001Uh, good morning everyone. I'd like to call to order the Fuland County well Friday, January 24th, Fann County School Board Seminar Fi26 budget preparation. I'd like to call the meeting to order. Have a roll call, please. >> Here. here. >> All right. Can everybody stand for the pledge of allegiance on the flag of the moment of silence? Mr. Green, can you lead us, please? >> Alian to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it stands one nation under God, indivisible and justice for all. Please be seated. >> Right. On to the adoption of the agenda. Is there any changes to the agenda or would you like to keep it as is? >> The agenda is presented. >> Okay. I have a a motion to have a second. >> I'll second.
002>> All right. Thanks for second. Um, is there any discussion? Okay. All those in favor say I. >> I. All right. We have adoption of the agenda. All right. On the public comments, we're coming to the time in our meeting for public comments. I remind everyone that by policy only members of the community meaning residents of Fana Fana and staff county public schools may address the board unless you are legal council represent a group interest in in today's proceeding. We welcome all community members who are here to get information or opinions. We'll ask you come to podum tell us your name address and limit your comments to three minutes. We'll start with any names on the signup sheet, but welcome your input. If you sign up, go to the public comments. The board will not
003interact interact with you, but we will listen and appreciate your time. Is there anybody uh for public comments? All right. Seeing that nobody's here for public comments, we'll close that section. All right. On to reports. >> Okay. Uh Mr. Key members of the board, good morning. We have a lot of material for this morning. So, let me just tell you what's there and then we'll begin our conversation. Um, there's a PDF document that details some of the support positions that were referenced last Mr. Reed in particular that you mentioned. let let's get a high level view of what we think would be ideal where we are and so this kind of document stack has also included in a PDF slide deck called organizational structure that's actually started you don't go there yet but that includes
004that as well as some of the structural organizational components that we've been talking about for the past couple months few months the budget preparation document that we've used throughout about the details are uh enrollment trends, ADM per expenditures, all of those things are there in case we want to reference those we probably will. And then the uh salary study document is there as well. So all of these details are here. We'll kind of move in and out of these. There were changes that were made last night. We were notified at uh well if it matters 7:10 but last night we were notified there were changes amendments made to the governor's proposed budget and that is since that governed state revenue and that's one of the largest parts of what we anticipate and build our draft.
005Mrs. Grass was working on that last night and so there have been some adjustments made. All the documents are uh updated. I did send a note out this morning just to make sure people know if they see that we, you know, put something this morning. Want to make sure everybody understands why that is. It's not new documents so much as updated with any updated amount of revisions as a result of that that those. Okay. So with that um could we go to the is it easier to go to the shared slides and for me to operate from the shared slides or >> which whichever you prefer which >> I I probably prefer the slides so I use this >> the organizational this one. >> Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Uh so I've continued to meet
006in the schools to have conversations. I've now done block parties which as you know are small meetings with all staff members throughout the day in all the schools and we've basically been communicating engaging about three highle buckets of consideration that we haven't talked about here. One related to compensation we talked about the fact that go back the the fact that uh three years ago we compared ourselves to 13 divisions. We narrowed that to a subset of those that we felt like we truly competed within Louisa Charles. We looked at every step of every scale, every pay band, every position. Found that we were inordinately low, lower in some than others, but low across the board. Dead last in many. So the board had a very aggressive plan, worked with the county. We had we were
007able to take a big bite out of that. um we weren't able to close the gap in many cases because even though double digit increases were given that year and that is something to truly celebrate if we demonstrated that in order to be not fourth so kind of in the average range it would take 20ome% increase the 13% that many people got which is amazing wasn't the 20 that was needed to be average so um that same year increases were given where they could be in our in our neighboring divisions specifically. Uh they found themselves last in some areas and didn't want to do that for more than a year and they didn't. Um Alamar gave midyear increases that year to try to address that. So, we've talked about this just putting us on the
008same page that we're slipping back into last place. And so, we've been talking about the extent to which that is a focus that this board wants to place emphasis upon with investments. Last year, we were able also to address scale A and B that we had for teachers. And just for folks to work part of that conversation, everybody in 2010 and 11 uh during the economic downturn, everybody meaning all school divisions in Virginia had to make dramatic adjustments to deal with the sudden withholding of state revenue mid fiscal year. And so pretty much everybody had the same iteration of struggle with freezing salaries, dealing with the next year you got people moving step two, but you don't have a step two, step three, step four. So you have this insidious compression that becomes a part
009of the salary scales and everybody tried to deal with that in their own way. We had two scales. We had an A and a B, which meant we had two teachers teaching next to each other in the same building, could be the same course content, could be the same years of experience, but dramatically different salaries because of which uh and we were able to fix that. We did away with one, put everybody on the on the other one. So that these are all things to celebrate. But with regards to compensation, uh the governor includes a 3% raise. Um the wording of that is different every year. We don't know what it's going to be once the general assembly is finished. And sometimes in order to leverage the state funding that is their portion of that
010race, you have to give the three. Sometimes they will prorrate the state funding if you can only give two one. So that remains to be seen. Right now everything that we see from the state is a 3% raise and everything I hear from my colleagues whatever this is worth they're in the same place we are. To the extent that I can say confidently to my colleagues, what we're looking at in terms of a raise, they're in the same boat. But what I hear is pretty much everybody moving towards 3% the exception Charlott was pretty telling. I think everybody at the table um lost their mind a little bit at thinking about a 5% raise for um kind of in your county or shared staff. We can only do three of them. So compensation, I won't
011bel that point but have plenty of time to talk about it. The second related is uh the cost of health insurance, the increasing cost, the extent to which the board would want to continue to absorb increased costs. Our premiums are high. They're not sustainable for many of our staff depending on which plan they're on. Family plan for a teacher is $1,100 a month. It's not really doable for many teachers, many staff members. And so for the past three years, as those costs have increased, and they have every year, insurance has gone up. The board has decided to absorb increase the operating budget uh make space in the operating budget for whatever is needed to not pass any of that off to staff. So hasn't been lowered for staff but has not gone up for staff.
012We've been able to address salaries and keep those costs uh level which has been very positive. This year we've been told to initially told to anticipate a 12% increase which we've modeled in the in the budget spreadsheet that Mr. Grass was going to walk through with you. Um yesterday you okay so yesterday she was told I think you can anticipate maybe closer to 10 that that's in the positive direction but still 10% increase and still an increase that would cost more than half million dollars if we were going to absorb that and pass it off to teachers. Um, I'll pause here for a minute and just tell you the conversations I've had with teachers and they've been not just teachers, staff members in in those meetings, majority teachers. Uh, they they've been very engaged, very
013forthcoming, and I think have really expressed appreciation for being brought to the table in that way, be able to to give their opinions about the things. And as you would imagine and and they all say this and it's evident to feedback. My opinion on what you should do with insurance and salaries is very much dependent on what stage of life I'm in, what my personal considerations are. So it's very hard for me to tell you quantitatively. majority of staff feel discriminated with that. Um is is it more important to keep health insurance costs down or to keep salaries competitive? And the answer is yes. That that's that's just the truth. The one thing that we've talked about that I'll just remind everybody is that um while an increase in premiums and an increase in pay,
014the delta of that, depending on what those increases are, impact take-home pay in a way that can be very difficult. Any increases to salary do affect retirement benefits, right? So, I do want to just make sure we're all on the same page with that. Whereas maintaining level premiums impacts taking home not telling you which one is one does impact retirement which everybody will have employees. And then the third bucket is related to people and programs. We've talked about the positions that uh we have continue to fund with federal grant funding through the extra funding, the expiration of that funding and the ability to leverage the all-in funding that the governor has provided. And as those things sunset and changes happen with the literacy act and friendly student leads, student account uh the school accountability model
015that the state has decided upon. Finally, what we're going to be held held accountable for and how we're going to be accredited. There are several positions that are critically needed that also help a price tag consider. So those three buckets and I I don't want to just minimize that third bucket to those positions because there are other positions all the schools have expressed dramatically through the survey through my conversations with them our conversations with them and each level is a little bit different but some iteration of we we desperately need help with managing addressing intervening uh unprecedented student mental health needs and student behaviors looks different when it's primary age kids than it does when they're 17 year olds. But that's clear. So having said that uh before we jump into talking about the looking
016at the spreadsheet and looking at some of the you know specific things that you want to talk through let me just revisit let me revisit with you What do I need to do about it? It may be easier to log into Go ahead and go to the next one. >> Not every day you get an eater on here for help desk level one. >> Some of these uh so you have this. >> Yes. >> Some of it might might be a little difficult to see on screen. So this is just a reminder. Okay. Before 2011, is this the first one? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, before 2011 and in 2011, several positions were eliminated and there was a reduction in force at the let's say the leadership level, although there were coordinator level positions as
017well. Next slide. Okay. So, that's what it looked like. Those are just reversed. Next slide. Again in 2017 there were further reductions that were made at the leadership level and at each one of these you can go to the next slide. Uh Dr. struggling. >> We we went through this obviously a couple of months ago in detail and these slides are available if anybody wants to access them. But essentially in both the instructional and the operational bucket, there was diminished support. There was a reduction in the academic level interventionist specialists that were working in schools to support teachers. You go to the next slide. So just reminding everybody that this happened and our structure has not recovered from that. Now ideally next slide what we would have this is in response to essentially you guys
018asking me like what what should it look like? Now the reality is I I don't think there is one golden organizational structure that is the best. A lot of that depends. I I do think there there is a general structure that is ideal but specifically how many directors, how many coordinators, how many supervisors in what areas I think a lot of that depends especially in a small rural division uh on every one of these has a domino effect and the extent to which you want to have more robust leadership in one area depends on the lack of robust leadership in another area And in small rural places, we try very hard not to do this. But the reality is because all of these functions need to be addressed. And these are just the highlevel functions
019in each of these areas. Um, positions often grow around people, which is part of what's what's forcing this conversation is that one of those people who've been here for decades and positions have grown around her is exiting. And so we have a position that is very uniquely fit to somebody that it is not the kind of position we just go out to the market and try to find another exact person like this. And that's true of all. So what this would look like is essentially one level of the organization devoted to instruction and one level devoted to business operations, administration, however you want to refer to that. And so I I won't read this to you, but basically robust leadership that addresses support and and direction for elementary and secondary instruction. Now, right now, we're
020accomplishing that with uh Mrs. Grasser, who has a background in secondary instruction, and Mrs. Sores has a background in elementary instruction. They're doing a thousand other things, but that's kind of how we're saying these things are addressed in our organization right now. Ideally, exceptional education would be our vision. Special education being part of that and gifted education being part of that. Right now, we really don't have robust leadership and focus on gifted education. At the secondary level, what we have is govern. And that's great for those students who go to the other state. But I think if you will find in other divisions where there is more dedicated support for gifted education, there are students who are identified gifted and make their way through our grades and by the time they get to high school,
021unless there are teachers that specifically will differentiate for them, there's really not there's not a dedicated programmatic support for those folks. And I have heard that expressed in our community from some parents. Um so right now we have robust leadership in special education. I think the most ideal would be for us to look at that as exceptional education. IDA covers both ends of that spectrum and for a reason. Uh career and tech education, student services, student services kind of bleeds over into both, but that's where we talk about uh supporting homeless students, foster care students, student discipline, all of that. alternative education, which as you know is taking on a completely different face as we move through, I guess I would just say this the the changing demographic of students and families that we're serving.
022The traditional one-sizefits-all model of school and high school uh doesn't work for all kids anymore, and it hasn't for quite a while. And divisions have been trying to address this for frankly decades. But it's continuing to change and we're continuing to find it. There are students who thrive in more flexible environments, environments that are uh more personalized what students need instead of asking all students to become square to fit through a square hole that we design programs that meet students where they are. So our our need to be adaptive there and to have robust leadership in that field I think is great. Uh we've talked about the academic support specialists. That's part of what we're dealing with in next year's budget and literacy and math. We have no support in social studies and science. Haven't
023for quite some time. Um assessment, accountability, state reporting, mental health, attendance. We we talked about all these things. Basically what I want to show you is I think this is where we need a robust structure of leadership to support and advance these things. technology moves across the spectrum because you have instructional technology and what that looks like in the classroom and supporting teachers and then you have the what I'm calling the operations side of of technology software infrastructure data cyber security and then we've talked about communications and public relations I have a couple of slides dedicated to that so I'll kind of reserve that but is that instruction is that operations I think that's just general work on behalf of the school vision. Same thing is true on the other side finance. You can see
024the things that are there right now. I mean, if you if you look at you just the county which is uh I don't mean for this to be a comparison so much as just to give us a context a much smaller organization um that that has people dedicated to procurement. we we don't have any of that. And there's so many laws and regulations attached to the way school divisions procure things and purchase it. That's just one example of the kind of thing that is very highly regulated, but it's just kind of being parsed out with people at this point with the hopes that it's done well and it has been done. Same thing is true on the HR side. We don't have anybody dedicated to that. that's been tacked on over the years as those
025positions have been eliminated to existing leaders and our ability to recruit and onboard and support staff is probably I I don't want to start saying which one's more important because the reality is the one that's most important is the one that's being litigated maybe I mean and all of them are are are highly regulated but that's where our focus is we have somebody dedicated to lure that in and of itself is a full-time job and I applaud the board for working two years ago to advance that from a secretarial position to a coordinator position where it should be. Um but that that is an area that needs to be really supported by somebody who's wellversed in personnel regulation and uh and title nine and so many of those things. So, benefits, workers comp kind of
026goes across finance and human resources and I'll let you take in the rest. I don't need to read it to you. This to me is the ideal structure. The way I would assign which one's a director and which one's a a coordinator would depend on a lot of different things. And basically, if you go back to I'm not asking to do this. If you go back to the structure of this organization 2011, that's where we have minus the communications. See that? Yes. Just kind of a I hope I'll phrase this question correctly. How many years behind are we with our current structure versus where like in the optimally structured school system would be on that chart like our and I I'll add to this our schools are awesome at doing what we absolutely >> do
027with what we have but if that's ideal how many years behind would we say county public schools is basically saying like we're operating in the past because right now I'm hearing we're at least 14 years behind because we never caught up from the 2011 rift. >> I I think that's true. I mean I think that's evident in terms of positions. I probably want to think about that before I I signed yours. One thing that comes to mind is I think it was my first year here which would have been fiscal one. Hey, my first year here, the board worked really hard to maintain a grant funding. We used grant funding before I got here to put a fourth ITRT in place, instructional technology resource teacher. And that person was dedicated to high school. And if
028you guys remember, those of you that were on the board, we we worked really hard to keep that position, right? So every school had a dedicated ITR. We did that next door in Houston in 2008. And the year that we were trying to keep that fourth ITRT to make sure every school had one. Other school divisions had those and were assigning instructional coaches, the technology resource teachers, instructional coaches. which is why the the spreadsheet that Miss Sora shared u in the last meeting showed that some of our neighbors, you know, have have a lot using the term robust a lot, but just they have a lot of support in that regard and Fluana does not it's you know Jim Collins good to great you confront the brutal facts. I'm not even assigning I'm not opining
029on it. I just the facts are we don't have that support. We did but we don't. Um okay, next slide just for reference because I've been asked this. This is what you see in PUA and I I'm not going to read this to you but you've got two assistant superintendents. One devoted to instruction, one to they call it administration. You can see what they're doing over there. And then look at all the division coordinator level positions and director level positions. We have a supervisor of transportation. There's a director of transportation. Same thing with again I won't read all that to you. This is just you can refer to it later. Next slide. This is Charlottesville. Same thing. Look at all the director level positions to advance areas that we we don't have anybody. We really
030don't have even those departments in some cases. And there are folks who have stepped up and and are trying to meet the needs to address those things. Next slide. This is orange. never know, you know, who presented. I But again, just frame of reference, I noticed this was going to be too small, so I just blew those up just so you could see. Um, executive director and director level support. And then beneath all of those, if you can't see, it's too small. There's a lot of support there. And I I guess what I say I'm trying to paint a real picture, but um the reality is, you know, I when you show up at a bike race, I mean, I you only need two wheels to ride, but you know, Fla is not showing up
031with the same kind of bike. And I think you do get to a place where it it's it's not a competi in my mind. It's not a competition. Now, with regards to competing for the the shrinking pool of teachers, that's hard to not look at that as a competition. But do I want our kids to outperform kids over the border in Buckingham? I want those kids to do well, too. Just like I would say to folks in Louisiana, we don't have kids in our schools. Our schools should be providing a benefit that's tangible to you. Not just you have kids in our schools. It behooves you for the the kids that are going to be a part of this community to be well educated and well supported. The same thing is true of me of
032kids, you know, in in Southwest Virginia or Loud County. So, it's not that I don't want them to do well so we can shine, but I think you do get to a point where you're showing up to the bike race with a different kind of bike and one that really does not function the same way. But there is an extent to where you you really can't compete with a tricycle. And I think we just have to be careful. I I've put I've put what I think would be ideal in terms of positions that would support the work that we would do here. And I think I would eat up too much of our time for me to go through each one of these. And uh we we've consulted on this. I appreciate leaders that have
033helped me put this together. But this slide, the next slide shows the way I think we are and could accomplish appropriately addressing all of these different areas. The next slide. A lot of these things now are being kind of absorbed. But what it sounds like is the schools have saved the county millions and millions and millions of dollars since 2011. >> I think that's >> by not and I I say this not to take a shot of anybody, but when I say by not investing in the school more to have this this part is business right here. This is how you build out an organization that directly impacts the product which we have as education. We've saved the county millions and millions and millions of dollars since without a whole lot of the investment coming
034back. I I I think that's accurate and uh you know every year we've had a big focus together. We've talked about this. I mean some of this is subjective on my part. I come to a new place and I start to just kind of view it through my lens and with my experiences. But um I think you take I think I think we we paint the whole picture. What does it look like in other divisions? That in and of itself is not a reason for us to do it. But I do think it's telling when everyone has the same sort of structure. There's a reason for that. Um, at the end of the day, in my mind, Lana needs to decide what kind of bike it wants us to ride. That's it. I And the
035feedback I get from folks when I'm in the schools and from teachers is there are some high expectations for some excellence. And I think that um I think there are some missed opportunities there. I guess I'll just leave it at that. Um, next slide. I can't remember what it is, but Oh, okay. We We'll get to this one. I I painted all that for you because when we get to the spreadsheet, you know, the the the budget worksheet that we use has things that are above the line and they're part of that delta. And then we have things below the line. We can move up. And you know, I didn't include everything above the line. I put some things in there and I'm going to try to explain how they address what I think would
036be the ideal structure. We candidly we've not built a worksheet that reflects what I think is the ideal structure. We can do that today, but that's not what I did. But some things in there and again we'll get to that. I want to just run through this quickly and um we've spent some time making sure everybody knows what attendance interventionists do, what our academic interventions do. I just want to put this on your radar. We've talked about this. I've never really taken the time to walk through why I think this is important. This is an author named John Gordon. I think there's avoiding communication negativity built. We've all experienced that. No question. Um next slide. So, our ability to to be clear and consistent is important. The more clear and consistent we are with pushing
037out communication, the more people trust and have confidence in in what we're doing and what we say. It builds cohesion. And then finally, our ability to be proactive to get out in front of not just negativity because sometimes negativity might be warranted but that to get out in front of misinformation to get out in front of speculation that would that to me is our goal. And so it's going to kind of fly through that. You can see here if we could onboard a position like every other division has dedicated to communications, public information, whatever you want to call it. What I've modeled in the spreadsheet is a teacher contract. I I don't think the person that does this in Louisiana is not a teacher contract, but I'm just starting somewhere. These are just some ideas
038that I'm telling you that we could realize that nobody right now on the leadership structure with construction in h is now can do this without letting some of those other balls dry videos weekly highlighting the things that are happening in our schools. Everything that I see that comes from next door and this is not I don't mean this to be us versus Louis either. They they get they're promoted a lot because they promote themselves a lot and all those things. The thing that was on the Today show a couple months ago. We're doing that and people don't know we're doing it. Every year during the budget season I get comments that say you guys should go solar. We've been solar for four years. All of our schools powered by solar. We're paying less for electricity
039than we would have been if we didn't do that. And nobody knows that. I won't say no one, but our ability to push out those stories, manage the social media accounts. We have people that do that now and they do a great job. What if somebody could do all of it and not just Facebook, but all the other places where people are? Um, I won't read these to you, but I think I think this is an important thing for us to consider moving forward. What benefits? I think we could greater. This is part of our strategic plan is engaging our community in the life of our schools. This would be a way that we could really do that. Create buy in around the things that we want to do because people would know about it.
040They would understand it. They'd have positive connection to our schools. I know that some of you I'm speaking your language. You've been talking about this. Uh building pride in our schools, showcasing all the things that we're doing. consistent, timely communication across all the different people. I don't have Instagram. I don't have Twitter anymore. I, you know, that's where people are. We need to be meeting people where they are. Um, and it would create space for leadership to do the things that I'm hearing that people want us to be doing. When I go into the schools, right, I want leadership that's engaged in instruction, helping me in my classroom, looking at what's going on, also a discipline handled in a timely way. You got a skeleton group. Can't do all of that. Okay. Uh I'm just
041simply saying if we could be the first ones to tell our story, I think our community would respond very positively. Next slide. We won't click on these, but I will tell you we go back to the slides. Every one of these if you click on it opens up to a space. Now, just using Louisa as an example because they're close by. We're connected to them and they're doing an amazing job with this. >> You know, if they have students helping with this content, that's a whole different area. >> You can see examples in there. Yeah. >> I mean, like helping create the content. >> Yes. that if you go to the uh if you go to the YouTube channel, you'll see a lot of student created content. Yeah. And I can't tell you I even
042know the extent to which they are. >> Yeah. >> But it's across the board. It's again, we don't have time to go into all that, but I encourage you to look. Just look. There's no reason that we couldn't be doing those same things. And just about everything that you'll see in there that's generating all that positive support, we have. It's already going on. Okay, so back to this uh what you're going to see in the spreadsheet are some elements of this that we've modeled for you to just consider. There are some uh if if you want to look at, you know, my recommendation for what we would do with some of these that maybe aren't in the spreadsheet. We can put them in. We have placeholder figures that we can use. Um, I do want
043to give Miss Sorz and Miss Grasser, and I'm happy to jump in, but some time to walk you through a very pointed question that you asked last time, which was as we talk about how many math interventionists and how many specialists and how many what would it look like if we had the idea? What if we could just write our own ticket with that? And so, this next slide, I'll invite Miss Sorz to come up and maybe walk us through some of that. And again, it's hard to see, but probably you want us to blow up any of these areas we can pretty much most of this information was shared uh last month just in a different format, but I agree it's I think it's a lot clearer. You can see it just on one
044chart and sort of for comparison. So, um, from last month's, you know, there are the the SOS legislation requirements and, uh, staffing based on student enrollment that, um, some of the areas have requirements around and some don't. Um, so, um, we looked at here's what our current staffing is and what's highlighted in green is what's currently being funded by the all-in positions. And then the the two new things are, um, required staffing based on our current enrollment. Um so what we're currently required to have and uh we are currently meeting all of those. Um there is a new proposed change for MAP requirements but um it has not passed yet and um even if it does pass this year uh we have till FY28 before we have to um completely have phased it in. So
045so we do have some time with that. And then um there was the request for the ideal staffing to meet those needs based on um research best practice um in terms of position and grades span. So I worked with my instructional team um and Caitlyn's mental health team to kind of um compile what that would look like. So if you want some time to just take it in. I'm happy to answer any questions. Um, and then tried to provide a little um column of of of pluses mostly of, you know, what's the difference if all of our current staffing if that current staffing column was fully funded for next year um and some are all in positions and some are not, what would be the the difference? And you can see right now, you know,
046for division literacy specialists, we have one at elementary, one at secondary, it's working very well. Um, and and so, um, the net cost or is zero, there wouldn't be a difference. Uh, whereas right now, uh, we have only one math specialist at the division level serving all of K12. And if we could um go back to a a way that mirrors literacy um and add one to kind of designate elementary and secondary that that would be ideal. So you can see that column of how many um positions um would be needed to get us to ideal in addition to what our current is. So in total for the ideal structure and granted yes this is taking into consideration some of these with all in funding we are just shy of $2 million and again when
047I say this I want to preface it with we're doing a great job of what we have but we're roughly $2 million short of the ideal structure of how to run blue county public schools with these certain positions so ballpark 14 years behind and 2 million What I'm trying to do is you probably can see this by now, show how far behind we are compared to, and I look at it as a direct competition to our neighbors to our closest competition. So, am I understanding that correctly? Like we're roughly $2 million of funding each year behind in these specific areas if they were to be fully funded with the operational budget >> and right instead. And I'm sure the ideals maybe have changed over the years. I I think I've been in the division over
04820 years and well longer even as a student, but uh you know I think it's always been a point of pride for us to be able to do more with less. But I think um you know and still be able to provide our our students and families same opportunities as as neighboring divisions. But um I think we we are getting to a point just with increased need that um it it is definitely becoming a struggle to to keep to keep up and not in a competitive way but just to keep up with uh providing our students what they need. So >> can I clarify this? Um is so we've got this retain all the positions for 731 and then additional cost for staffing. is that it that you sum those numbers if we wanted to
049have the ideal or is the ideal 1.2 two >> uh so it's an and so uh the retention of those positions would be of our current staffing and I don't have that sheet in front of me right now but I believe it was 731 >> um uh and it can be offset with I think about 368 that we can carry over remember our all-in spending plan took us through into FY26 so there there is some money so serve that offset so I guess it's more like 400 and some thousand but yes that's 400,000 And if you want to get that to that ideal staffing with the 11 pluses off to the side, that would be the that would be [Music] >> Oh, thank you. >> Yeah, >> I mean that's what I'm reading. I just
050got reading that. >> Move it up a >> I was trying to adjust that. Um I can't figure out >> it's okay. Thank you for for the time. So yeah, that the >> I just wanted to make sure they were additive and not >> they are additive, >> not inclusive, right? >> Yeah, >> we double check triple check that. >> Yeah, I guess the only thing would be to take in account what we can carry over next year to help offset some of that 7:30. The the the other thing to say in in light of what we're talking about is uh you know are these expenditures that we have not asked for impacting the county? Sure they are. But let's not forget that in 2010, the general assembly saved just under a million dollars in
051revenue that was due to and that has remained in place ever since that one time alary emergency we got to do this this year has been done. So it's >> that is continuing to impact us too. And we did do a fair amount of work to make sure, you know, with all the the CO monies that we were scaling back each year so that we didn't find ourselves right in a guess it's referred to as that funding clip from from CO. Um but then these I mean this is kind of what remains from from all of those monies that just kept coming up again and again in terms of when we look at um needs uh that you know when we were last well the year before last year trying to figure out what we
052were going to do and then we you know we got the all-in money. It just made sense to these were still a need to to use those funds to support that. Yeah, we probably should. Let let me just pause though. I mean that that was a lot. Are there questions or comments or any reaction discussion you want to have before we move on to the next >> and again that that ideal probably is you know 11 years of trying to catch up. I personally, if you were to ask my opinion, I don't know that that's, you know, something that it could be accomplished in one in one year or I don't think that's anybody's expectations. Um, I personally think that the place to start would be those areas and bring that, you know, again, it's
053$731,000. we can offset um you know half of it with carryover money but then that still leaves about 400,000 of it that would be new money to keep all of those angry. >> Yeah. I mean fundamentally that's just pushing the the spending cliff one year out or half of it which is better than nothing. >> Sorry I think Mr. I was going to say we're kind of I'm a marketing brain. We're kind of operating off of a nickel marketing budget versus a dollar marketing budget. >> When you look and still trying to get the same result, you know, we're trying to sell water bottles, but if we have five cents a day to spend and our competitor has a dollar to spend, you're going to get your results you're going to get. And I think
054we're crushing it for our county with what we have. But yeah, I just want to make that very clear. But like we're getting almost two decades behind here if you look at it that way. Thank you. So we've got the budget preparation document that has all the details about enrollment for pupils um special education numbers. I'm inclined to say let's maybe start looking at the budget portion unless there are board members who want to revisit any of those concepts and look at them and talk about them. There's no changes there. >> Sorry, which concepts? >> Any of the any of the topics that are in that budget preparation kind of bigger document that we use throughout the process? Enrollment, salary, the salary study. you want to go back and revisit any of those figures or
055look at any of the specific scales any information I I don't want to take you through don't want to be redundant but if there are any of those that you'd like to look at we have available otherwise we can jump right to the worksheet and look at the impact >> I say jump straight to the worksheet >> yeah I'm happy with that I'll like you know our conversation so far has been remarkably sobering Right. I think that we've demonstrated that over the last 10, 15 years that we've effectively lost support and aid for our students and have grappled with limited funds and not been able to bring back and maintain a level of care and service to our kids. And it's it's quite awful to see and it's quite awful to try to dig out
056of a 15-year hole. Now granted, like I want to recognize the fact that the county has been great partners to us um especially over the last couple years and we all know we had a big year a couple years ago in terms of taking care of staff salaries and and adding some positions. But um I think all of this um we should find a way to really share with our partners and if it if these are the things that we want to spend our time on during our our budget session or if these are the things that we want to bring forward or or have I know that some of our colleagues here meet with the board of supervisors at least the chair and uh perhaps one other member like this is great f for
057that conversation because you know the board of consers have a lot on their plate and I don't think they routinely experience or confront this level of data and so it's hard for them to know what's happening in our building but I think that the staff have put together a remarkable blueprint for kind of where we were where we are and some options for for where we can head and um we're not going to do it all in a year but there are some clear um lowhanging priorities that we're going to fight for. So, all that to say, uh, one of the saddest hours of my week here is to say the reason for the state to jump into I would love that question. >> I think help the county help us >> actually maybe maybe
058before we do the spreadsheet just very quickly, Dr. If you go to the budget preparation out and look at page 10 what we're talking about. >> Oh right. So is this the doc this is the kind of doc that we normally provide and go through during the board of supervisors. kind of want to see this board as as a collective should provide guidance. But like that last sheet with the with the green highlights for what's all in funding and what's not, that should be in here. >> I think that's what we used to have in 2008 or seven, that's got to be in here. We should um to the extent that we can really lean on the narrative, which is can you believe a decade and a half ago um to a large extent we
059were better situated staff and physician head-wise than we are today and as we all know our our needs only increased. So I think if we can find a way to provide that juxosition between decreasing support and increasing need whether that comes through um we all know the interventions of COVID and the impact of sort of economic downturn on kids but if we could also manifest sort of increased need through demonstrating headcount and and percentages and special ed and all of the sort of identified and high touch needs that our kids have. If we can provide that sort of justosition between increasing support and increasing need, I think that really provides strong narrative to share. >> Yeah. >> And I think it's genuine. It's not just storytelling. >> Yeah. Well, and it's I mean, we have
060to present that narrative because it's it's a narrative, but it's truth. And I I can't say I'm new to this board, but I don't know if I've ever asked this question. Like, I don't know if I have heard this. I'm just kind of putting this out there because I think it might be good for everybody to chew on. I don't know if I have ever heard of the county and the schools saying this is what we want to look like in 2028. And when we can say this is where we want to be in 2028, it doesn't mean that the funding that we and there's no way I put out there's no way we're going to get this funding for FY26. But if the county knows this is what the schools need and we can
061prioritize a strategic plan over three years, five years, 10 years, and even if that plan is just to catch up to where we used to be. Well, now the county also knows exactly what we're saying from the school side to be like, this is what we need, help us get here. And then the county kind of also has a road map of like, okay, what might we need to change on that end if anything >> or really go to the state, whatever. like it gives us a road map of where we're going instead of like you said Dr. we're always reacting to stuff instead of saying, "Help us get here and find $3 million over three years to do this." Like, that that to me is a pretty basic 101. And again, I don't know
062any business that's run without a three-year roadmap. If you're operating monthtomonth or every 12 months to run a business, then you're probably getting beat by your competitors. This is a really compelling argument that we should be doing both this budget but also future planning. So we have what two two and a halfish new board members and Chris has had a term before and I've heard nothing but in in every instance of CIP and a request for money all I've heard is why isn't this on a road map? Why isn't why is it that we need this now but you haven't had it on your CIP for the last five years and so to that extent to the extent that there is appetite andor demand for predictability let's let's do it and just see if we
063can't work together I mean certainly we we've got a number of years for for some of these new folks to I think they'll be on a good time to to run that This this is great feedback. I I think I think if the county and schools could partner on a document or some expression of a vision or what things would look like in the future. I think that would be really powerful very hard but I I don't think that I've ever seen that. I'm sure it exists in some communities, but >> do you think it requires outside assistance or do you think that this can be done entirely? >> I don't know. I I I don't think I can answer that because I have, you know, we maybe once a year the two boards get
064in the room, you know. Uh so it's it's hard to know what that would look like in a public meeting. got to be really coming and, you know, have healthy conflict and all of that. But I I think I think you hit the nail on the head. It's it's a matter of everybody kind of being able to get on the same page. I use the example not to beat the dead of course but five or six years ago I was very passionate state level and advocating for the state to increase its support for school infrastructure and construction. We have kids in schools in Virginia that were built in 1901 in the water pump. And so what one of the things that I was saying is like if you if you go to Short Pump area
065and Deep Brown High School and they go to Verizon, is a is a great teacher any less great in one of those? Absolutely not. But I mean, let's be real. Lance Armstrong on his $25,000 carbon frame bike won the press. He's not going to do that on a $118 puppy for Walmart. It does make a difference. Great teachers with great tools and great infrastructure and great leadership support can do more than they can without. That's just and at the end of the day that impacts who moves to which is why it's a much bigger conversation for us and it lands with the county in coalition with us. But I mean, one of the first things you look at before you move to Brandon County is Howard schools. >> Yeah. >> And you know, if we're
066doing the same as Louisa, but people don't know about it, they're going to be like, "Man, Louis is killing it." Is not. That's just simply from one position, like you said, saying killing it. So, uh, one of the things I want to make sure happens, and I'm searching my board docs, I can't find it right now, but there will be a there'll be a couple of moments where, especially one work session with the schools and the board of supervisors. And I know in a year past, we have not announced it as a meeting and therefore no more than two members could appear. I would like to make sure that that meeting is announced as a meeting for this board. If more than two don't show up, don't call it in session. But I feel like
067it's inexcusable for us not to be able to sit down and have this conversation with the superintendent. It requires calling and waiting in advance. And so I don't know if there's two other members who want to make sure that happens, but it's um it's it's a hard must for me. >> Yeah, it's very reasonable. Everybody ought to be there if they want. >> Yeah, >> thank you for that. So it sounds like we have enough to make sure that that gets called as a meeting. Um yeah. Incredible. And one other thing that I it's slipping my mind at the moment, so I will leave it for her after we get into this. >> Great. Okay, real quickly, just just wanted to address um Oh, I I I'm so terribly sorry. I do actually want to
068ask the question. Um, I was at the board of supervisors on Wednesday and I am not in any way, shape or form advocating or providing evaluative judgment on this, but they did pass a motion to uh have a hearing as it relates to a meals tax in which half of that revenue, I think they advertised it six with three going to schools for basically like an investment account for future your um school construction. So that happened on Wednesday night. Of course, so it'll be I think Mike Sheran's out of town in February, so it'll be uh addressed or spoken about in March. But one of the questions that that kept in our didn't have an answer was what year was central built because it was a point of reference for sort of aging infrastructure. >>
069Do we have any anybody? [Music] >> 1958 or 59 >> 58 59. Oh, that's right. >> Well, that is useful. Uh, there was a lot of references to board members being older than one another, but they can quite pin point. >> You all can imagine exactly what that was like >> to to to that point. Clarify when I just said there are kids in Virginia in school 1901. and not >> some of our supers might have been in the school but >> okay staff compensation the next slide Dr. I think we Oh, you got Okay, just put us on the same page. Two years ago, we were able to give the 5% uh gave another 2% to some scales that the board really wanted to support that were lower paid to begin with and lower.
070Gave a sizable increase to bus drivers and then increase the starting pay to $20 an hour. we were able to address that year those two different teacher scales and I can't tell you how that was crushing teacher ground for those that were on scale B which was very positive and then were able to ensure increase in health insurance was very positive >> I got to tell you we were told for a decade that we just couldn't do it >> yeah no I understand and I I think what we were able to show that year really this is grassroots I wasn't there for a lot of that there were a lot of things that changed so I don't think that anybody was misled I think you know as increases were given as the scales they they
071they came into a little closer alignment to enable us to to do that it wasn't there before but let's be clear that was that was big that wasn't an easy thing to do that was a big thing to ask and a big I need to address the next year. Um this was the year of the big salary study. So you can see the increases that were given. We capped everybody but teachers teachers essentially whatever it took to make sure they weren't for and in some cases that was 18% in some cases that was the the seven the state gave but it was a huge year everybody else was capped at 13. So you can see the average increases that went to the different and then again that same year we were able to hold status
072with the increase meaning not passed off anything. So that's just bringing us to where we are this well I guess the this fiscal year we're living right now. We did the state raise the 3%. gave more to custodians because again it was just in order to continue to be so much lower and once again absorb the increase in health insurance BRS those rates change with the bianium so we're not expecting any change with this forthcoming budget could impact what you're doing minimum wage did not do necessarily what we were anticipating it was going to do that the state indicated one thing and then it did not do that exactly. So any questions about that? >> Yeah, >> I'll just say that the way they're computing VR right now is really confusing. Um we have they
073they do something where they for the hybrid people it used to be we contributed x amount no matter what they contributed. Now if they contribute more we're still we're have basically having to match what they contribute. Um, it's in my mind is a little bit of a flawed system because you kind of don't want people to contribute more because it cost you less. They don't, but in reality for their long-term financial health, you want them to. Um, the they're doing a kind of like an equalization with the plan one people where they're they're lowering what you're contributing for them based on what your hire people are contributing. So, it it's a formula that they're using. Now we know what our rate is now but when the bianium comes it it again will be confusing as
074they reenter that and equalize that and so it's it is a much more confusing process than it used to be in the past but hopefully long term it benefits the employee and certainly as we continue to go forth there will be plan one and Mr. Grabs, I'm going to make a comment. >> Yes, sir. Uh I I hear a lot of comparisons made, you know, with our neighboring counties. Um well, four of them right here, Charlesville, Gon, Louisa, but three of those four are the wealthiest counties, you know, around us, but we're trying to be competitive with them. We don't have the infrastructure that they do to compete with them. So that's on the back of the taxpayers and and you know I I find fault in the board of supervisors on some of that
075because they had a chance to take some of these businesses that Louisa has and they didn't they didn't want them in blue county but then they turned around and built 300 you know unit um neighborhoods and you know adding new houses that actually cost the county money because they don't have any infrastructure. Dr. support absolutely understand. I I think there's there's always a tension or a balance at least in in trying to measure. We've talked a lot about it since I've been here. Probably did before even more in this budget year. you know, the tension between partnering, you want to partner, no matter what you do, partnering with the cabinet to to do what's feasible and makes sense and and as best possible try to address what the what the community's expectation is versus regardless
076of how feasible it is, this this is what we need. This is this is what it looks like and starting there. So I think I do think that there's an extent to which just the world according to Pete Pretz at least small rural places my 35 years have been spent in those schools never really do ask for everything they need and so there is a perception like every year every year every year what there's there's always a mountain of stuff that you you sort of keep in your back pocket they'll ask for it and so I do think there's value even if it doesn't make its way into the final request in putting it in the public discourse. So at least it's on people's radar. Um you know at this point I think people know
077how I feel about it and then just you know how the board feels about just to make sure that >> yeah I think a lot about sort of interest or discount rates when I think about what you just said you know we only go up to we only ask for 90% of what we need in a given year. I don't think it's sport is coming anywhere close to that to be frank. Uh so I I asked for 90 now and next year I asked for 90. It was like acroving deaths andor misses just accumulating exponentially. It can lead us to places like this where you know we're 15 years behind and are missing some out positions and executive and support staff. And um that's why I'm a big fan of ask for what you need
078and allow those who are elected to to deal with the first strings to to make those decisions about how much they can afford. >> So compensation is obviously the biggest part of your budget to 80% compensation. Right now in the governor's template there's a 3% increase and that was in the the bianium budget that was passed by general assembly. Um but we heard talk when we were in conference that there was conversation at the general assembly retreat which I didn't even know they had retreat. Um they had a 4% model in there. So there's a possibility of that. So that's why I put that there. They also they also discussed the possibility of a 1% bonus. So I'm going to model that in the um in the dining spreadsheet that we have. And remember when
079we looked at salary study and if we talk about not going further behind really need to do a six in order to continue to not go further behind the salary. But I also understand the cost of doing. >> And if we did a six, that just puts us right in the median of everybody again. Like I know we always talk about like not fourth, not last, but the six actually still doesn't put us first or second either. Correct. >> No. And the thing is, and I can pull it up real quick. Um the thing I modeled the salary study off of a three um teachers population. Um um so I model that off of doing a 3% increase and we would have just to be in the average we'd have to do 3.09. 9 for
080that beginning step, but remember that is everybody's going to do a three. So that really becomes six. They're going to do a three minimum everything that we're hearing right now. But I think there's like that beer around I'm talking about around us, not necessarily the state. We were we've had lots of conversations about what that starting pay probably needed to be because that that's a big factor when you're talking about recruiting kids out of college. That's going to be the thing that they're going to look at. I'm going to move to the spreadsheets that this is not in the packet but it will be added to the packet after the meeting. It's dynamic so we can move things around. I'm delaying because it's going to be a little shock. Okay, here's where we are. So,
081this was the 22269. That was your baseline funding from your board of supervisors last year for their budget that they adopted in in April. And you know, when I look at the template, we have some increased spending in governor school project return. Remember those are not your funds. So you kind have to back that off. I love having text right here. >> I don't know if there's a way. What is the >> aim? Okay, >> that's better. >> Oh, sorry. What? >> Oh, no. Don't do that. >> There you go. Uh, hit enter and then hit back. You got to close out the cell first. Now do undo. There you go. >> There you go. Oh, shoot. I copied this in my file before I put it up here so that I wouldn't lose anything
082because I was like um when you look at the template, we are actually going to have um a reduction in state funds by about 122,000 and that's largely driven by the decrease in enrollment. And when I'm talking about a reduction in state funds, I'm looking at what was appropriated from the state in fiscal year 25 and what's in the template right now for fiscal year 26. We're also going to have a reduction in federal funds based on our projections of where we were on on those federal funds and some of that things that we carried over at the beginning of this year that are expiring. So, we're not going to have those funds. And then it's the way I have them spilled is kind of funky, but we will have all in carryover money or
083we can have all in carryover money. That would equate to about 368,000. So that's actually a a net gain in that area. We've talked about the 3% increase for staff. That costs a little over a million dollars. Um and in the template right now there's $993,000 to cover that increase. My concern is I'm not exactly sure how they're computing that and I'm a little bit worried about what that will look like for fiscal year 27. Um I, you know, we've had some conversations. I've looked at the language. Um usually it's not that much of an increase. I will say that looking at our average pay, our projected average pay for next year and the average pay they're using in the template are fairly close. So that could be part of where that calculation is. But
084um just kind of keeping an eye on that. And you know, I told I was texting Dr. Gretz and Miss Soros last night going I can't believe I got an email at 7:10 p.m. that says they've changed the template. Um and then I went in trying to figure out what they changed. I I can't I don't see what they've changed, but they're saying it's a technical edit. So, I don't know if there's a formula on the back end, but the overall dollar amount didn't change. But again, just a reminder of how quickly those things can alter and it's over 50% of our budget. >> I'm wildly skeptical about that number. I don't see a >> I am too. I'm anxious to see the general assembly template. Um, that'll give me some affirmation on that. >>
085I mean, don't we usually have to spend like 800,000 to get like 450 from the state? Yeah, it's usually it's the formula's a lot different. I don't know if it has to do with what they did with support caps and percentages that they did last year. I don't know >> that going down. >> I will continue to try to research that and see if I can get some answers. >> I mean, they they made a mistake in the template a couple years ago that was devastating and way too long to identify. So, sure. I'm just calling this as one of those snafies that we'll find out about in a month or two. >> I don't know. They, you know, they've been really careful about sending out the templates now. Like they're double and triple checking
086them, but they do have a disclaimer on there. It, you know, basically, sorry if we make a mistake. That's on you. The disclaimer pretty much. >> Yeah. >> Oopsie. >> I also want to be identified from all professional error. >> Yeah. Um so um we got a call yesterday afternoon that um it's looking more like we're trending towards a 10% increase in health insurance as opposed to the 12. So I've changed that number in here. Um, we talked about the um, we added the Centrics wearable badges um, as part of something we did with carryover money, but we need to add that annual expense to our budget and then um, do you want to talk about the issues that we're seeing cafeteria that >> Well, in general, the the issue that we have is when
087we when we approach approached last year. You guys will remember when we approached the decision of whether or not to participate in the C, which would enable us to offer free meals, breakfast and lunch to all students. The reimbursement is calculated largely based on our free and reduced rate. So whether or not we're eligible, if you're eligible, you have to apply. If you're found eligible, then you decide whether or not you're going to do it based on financials. and the financials were all related to our anticipated loss in revenue because people don't pay their lunch bill. I don't know any other way to say that. It was I think $70,000 last year. So, we knew that there was going to be a dip. The question was which one's going to be worse? Are we going
088to pay more in making up the difference in people not paying for the lunch or are we going to pay more to participate in this free meal program? What we're experiencing is ironically less participation in the meal program now that it's free. That's the best way I know to describe it. >> Well, I mean >> food costs have gone up. Yeah. Go ahead. You would just anticipate that almost all of your kids would participate in a free meal program, but it's actually more running like 66% are participating. >> When you say participating, you mean getting >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And so the reimbursement is based on the number of our meals that you're serving. And so if you're not serving 100% of your meals, then you're basically losing reimbursement money. Your food costs are going
089to go up. Obviously, you're serving more food, but there real the real cost here is the personnel cost. Um the cafeteria payroll with extended ed is close to $100,000 a month. And so, you know, we've been meeting with um Miss Jones, talking through different scenarios, things we could do to try to increase participation to try to um do more alleart things. Um, but it's a concern and we are going to have to assist the cafeteria in February to cover their payroll. >> So, do we have any feedback as to why less students are participating after this change under the assumption that the meals have not changed? I've got some thoughts that I don't know if it's the right time to share, but we necessarily have less participating since we changed. We just don't have as
090many participating as we would have thought. >> That's really more accurate >> cuz like I looked at >> it's the same we thought. >> So we forecasted more to go get the meals. >> We we thought that pretty much every even's not 100 95% will probably take it. >> Especially when we're doing things like grab and go. You know, you don't have to go in and go through the line. You just walk past it and you get it. One that sticks out of my head because I was looking at it yesterday was high school breakfast. Last year we served about a 100 high school breakfast a day. This year we're serving 250. Yeah, that's more but there's almost 1300 kids at the high school. So, you know, how can we increase that participation? And and
091I I don't want this to sound disparaging because I I truly don't mean it that way. But the reality is we we're we've been helping the cafeteria because there's been so much unpaid meal debt every year. We were going to have that this year unless miraculously it didn't happen. I think as I just reflect on it, you know, for all of us who went through this and our ability to say no cost to you, that's a big deal. If I've been if most students have just kind of been going through their day and getting their meals and then when you know the my bucks bill comes, parents aren't paying it. As a kid, what's different this year than was different last year? What's the, you know, if if I'm not paying for my meal last
092year when I was supposed to, I'm not paying it this year because I'm not supposed to. What's changed? >> Is the food the same as last year, this year? >> There's a lot of, and I'll just throw this blanket statement out there as feedback from community. there is conversation around how much prepackaged food is served and that I'm not saying that as a criticism. I'm just saying just relaying feedback. >> And so that I'm I'm with Mr. Key when it comes to that question being are people not eating because most kids are getting a donut for breakfast in a prepackaged piece of plastic that's heated in plastic. I think from what I've been told, don't know. Just relaying communication. >> Yeah. >> Versus pancakes and food that looks appealing to a kid to be like,
093man, and then also for the parents to say because I think this could be, hey, Johnny, you're not getting food there because I don't think it's healthy enough for you. And I don't know if that's a disconnect between schools and community, but just relaying feedback that I've heard. But I do have a question now that this is brought up. Is this a cause for, and this might sound tedious, but it's I've been approached about it, things like straws not being provided to kids now in the cafeteria due to needing to find ways to save cost. Yet, we also throw away trays from every student every day instead of doing things like washing dishes. I know there's a cost to everything, but >> Sure. >> since we're on it, >> we're actually just curious. >> We've
094been working to get things operational to go back to the washing the trays. >> Okay. >> Um, we have some issues in some of the cafeterias. Um, >> yeah, I know like a dishwasher out. >> Yeah, we need to do some repairs, but that is one of the things that we're looking at. I can't really speak to straws. That has >> I literally that was like a this week thing that I had some people being like, "Hey, there's no straws in the silverware packets anymore." Just >> for a three-y old kind of cost saving, you know, like with the trays and those sorts of things, but honestly, that's really minimal, >> right? Um where the issue is is we need to find that balance between you know purchasing food where kids find it appealing but
095then also and and attracting more kids to that but then also not costing us out on that end on the on the on the food that we're providing. So just trying to we're trying to work with other local cafeterias talk to them about what they're doing, what's working there. Um it's just it's a process that we're going through. But I I can assure you we're meeting almost every week talking about, you know, where we are right now, what we need to do. We're in such a different position than we were in in the past. Um you know, we particularly, you know, when we had COVID money and and they were just sending us money to to pass out food to everybody and, you know, >> driving into people's homes. >> Yeah. I mean, and then
096now we're in a position where we're running a restaurant and trying to figure out how we can work out that balance. Um, we're looking at personnel costs and what kinds of things we can do on that side. Um, but it the big thing is I think we need to attract more kids to eat more meals. >> What's current on the cart? What can you currently get on the alle cart? I guess extra >> we just a question about allocart. We we've just in the last I want to say week >> okay >> increased all of that >> okay >> um that has caused some disruption for teachers at the elementary level >> it you know again it's >> trying to make as much available and and we want to generate revenue but we also want
097to do something makes sense for people that are trying to >> establish routine with eighty olds >> there's a big time factor at the elementary level >> big time factor and it's a They're on big time crunch time getting through that cafeteria to get out back to class on time. >> Yeah. And it's a big deal for us to sit next to each other and for her to have ice cream and a cookie. And I don't and I don't understand that upset. >> Yeah. >> I have a question based on just a sheer cost of it, not thoughts on programs good or bad. If right now we're looking at covering the month of February, did I understand that correctly? We we're probably not going to have to do the we won't have to do the
098entire payroll, but we're going to have to do a portion of it. Yes. >> Okay. So, I think we had said something and I'm going back here with a lot of numbers today and over the year we were roughly 125,000 in debt through the first half of last year at the high school. I think >> I think that was eight. >> Okay. So, roughly 125 and we ended up dropping that down. I mean we I think we ended up around 50 at the end. >> So my question and that's where a lot of my decision personally I don't want to speak for anybody else when I say this. That's where a lot of my decision was built on with this >> lunch debt versus >> non lunch debt. >> If we have to cover more
099than one month based on this program did we just surpass how much money we would have had to cover in lunch debt? Well, I'm looking at the the opportunity cost of >> this this what we're doing too. >> Yeah. Hopefully this doesn't continue. >> If something doesn't change, we will surpass what we paid in lunch day. And so that's why we're looking at what can we change the the it and but if we can increase the number of meals we're serving, that may have a pretty dramatic effect because we wouldn't change the personnel. we would we'd have to purchase more food, but that's not where the expense is. It's in the personnel. I mean, that food is an expense. Um, she is using the USDA foods whenever she can. I think they have a set
100formula of what you can get and how much you can get based on your community. Um, she tells us she's maximizing those USDA foods. Um, you know, we I don't they have all those legal requirements about what they call what and I I made a face about >> Has anybody ask the kids why they're not eating middle school, high school students, why are they not eating alone? >> So, yeah. Is this an opportunity for for better communications with the families? Right. So, >> we've increased that trying to just promote it. >> We need Mr. Reed do a video. Why shoot your lunch food? >> So this is this is free for families and I understand the like the decision making between sort of like nutrition and and what you want your kids to have etc.
101But for uh for all families this is free and and obviously supported by by other means. So, you know, to the extent that the answer to solveny is increased demand, then like maybe we should be um using our communication channels more to highlight what's on the menu, to take photos of the food that's available there and make sure that our families know what we're providing and um any assurances that we can provide that are real about the like health and and dietary aspects of it. like this is a communication issue and as you said we can close that. >> I don't want to I don't want to speak for them. I know that they've got their own separate Facebook page. I don't know how followed it is or if it's like updated daily but I
102have seen them do a little bit of that not tons. Um >> I think we can increase. Yeah. If you click we've been beat the dead horse. If you if you go back to my communication director slides and you click the USA Today >> Yeah. >> Um or excuse me the today's show link >> that is Louisa's national story about that very thing we're talking >> promoting this >> and I will say that >> and they got more participation >> for promoting C specifically. >> Yeah. We've met we've met, Miss Grasser had said we've met fiscally on a fiscal level with Miss Jones on a weekly basis since this, but we also met from a PR standpoint and Dr. Gretz is correct. Brandy, myself, Miss Jones, um, we're going to start initiating that. So, yes,
103she does have one. We're going to take our new platform, APA, uh, kind of we we want to balance it to our families. We don't want to inundate them with it because then they won't look at it anymore, right? Uh but we are going to share the same information we've been sharing um but give them an opportunity to communicate back with us. That should start next week specific to this scenario. >> Doc, you're tracking uh open deliver clickthrough rates on all your outgoing messaging. >> So you have you have a platform. >> Yes, absolutely. And you're going to be communicating with the public. >> Yes. >> And so there are you should be tracking your metrics as it relates to how effective your communication channel is. And so I'm sure it's built into it, but
104like the analytic you're you're talking about being worried about sort of like overexposure leading to like less engagement. And so like track it like how many messages did you send out on these messages? How many people like clicked on the thing to look at it? how many of them click through a given link if you put a click here to learn more and that way you can effectively avoid the sort of like um the the ruin of the comments if you will >> yeah absolutely >> to the extent that that's a consideration like that is very trackable and predictable and you can avoid having that decline if you like pay attention to your rates. >> Thank you >> Mr. Gratzer. Um Mr. address. Um before before we go any further, um either one of y'all,
105this just a question, have any idea how much food is thrown away during the day? >> I can't answer that. I >> I've had people come to me and tell me they see a lot of food thrown in dumpster >> and it's packaged food, you know. >> Yeah. One of the conversations we had was kind of trying to push, you know, for the breakfast, particularly at the high school. And and then we were talking about, well, we don't want them to just take it and then throw it away. So, we were having a lot of conversation about, you know, what how do we get that to work? Um, and I do think, you know, purely the high school of its kind, but you know, she's trying to serve a a coffee drink that meets USDA
106requirements and she says, "Very good." Then she sees a kid walking in with a Duncan's bag and coffee. So, I make the argument about healthy when I'm kind of like that good either. asked my my is I hate to use the conversations like this but she was just curious you know about 15year-old like do you get breakfast right by like I don't know that morning I'm like why you do it just get I don't know if you were that night I said would you get breakfast he said yeah what was it was it good yeah breakfast why doesn't he do that every morning I don't know you know He's 15. At 8, that's not on his mind. At 10, he'd probably go in there and eat five of them. I It's really hard to I've
107got one that eats breakfast five days a week at school, and I've got one that eats breakfast at home, five days a week at school. My one that eats and I'll pick on eats a donut five days a week. >> And that's not what is the menu item, >> right? >> That's the quick and easy. >> I love donuts. Everybody loves donuts. That's what a kid's going to get instead of going through a line and being like French toast sticks, which are also pretty good. Excuse me. It's um and that's I think that point right there, just hearing what I have been communicated to, healthy or not, I'm sure everybody's house and where they what they eat at restaurants is up for criticism as well. But I think it's when well all they gonna get
108is a donut when I'm not there also drives some people even though there is a better offering sometimes and I think that might be the conversation of hey you don't even we'll pay for it even though it's free eat at home or don't get that just again just putting it out there. I mean, I know that's a hard job to match thousand plus customers essentially a day. Like that's a hard job for your offering, but and I've got one that will get a taco salad and eat a bag of Doritos and then they throw the rest of the thing away. So like it's all over the place. >> Yeah. I love that. Obviously, we're we we have to do some some mapping, right? like we got to make this work in balance and and anything
109that is above and beyond the self balancing budget comes off ours and we know that we were paying school debt and I I love not having such a thing as as lunch debt. I also the like first and foremost thing for me is like it's it's still not a like great world out there related to like prices and balancing your budget and you know especially as we looked at our own budget and think about what we're going to do with increases and in income and increases in healthcare etc. the the main thing about C C that's like so critically important is that those families that just like are suffering and kids who would not otherwise get meals get meals and so I know we're going to need to make compromises and we're going to have
110to do the hard math about what works what doesn't and where we can save dollars but to the extent that we can preserve and make sure that we don't have hungry kids in our schools that that to me is got to be like the number one number one goal and we got to retrofit to make it work then we got to retrofit it. Yeah, >> we are going to see an expense in next month's expenditure report that's going to be related to paying cafeteria for the so that they have sufficient funds to cover the payroll. I'm tracking that right now. I did have money um I did have money that I put in a budget line in the event that we had to supplement because we we knew ahead of time that it might we
111might have to supplement that based on what we were seeing. Um but I'm not sure if we don't change something there's not enough in that wedge to cover that. So that's why we're really looking at this hard and trying to see what we can change. And I'm trying to figure out what that wedge may need to be next year if we continue down this road. Our concern is, you know, it might be easy to say, well, stop C um next year. But how many people are we already had an issue with people not paying for lunches? How many how much is that going to be exacerbated say we're not going to do the free lunches anymore even though we could? I don't know. >> Like Dr. Dre said, is there a way to extend the
112breakfast time? Build that into the schedule some way. >> There may be it's so hard. You have to work with the schools what I'm saying. It's easy for us to kind of, you know, I mean, it has an unintended cost to us sometimes to the schools. So, >> extending the time, >> making it readily available. We've even had programs where we actually carer who's, you know, coring a bunch of eight-year-olds and then all of a sudden with a car full of donuts and it can be difficult. But we're we're aggressively exploring all of that because at the end of the day, like say if something doesn't change, we're going to we're going to have to supplement this more than we planned. So >> what's the February? >> Something's going to change. I can't tell you.
113We're going to serve more meals. We're going to adjust the structure. Um I'm not sure yet because we have invoices in and I mean like I said I know that that extended that cafeteria payroll runs around 100,000 a month. Um and we have some invoices in right now that we're waiting to pay when we get our reimbursement from the state or the federal government. One of the issues that we have is um we pay and I'm not saying not to. I'm just saying we pay cafeteria workers and bus drivers when we're closed for snow. You don't get reimbured from the federal government if you don't serve meals. So you have a week's worth of payroll that you're not going to get reimbursed for because you didn't serve meals that week. So that that hits us
114hard January. Um so just to monitor all that and I'm not saying don't pay them because they're our lowest paid employees and so I definitely and I'm sensitive to that and know that if they for them to lose a week of pay would be significant for them. So I I don't want I'm not advocating for that. I'm just saying it's >> obviously this is going to need triage a concerted effort to sort of balance out. So is this something that you can bring to us and with some regularity or cadence just like a aggregate level view of how much we're in the red and and what things that we've done to sort of like start to eliminate some of that. >> Yeah, we'll we'll honestly this this was more just to make you aware. >>
115Yeah, we're going to continue to monitor it. We'll continue to talk about it. >> Sure. >> So, I have TBD on my spreadsheet for that area because I am still trying to figure out where we're going to land in that. Um, so the this next section here, sustaining current needed positions, these are all those positions that you talked about. um last month with the all-in funds that is $731,000. >> So right now you have these above the lines shared vernacular. So these are going to be in whatever giant red number that you very carefully have not yet at the bottom. Yeah. >> Can we just I just want to make sure everybody understands where we are with the 3% in the state revenue there. The health insurance increase if it's 10% >> $600. >> That's
116what's that going to cost. The Centrics wearable work badge was our yearly subscription if you will for that over the fiveyear period. >> Oh yeah. Sorry. We >> the raise is in yellow because you would have to do that. If you don't do that, then they're going to back out $993,000, which you don't. It's going to happen. There's an option below the line to do a six and you would trade out the three for the six or you could trade out the three for the four, but you you have to do at least a three. Were we able to offset the 32 with the Raptor system or is that further down? >> Raptor's only about five I think. Right. >> How much is Raptor? Five. >> Yeah. >> But if we are if we're fundamentally
117training now, then building in the negative is is useful. >> Yeah. So, I could I could change that. >> I know it's five grand. You don't have to don't do it now. Like Yeah. I was just I was just curious. I wouldn't say let's break something. Let's not do it. Um, not to not that we need to talk about today, but I was listening to the radio on the way over. Maybe it was CNN. I forget what I was on. It was one of the um XM channels and they were talking about the violence in that or the murder in that Nashville school and that those schools in Nashville had an AI safety thing that basically identifies weapons through cameras and that's their like go-to for school safety. But allegedly because it was obscured like
118behind a jacket or something, the AI just didn't pick it up. And so as we think about school safety and solutions and what we need to be safe, like I want to make sure that our collective brain trust reads something about that and why it didn't work and why it failed Nashville and to make sure that as we think of our own policy solutions to keep our our students and staff safe that those sorts of considerations are at the forefront. I know that we obviously we got some badges here. We're talking about metal detectors which are not foolproof either, but learning unfortunately from other strategies that can keep us from being on that long list or from suffering unnecessarily. So I just wanted to put it out there because it was top of mind and
119I was kind of really dumbfounded by um a really sophisticated allegedly sophisticated solution that um was really thwarted by just touching a firearm underneath article or why you would put faith in AI, right? All the misconceptions that we had by that, you know, impersonating somebody's voice on the phone and that kind of stuff is the way of the future. >> So, next we have additional staffing needs and some of these were ones that Dr. highlighted with this PowerPoint. Um, >> sorry. >> Go ahead. >> I just I just want to make sure we're all clear. Under the sustaining current positions, so that first one, there is a requirement in the literacy act to have one specialist for every 1100 6 through8 that would be one position. We currently are funding one through five through all
120in. So to sustain the one the 1.5, excuse me, would cost 179. The division literacy specialist, we currently have one and it's funded by all. Just want to make sure we're all reading that same >> and those amounts include all of the fringes, the health insurance, everything. >> It's literally and those are literal people. So, you know, they're that person's on step 25, that's what's reflected. So, that is your real costs there. And those are what was embedded in their grants originally. Um, but that's why you see kind of strange numbers here and there because somebody might be on a family plan for insurance. So, they're numbers higher than someone else's. >> Yeah. This is not real salary. >> Yeah. >> This is some of the watching. It's not my salary. >> I know. division
121of math specialist there's one and it's funded by all men 60% so that 60% of it is the same I just wanted to make sure we're >> and that sums to 371 and some change that's right >> it is the thing it is all the green highlights in the sheet that Miss Sorus was talking about in >> 7:30 I don't know what >> the >> yeah I apologize 7:31 So that is and that right now is baked into your big scary number for coming. >> Yes, it is our 360. >> Okay. So these are the positions that were mentioned earlier. Um some of them would be an offset because would be switching out one for another. But then you see kind of the costs there associated with those positions that you were addition the positions
122that Dr. Gretz is recommending that we build into this budget. >> So that's a great question. That's what I wanted to segue to you. So you'll notice the first one is a director of human resources. I have put that into the draft for you to consider. I'll have all of them in there. I am putting this one in there and I recommend I think that's a priority. I I'll tell you a quick story if this is helpful. In a division I was in many years ago, we had a receptionist at one of the elementary schools who had been there for generations. She had been the the front desk for people's grandparents when they were little, parents when they were little. She'd been there 50ome years. She was completely devoted to the school, loved the school,
123was the first one there, the last one to leave. Her kid missed the bus and came back, she'd stay with them. She probably worked 80 hours a week at that school. In 2012, whatever it was, the Fair Labor Standards Act were required to maintain records about how many hours per week non-exempt employees work and make sure they work more than 40 to get the appropriate overtime. And so suddenly in that division, like every division, we start requiring people like that to do a time sheet. She's like, "Why? You have to do a time sheet." So we start getting time sheets from people. On Monday, I get a time sheet for the week where the whole week's filled out. 8 to 4. Everybody knows that person is important to get into there at 6:30. Everything's great.
124And then we have a problem in another area of the division. It's a very unfortunate situation. It ends up with termination. And the way the person retaliates is to call the office of civil rights in Washington and to say they have an employee who's an example of working at such and such elementary school and they're making her work great and all of a sudden Washington DC shows up in Houston, Virginia and camps out in the in the conference room for six months dissecting every single document and every if you have a spreadsheet that says 8 to four even if the person wants it to be 8 to four I'm telling you all that because that is just one tiny piece of personnel regulation that can have a huge impact on school that's just one there
125are hundreds and for us to be able to manage those appropriately let alone just support our staff the way we are now we have a great onboarding process, great support process, evaluation, but we really need the dedicated support that you find anywhere else. Frankly, I you know, again, I don't I don't mean this to be an us versus them thing, but the county, look at how many folks are human resources in the county organization. We really need that. That that was longer than you asked for. I'm sorry. I guess the answer, Dr. Kelly, is yes. That is one of the positions I'm recommending. That is extra. >> Is that additional staffing needs uh 24 to 31? Are those lines all stack ranked by priority from you or are those just the no >> whatever that
126would be sevenish total positions that you think would most benefit us at this time in a perfect world? >> That. >> Okay. So this is a combination of and go going back to you know do schools ever just kind of lay on the table everything that they think they need. There's also a process we go through as we we get feedback from the community. We get feedback from staff that goss through the cost center managers. Principles come with a list. I want to make sure that you at least see what is being requested among the schools. So some of that is in the air, some of that is below the line, but no, these are not rent work. And and I I think that would be difficult, but I I can do that. We can
127do that. >> Yeah. I think ultimately if you can provide some sense of um intensity or need ultimately it's going to be up to the sport to to rank them and then decide what's above and what's below the line. >> Yeah. But um >> so these first These first um lines 24 and 29, those are all like leadership positions. Line 30 is a request that came from the high school. Um probably high school >> that's been um most of their counselors are 11 and they have one 12 month counselor, but they have one that's a 10 month counselor. They're asking to move that 11. And then we've heard probably in every single school in every single meeting about needing additional behavioral support and this would add an additional behavior specialist to the people that you
128have and and I you know I don't want to jump around too much. I do want to be clear in our conversation with the schools and the leadership and we now have a mental health team that we didn't have before necessarily. We had people but now we have a very quick cohesive team in a department. There's a well articulated plan that they have for how to address a lot of the needs they're the additional behavior specialist that we have one right now as part of this plan. I'm confident I think as a team we are confident would address a lot of the needs that we're seeing across the schools. But I would have to imagine that so in a world in which it's all new network or new demands that is this second tier underneath
129keeping existing staff positions. >> So this is the and but after if we're able to secure the remaining position. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. But what what the point I wanted to make is that there's there's a there's a plan and there's you know I think expert impact brought to that plan and proven impact that we've seen from the team. Now there is an outcry from the schools though and I'm not I'm not going to I don't want to overstate this. I don't I'm not calling it a disconnect. I'm just simply saying if I'm in a classroom and I'm among other classrooms and runners and biters and people throwing desks and you know this may not feel like it's going to address that. I might want a team of instructional assistants because I just need bodies, right?
130And so I I I just want to make sure that's all on the table. I I do think that there's there's communication among the schools and this team and we've scrutinized that and I do think I do think that this would go if we're going to do something. I think this is the thing to do. But um I think the schools would support this and would also love to have you. >> U Miss Grasser or Mrs. Grasser, whichever you prefer. Um could you highlight from 160 down to 112 620 is that 590ish thousand >> 93 >> okay sense of scale so I could give you some commentary about the first ones if you go to line 27 that's that's the position that we need to replace so we don't need to go back and rehash
131all this but you seeen seen kind of the progression and development over the past 15 years of how that has been structured. You've got executive level level leadership in finance and instruction with uh maybe I'll say emphasis on secondary that we need to recruit when that position walks out the door. Um so the director of finance position when we talk about like structuring these in terms of priority that's not even a question that's like you know going back to the bike race without the director of finance we don't have a front meeting so we got to do that right >> zero >> so I'm going to get to that let me let me say all this no that's okay we've got that position. So, we hired director with finance to recoup with finance leadership. If
132you go back up to the top, human resources, the next one, if we were to carve out a position, and I'm suggesting a coordinator level position that could provide leadership in alternative education, student services, um, specific boots on the ground, leadership at Abrams, and free up a current position that we have where we have a lot of I don't think the person would mind because we've had a lot of conversation about a lot of firepower related to data, student achievement data. Helping teachers understand how to aggregate, analyze, aggregate, analyze, and apply that data to make meaningful change in classrooms would free that position up to be what it really is intended. So, I'm I'm putting that there. >> Okay. So, the communications officer, we've talked about that. I'm starting with a 10-month teacher contract. I
133think there are creative ways we can do that. I think, you know, in some divisions you would find that maybe at a more robust, maybe a coordinator level, but I even think that could even be we could even accomplish a lot of what we're saying we aren't able to do now with part of a teacher contract with with the right person that even just has a section freed up to be able to do some work if they have the right skills. Um, skip down under director finance with a coordinator of secondary instruction. We're recouping the executive director level leadership and instruction, the special bent, if you will, towards secondary and the ability in that visit. You'd have to you almost have to go back to my slide where I listed all the duties, but somebody
134that could support the instructional leadership that we currently have in place. Right now, it's Gemma. Not to put names to people, but just so we have clear, you know, what's going on. and can bring up some of that support that we're saying that we lost back in 2011 that we'd like to have in interdisiplinary work help based on what we're getting now literacy and math specialists help with um with gifted education help with social studies and science and so I don't know if that answers your question at least gives you a little more context >> the reason those are zero is financially speaking Right. >> Can you and and maybe it's in some of this, but um can we make sure that we have a this is what the leadership structure looks like today and
135this is what the interim leadership structure would look like if we were to implement these particular positions. >> I would like to have that graphic and flowchart uh for the supers anytime we're talking about leadership structure. And one reason that we don't have that right now is that I'm assuming that through this exercise there is a possibility that there could be sentiment on the board to bring some of the things that are now below the line above or vice versa. So but once we kind of landed something for sure. Yeah, we got to see the big scary number first. Um >> thank you. >> This is useful. And so the coordinator of alternative ed and student services would that doesn't create redundancies. It means that we're able to to utilize our talent better. Is that
136accurate? >> Absolutely. And they're duties that I I've tried to display are their own separate departments and other divisions. They're right now just kind of tacked on to other people who are already doing human resources, gather planning, maintenance. The number of jobs half the people in this room do are just stupid to be honest. We love you. It's amazing. We shouldn't ask you all to wear six hats and expect you to nail every single one of those jobs. It's just unfair. >> So in the next line you have um athletics. the cost of officials, the cost of deputies, um, and some of the entry fees for those has gone up substantially in the last couple of years. And so, we are going to have to add funding to that line to continue to be able
137to. And the the cost of officials, we just don't have any control over that. It's set you could change for some of the sports how many you have, but in essence, it's a set. >> Yeah. And I don't know if everybody's on understands this, but those rates are the officials don't come in and say, "Here's what I charge to be a coach." The BHSL partners with whatever group is offering that and they establish those rates on behalf of we have control over that and do it today. >> I mean, does having our new glorious track open up opportunities for us to host more things and likely have some revenue go this way. You see that as How about our gym at the high school? How, and this might be a completely separate conversation, but with
138how big AEO tournaments are with basketball? I could be wrong. Never attended an AEU tournament just as a spectator in Louisiana County, but we have got at least three courts before that you could realistically use. >> What's the acronym? Aa. >> I don't even know. I I'll save my take on AU for a different time, but it's a big money maker. >> It's a It's basically travel. It's travel unaffiliated to county public schools, but we've got a lot of kids in the county that play it. We leave the county to go play AAOU instead of bringing them here. Um just might be food for thought for a separate conversation on how we start making money off of that beautiful facility over there. Um and help bring some money in posted something a few years ago
139and we did learn that um it increased your security needs. >> Oh, there's a cost with there's a cost with it, but >> yeah, >> if they're not coming to Fluana, they're going somewhere else and there's a lot of money that again, this is a board of supervisors and us conversation. Restaurants are now getting money, everything concessions are getting money. I mean, these things are massive. Hotels are getting like it's a big one. Does the uh revenue from the games the gate does that go against those fees too or >> so we're just not we're just not getting revenue like >> invitational where we charge teams to come in then they actually use the funds they collect from that to pay for the officials the division's not paying for those so they pay for the
140division officials whatever they need to manage that particular tournament but if it's a regular you know VHSL event than the school division pays for all the officials and the security and all that. >> But is our sports revenue down or about the same? >> I can't speak to that because they that's funded through the um the activity funds at the high school that I can find out. >> I mean this certainly suggests that we have increased cost in comparison to revenue now. Yes. >> Of 30,000. Right. Well, the we don't the revenue that we get from tickets, those are maintained at the activity fund level in the school. That's not part of our budget. >> But we just have straight up more demand, more fiscal need in order to support the activities that are going
141>> because of these moving >> and we are, you know, every year getting more activities too. >> Yeah. So put these above the line but then I'm not sure that where >> before we move on just real quickly because this board has talked about this this will be the appropriate place that we start thinking about the desire to so the way it works is when we host an event the tickets from the gate go into a general fund right teams are allowed to make revenue by manning the concession stand for example. That's where they get revenue out of that event. They do not get the revenue from the tickets. So football game was widely attended. More revenue comes in. Football team doesn't get that revenue. They get whatever comes from >> sessions they sessions and
142it's not even the amount of sales. There's a set amount that they are paid to do that and all the teams get that. The teams are all on a rotation schedule right with their equipment and >> uniforms >> and uniforms and it is completely equitable on all the teams. They all get the same thing. The extent to which teams are able to get more revenue than what I have just said is through the fundraising that they do. whatever they sell, what you know, they can go out to a 5K, make money. Some do more than others. Reason I'm telling you this is that when there I do think there's a perception, I've tried to address it through communication in the community. Uh it's still public there. There's a perception that teams are getting less or
143more from us, which is not true. And there is a perception that teams are getting more or less because they get more from the game and they're not getting anything. Except that if a team has a unique need, they can go to the athletic director and say, "I've got a unique need. This uh cyber broke whatever it is." We can take the general fun and support them. If we're hosting an event that is a district tournament, regional tournament, state tournament, >> all goes to BHS, >> they do pay for the BHSL pays for the official the people who run. There's no cost to us. >> It's a net. But my point is that revenue doesn't come. >> But they don't pay for security. >> Yeah, they do. >> Yeah. The reason I'm bring it up
144now is because that we had talked about the extent to which we would want to try to host maybe either lower the cost of attending for students for parents to have a special night where maybe we really want to get everybody out for this event or to see the band do something at this and we're going to say like tonight it's free. Bring your family, bring your aunts, bring your uncles. um that's going to change this because this is there's not like a big surplus that's being set on that we can pull from to do things like that. We have to increase that in order to be able to do potential. Can we find and being realistic, but this is also because I'm a diehard sports guy, but I'm also a diehard community at sporting
145events, but also transcends into choir, band, things like that, since it's more of an activities, not just athletics. >> Sure. >> Could we ballpark a number? I don't even think I could put it in this just so know everybody knows where I stand of what it would cost the schools to let everybody students only in for free to every event. >> Parents love you but y'all can pay but like to get the students in. And the reason why I say that is it kills me when I see and I attend more athletic events than I do others. It kills me to see the stands in blue county. But when it costs a family of four nearly $40 to get into a game, they're not coming. Now, I think we have things like boosters, and I
146love that that started back up again at the high. Like, there's things like that that I think we can tap into. But I would love to see if we go free on tickets for 18 and under, you know, whatever that qualification is. What does that cost us? So, we can then go say we got to go find $50,000. And if we find it, our stands are probably going to be a lot more crowded. I think the trick is you have to know how many students you have now that are paying and that would be the tricky part. >> Well, we have the season passes and stuff like I mean as best we can based on current revenue coming in. >> We talked about that. >> Yeah. I think we can I don't think we'll be
147able to pay. >> Yeah. And it's like I see the community nights like we go to the high school and every single year when they let in wreck basketball and there might be >> 25 kids 30 kids that are out on the court that's 25 to 30 families that that attended that game and we've done that for three or four years. That's a spike night for high school basketball girls and boys nearly every single time. So, I don't even know if this directly impacts our students, but it definitely impacts them and the community to come in and like that's I've made this very clear over the year. That's our pipeline for our schools, sports and students to see what you have to look forward to. And then you're in you're a K12 glucco, not a
148K8, you go somewhere else for 9 to 12 because >> right there's another option for you. It really impacts at the younger grade level >> and those that aren't involved. Kids that are involved get your middle school kids or elementary kids. They don't and they can't come unless they're like I'm sure there's I want to speak for you. You all wanted our best estimate at how much it would cost 18 under to open the door. And yeah, and again, I just want to make clear, I'm not recommending that goes in here because I think there's way more important things than that. But that's that's an important one from a community building. >> I'd like to know the number and then we can put it on our road map. Um, so one of the requests we
149get is to add substitute bus drivers. Um, I'll just be honest, I'm a little bit torn on them. Um, it would cost about $38,000 to add another bus driver. That includes all the bridges and everything. um the the the thought is that you would have a permanent subdriver, but my concern with that is what happens with that driver when there's not a route to cover. Now, I know that, you know, we frequently have routes to cover, but I don't know how many times you would have drivers that didn't have a route. >> Yeah. >> Um >> could we get updated information for the transportation department on on average on a given average day, how many bus drivers are not behind the wheel. Last year it was like three and a half. I don't want to
150like exaggerate, but like from what I remember it was like two to six on a daily basis. And like if that's still the case, then like having a sub and having to figure out what to do with a sub on a day where there's perfect attendance is like kind of small potatoes versus six people not like we got six double runs or we got, you know, our director um behind the wheel. I would I'd love to know what the average absentee rate is behind the wheel. Not for punishment. People need time. We don't want them here sick. If you need your time, you gota take it. But like that'll help me understand the demand side or rather the supply side of the drivers and whether or not a a sub is kind of getting affected.
151>> But couldn't a sub if it's no route then be a bus aid? >> Uh you could do that. Um the rate you pay a bus is quite a bit less than pay a driver. That's the cost of a full bus. >> But if you're worried about he has nothing to do, he can easily go be a bus. >> There's there's work to be had. I mean the amount of time that I wait marsh through a windshield is astronomical. >> Even if it's less pay, they still be >> Yeah. >> Something that 38150 is just for one. So depending on how many you add there, that number is going to change. >> And then the 50k on the bus aids, that's that is 44 or 41. >> That is for four. >> That is 44.
152>> And so that means it's And does that assume that they're on a bus every every day, every run? >> Yes. It's an hourly rate that bus aids are paid and it's just that amount of time that they're actually physically on the bus. >> Plus drivers have built into their contracts time to do a pre-check and post check on the bus and their bus. So that's not built in for buses. It's just a flat hourly rate that we pay for the time to bus. to bounce it against all the other things above. That's a it's a small number for four and you know we have ask him is it 69? >> Yes ma'am. >> The number of routes >> 67 >> approximately >> and how many bus aids do we currently have? >> We only
153have a few. We're required to have them on the special ed buses right now buses that they're on. >> That's what I figured the answer was, but might as well ask it. >> Um, there is a request from technology to increase support for cyber security. I don't need to tell you that this is really picking up once years. Um, and so um I think they put in their budget 50 to 100,000. 50,000 >> and there there was a uh Mr. Hipper's here if you if you want to I'm coming from Busher this but I mean there was a consulting group that worked with a consortium of technology departments to kind of audit the security and make recommendations as to what you need to do to balance what's coming. That's largely where this came from is
154from those recommendations and you you gave us so much more detail that I'm happy to share with you. Anything you want to add to that? No, that's very good. >> Um, school divisions have a lot of information and that is very valuable and so the more we can keep that information secure. >> I'm kind of shocked by how few ransomware um instances we've had in these public education institutions. There's been a handful of colleges that got hit and tons of big tech because human error and social engineering, but 50,000's a lot less than the one might have to pay and then maybe to get access back. So, oh, King and Queen County the year I came here was it was it did they ultimately gain control back over their information? >> They did. they had
155to work with their liability provider that changed a lot. Do you remember that? >> Okay. >> We do work real closely with our insurance provider. We have cyber security insurance with our policies. Um I I'm going to make a plug for the finance office. Um, fortunat we are very fortunate that we have several people that have either worked in lawyers offices or worked in banking and they have that background to really put their radar up when they see someone that's out of whack. We currently participate in positive pay, which means when we do when we write our um accounts payable checks, we upload a file to the bank and we say we have check number two and it is for $250 and it's made out to this person. And then the county goes in and
156approves all of those checks as they come through. I think over the last couple of months, we've had two or three where someone, don't know who, got a check, altered it, and tried to deposit it into their account. And it's only because we do positive pay that it's stopped that check from being able to go through. But that's, you know, now that you can do all these mobile deposits, people are just taking a picture of a check and and then trying to use it later on. Um, we've had some instances where we've gotten, um, you know, click this link to pay your bill. Um, we get those sometimes. Um, >> I got three on my phone in here. >> Yeah. >> I'm not exaggerating. It's >> And there was a school division in the state
157that was putting in a turf field and they got an electronic invoice and they paid it. it wasn't from the company that was doing the field and it was like a half a million dollar payment gone. So the what Josh does, what our team does, I mean they are really it's a lot behind the scenes that you don't realize is going on to keep everything secure and I really applaud them for doing that and appreciate the partnership we have with the charters office because they they've really been great with us kind of giving us the heads up when they see things as well. Does the does the state or the county have any kind of cyber security options that we can tap into? Like to me knowing cyber security is only going to get bigger
158and bigger and more expensive. Like is the state considering saying hey as the state we are now providing this to the schools like they're paying for contractors to man it's a huge contract probably but to manage that or does flubana itself have any kind of county cyber security that we could piggy back on to >> so the federal government has released funding to the states to develop sort of action plans >> and so the the work that we just did to do sort of the audit was done for any school division that applied for. It was a free grant that you could get and then they would have these contractors come in and kind of do sort of testing and doing different things to see, okay, what are you doing well? Where are your security
159holes? Here's sort of your priority. And so then um that information has been shared and so now we can go back to the state and look and So that there's an organization called VA and that offer state contracts that you can sort of use like a cooperative purchasing >> vehicle to to give better or better priced products and more reasonable price as well as that could be materials, it could be services, it could be whatever a division needs, but it's based on their need, right? So, we're in a pretty good place, but there's certain things we need to do better on. So, one thing would be like identity protection. That would be like or like just our inventory practices. We're not very good about knowing everything that's out there in real time. We we know
160what we distribute, but we don't know what people bring in. And so, there's things that tools that you can use to identify that stuff. And so there are solutions that you can purchase there help. So that's what this funding is for the leverage sort of that federal through the state sort of grant program that said okay these are things we got focus on. >> Yeah. I don't know if BDOE like had a contract with a cyber security company to provide it for the state or something be huge but >> they they kind of share with us what they have done >> but they let the locality kind of decide what best >> and honestly so many of their systems even VR the system we use for state reporting it's so antiquated it's not even funny
161go into those systems and upload these files a lot of universities um so for example UVA or VCU they also have cooperative purchasing agreements because they've already done a lot of this stuff so it's just a matter of knowing they exist finding them and you can sort of leverage those as well but that usually comes through a consultation usually companies will give you a free consultation say hey I'm looking for this solution and say oh you already done this this is what you've done this is what you So I don't have anything for offsets right now. >> You're at an additional. >> So let's talk about what's above the line. Well, and and before we leave the offsets conversation, we look every year at that for the past three years, we've decreased all of our
162subscriptions, a lot of our instructional materials. We've decreased teaching positions last year. We've decreased the um funding that we had towards uh SAT testing, PSAT testing. >> Yeah, we got a bunch of emails about that. It's hard. >> Yeah. I just wanted to make sure like I was going through my email this morning and replying to them and there's three or four related to PSAT and SATs. >> Yeah. And I I don't throw this outlessly. I I'm I'm truly saying I feel like every year we have really rolled up our sleeves and tried to see what are the things that we can ask folks to do about what are the things we can decrease. I'm open any feedback there. I don't know what else to to recommend you cut. >> One thing I don't have
163in here, you know, you wake up in the middle of night and have your brain thoughts. I don't have any increases in here for fuel costs. I mean, I'm anticipating that fuel costs are going to remain steady or go down. Um hopefully that comes to fruition. I don't have a decrease in there. >> Okay. Yeah, >> the so these compensations are just the different how much the different scenarios of compensation cost. Um, we'll just keep an eye on the general assembly. Like I said, that three could become four or they could add in a 1% bonus. I've already computed the cost of doing those if you choose to do that. >> And so this is cumulative, not the additional expense. >> Well, the the compensation are orders. So you would switch out your three for
164the six. And do you have in column C the the state proportion? >> Um the state portion would right now all I have is that 994,000. >> So this is our our portion of it. >> Yeah. And and so the six for example two months ago we revisited the salary study. We updated it with new figures and just kind of modeled having no idea what at that time the state was going to do and even less idea what other divisions were going to do that if we wanted to try to maintain a competitive position meaning stay not last. We thought that it could require a six. That's where the six is coming from. >> So that's another 1 something million on top of the problem that we have when you're looking at the template and
165I I I struggle with how to explain this. They put they put a million dollars and they're with the 3%. That that I'm not disputing that, but they didn't give you an additional million dollar. They basically traded out something else and gave you a million dollars. So, at the end of the day, it's costing you a million dollars because you don't have >> So, that was my question. when we read three, you know, 196 basically. >> Yeah, >> that that is regardless of us getting 993 in the current proposal, that's still our cost. Yes. Okay. I just wanted to double check there wasn't anything >> to do everything that we included. >> Right. Right. >> Not that this makes any of our conversations easier. I will note that it is a reassessment here and what
166I heard going down the hill on Wednesday night is that the average the average increase in property values was asset. I think they said it was between 25 and 30%. So to be clear, that is the assessed value of homes. It doesn't mean any this is not the board to look for your tax rates. That said, it doesn't mean that your taxes are going up 25 to 30. It means that when inspectors look at your homes and they don't peer in your windows and they don't put inside your home, they are suggesting that the cops are 25 and 30% higher than they were two years ago when they did the last assessment. And so that I don't know if you would consider that a a good assessment year or that's just an assessment year, but
167ultimately um that's one of the pieces of the puzzle that this supers board is going to have to like grapple with is you know what is an equal what is an equalized rate and is that is that desirable? But certainly the homes in the county are seeing so I think it was 25. The thing that blew my mind is they're saying that the homes that are 1600 square f feet and under the smaller homes in the county 30 to 35% increases in the in their like value. >> And it's just it's one of those things that uh it's just a number that is difficult to like kind of compl or compare reality. But there is certainly that bit of information in in the other board's puzzle. Um I spent a lot of time trying not
168to think about their decisions and look at the spreadsheet. >> So if they change that compensation to a four the general if somebody does that they're going to add additional money to the template to make that to on their side. So we would I it's difficult for me to say what that number would be but they will add additional funds to help pay for that but it won't be 100%. The other thing, and this is not a political statement, but just facts, there are many things built into the governor's budget that may not make it through general assembly, and some of those things are very expensive things that are hitting into the the surplus. The elimination of the car tax is huge. There's there's vouchers in there for private school that may or may not
169make it through general assembly. Um there's um the other big one I was thinking about lab schools. They're back and forth about whether they would fund those. So depending on what the general assembly does, we could see a very different template when we get the the House and Senate templates in the next couple weeks. Unfortunately, I believe you're going to have to adopt a budget before you even see what the House and Senate are recommending in their budgets. Um, even though this is not supposed to be a long budget cycle, we typically don't get those until the third or fourth week in February. >> Do we even like ballpark to like the nearest 100,000? Do we remember what the ask was that was granted a few years ago? That was like the the big one.
170>> 17. one. >> So 17 was like the >> ask was >> Oh, the ask was like two something. What we got was about 17. >> And that was the one that helped us give. >> Yeah. And this is showing sort of backsliding, right? This is the state not keeping up with increased cost and because I don't do any I don't I only focus on schools and I largely only focus on I don't pay attention to everything that goes through Richmond. Could somebody tell me what their term proposal is related to car tax >> to eliminate the car tax or I think it's just for it's an income level but it would eliminate the car tax which would greatly decrease state revenue. >> You mean how much it is? >> No no just and and
171that's on sales or that's on like >> no the annual car tax >> the annual car tax. >> Okay. it and the the state has record revenue surpluses, but everybody seems to be reluctant and I'm not again not advocating one or another, but they seem to be reluctant to put those into recurring costs because they're still concerned that something could happen with the economy and then what would happen that schools when you can. So the just fact the data in fiscal 24 the adopted budget that assumed an increase the actual increase was 1.2 billion more budget assumed. So it's a 17.4% increase in >> it might be good for us to sell every >> Yeah. He does when we go to our state conference every year, he does a presentation forecasting. It talks about state
172revenue and what the state picture looks like in the funding for education. We can share that with you and I there's some good information there. There's a lot of information in there, but it is >> um so these were other things that were not above the line so to speak and we're I'm not saying that people would them to be important um because we did hear these requests um if that one of the things we talked about was the ideal support positions if we did have to fund all of the what's recommended now before the general assembly in terms of math requirements for mass specialist interventions that would cost almost another 400,000 >> now that's not a choice we would have >> no it is a phase in over several years and so we it's
173not something we we are going to have to do next year I think the first year it hits you is fiscal year 27 but um >> so that was my question with that right and I don't want to go into the whole conversation about grant money local money that kind of stuff but we know that come FY28 we need $390,000 If it changes right now, >> if it if it goes through, we will. >> Okay. >> And now they'll fund a portion of that because typically that would be something that would be funded in your template, but it would only be a portion of it. It's not going to be 100%. >> Yeah. I was just thinking of like something we >> Yeah. >> Should it go through, we know 100%. We've got more money
174for something that we're already getting that we need to fund in three years, two years. And then and and I always try to look at the bills that are gone before the general assembly. It can get really overwhelming, but to just look at what's being proposed for education because it might not go through the first year, but then you start to see where there's a pattern where the same kind of bill comes up and then it may go through and so you're just kind of watching like what's the temperature on this? How's it trending? And that that's one that I think is probably going to get some traction. Um, we talked about we had on our spreadsheet the ideal support positions and what that would look like and that that cost another 1.1 million to
175implement that. That's in addition to what you have up there and you're all in budgeted positions. Um, we have a lot of requests for additional speech pathologists. We do have an open position right now that we're working on. Um you s heard the request regarding an additional nurse at central. Um the middle school requested a dean of students. Um we this was on our list last year the change in contracts for the caring for registar and for the CTE specialist at the high school. There's a request for an additional assistant coaches and the number of sports. The total request was 10 and they're at 2150 each for assistant coaches. >> Yeah, I've got a spreadsheet we can share with you. I can show you the different programs where they are ratios. >> Is that just
176athletics or is it include activities? >> Just athletics. That was just >> I know I received an email from the student recently about the arts program and wanting to do larger scale performances that would require more staff. You know, with a musical, you got >> a band, you got a choir, you have drama, if they're on stage and stuff happening. >> Yes. >> Is the 10 assistant coaches ask who made that request? Is that coming from like we just want three coaches per 10 athletes ratio kind of thing or is that head coaches being like I won't help? It's the latter but it's filtered through a vision of the whole the whole program trying to make it in terms of out different programs they support >> you know the way we do this just keep
177this in mind and I've been a lot crazy about this give the program so if you for example if we were to do this then let's say field hockey we get another addition coach that means we are providing funs to that program. Now, that head coach could take that money for that position and hire four, >> right? >> And a fourth of that. And then another program could take that and hire the one. And then you got four people making a fourth what that one is. >> But we're hearing a need from head coaches saying I managed. >> Why? We're hearing the need. >> Why? Like let's take basketball for example. You put more than three, four coaches on a roster. I I question why you need that fourth, fifth assistant coach. >> They're not
178one. >> No, I know. I'm just basketball's what I'm passionate about. So, I know I can speak on how many coaches you need or don't need. Now, if we had >> probably like lacrosse probably >> Yeah. programs with only one coach, then I could see that. those points that we added last >> and so when we added the programs we just put like you know >> two coaches. >> Yeah. And then now they've got more participation. They're seeing that they need more assistance with that. >> So these are the ones that are truly lacking in personnel on the coaching staff that >> like lacrosse participants only two coaches per level. >> Yeah. >> Spread tracking. >> Yeah. You know, they've got all the different events. Got a 90 cent kiss. >> Yeah. Right. >> Two
179people. >> Yeah. >> So, this is one of those things that like I don't love our system either. And like it's fine. You all can jame Kelly apps.plucco.org. Don't forget the second heat. I'll take all your hate mail. I don't love our system and the way that we fun our coaches. I think we should quantify the need coaches and that everybody should get the same stipen or stipen that is commensurate with their work. We ain't going to do it this budget season. I mean, I'm staring at 3.1 and all this is below the line, but like if we want to have a roadmap and a plan for how we want to like proceed and and build professionalize our division, that should go on the list. >> Like I get it. And I I wanna I
180want to respect autonomy and I want to thank our head coaches for the job they do. But at the end of the day, you know, and people should be paid. None of this is none of this is profitable, right? You're putting way more hours than you're ever going to get a check for and all that. But I feel like we should probably professionalize and standardize this. And then if others agree, then we should think about putting it on the road because this is this ain't the year to do it financially. It's going to cost more to do it, right? >> The um the other request that we had was um for administrative assistant for the activities director. That request we received several times and that is that's modeled in other conditions as well. I would
181say every school has >> um the PSA testing you heard about that we would estimate to reinstate that would be about $24,000. >> Um that was tricky because we had a decline in the number of kids taking the SAT and SAT this year. Um, some of that may be financial, some of that is because we're hearing that some of the schools are test optional, so kids are choosing not to. Um, it's probably a little bit of both. I'm hearing the pendulum swinging back towards requiring testing. So, that does vary. My concern has always been that PSAT is a good practice for the SAT and there's targeted free intervention you can participate in if you want to work on your SAT score after you take the PSAT. The other thing is in schools in Virginia, you
182do not take a time test until you hit this one. And I don't care how brilliant you are. If you're not used to taking a time test, you're going to struggle when you're told you have to do this in 30 minutes. So, um, this is one that that I advocate for. Um, but I understand we have resources. >> I don't I don't love all of his analysis and in fact, I find some of his books just to be cherrypicked nonsense, but there is a very good podcast from Mountain Gladwell as it relates to standardized testing and the American Yeah. And if you've heard of it, it's, you know, Malcolm Gladwell's standard deviations above the rest of us probably on intellect or at least capacity and taking a Canadian, I think, and shoving American time test
183down their throat is it's a learned behavior. It is a skill that you develop. It is not an actual measure of your intellect or capacity. Um, and does that 24,000 is that universally free for all the students who want to take it? Is that just some financial aid? Some I remember we had >> that would be what what we even anticipated it would cost if we paid for everyone. >> I do remember that there was a bit of a uh issue with the way that we implemented discounts on PSA or SAT last year or the year before in that rather than providing specific aid to to students with need, it was a universal discount for all students. So it wasn't really need based um applied >> we paid for >> there was a year where
184>> this year >> was it this year I'm trying to we're in the school together was it so it's this year so like sometimes even best intense the programs that are aimed at providing closing gaps for students without >> I don't think it was it wasn't something that we were implementing it was something that that College Board has specific rules about when you can use a fee waver when you're using production. >> Yeah, I'm not there's no I'm not assigning blame. I'm articulating >> that go back. >> It wasn't splendid. I wasn't trying to name names, but obviously we're a small division and we only have so many testing. So, >> I want to make sure that we are thoughtful about it and that if we're putting money up that it that it takes care
185of and doesn't just like take a couple percentage points off a family who just like can't. can't afford it. >> Well, this this is an estimate based on what we spent when we when we did offer it to everyone. So, I'm not going to say that it's exact, but that would be my estimate. >> Sure. >> I had master on the request last year. I put it back up here. Um I'm just going to tell you, I think you're on a timet how long that system's going to be working. So is Fuel Master the new system or is this a bandaid? No, >> we currently use Fuel Master and I think we need to upgrade and this is the >> this is the cost to move to a new system. >> Yes. >> So they
186have a cloud-based system. Currently we have a local server that the schools provide but the county also uses the system and what happens is school division has to then sort of itemize how much usage could each department the county use and then invoice them so that they can >> and it's also on the transportation side we have to provide these little keys to each department of the county. Now, every deputy gets one, every emergency services department employee gets one so that they can you, you know, the ambulance, whatever, you name it. Every county vehicle, you know, an excavator, a lawn mower. So this would allow us to go to a cloud-based system and then each entity would have their own way of going in and managing their portion. Problem that we have is the system
187goes down, but you still need to get gas. We need to let you get gas. We want you to fill up your police car, but it's not always we're not always able to track that way. We need to be. It is on generator now. Um I think did that year or two ago um which helps but just because of the nature of demanding power they go down a lot. So, this is one that like if we're wasting a bunch of staff hours on andor this is unsustainable and it's a shared expense with the county that like I don't put above the line not to have it eat into things that we need for students but also like if it's unsustainable and this is the fix to to eliminate a bunch of staff time waste that
188can be spent on other things and maybe this is something that we think up either now or on our three-year road map. >> There's definitely other things to consider. The current system is not being supported. So there's light server and you can run it until the software server dies but at some point go back. The other thing to consider is there may be there may come a time where the county wants to add another phone and there's been talk put it at the high school sort of on the bus ramp side you sort of enter in it right talk about putting it there. Well, this system would allow it whereas the current system would not. And we may have to do an additional new because there's issues where the current one is a >> I
189assume it can. So, I don't think we talked about this can't qualify for CIP, can it? >> It could. I think the frustrating thing with fuel master with fuel billing and with the gas pumps is I don't know how we got in the business of being in charge of all the counties. >> Sounds like a great program for the county to take over. >> I get we have a lot we have a lot of us in the whole thing. Here's your interest for our time. >> Miss Marsh did a great job when she came in cleaning that up and there were a lot of things that were found. So, the county is appreciative. It was a collaborative partnership and put in the generator. Um, our maintenance team, it's a good partnership that we do have
190with the county. For example, when the snow was coming in, the emergencies of the end of the weekend, uh we worked with Travis and his crew worked with that to keep it keep it clean, but yes, it is slowly starting to balance out. We still take the brunt of it, but it would be very helpful. Um 30,000 is under the CIP limit. >> Okay. >> Uh so it could be looked at as a CRM. uh possibly if they would improve that uh unless we added something onto the fuel master. I'm not suggesting we add it on to make it more money to reach that threshold. I'm just saying we'd have to look at I mean could they just add it to the CIP when they decide to add another >> more like an annual recurring
191[Music] >> so this is just the cost to upgrade at one time. >> Yeah. And when we when we pay the when we pay for the um recurring costs or any maintenance that goes on, we do split up between those departments. We don't just assume all that cost. I get it's all count money, but >> right, >> it to be honest with you. I mean, I had it on there one year for a car and I was like, you know, please can we have this because we need it and they were like, no. And I'm like, is your guest? >> That's right. To me, this seems >> uh not to go down that whole road again, but very population studyesque of like >> everybody's benefiting from it, yet it's on the school's plate to do,
192especially if we're providing manpower and fuel cost to shovel snow and things like that that we're not getting paid for. Um, so the the under potential offsets, um, I put on there you could back off about $110,000 in the health insurance increase in the past part of the 10% to the employees. Um, I'm not advocating for that. I'm just letting you know what that cost could be. If you do have the occupied to do something different with that, then we could cost out potentially the percentage change. Um, but that is a ton of work. Um, so I I will do that if that's something that you're interested in, but if you're not, then >> I'm gonna say something shocking here at 3.1 to zero that line up and this is the first time I'll say
193that it's we just can't continue to to meet all the insurance costs. Um, and at some point some point things got to change and at 31 I don't know how we leave 600,000 in there to be honest. And I did a little math real quick on you know I I just used a salary 55,000. I don't have our scales in front of us. I think last year it was 53,000 starting teacher. But so I use 55,000 as a number that somebody makes income-wise and a 3% increase is 1650. A 10% on the year and a 10% increase in healthcare is 1,100 or is 1320 rather on the year. And so like to the extent that if we don't pass it through and a person who makes 55,000 if they got a family plan their net
194their net takehome in or their net in income increase is really 330 bucks in the year if we give 3% and then we don't cover any of the insurance. I do want to go back and clarify the the employee the employee payment on a family plan is 877 >> over $1,000 in previous years. I'm almost positive I was paying over a thousand bucks. >> When I check the date, I'll double check >> or maybe those were the >> I swear is $1,900. >> Yeah. I thought we were ballpark. >> We were ballpark that again. >> Are you So, are you saying you recommend covering the increase or passing someone on to the staff. >> I'm not I'm looking at these positions that ultimately our kids are going to suffer if we remove. >> Yeah. Okay.
195That >> I as much as I I want to cover these things and to insulate our staff and to acknowledge that when you choose a job in public service that the benefits are supposed to be the benefits are supposed to cover some of those and >> we just can't do it. I I don't know how we I mean, we can ask for the 31 or whatever it turns out to be, but unless the county fully funded it, I don't know how we leave that 600,000 in there. And it's Yes, I'll save my other for a different day because it is more than I I agree with what you're saying. I would also love to see just because I don't really know if there's been a deep rational explanation as to why we don't really really
196really dive into combining insurance with the county to maybe offset this. Even though I know it means their rates may go up. I get it. But to me, I don't know. I just don't know if I heard one. So if we can revisit it or get one today, I'm >> Well, I can I can speak to the issue in in the U. >> Yeah. In the work session we attended with the uh county, it was kind of coalesed that Eric and I, Mr. D and I would put a committee together study that >> and I I reached out to him about that. We're still trying to work. >> Okay. >> So I do think the deep dive is going to happen. Okay. >> I think the reason it hasn't happened in the past is because
197three things. Their rate structure is really really favorable for the employees meaning the employer county pays a lot towards the premium. So theirs is low is one. Second is the overall premium to the county is low. So yeah, they're paying a big part of it, but they're being a big part of a smaller amount than we really do. And then the third is just claims to have more people, different demographic of people. Um, and so I suspect that the overall cost of the program, so for example, I guess the overall cost of providing health insurance to teachers and county employees to I think might be less if we were doing it together. The negative impact on county county employees would be probably pretty significant in what they would pay more to come in line with
198what we're doing or the cost of of adding to this what the county would need to give us for us to do for our employees what they do theirs. That's my list. And so none of that is me reading tea leaves and saying that after we get this committee together, the answer is going to be no, we're not going to do it, right? I just think it's going to cost the county a lot of money to do that or sacrifice a lot of benefit that employees currently have. >> Well, the claims are the claims. You're you're self-insured. You're not you're not paying >> there's no markup on our claims. >> You're paying for the claims >> because the doctor prospects that's what is paying. >> I get it. I just hear of so many I
199mean I think Mr. Fulham has talked about before. I mean there's I have family members who are teachers outside of Hubana County that are paying if it's the $1,100ish rate that I think we I know we've at least discussed it. So if we use that one, they're paying $900 less than that for a family plan as a teacher of five 10 years yet. We're I don't know. I hate to put it this way. I just don't know with what we're looking at right now. Potential teachers for county aren't here yet. Don't listen to this. What is the what's the why to come to fluana county if you're not born and raised here as a teacher or staff just staff in general what is the why to come to fluana to work for blue county public
200schools >> live in the country >> which I'm all for but as a 23 year old who probably don't want to live in the country anyway necessarily like why are they coming here and if they do want to live in the country go you know what I mean like I hate putting it that way but Like when we're here, we don't, as much as we don't want to look at it as competition, like life's competition, we are competing for that one resource to fill a chair depending on this seat and like got a lot of options that offer stuff that we don't. And >> I don't know. >> I think my second biggest question is why do they stay? Like honestly, >> because they're fantastic people and I I hate that that's the answer, but
201they're fantastic. >> It is a selfless decision to stay in Savannah. I've been doing this six years and I'm whatever it is, however many years and I'm continually baffled why our people stay with us. I and I hate that that's a question we ask, but when you look at context like that, that's all the question. >> We I verify that family $500 deductible 877 just so >> is there a diff is there a difference with a higher or like a thousand? Can't remember. I don't know. My deductible plan the employee family is $429. >> Wasn't there like a high deductible 500 and a,000 level or something like that? >> It would be a cheaper. >> Yeah, I could have talking about >> uh it's possible that that was the number we were using when we
202were exploring what to do with increases last year. >> Last year. >> And maybe that was like a theoretical rate sheet, but we looked at it was like 1087. Mhm. >> And it was for a family of four and it was maybe a an alternative. So that's what weed then was to go to a 1087. >> This is what we have right now. >> You said it's what's that number? >> Um well I can I can upload the rate sheet to the package so everybody has it. But um the family on the 500 is 877. >> And how much would it be? >> What's that? >> Well, how much would it be with the 10% increase? >> Yeah. So, uh, the, so again, if we did a 3% increase on somebody who makes 55k a
203year, that net pre-tax is 1650. >> And then if we add 10% to 877, that's going to cost $1,000 a year. So, the like net impact on somebody making 55k is a $600 um, pre-tax and all that. And I acknowledge that healthcare comes out pre-tax, so there's some tax implications, but the net is like a $600 increase instead of the 1650 increase. >> I'm going to play devil's advocate with you, and I'm just letting be said >> a custodian serves at 32,000, >> right? Let's do it. >> So, if we're looking at 877 >> for a family plan, a simple go up 10% puts them roughly at 965 a month. wrong math right on that. >> Sorry, what was it again? >> If they're 8.77 a month now, if we >> 965 y >> Yeah,
204965. So either way, we're still pushing the better part of,000 bucks. Oh, >> now I will, you know, the issue is on high deductible is you have to have the funding to be able to offset >> the out of pocket if you have to do it. But um that the fact that we contribute to the HSA for the employees um and you know if you're relatively healthy and you know that you're not going to have a ton of claims, your preventives are all covered. You don't have to worry about that and you got that money sitting in your account. >> I mean they're fabulous if you have sufficient savings like or a nonreckless abandoned six and a halfyear-old. It it is triple tax protected, right? You can it's pre-tax. You can you don't get charged
205on the interest you make and it's it's taxfree when it comes out. All that's great on a high deductible plan if you're wealthy enough and have enough savings to withstand, you know, catastrophic failure. And so like those are great, but like you know I work in tech and I I I have a a lovely like I I'm well compensated but I still have a $500 deductible plan because I am riskaverse and I do not like catastrophic cash flow things. >> Sure. >> And like people making 32,000 or 55,000 aren't going to be able to listen, you know, like $10,000 hit. So, as much as I love the merits of the high deductible plan, like I just don't see a huge state and and when we do that, we also set people up for kind of
206lifealtering um snapos. So, the answer on a $32,000 custodian who gets a family plan that they'd be going back $92 a year. If we get 3% and we increase the family plan by 10, they're going back 90 bucks on a year, but it's still backwards for numbers sake. Um, and I know we've got a lot going into a potential ask. Is anybody interested in seeing a 5% pass on instead of a 10 so we can at least have a lower pass on to st? It's going to be tough. I don't even know. I mean, it's just going to take 300K off the thing, right? So, we're going to go from 31 down to 28. I'm happy to put it in there, but >> No, I'm just saying for comparison purposes, if we're fluctuating, I mean,
207this is this is going to be a big >> one anyway. But >> yeah, I mean, I'm happy to put it. We're not going to go We're not going anywhere close to a real number to work with today, >> right? I'm happy to have that stuck in and put 300 below and >> as opposed to zeroing it out. It's still moving in the right direction for me right now. >> I mean to be honest it also is about like what is our perspective and this board has not in the past and I I don't care what anyone says this board has not articulated a true need to the board of supervisors pretty much in any year in the past. And so if you if board members are comfortable articulating true need, which may or may
208not include driving some of our staff backwards in income based on getting a raise and then taking it away with with healthcare. There's a two-step process here, right? We ask for what we need. They tell us maybe it's multi-step. They tell us what they can afford and give us a number and then we go back and retrofit. So to the extent that people are um fine with that third step, we could leave the whole 600 in and ask for it, but then when when the money when the numbers come back, then this board's got to go back and retrofit it. And I I don't disagree with that. I when I'm looking at a true need staff, I love you, whoever's listening. A true need for me knowing that we have covered the health insurance increases
209for a period of time now would be to try to keep as much of the other stuff as we can knowing that that still benefits them doesn't benefit their their account at the end of the day maybe but the need would be this org structure and stuff you know so like I get you and I I hear you and understand Jack the a need for me would be maybe like just might be the year for Sure. You know, I mean, that happens a lot all over the place where your rates go up. I hate to say it, but and it's awesome. We've covered it for so long, but I feel like if we stay focused on prioritizing the compensation aspect, which is a top priority, yes, >> that's going to still make the in everything
210else fall second, you know, and I mean, either way, it's not a good >> Yeah. I think this is notable for me in that in previous years the healthcare piece was something that I just like really wasn't willing to but I'm not I don't want to scare staff but like >> it it's no longer the third rail for me. It's it's in the mix with everything else because what are you going to do when your starting point is 3 million? A lot of it's how we communicate this. >> Yeah. just and I mean and like Nour's input like the input's awesome and I'm not going to say we need to hear every single staff member's like hierarchy of this list but like at the same time it's like y'all y'all tell us you know I
211mean if we're go if we go to back for them and they say uh pay and insurance are the top two then well if we are listening then that should be the top two but we do have to articulate the org structure and all these other things that y'all are saying are super important would then fall second to that and I'm not going to say that's the best way to go but like if you're listening to your people then you kind of also say we hear you and we acted on that and this was the this was the opportunity cost build your school system or a potential hopefully one year difference in the health and insurance I don't know it's not a good conversation to have either way because it doesn't sound great but you
212and hopefully staff are for advocating for themselves and also So I I trust that they're also advocating through the lens of student, but >> it's our job to figure out kind of what that balance is. Like I if if we pull to be honest, if we pull um physicians out of our mental health thing here, not in sleep at night like our kids are suffering and they need it. and I don't know how to balance that against um income increases and healthcare increases and all that but ultimately we will by the time Marshall roll around. >> You know also I have a problem with you know staff making less money. >> Oh I know like how do we ask them and you know even if we made it break even where we're given a raise
213but then we're taking some back. Yeah, we can we can beat our chest and say it's great for your retirement down the road, but if their numbers stay flat, they're losing buying power because inflation is inevitable. I think we've documented that quite well. Um, and so they're moving backwards. I don't know how we asked that to move backwards either. Take a FCPS field trip to Richmond and say the state needs to give us more money so the county does. I think we're close to that while we over at 12 o'lock. >> So, I guess that maybe to wrap up from our point of view, unless there's something else you want to look at, we're going to continue to have the dialogue and do the work and monitor what's happening at the state and continue to
214get feedback from staff and look to bring you an actual draft of a budget. And if there are specific things that you know you want to see in it or know you don't want to see in it, I need that. >> Thanks, Dr. Bricks. Thank you. >> Absolutely. So I I think in terms of like starting to produce material is like ultimately this board will need to come to some kind of consensus about what our true need is and whether or not we're willing to bring that down the hill and advocate for it. But um I think given where we are now you can create the the flowcharts of org structure as it's currently proposed. Um if we can start to document um increase in in need against decrease in staff and find ways like
215we got to start putting our our narrative together. This is like anything you do with work, right? Where you got a bunch of data and you got to you got to tell the story so you can make business decisions. Ultimately, we're going to need to do this because, you know, our our success down the hill doesn't just happen. And I know that there are some who believe in advocacy and some who don't. I am big in making sure I get facetime and I'm able to tell them what's going on in our buildings. And so to the extent that we can start to put these things in place and start to add some of the evidence to the to the budget books, it'll help me in conversations because I'm confident I will have many with every
216member of the board of superers. And for me right now, like all of this is in play other than not doing other than making sure we do 3% because there's state money attached to it. Like that's the that's the most sacred thing for me right now. The thing that I expect to be in is at least a 3% increase. And I'm going to fight hard to keep our mental health services as intact as we can. But I don't know how we >> I don't know how we do all this. >> All right. On the school board, >> I just have one super quick question and it it might not even be answerable. Do we know when we may have a number for uh cafeteria cost cent? Like is that something we may have at our
217meeting in February? >> We're gonna have to put a placeholder here. Um regardless. Okay. >> We're still hoping that we can come up with some things that'll turn it around. >> We we've just implemented some things that >> might have Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that's I was just curious that way we could try to have like a clear clear shot. >> Yeah. If if we could just have a sense of scale. I don't know if we're looking at a $100,000 wedge or >> that's that's where my bra >> Yeah. >> that we need to put in there. But when we're looking at 31 and 600 worth of insurance and 700 worth of staff, we want to keep this all valuable. We'll be able to share something much more. >> Anybody anything else before we move on
218to school board member comments? >> All good. >> All right. We'll start with Dr. Kelly. I've said plenty today. Um I know it's a it's going to be a long road. All these budget seasons have been difficult. they require to to be honest like I'm at the board of superers every week uh to advocate for the schools to make sure that they know what's going on with us uh and to make sure that um no communication is lost because I I think it's important and uh as much as I like the night off um I'd be remiss if I'm not doing my best to make sure that the the county doesn't have any missing information. Um, I hope that if folks are listening at home, uh, that you see where this budget year is headed,
219know that it is marketkedly different from from the past and that the headwinds from the state are just increasing year-over-year. And like, this is the worst starting place I've seen for this school division since I've been on here six years. I know all of y'all lived through whether it was this division or others that the eight and 10 years and and more austere times, but this is absolutely brutal and will have huge impacts on our staff and our students and morale and recruitment and retention and all the things that we ultimately care about, including student outcomes, period. Um, and so whether you're a staff person or um you're just an interested citizen listening at home or a kid in our division, this is the year where I will encourage um folks to to speak up
220to to write your members whether it's on this board or others to attend meetings, ask questions, and to see if we can't collectively come up for a vision uh for our school division and our county uh that is progressive. in that it continues to take the needs of our students and our staff seriously. Thank you. >> Thanks, Dr. Kelly. Mr. Rick Hs. >> Yeah. Um, I hear all the numbers that are being presented. Um, and I like numbers. Um, I went back to some of my papers. this a superintendent's budget for 2020 and the budget that year was $42 million697,633. [Music] Well, we're in excess of $12 million difference now 5 years later. Um, what are the students getting for it? What are the teachers getting for it? We have less students and more more
221employees. Um, I don't I don't see how that work. Did that make any sense to me? That's just what I think. >> Thanks, Mr. Mr. Reed. Um, thank you all for putting all this information together because I know it's a lot and gives us a good foundation to build off of. Um, I'll echo what Dr. Kelly said, but I'll add in there the staff component, too. Um, I love y'all, but if I'm being real and honest, I know you guys don't always speak up to whoever's listening. Please feel free to speak up to us, to the county, to school admins. Like, we we we really need to know where y'all are at. And the block parties are awesome. I love them. But like, y'all can come to us, too, and let us know because that's
222that's what we need. And I think that might help qualify some of like what M Mr. Ritten House is saying, too. if the better we understand what y'all are working with in the schools, the better we can advocate for it. And we only know so much because we're not in building staff every single day, too. And so, um, yeah, I would love to see, I said this earlier, too, I would just love to see county and school roadmap plans knowing we are as big of a cog in the wheel as what we are for the county. And I think that would help us a lot moving forwards, but we'll get it done. >> Thanks, Mr. Agree. Yeah, I think that, you know, we got a lot of work ahead and I'm confident that we will
223get a budget together that will support the needs of our students. That's the end. >> All right. Uh on to the journment of the meeting. U take a motion. >> Second. >> All right. Thanks, Dr. Kelly. Do I have a second? >> Yeah, I'll second. >> Thanks, Mr. Green. All those in favor say I. >> I. I. meeting to >> J. Thank you all. >> Yes, indeed.