindergarten like we have in the past. Um but we have filled out all the other upper grades. So let me see if I can just summarize. So there are a couple of questions about how we want to proceed with the budget. One is do we want to ask the town for additional money? Do we want to present a budget that is asking for some additional funds? Um I guess

085the other is do we want to keep the 6,000 in the budget or do we want to take that out? Does that sort of summarize where we are at this point in time? Okay. Well, let's take the first one. And I I don't I don't know that we need to take a vote. I I guess I would ask for a show of hands on how many people think that we ought to ask the town for some additional money based on what we've learned about other departments. Um Okay, I'm Yes, I'm seeing hands that say yes should. So, the next question is what is that amount going to be? And we've had a suggestion of 30,000 20 to 20 28,000 1%. Anybody want to name a number? Could we do the other question first because that's

086gonna that's gonna I think that might dictate the number. >> Okay. >> Does that make does that make sense? >> Okay, that's fine. So about adding in keeping this the proposed 6,000 in the budget or not? William, >> I was just going to say for me, I would need to know more of a plan of how that 6,000 was going to benefit like what how it was going to look. Not maybe for this year, but like for the for the next year, you know, what what our investment of the 6,000 would look like. So for right now, without more information, I would say I would take that out and keep the outreach as is for this next budget cycle. >> So there would >> I had more information. >> So So that would mean keeping

087the process as it is this year. The process is starting that is starting now for registration and school choice stay as is and we look into this for the budget for the following year. >> Correct. Unless we can get more information like by our vote. >> So I guess I'm I'm on the fence I guess is what I'm saying right? You know. >> Okay. All right. Can I add one more question in this mix? Does anybody know has Ammer has Ammeris school committee voted whether they're accepting choice this coming year? >> My I asked my understanding was they were going to do that in April. >> They didn't vote. They are going to take it or they they're going to vote >> that they're going to vote. I can double I can con, you know,

088>> sure on that, but but when I asked Deb a couple weeks ago, she told me they were they would do the vote in April. I Tanya, do you by any chance know whether they did that? >> They didn't do it last um the night after the last meeting. They did not do it, but that was um up for the next agenda. When they did agenda planning at the end, they did mention it. >> Okay. Okay. So, no, we don't know. >> We don't know. We won't know that in time for this because I I am curious if they might not be taking choice in their transition year. Um, and if that would impact our situation. I'm sorry though to interrupt. >> That's that's a good question, William. >> I was just going to say

089that like when I look at other districts, say Beluretown, Northampton, they already have choice open. Um, and I know that we don't. So, like Ammerst hasn't voted on it. So, I feel like on one hand, our hands are tied by keeping it tied to Ammerst because then we're going to be on the Amoris timeline. Um, which I think historically been in like July. Um, >> May. They open in May. >> They open in May, but they don't you don't find anything out until July. If we did it on our own, we would I hope with more clarification from the from staff, like could we start the timeline more similar to what Northampton or Beluretown does, which I think they opened it up like last week or the week before. Um, you know, so like I

090think investing the 6,000 because we opened up our choice seats two weeks ago would be a I would much I I I could vote for that more so than we're going to pay the 6,000, but we're still going to be be on the same really late timeline of opening up choice compared to other districts. >> So So I guess I have a question. Um, part of this is I guess I wonder if we open up school choice now, is it really going to make a difference? Because school choice stays open and the lottery doesn't happen till the summer. >> Well, other schools do lotteryies like now before school gets out. Like there's not a deadline for the state to say when we have to have the lottery. So, like in the long run, if we

091paid this, if we paid the 6,000 and controlled it ourselves, could we marry ours more on what Beluretown or Northampton does, which is they open it up now and before school is out, they've already had like I think theirs theirs is in like May, I think, their their lotteryies. Um, they have multiple rounds of them, but they have their first ones very early. >> Okay. I Anybody else have a comment? I I'm a little concerned. I think we need to take into consideration um what Mickey's thoughts might be on this because she's going to be involved as the principal deciding how many slots will be open in what grades. and she may have some input for us since she's had some experience with the process. It Mickey, is that something you'd be willing to speak

092to? >> Sure. Um I I I don't see a problem with um opening it sooner um if I'm thinking of as many things as I should be thinking of. Um, we haven't because we haven't, as was mentioned, we've been doing it at the timeline that Ammerst has done theirs. Um, I agree with what Rachel said about outreach being done with some by someone who knows what they're doing. I have been feeling a little bit of pressure lately to do that and um finding that my time is not as ample to do that um because I'm still you know other than this week um doing all the other responsibilities I have. So, I I have been feeling like if someone else could take the charge on that, that would be great. Um, I do think that

093it would be fine to I if you were to open it earlier and close it earlier, that might leave less of a need for someone full-time over the summer. So Mickey, um, sorry, I should raise my hand. >> Go ahead, Rachel. >> Mickey, um, I'm not totally clear on your recommendation, but is your recommendation to be able to have that bit of money, but to use it to pay someone who has marketing expertise, is your recommendation to be able to extend the current administrator's year? Are you like, are you still thinking that over? But what what would you like to see if you could manage this? >> Um, well, I I do think opening up school choice earlier would help. Pelum, I think I'm not sure about the 6,000. This is the first I'm like

094hearing about it. So, I would have to I'm not great. I'm not a fast thinker. I have to think things through a little bit more. Um, I do think that most of my job over the summer is outreach to families who have submitted to the lottery, gotten letters saying they're accepted, but we haven't heard back from them. And I outreach a lot, and that probably brings us 50% more um students um by me doing that. I I don't know what's involved in the registration and the paperwork. Um so I need to learn more about that. I hope that answers >> Yeah. I'm just thinking back in February, one of the points of guidance that we made and that I I know I pushed on really specifically was to say that it would be helpful for

095the superintendent's office to identify what they might need to be able to do more outreach. What I would like to suggest is um that we do allocate that $6,000 but not so specifically to a role and rather to outreach. Um and that Mickey and the superintendent's office and the team be able to have the time to figure out what makes the most sense to do with that money to increase numbers most appropriately. That's sounding like the need you're expressing. Does that seem like a like a good read, Mickey? >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, I think so. >> Okay. I That to me sounds like a reasonable thing to do. Is anybody else? Um, I like that suggestion as well. >> I I have one question for Shannon about this. So, if we decided that we don't

096feel the need to have the to expand this position to year round for registration. Um, but we wanted to then look at what more we could do in in in marketing or whatever. Is that a cost that could be covered by say a donation from the PTO or something >> and not be included in this budget? like could we do a an outreach to the PTO to say, "Hey, can y'all raise, you know, $1,000, $2,000, whatever it would take to do a more robust outreach?" Is that something that we would be able to have fun? Like, if the families stepped up and would pay, is that something we could do? >> So, we can always accept donations for a specific cause for what somebody wants to donate it to and have that in a specific

097fund. Um the concerning thing that I have right now is um the regardless Pelum's registration has to be done and the the allocation of cost of who does it and what Pelum should pay is where if we don't apply this 6,000 we don't put give this work to the clerical then do we continue doing it as we have and if so then Pelum should be have a portion of that person's salary on their budget. So it sounds to me like we're getting school choice and registration hooked together in our in this discussion and I'm not sure that they really are. They're really two separate processes, not one. Is that is that correct, Mickey or Tanya? >> Yes. I mean, if if we're not paying Ammerst, someone in Ammerst to do registration or paying um full-time

098secretary over the summer, then it would fall on me. Um and I'm not sure what it entails, the registration. Um because that I'm I'm the only one working over the summer. So I do think we're combining them >> but also the registar does both school choice and um registration because school choice is a registration type of you're registering to go to a particular school. So the registar does both. So if there is not a registar I as Mickey said I assume it would be her but above my pay grade. I'm not really sure, but I'll but you should know that they're both the registar does both of those things even though they're unique two different systems. It they're both registration for school and it happens with the registar. >> Okay. Thank you for that clarification

099for me Tanya. >> You're welcome >> Mickey. >> Sorry I already said but I >> Oh, okay. All right. William, >> I was just going to say that like I I'm not I do not want to advocate for Ammerst to be subsidizing our registration. Um, so I would like to have information as to I and I don't know what the split would be because this is not a this would not be a split between the region Ammerst and Pelum. This would be a split between Ammerst and Pelum or that person who does the registar and I don't know if they're full-time only registar or if they have other duties that they do for Ammerst but whatever percent of their job is done on registration for Ammerst then I think we should look at like how

100many kids Ammerst has and how many kids we have and really look at what the cost would for us to share that employee for the registration of our students. And I, you know, it would be interesting to see what that number would look like, I guess. Um, you know, is that a $4,000 investment? Is that a $12,000 investment? I don't know. But I I would like to know if if we're using that one employee from I'm assuming it's one employee. I don't know. But if we're using, you know, the the person who does the registration for Ammerst, is that their only job? And if it is, then it you know, what percentage will we need to pay? I kind of would imagine that they have that job and other duties. And if they're not supporting

101Pelum with those other duties, then how much of their job is registration? And then could we parse out what we would need to pay to support that job? >> Um, I feel like we're really getting down into weeds here at this point in time and I'm not sure that that's information we're going to be able to get in a timely way. I guess I would just like to go back to what Rachel suggested, which is that we put the money, that 6,000 in the budget, and let the people who are going to be involved figure out the best way to use that to promote Pelum. And next, when it's time for the budget next year, we will have information so that we can say, "Nope, we're going to take that out. we don't we don't

102want to do that or yes that is something that worked. I guess that's how I feel about it. >> I'm just also think I'm thinking about what Shannon was just saying that that doesn't that doesn't um solve the problem of the the registar issue that the like >> um I do not mean this in any minimizing way but the like logistical data entry portion of the registar piece. Um, I would be curious, I don't think we need to know this now, but for longer term, how many students are registering over the summer, like outside of the time where we have an administrator in office? And could it be I is there a workaround there? Is perhaps something, Mickey, if if you're able when you're coming back for you to think about in terms of getting

103a budget for us to be able to vote on in another week. Um, and since I asked for us to like pull this out of order, um, I would like to suggest that we ask the town to increase their contribution to Pelum Elementary's budget by $25,000. That we um have two budgets in front of us, one with the $6,000 included and one without the $6,000 included. So that it does not seem to me like there's consensus on which way we want to go. And so this way when we reconvene on April 7th, we would be able to vote for one or the other and make a decision. >> Well, I um I don't know. I don't know. I know that's unorthodox, but that that's those are some of my suggestions. >> Okay. So, I guess

104I'd like to see a show of hands about whether or not to include that $6,000 this year. So, do people agree with adding in the $6,000? Could I see a show of hands? So, nobody wants to include it in the budget for this year. Nobody said yes. So, seems to me that's the recommendation that we don't include that in the budget. William, >> I just want to say I don't I would not recommend that Ammerst subsidize that position though. Like even though I don't want to have that 6,000 in the budget, I don't want to have the 6,000 in the budget the way it's presented and I would like to know what our costs are to support the person that's currently doing it. Shannon. >> Yes. >> What Rachel suggested about having two budgets in

105front of us assumes that we would have Well, there's a couple of possibilities. We have about a week and a half to our scheduled budget vote and we can't put that off. We have to we have to vote then so we can get the number to the town. um for the warrant. I'm sorry, my brain just lost it. Um it it sound Can I just It sounds like we possibly need three options and I'm happy to do all of them and we would have them by the 7th. One is a budget without the 6,000. One is a budget with the 6,000 as presented and one is a budget with the current registar and what percentage of their salary would be for them to continue doing it and if that's what you would like to see

106I'm happy to provide it. >> Yeah, I see a lot of nodding heads. Thank you for offering that. All right, so I think we're in agreement. Does $25,000 sound okay to everybody for an ask for the town? I'll get I'll get you. Can we figure out what the percentage is? I said that number really without doing the work I should have done. Sorry. >> And so somebody suggested 1% >> which should be like a little less than 20,000 I think because it's 1.8 million. So 1% more would be 18,000. >> That's correct. Um, and yeah, I can I have my little formulas in an Excel, so if you want to give me a percent, I'll pop it in and tell you. >> How about 1.25? Half of what the other departments are getting. >> Yeah,

107I like that. >> Um, 1.25 is 22,551. >> Yeah, let's go with I I would like >> Yep. Yeah, I see all the heads nodding. Okay. And then I wanted to quickly ask um does Shannon have a special restaurant that she likes to eat at with her family because maybe we should send some kudos to her for having to work so hard to do three more presentations for us by next week. >> Oh, you're too kind. But >> maybe you can drop that off somewhere. Drop some hints about what restaurants you like. >> Yeah. Well, thank you. >> Okay. All right. So, we are going to present a budget that has an additional 1.25% from the town and we're going to have the three options on the money for registration school choice. Anything else? I

108see no head shaking. No. Um, it's I just wanted to acknowledge I really appreciated the answers to all of the questions that we posed at the last meeting which um was a separate document attached to the agenda. We didn't really talk about it much tonight, but I know it required effort for folks to get all that information back to us. So, I just wanted to acknowledge that and and say thank you. >> Thank you. I I do think it helped with some of our conversation tonight to have that information in front of us. And yes, thank you to everybody who worked on that. There's a question in the chat. I know we typically wouldn't take them. I just wanted to make sure we're aware it's there. Yeah, these are comments from a school committee member.

109Yeah, I'm sorry. From a community member which are here for everybody to see. Okay. And >> and we'll get clarity in the next meeting on the status for choice at Ammerst also. >> Uh yeah, let me make a note for that one. on when they're going to vote. >> Yeah. Or if they magically have it in the next week and a half. >> Yes, I'll do that. Okay. Well, I think it was a really good discussion tonight. I really appreciate everybody's thinking about the issues and being willing to speak up about them. Um, and I think that's about it for tonight and we will come back together on April 7th and >> that meeting's in person. Yes. I just want to >> be an in-person meeting. Yes. >> Okay. Well, then I am going to

110move to adjourn tonight's meeting, the budget hearing. >> Second. >> Thank you. Uh, uh, William, >> yes. Rachel, >> yes. >> Sarah Bess, >> yes. >> Jenny, >> yes. >> And again, thank you to everybody else who is here. Thank you to the community members um who listened and who made comments and to all of the staff involved in putting all of this together. Thank you very much. And I say,