001appearing specific to the budget. Oh, look at this. All right, let's uh Charles should be walking in any moment. Here he comes now. Then Mr. Gford, I see a subtitle, which is what I said earlier. So, does that mean that that's thinking about what's >> just Um, what we were discussing is given the circumstances going into a recess until six o'clock then having the bud budget public hearing. Um, Mr. Kelly brought up the public comment both during this part of the meeting and the the public comments for the budget public hearing. I'm texting back and forth now. I'm I'm okay with that. I don't I don't see a problem with that. We're just going to adopt agenda, do public comment, and then go into recess. >> Um now we just when we go into recess,
002we just won't have the rest until following Wednesday. Is that okay with everybody? Does that make sense? Yes. >> All right. So, we'll I'm looking for a motion when the time comes to go into recess. We'll we'll talk about it more then. But all right, on to uh on to the adoption of the agenda. >> So, Mr. Chair. >> Yes, sir. >> I move that we adopt the agenda as presented with the following modifications. So one to strike number four reports from the superintendent and number I mean none of that matters. So yeah, let's just scrap number four if anybody has >> we can't because we're going to we're going to resume there on Wednesday. We're we're going into recess after number three and then we will resume on Wednesday with four and then we
003will follow that with our normal meeting. >> Okay. Uh Mr. Chair, I'm the friendly revision that we adopt the agenda as presented uh but switch five and four so that the reports from the superintendent come after the budget public hearing. Okay, >> since we'll short recess, >> that makes I see what you're saying. >> Public. >> Okay, >> call it a day, resume on Wednesday. >> Makes sense. >> I'll second it. >> Okay, so I have a motion to adopt the agenda moving the budget public hearing before the report from the superintendent. Is that correct? >> That's right. >> All right. Any more discussion? All those in favor of adopting the agenda with the budget public hearing being prior to the reports from the superintendent, please say I. I. >> Any opposed? Chair votes I.
004All right, we have an agenda and we are moving on to public comment. Give me just one minute. Is there anybody on the signup sheet back there? >> Okay. All right. We've arrived at our first round of public comment for tonight's meeting. Any Fanta County citizen or employee of Fanta County Public School System is welcome to speak and the expectations are that you address the board not individual members. You provide your name and voting district and that you do not exceed three minutes. The time is on the televisions. Uh we will not interact with you during public comment but you're welcome to ask us questions directly following the meeting. Again there will be another round of public comments related to the budget public hearing at six o'clock. Anyone wishing to speak? again, Joselyn Cunningham District.
005I just wanted to say thank you to whoever was doing the um the school board information for the public meetings that they actually put it out as an invite this time. It made it a lot easier to share that information with people. So, I wanted to say thank you to the to whoever did that and to ask that y'all please keep doing it again. So, appreciate that. Thank you. All right. Anybody else wishing to speak? All right. That was our first round of public comment and we will move on to uh a motion to recess if anybody's willing to make that motion. >> Uh Mr. Chair, I move that we take a short recess to resume at 6:00 p.m. for the public hearing. And just as a friendly reminder, no three of us can talk
006about board business in the interim. So if you see me completely ignoring you, it's because we have dead time. And if you're going to talk about business, just like pull off to the side there. >> I have a motion. I need a second. I'll second. All right. I have a motion in a second to recess until six o'clock at what point at which point we'll resume with the bud budget public hearing and recess is actually not debatable. So we'll just move forward with the vote. All those in favor please say I >> opposed. Chair votes I. We are now re in recess until 6 o'clock. Go, Mr. Sha. All right, reconvene the meeting at I got six o'clock on the dot. We good on social media. All right. And we will start with the budget
007public hearing. Um, so any Fluana County citizen or employee of the county public school system is welcome to speak and expectations are the same as before. You address the board, not individual members. You provide your name and voting district. That you do not exceed three minutes. The times are on the televisions and that you are respectful. We will not interact with you during public comment, but you are welcome to ask us questions directly following the meeting. Anybody signed up? All right. Is there anybody anybody wishing to speak? Joslyn Cunningham District. These past few weeks have been rough for many Americans, including those of us here in Fana. Some of my friends have expressed serious concerns over issues such as foods food insecurities because they are worried about federal funding cuts. I have personal stories I
008can share, but you know them or other stories like them. Mr. Reed has been asking on social media about who eats in the cafeteria and who doesn't and why. And many of us appreciate that effort and for that I thank you. According to the information I received from your admin office schools currently has about 36% of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. That's over,00 students. For some this may be the only access to meals that they get during the weekdays. The question is now, even if you do keep the free meals program, how long would it take before the federal administration shuts off funding? Would people still be able to let their kids eat for free? Would we just go back to absorbing the unpaid lunch debt program again to the tune of $100,000 or
009more a year? We are already starting this budget cycle over $3 million in the hole with an unfriendly board of supervisors who has traditionally shown that they are not willing to fund a full budget of needs. I asked this in an email of you this morning and I'm asking again here now. Do you have a plan in place to make up for the loss of federal dollars in the school budget once the Department of Education gets dismantled? Are you expecting the state or our local board of supervisors to make up the shortfall or will the students, teachers, and staff have to pay the price? We received about $2 million in total of federal funds last year. What is the plan going forward for when we lose access to that money? Mr. Ree responded in part
010with this email. I am aware of the recent news about the federal funding cuts to public education, but at this time I do not have any concrete information as to how this might play out, especially as it relates to FCPS. It is too early to have any answers for you on how I would proceed since I am not sure that this will actually go through, but please know that I am monitoring the situation. Mr. Writtenhouse's response was a bit more colorful. He wrote, "Don't know exactly what kind of response you're looking for. It's been a long time coming. There isn't anything new for our newly elected president. Since FCPS doesn't adhere to a woke agenda, I personally don't see a problem. As the student population has decreased significantly in the past decade, employee numbers have
011increased more than 10% overall in the same time period. Might just have to tighten the belt to make ends meet. Well, where exactly do you expect to tighten the belt? Where can you justify cutting more from this budget that won't adversely affect the safety, health, education, or quality of life of the students, teachers, and staff of Sana County Public Schools? Thank you. >> Anyone else wishing to speak? >> Good evening. My name is Ashley Crocker and I live in the Fort Union District. I think all of us in this room are here because we fundamentally care about students, teachers, and this community. We want kids to have access to high-quality education. We want teachers to be compensated fairly and have access to the resources they need to be successful. And we want our schools to
012be a place where our community comes together to learn, grow, and connect. But unfortunately, that's far from the reality because, as Mr. Reid put it last week, the school, the board of supervisors has been saving millions of dollars over the past decade by severely underfunding the schools. It's time to stop letting them get away with it by passing a budget that includes an ask for the full $3.2 million shortfall we are facing this year. The fact is there's nothing left we can cut from our budget. Everything that could even maybe be considered extra has already been cut. Our teachers and school staff do so much with so little. I'm so grateful to them for making our school such a wonderful place to be. But the fact is we've got administrators doing the jobs of two
013or three people. Our teachers are paid less than their counterparts in neighboring districts. And we ask our students and teachers to work in buildings that are falling apart. And I've heard from multiple sources that students at Carisbrook sometimes don't even have access to clean water. Yes, our teachers and school staff and administrators are doing a fantastic job with what they are given. But frankly, they shouldn't be forced to make do with so little. We can't cut teaching positions. We can't say we're giving teachers and staff a raise while increasing health insurance costs so much that they actually bring home less money. So, the only thing that we can do, the only thing that we must do is ask for what is truly needed and pass a budget that includes the $3.2 million in additional funding
014our school district so desperately needs. In the past, the school board has tried to whittle down the budget as much as possible so as not to burden the board of supervisors with a big ask for the schools. I'm sure that's been appreciated by the folks down the hill, but that's not actually your job. And in fact, it's doing the school district a disservice because the board of supervisors can actually give the schools what they need if you don't ask for it. You have you don't have to find the money to pay for what our schools need. All you have to do is ask for it. And if the board of supervisors says no, then we can have a conversation as a community about how to balance all of our needs. So, I urge you to
015stand up for students, teachers, and families. And please pass the budget with the $3.2 million in additional funding that is needed and leave the rest up to the board of supervisors. Thank you. >> All right. Anyone else wishing to speak? We close our budget public hearing, entertain a motion to recess until February 12th or regularly where we will complete this meeting and our regular scheduled meeting on February 12th. >> Point of clarification, Mr. Chair. uh normal time, closed and open session or modified times. >> Standby. I'm gonna give you the times. Got it all written down here. Thanks to Miss Prer. >> All right. Close session from 5 to 6, open at 6. Our and presentation 6:30 and the hearing at 7. >> Mr. Chair, I move that we recess our current meeting February Wednesday,
016February 12th, in which we will hold close session from 5 to 6, open session starting at 6, the presentation of the budget proposal at 6:30. Yes. >> And a budget hearing at 7 p.m. >> I'll second. >> I have a motion and a second. And again, because it's a motion to recess, it's not debatable. So, we'll just call for the vote. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed. Chair votes I. We are recessed until February 12th at 5:00 pm. Thank you all. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Uh, hold on. Mark on top here.