001All right, it is 6:30, so let's call this meeting to order. Um, start with the pledge of >> allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. Right. Well, welcome everyone. Good to see a full audience here for our first meeting 26 school year and welcome to our new superintendent. Thank you. All right. Are there any comments from the audience? Right. Seems like there are none. So, uh, any additions to the agenda? No additions. All right. On to routine business items. Um, can I have a motion to approve our June 12th, 2020 2025 regular meeting minutes? So, move. >> Second. All right. So we have Chris, Ben. Yep. Uh is there any discussion of the minutes, corrections? Hearing
002none. All those in favor of accepting the minutes, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? That passes unanimously. We have a motion to approve the July 16, special meeting minutes. I'll second making the motion. Chris seconding. >> Any discussion of those minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? passes unanimously. Thank you. Anyone have any community meeting reports to share? >> I guess I can provide one from a finance committee standpoint. So, subsequent to the last time we met on July 16th um the following meetings were um occurred from the finance committee. So, on July 30th, uh there was a reduction to the proposed budget by 20,000 and 15,000 of that came from the board of ed and 5,000 came from the board of selectmen.
003And then there was a public meeting that was held on August 7th. I was not able to attend that one. Um I called in for a little bit, but I thought it was very well attended. There was a lot of good feedback. Um people came with, you know, a lot of great perspective. So I think we should continue to, you know, explore having those earlier on in the budget cycles. You know, next slide. And then the referendum was held on August 12th and the budget did pass um 650 yes to 593 no. Um and so following that, the mill rate was approved at 32.30. Um and and note that we did have a temporary mill rate that went out as well um at 31. So just high level I would say from a feedback standpoint
004why the budget did pass. Um you know the vote was very close. It was indicative that you know people are expecting some changes in the future. I think there will continue to be quite some you know budgetary pressure. So, um, we'll have to continue, you know, to to start the next budget cycle almost immediately because I think this, um, kind of new pressure is is is here to stay. >> Okay. Anything else to add? >> Thank you for that summary, Ashley. Any other community meeting reports? It's summer, so not too much happening. Do >> you want me to do the PTA? >> If you're able to, >> I can do a quick one on the PTA. Um they have their first meeting September 9th. I believe superintendent Crusoe will be in attendance. Um they have
005their walk-athon October 2nd which is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Uh they have been working diligently all summer. Um still working on fundraising for their playground project. It concludes a playground project. Um and they're always looking for new members and volunteers. Are they not doing a back to school movie night or have I missed something on that? >> They are. Okay. It's the September 5th. I believe Friday. >> Thank you. Yeah. >> Rain day and Saturday. >> Yeah. September tonight. >> Yes. September 5th. Yeah. With the rain. Thank you. >> Thank you. To post on Facebook soliciting ideas for what movie to watch. Excellent. >> Yeah. >> I don't even care what movie. >> Yeah. >> Thank you for that report, Ashley. look forward to hearing more about each of those endeavors. All right,
006uh meetings. I think we're all done with that, so turn it over to the superintendent of schools for your report. >> Great. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. Um every summer I'm always amazed at the amount of work that goes into getting ready for the next school year. And uh I want to give a shout out to our administrative team, central office teams, uh the custodial team uh for the amazing work that they've done all summer long, plugging away, trying to make sure that uh we learned from last year and take what what worked last year and roll it into this year and then u take a look at some things that we could do a little bit better. And I I've sat in a couple of leadership meetings in both buildings. uh and really great
007conversations about uh student performance data, uh survey data, and how they can make some shifts and adjustments um this school year to um to make some improvements based on that information that they received from the survey data. Um which was really great because it was teacher leaders also along with the administrators uh in a collaborative collaborative effort all putting their heads together, listening to what the staff saying, listening to what parents are saying uh and making some really nice changes this school year that I'm really looking forward to seeing put in practice. So, I want to thank them for all that work uh this summer getting ready for the year. Uh we've had some senior leadership u team meetings this summer as well. Um obviously them getting acclimated to new superintendent and uh trying to
008make sure that we get off on the right foot to this starting school year. Um we had nth grade orientation yesterday, right Mr. M? Was yesterday get blurred together sometimes. It was really neat seeing the incoming eighth graders uh walk into the building a little bit nervous of course understandably so. Uh the the upper classmen did a fantastic job as student leaders um really stepping up and and taking over that program which was really neat to see. Um so that was that was fun. And we talked to Mr. Misselli uh about possibly expanding that program in the future to um to get some of the seventh graders uh involved early on uh at BCS, get them attached to the high school and get them included in some more things at Bolton High School. Um something
009that they can look forward to. A couple weeks ago, I visited Columbia and met with the superintendent uh there, Barbara Wilson, to discuss our partnership with them. Uh we had a good conversation about kind of um the history of our partnership and and where we can go next. um she was uh very amendable to us coming there and um giving presentation with our team to their families to make sure that their families know about the awesome uh experiences that that Bolton High School has to offer. Um so they know that we are a viable option for them. I personally was able to participate in a couple early um sessions provided by CAPS for new superintendent. Um that was really nice. a lot of us new superintendents learning from each other and learning from season veteran
010superintendent about u things we talked about were convocation uh and entry planning. So that that was really helpful for me. Uh Miss Gold Snider and myself met with Kelly Lyman. She's going to be working with us and um our school team and our our school community team uh to develop our new strategic profile uh new strategic plan. So, uh, really had a good conversation with her and, um, talked a lot about my entry work and how that is going to help guide some of the some of the work going forward in creating that strategic plan and talk a little bit about who's going to participate in that plan. Uh, and we want to get uh, a well-rounded uh, group of people um, from the board of ed, parents, um, staff members to make sure that
011we get a lot of various input in in developing that plan. Uh, quick personnel update. Um once the budget passed, we were able to post a couple positions that we had that we had waited on. Um uh BCS computer teaching position has been posted and instructional coaching position has been posted. They had interviews, first round interviews today. They'll be having a a second round interview tomorrow. We hope to have somebody hired next week. Um we already hired a special ed teacher for BCS and a math teacher for BCS. So we are almost fully staffed starting school. Quick building project update. I don't know if you noticed coming in the ADA pads are almost all done. Uh the group there did a did an amazing job um you know tearing that the old ones up and
012replacing the new ones. I think M if I'm not mistaken. They went above and beyond. They did some work that was outside the scope of the original contract to make sure that uh they made made repairs where they needed to uh to make it look really nice. So so that's great. Uh the garage, I don't know if you saw that coming in. They started sighting it today. that could be done by the end of this week, if not early next week. And the HVAC's work at BCS is going to start on the 15th of September. Uh due to the delay with the budget, um it's going to be a slight increase in cost, but still well below uh the budget amount uh because they have to use second shift to do that while while school's
013in session. Um that's it for my report. >> Anyone have any questions for our superintendent? Oh, I just clarification. Yeah. Who was the You're using a consultant for the strategic plan? >> Yes. >> Who was the consultant? Where are they from? >> Her name's Kelly Lyman. Um she was administrator in Farmington and then her most recent position was she was superintendent of schools, excuse me, in Mansfield. And she retired a couple years ago. She currently works for Yukon in the um uh the executive leadership program for superintendents and for CAPS. She runs a calf support pro uh program for new superintendents. Also, >> we did interviews for both of the teaching positions or the coach and the teaching position at BCS. >> Yes, the coach we have the uh computer teacher we have not yet.
014>> Okay. >> What level is the coach for? Is it like a reading coach or >> BCS? Yeah. >> Yeah, it'll be reading and math predominately. >> Other questions? I had one. Um, do you have a fix yet on retention of the number of eighth graders who are going to continue on to the high school this year? I know that had been an issue of concern for parents recent years. >> Last year's eighth graders coming to the high school this year. I do not have those numbers, but I can certainly get those. >> Um, and I just wanted to say um, a thank you to you, superintendent. Uh I know that even before you started officially on July 1st, you put in a lot of hours working with Kristen to uh Kristen Hecker superintendent to
015get up to speed and I think I speak for everyone on the board to say we really appreciate all of that effort and so far it's felt like a pretty seamless transition. So thank you for that. Um, all right. On to unfinished business. Do we have any? Not. So, on to new business. Turn it back over to you, superintendent, for your recommendations for changes to the budget. >> Yes. In your packet, you should have the recommendations for um the budget adjustments that we made. Um, and so there was a reduction of $410,97 from salaries and employee benefits. There was an additional savings of 100,32 from student support services and 1,327 from systems management uh from the budget that was presented. So um th all those reductions result in a total reduction of 512536 which would
016make our new FY26 budget total 16,800,367 actual chair. So I will turn things over to you made it. How's it going? It's >> going great. What are we talking about? We're on F1. We're reviewing the recommendations for budget cuts. I'm >> familiar with Okay. >> So, there's a $217,564 savings from salary and employee benefits. there was a cut to an administrative position, uh, administrative assistant position at BCS, and a cut to one paraprofessional position. Um, and so the total savings was $512,536, which makes the new budget total 16,8367. So, are we then looking for a motion to uh cut the $410,97 Thank you. from salaries, employee benefits, $100,32 from student support services, and $1,327 from systems management from the 2025 2026 budget. Anybody would like to make this motion be three separate motions or one
017motion? >> I think it could all be one. >> Yeah, I think it's >> second. >> Uh, anyone have any questions or comments about any of these cuts? I know we were sort of anticipating them from finance meetings that we've had over the summer. Does anyone have any thing they want to discuss or add to any of this? All right. All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I. Anyone opposed or abstaining? >> We have a budget. Wow. Only two months into the fiscal year. That's great. I'm sure we're all very relieved about this. Uh now we need to discuss our adjustment to the 2526 meeting schedule which have the date same. >> I believe it was an adjustment from October 9th to October 16th. have a motion to adjust the October
018meeting from the 9th to the 16th. >> Second. >> Does anyone have any questions or comments or conflicts? I know this was communicated about this a while back. Um, okay. Hearing none. All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed or abstaining? Okay, we're moving on swiftly. Uh resignations, we have those. >> Um it looks like our BCS instructional coach, Kelly Bear, has resigned over the summer. the BCS math teacher, Michael Majori. >> Majori, thank you. BCS special education teacher, Kelly Voir, and the BCS PAR educators, Christina Black and Kaylee McDonald's. >> And most of these are career changes or u physical movement from this area to another part of the state. Okay. Uh we thank everyone for their service to B public schools and wish you all well.
019Uh do we have any future business? Probably not. Right. So, in record time, could we please have a motion to go into executive session for the purposes of discussing the superintendent's goals and the superintendent's evaluation and the upcoming union negotiations and also to invite the superintendent? >> Absolutely. >> Any questions or comments? All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> Uh, I think that was everybody. So, thank you all for coming. >> Wow. >> Thanks everybody.