Board of Education Meeting

001Open your Are you guys just about ready? You guys ready? Good evening everybody. I'm going to call to order um the meeting now. Welcome. It's so nice to see so many of you here. Uh tonight is Wednesday, May 7th. Um and it's time for the regular meeting of the Brookfield Board of Education. Would you all please join me in uh rising for the pledge of allegiance? I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty justice for all. In terms of roll call of you can see we're all here. Um it's nice to see everybody this evening. Thanks for making it. Okay, so we're going to start with something really exciting. Um uh the recognition of staff and students. The first

002thing we're going to do is um the board will formally acknowledge some of the most important people in our school district. This is teacher appreciation week. And with that in mind, um we have a proclamation to share with you. Now, the leadership of the Brookfield um educational association is unable to be here in person tonight, but we know that they're here in spirit. So, I'll just get started. It's a little bit lengthy, but stay with me. Whereas Brookfield teachers open children's mind to the magic of ideas, knowledge, and dreams. And whereas Brookfield teachers keep American democracy alive by laying the foundation for good citizenship. And whereas Brookfield teachers demonstrate a passion for teaching that inspires enthusiasm for learning. And whereas Brookfield teachers fill many roles as listeners, explorers, role models, motivators, and mentors. And whereas

003Brookfield teachers are the key to the quality and success of Brookfield schools. And whereas Brookfield teachers continue to influence our children long after their school days are only memories. Be it resolved that the Brookfield Board of Education supports and endorses May 5th to May 9th, 2025 as teacher staff appreciation week and that the board extends its wholehearted appreciation to Brookfield teachers for their outstanding contribution to the children of our community and urge all members of our community to take time to recognize and acknowledge the impact of teachers on our lives. So, I don't know if we applaud. I think we do. Okay. And for teachers in the room, whether you're part of Brookfield or another district, thank you for the work that you do. So, the next one is for people that we know and

004love. Smaller group, but equally important to us. This is um for school nurses day. And we are joined by um Anna Leforja and Donna Crane. Um let me read the proclamation and then come on up. Great. Thanks. Okay. So, the proclamation for school nurses day. Whereas through their skill and expertise, our nation's school nurses help to foster a healthy, nurturing community in which our children can learn and grow. And whereas most often, school nurses are the first and sometimes the only line of defense against the illnesses and conditions our students face, making their contribution to the education and welfare of the student population invaluable. And whereas the nature of their profession calls on their ability to take on roles beyond that of health provider, acting as teacher, confidant, mentor, and friend to the students of

005Connecticut. And whereas today's society presents students with an overwhelming number of physical, social, and mental ills. And school nurses have become an essential component of effective health programs both in and out of the classroom. And whereas the overwhelming dedication school nurses show to their profession and the children they care for stands as a testament to their commitment to the success and wellness of Connecticut's future generations. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Brookfield Board of Education supports and endorses May 6th and probably all week as school nurses day and that the board extends its wholehearted appreciation to Brookfield nurses for their outstanding contribution to the children of our community and urge all members of the community to take time to recognize and acknowledge the role of these nurses in our lives. [Applause] Thank you very

006much. Okay. So, um the moment that so many of you have been waiting for. Um Miss Grahamley, are you gonna lead us through the um Yeah, that's wonderful. Thank you very much. Well, good evening everyone and welcome to the 18th annual HR recycling billboard contest ceremony. Um it's so great to see all of you here tonight. We're just so excited that um that you could be with us. Um I just want to give a little background on the contest before we get into the winners. Um this starts in the fall. The HR uh sends the templates to the 12 participating towns and um they give the theme for the year and the theme for the year for this year. Anybody remember? Say it. Batteries can cause fires. Right. Very very important. And that theme is

007what the posters are judged on. So uh the students have until about mid November to uh hand in their entries and then those posters are judged uh first, second, and third place by grade. Those first, second, and third place winners come to central office and then we take the first place winners from each grade and send them off to the HR to be judged regionally. The HRA sends letters to the winners um that won regionally that they won, but they don't know where they place. So, it's a big secret until last week where Dr. Burril and I were um able to go to the H's uh regional ceremony and that was really um terrific. We had a lot of people. Um, with the 12 towns combined, they said there were over 2,000 uh, students that

008uh, entered their artwork. Uh, Brookfield, we had um, one second. We had 229 and we had five regional winners and one of those regional winners was the regional grand prize winner for their grade group. And I believe that that student is here tonight. So, we will get to that in uh just a just a minute. Um I um the four grand prize winners will have their artwork displayed on the back of the heart uh heart bus fleet till I think June um is uh yeah so for a couple of months all your the four of you your artwork will be all over for everybody to enjoy with that very important message that batteries can cause fires. Um, I just want to extend a very big thank you to the principles and the secretaries and the

009local coordinators in the buildings and the judges and everybody that um makes this possible because without you um I know I I certainly couldn't do this. So, um, without further ado, here we are at this moment to introduce Brookfield's 18th annual poster cont uh, contest winners. Dr. Burril, can you help me please? Um, they're all in order. So, we are going to start with our first grade first place winner, Hadley Scalo. [Applause] first grade. Second place, Carter Harding. [Applause] I told you I was going to call you up here. First grade, third place, Jeffrey Zuo. [Applause] Second grade first place, Isabella Yun. I don't know if Isabella is here tonight, so we'll make sure we get that to her. Second grade, second place is Bin Clarkson. Okay. Okay. Third grade first place. [Music] [Applause] That's

010okay. That's okay. I feel the love. Third grade. Second place is Miles Com. [Applause] got a lot of talent in this [Applause] room. Okay, fourth grade first place local and regional regional honorable mention Lean Elasis. [Applause] Congratulations [Applause] Fourth grade second place is Jamil [Applause] Palano. Fourth grade, third place, Ella Valentina Cruz Pinto. Congratulations, sweetheart. Great job. Fifth grade first place, Arafa Faizal. [Applause] Fifth grade, second place, Hannah Mlan. [Applause] Fifth grade, third place, Lucas [Applause] Vivaldi. Sixth grade, second place, Natalie Freeman. Natalie is with us this evening. Sixth grade, third place, Angelina [Applause] Lynn. Good job. Congratulations. Seventh grade first place local and second place regional winner, Amber Jiang. Congratulations. We see you a lot. Keep keep sending those entries in. Seventh grade second place, Khloe [Applause] Vassel. Seventh grade. Third place, Kyle Young.

011Eighth grade, first place, Cassandra Terrell. Eighth grade, second place, Zion Bal. Eighth grade, third place, Emily Tzano. Congratulations. Ninth grade, first place, Noel [Applause] Lejava. Ninth grade, second place, Jayen [Applause] Oando. Good job, Ninth grade third place, Luca [Applause] Dalaku. 10th grade first place local and third place regional winner, Britty Cower. 12th grade first place local and first place regional winner Alvina Balal. And congratulations to Alvina because she's a 12th grader. So we won't be seeing any of her artwork anymore. We will certainly miss that. And now for our grand prize regional winner, sixth grade first place local and regional winner and regional grand prize winner Mukajji. [Applause] So this is just a picture from the ceremony last week that we got to take with um with a which was really u pretty special. So

012I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being a part of this for coming out tonight and celebrating with us. I want to congratulate all of the students that um put their artwork in to be judged in this contest. Um you are all so talented and I really hope that we see you next year. So, thank you for your time. And I also it's important it's important to thank Mrs. Garling. Um for those who don't know who Mrs. Garling is, uh very valued staff member. I think Mrs. This is year 26 for you in the district. Is that that correct? And she's only 26 years old. Thank you. And it's her 15th year uh running the H poster contest for us here in district. So I couldn't thank her enough

013and the board. I know. Thanks her so much for all the work she does on behalf of the superintendent's office and the board of education. So Mrs. Gramling, in the spirit of executive uh administrative assistance day last week for all of our secretaries, we thank you as well. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. Right on. Um then uh shall we hear from Melissa? Hello. Hello everyone. Um starting off with athletics. I have a few students to recognize who got awards these past few weeks. Um, Jenna Mix and Caroline Walters received the CIC Unified Sports Exemplary Teammate Award at the Aqua Turf. Vanessa Greenstein and Michael Walters received the Southwest Conference Awards for Student Leadership. William Chen and Averato were also named the Brookfield Scholar Athletes and were also recognized at the

014Aquar. So, congratulations to all of them. Senior signing day for committing athletes uh was on April 23rd in the cafeteria. The school celebrated about 16th continuing their athletic careers in college. Um, student government is currently in the process of working through their new elections for students next year. Um, and the senior officers have been working extremely hard for our senior prom next Friday at the Waterview at 7, which I'm very excited for. Uh, some personal and club things. National Honors Society has hosted a spring workshop. Um, this was their first annual one that we've done on April 23rd. and all the proceeds. We raised about $800 um will be going to Miss Mueller for her fight against cancer. Commitment day was on May 1st, last Thursday for all seniors. Um so we got to wear

015our shirts, represent and take some pictures which was really fun. National Art Honor Society had a advanced art show at the town hall these past two weeks. Um and we had ceremony last week. This week and next week are AP exams. So very stressed out with them, but everything's going great so far. Um, the Brookfield Band and Chorus spring concert is on May 20th, and I heard that they have really good selection of songs, so I'm very excited to hearing all the senior duets and solos and everything. Um, and then lastly, this Sunday is the NHS Mother's Day 5K, which is going to be sponsored by Sweet Scoops this year. Um, and the race officially starts at 9:00 am, but registration and warmup starts around 8. And you can still sign up online if you're

016interested or even at the event. Um, there'll be refreshments, raffles, um, and awards handed out. And all the proceeds that we make will be going to Yale New Haven Transplate Center for patient care fund. So really good cost. Thank you. Thanks a lot, Melissa. So, that concludes the student um the directly studentf facing uh portion of the meeting. If you guys want to hang out for the rest of it, you're welcome to. But if if you were going to duck out, now's probably the best time. Thanks so much for coming. Congratulations. Bye, Melissa. Good luck on your APs. Well, I mean it depends. No, it depends on what you take. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think so. Are you guys ready? All right. Um, then let's resume. Um, so we have public comment. Uh, Mr. Korea,

017you are here to speak about the executive session um item on the agenda. Yes. Also, the the item after the executive session on your ethics violation um alleged and um your time starts now. Okay. So, I'd advise the board to not go in executive session and have have the legal advice in public. You can uh take the legal advice in public. You have the option uh to have an executive session. Likely the advice is going to be board members don't have to testify. The board potentially doesn't have to, you know, accept recommendations from, you know, the board of ethics or the board of selectmen. That is something that, you know, the public should be able to view. They're paying for the lawyers. Um, and on that um the board has spent enough money uh in

018on time on training as it relates to ethics, FOIA issues, meeting conduct, its obligations, and governments in general. Um there was uh the complaintant has been informed multiple times of this type of behavior over the past year actually has had the complaint for five months and as an adult would have the ability to say hey let me try to rectify this um and additionally the complaintant wasn't the only person at the on the board at the BEA meeting um and yet that other person chaired the November 20th meeting and is similarly um respondent to a similar ethics complaint. So that person would need to recuse in the um agenda item post the executive session because uh both the complainant and her accomplice would be um essentially have a personal conflict of interest to sit in

019the deliberation and vote on that last agenda item. Um and if you don't then you will get an ethics complaint if you don't refuse. Um additionally it's it is a public matter now. And if you're going to go into executive session, you need to name the matter. The matter isn't just a serial number now. It's the name of the respondent. Thank you. U, the other public comments are both for second public comments. So, we will proceed with the meeting. I'm sorry. Right. Yeah. I I I mean I'm looking at it. I see it. But um but I think it's it's clear why I was initially confused. Please go ahead. Mrs. Deborah, Brookfield res. I too want to address the um situation that's going on with uh the e ethics violation. Um it is budget season

020and I'm wondering how if we're not addressing um who is leading the board at this present time that we are going to have a failed budget. I think it comes into play. I think people are questioning the uh who is at the helm here and the abuse of power that we've seen existing. If we want to have any attempt at trying to pass this budget for the board of education, I think it is in the best interest that that person step down from their responsibility of being a chair. Um what many people now are well aware of um with prior things that have happened with the BEA is that that person has access to our legal department. And how do we know that that's not under the guise of other issues that just you yourself

021want to um manipulate, if you will. Um, I don't think that it's a it's in a good place that you're running up legal fees and costs. I myself had written a letter in very early on when this had happened that we are looking at legal ramifications. And yet here we are. Nothing was done about it. It's it's it's open. It's it's it's just not good. And I, as a taxpayer, don't want to pay for somebody else's misjudgment and fights and um call into their call the call of their character. So, um I think that the board needs to address this and something needs to be done. Thank you. Thank you. All right, so moving along. Um written correspondence. Stephanie, what do you have for us? Following people have written emails to the board since April

022202 Lopez, Christina, four emails, Matthew Greenstein, Brian McGovern. Okay. Now, now we're going to go uh toward the approval of board minutes. Uh so before I make this motion, I wanted to point out that the special meeting minutes um are not included in our packet. So we're not going to be including them in the motion tonight. We'll have them on the next agenda. That was my error. I got them to Lisa late. Okay. Uh where are we? Here we go. I move that the board approve the minutes listed below as recommended. Regular meeting 49205. Okay. Is there any discussion? All in favor of approving the minutes, please say I. I. Any opposed? Okay. It appears to be unanimous. Thank you. Now, um let's move on to the superintendent's update. Mr. um sorry, Dr. Uh, thank

023you, Wendy. I do appreciate it. Good evening, everybody. Nice to see everyone. Happy teacher and staff appreciation week. Uh, there's a lot of, uh, call it the food frenzy this week. And I'm I'm sure you guys at your school have the same thing going on. Sarah, I'm looking at you there. A lot of cookies and lunches and all kinds of great things provided by PTO's and others. So, um, it's good stuff. It was also National Principles Day last week, I think last Wednesday. So, good stuff there uh, for our principles. A couple of things under teaching and learning that I do want to share this evening. Just an update on kindergarten registration and I have some bullets there for the board in the report that you you know certainly can go back and reference but

024118 students are now registered uh at CLES for kindergarten. Um this is approximately 30 more students than I reported last month. So we've had a you know a robust and April vacation was in there as well. So a robust two and a half three weeks of registrations or completed reg registrations I should say. Um this is 20 more students registered right now compared with the same time last year. So we're just watching that carefully as we always watch uh our kindergarten enrollment. Very difficult to project. Uh we are projecting in the budget 127 students in kindergarten for next year with eight classroom sections which is gives us a average of 15.8 or 16 students per classroom. Uh the new class size averages that the board passed uh for K in grade one are um in

025the range of 17 to 20 students per classroom. Just as a reminder for everybody. Uh which means that we if we were at the max of every kindergarten classroom, we could have up to 20 students in a classroom, which would be 160 students. So this is while there's 118 right now registered, it's not a time to panic or, you know, ring our hands or anything, but obviously pay very close attention like we do each year. In terms of the high school, uh the SATs were a few weeks back and actually about a month ago and the initial uh review of uh the data uh demonstrates a positive trend so far as compared with last year. Um total score is up 12 points. Reading and writing is up four points. Math is up eight points. The

026percent of uh students uh meeting benchmark for reading and writing is up four and for meeting benchmark and math is up five. So good news thus far. passing, excuse me, meeting benchmark on both math and reading and writing uh is up five for our students. Uh Cape will receive a more detailed report next week um with uh Mr. Bland and the high school team that'll be there. So, I just wanted to let everybody know that. I did share it in the weekend update with the board, but I thought it was important for the public to know that the data starts to come in now, especially with things being computerized uh smarter balanced um at Whiskanir and CL uh is underway. Um excuse me, Whiskanir has been underway. CLS starts next week. So that's the other

027standardized testing, grades three through eight. Next week, I think Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the students from 8th grade Wiskanir will be on the DC trip. So that's very exciting. And our French exch exchange visit that I mentioned last month uh when the students were here. Um Katherine and Keith will be here to give a a nice report and an update and share some pictures at next week's uh May 21st meeting for the board. CLS. Uh they had their first inaugural um culture night where multiple families were involved in highlighting their cultures. Um dressed in authentic clothing, brought in food samples uh and uh mu music samples, maybe played some music, and also had some presentations. So, it was a great night uh had by all and a lot of fun. So, we're happy to see

028that CS was able to do that last week. Under business and operations, um the board is very well aware of this. The uh town meeting was last night to set the referendum date. Um the referendum along with the already decided upon uh one-year capital plan will be uh held on May 20th which is a Tuesday in a couple of weeks. District District 1 will not be at CLS will be at St. Margarit. That was the vote last night and districts two and three will be at Brookfield High School. Last day of school for students just very important to remind everybody of this. I think uh you know I don't know if this will make the three main points or not but it's a highlight for everyone. The last day of school is Thursday uh June

02912th. That's an early dismissal for students. Full day for teachers. Um the teachers then work um remember they're going to work up to their 187 uh 87 contractual days. Teachers work on Friday uh June 13th which is a full day and Monday June 16th which is an early release for them. So that's what we have in terms of business and operations. And then under climate and engagement um end of year climate survey for parents, students and staff, we are looking at dates toward the end of the month uh maybe very early June. So, we're looking at what's going to work out best in terms of releasing that and then opening up that portal for everybody to uh take the uh survey. Remember, this will be a followup to the midyear survey that we had done

030through thought exchange. And then, uh as you saw tonight, we really kick off the end of year celebrations. Um it it is the season for all these events. Uh Lisa and I will be putting together with the teams from the uh and I know you u Stephanie look at the calendar and so forth. We'll get events that are nice for board members to attend. We'll get a list of those for you. We try to do that annually. So within the next week, we'll get that out to you. And that's all I have. Thank you. A question. Sure. I know you said more detailed report I keep which will be helpful. Um just to help me understand the numbers. So is that for the SAT scores? So the total score like on average and then the

031points like say our average is so the average total score was 1020 it was 1032. Okay. So the plus 12 is average. Is that same with reading and writing? That's with each of those plus four plus eight average points. Okay. And obviously a different cohort of students, right? Yeah. So that's the tough thing with the SAT. Yeah. Can't do a cohort. And then the math and reading and writing benchmarks that's related to the SAT. Yep. So the benchmarks are set by college board, right? And so um and then there's that's the percentage of of students that that have met that benchmark. So, five more students, right? Okay. Right. So, it's up five. Okay. From last year. Got it. Okay. Well, with that Oh, Wendy, one one thing. So, and then I just I do have

032a Did you have something Sarah? Question. Okay. I just wanted to make sure regarding enrollment for K through five because we always look at class size with K through five and our FTEES. Uh I have an update. I handed out this chart on April 9th. I thought it valuable to hand it out. We really the only net increase um there really wasn't any net decrease. It was mostly neutral over the last month. The net increase is two in grade two, which impacts grade three next year. Um impacts in terms of student number, but not class size average. So, you'll see that in the chart, and it's just something for you folks to reference. Um you know, if you you're asked in the grocery store about things or whatever, you you have an idea of what's

033going on. So, just we are continuing to monitor as we always do. I'm So, Sarah, you had something. Yeah. Last night at the town meeting, um Mr. Don mentioned something about voting on Saturdays and I was hoping you could clarify. He said that you were worried about students on fields during Saturday voting. Mr. Dunn actually called me today to tell me that he apologized for and he did kind of an air quote throwing me under the bus. That was a conversation that there was a topic during a discussion. It wasn't something I brought up. Um but to be very candid, if we were going to have voting on Saturdays, we most likely, I would think, wouldn't have parks and wreck inside the school and things like that. We'd think about what that plan would be

034uh and then and then implement accordingly. So, he did give me a call to say he misspoke last night. Thank you. Thank you. There will be security for kids on the fields um at budget vote. Correct. Like our regular security that we have, right? And the police and then the police inside the school and then the police. Well, I'm talking about I mean if our kids will be out on the fields after school, right? And then we have mingling going in and out, right? And then we have the police presence that um uh I know Mr. done worked with the chief and said make sure that you know whichever school or both schools we want to have extra officers on duty during the day to you know be safer and make people feel safer both

035got it thank you all right so let's go to subcommittee reports first is Cape okay so we met on April 9th so we um we were given a presentation which is um either it's linked yeah it's attached here it's It's linked. It's linked hyperl in your board documents if you wanted to look at that. So, it was a presentation on beginning of year, middle of year, and and um for MCLASS and Aadian data. So, just so that everybody's understands, MCLCAS and Dibbles is our K through three universal screener, and Aadians is our four to grade four to five universal screener. So, they're all timed about one minute and it tests automoticity and fluency skills. And then, um you hope that that would then free up space for comprehension. And next year we'll have K5 MC

036class and we discussed math fluency which was something to consider as a weakness. Um IM focuses on concepts. That's the program we currently use and that's what we tend to do better in. So um we talked about how it's important for us to find more time to improve and practice that fluency. Um it was mentioned that's recommended that 60 to 90 minutes is to be focused on math. We're aiming for 85 to 90 minutes. um we may have found 15 minutes of practice time and it was noted that we need to allow more time for flexible grouping model and focus on our tier one teaching since tier one is more universal it's better teaching it's the most effective instructional approach so again you can access that in our board documents if you want to see

037that presentation we also followed up with the BHS midterm memo um we reviewed that which is also um in the board documents linked Um, and I just requested a comeback for that, a more thorough and comprehensive followup with that data. We'll be doing that next month or this month, this coming month. Um, Anna and Deb also shared information on the CLES, their scheduling committee, and their progress on that. Um, and some of the instructional coaches visited a school in Woodbridge in February. um that school didn't departmentalize till sixth grade and they sent a survey to teachers and created a scheduling committee and recent PLC days have focused on it and the committee's goal is grades fourth and fifth a twoerson team 120 minute block for CKLA and a 75 to 90 minute block for math

038and that was about it thank you anybody have any questions right let's go to finance All right. So, we last met on Thursday, April 10th. Um, and after reviewing the check registers, which are all checks written over $1,000, um, we then started to review the um, month end March uh, financial report. Um, there was little month-to-month change from February to March. Um there was um a small potential change in special education which I'm sure by now there's probably more specific information on which we will be reviewing at our um finance committee meeting this upcoming Thursday. Um but other than that there was very little change monthtomonth. So the financial report is pretty stable and unchanged from my last report. Um we also talked about the um implications of some of the budget cuts that we

039were talking about at our last regular meeting. um to not bel that point because I know we'll be talking about the budget later today. Um I'll gloss over that part. Um and then the important I think actually came out of miscellaneous discussion. Um we proposed or I should say Rob proposed the idea of eliminating all of this paper that we get on um at the table for our board meetings. Um, and as a committee, I think we all were kind of like, let's just go to to, you know, electronic versions. Of course, unless a board member specifically wants a paper copy. Um, but I think that's probably a good way to I mean, we're not going to reduce like thousands of dollars worth of paper, but it's still paper that we don't really need to

040be printing on. Um, so I don't know. I I I said that during my committee report that I'd bring it to you guys and see what we all thought. I don't think it needs a vote, but I think we can just kind of all agree to maybe just maybe go electronic if and bring your laptops or device to read materials on unless and then maybe like before our next regular meeting we we go to that and if you want a paper copy just email Lisa and I'm sure she'll bring one. Does that sound good? Or maybe when the agenda goes out just apply something like that. Well, I think that it goes out early enough too that we have plenty of time to review and decide what like we could indiv. But I do think

041in general that's really yeah progressive. Yeah. All right. So I mean board goes in that direction and somebody wants to have a a device in front of them department have that ready. Yeah. Yeah. That was mentioned too that we could we could certainly use the Chromebooks. What a good idea. So, is that that was pretty much it for finance. Wonderful. How about um were there questions about that? Okay. Uh notes from security task force then. Okay. Um we last met on Thursday, April 24th. Um and for the most part we were in executive session because at the time we were discussing um the security plan for how we were going to hold a vote in school safely. Um and so um some very wrong information was shared last night at the meeting. I think it

042was said that Dr. P had released the very detailed plans and um I will not go into the details of the very specific plan but it is by far um more comprehensive and detailed than what he shared with the community. Um, but that was that's now a moot point because we're not going to be voting in schools um at least at CLES on that day. Um, we also talked about um some old business related to um a gate that was proposed at the uh north side of the building at CLES near the loading dock area. So, if you picture Whiskiner, there's like that metal gate that kind of prevents cars from going around the back of the building. Uh we wanted one at CLES. So we got initial estimates um somewhere in the neighborhood of

043$9,000. And so the security task force um recommended moving forward with that project. And so now we will actually go out and get some more um finalized quotes um and then obviously pick the one that's that's best. Um that also led into a conversation about general fencing around CL the property. Initially that conversation came up because a lot of playground balls were like kind of rolling down like into kind of like a ditch near the the lower school playground. Um and so we kind of talked about like temporary fencing, short fencing, tall fencing. Um and we got some initial estimates on that and was pretty reasonable. So then the conversation kind of started to snowball into well maybe we add some gates and maybe we take it around the back all the way around the

044back of the building and maybe we go around the entire school property. So, um the conversation got um pretty in-depth and so we are going to be reconvening to discuss exactly what we envision for fencing at CLES and that will be at our next meeting which we said was going to be May 15th at 10 a.m. So, if anybody would like to listen in on that, that's when we'll be talking. Is there any um funds left in the school project? Yes, there is. Um so, the um gate will be covered by capital um funds in the security in the security uh the security capital project not the CLS security capital yes sorry not the CLS budget so that's not our 10year correct okay thank you that's from uh a couple of budget security that was

045already approved in capital there's one diligent I know here I don't know if you guys have them but we got a couple over here um I just thought of something really really quick about the uh printing of if we can just have the print out the agenda I think that would be helpful. Like I feel like I need a copy of that or a copy in front of you, right? The agenda. Okay, Lisa's Lisa I think Lisa is in the tech room right now. So, she's listening. So, we'll be okay. All right. Let's move on then to the consent agenda. Um, and I think there there is one there is one correction that we need to make right on the consent agenda. Okay. Yes, please. I move that the board approve the items on the

046consent agenda as recommended. New hires, resignations, retirees, and March financials 2025. Um, moment of discussion. Um, Dr. Burl, uh, Mrs. Stubs is listed as a resignation. Is that in fact a resation? So, so a a simple adjustment just needs to be made here. Mrs. stubs after 23 years. Her her the subject line of her email to me and the um discussion in the opening paragraph and so forth talked about resigning after 23 years, but in that second paragraph, the word retire is in there. And so I missed that obviously and so did and so did Lindsay in HR. We all missed it together. So um we were actually back and forth uh between uh the time this was po uh posted and uh today and making sure that we had it right because you want

047to be sensitive with this stuff. Sometimes people want to say they're resigning. they don't want to say they're retiring. They have other plans professionally or whatever it might be. So anyway, Lori um should be under the retirements and we thank her for everything for the last 23 years. She's uh absolutely amazing. Uh and also if I'm before we actually correct that, I want to thank uh Bonnie Cunningham, one of our special education teachers who after 20 years in district has decided to retire. So um they're just uh very nice, great people who contributed for many, many decades. Congratulations to them. Oh, big congratulations. So, so we have a I just can I mean Terry Terry Farar's been here I believe 18 years. Yes. Oh, sorry. I got so wrapped up with Lori. Terry Terry's been

048here for 18 years and Terry is one of our star pair of professionals and that is going to be a real loss. Terry's leaving after 18 years. So, we wish her obviously congratulations, the best in all of her future endeavors. Thank you for that, Sarah. So, we have a motion on the floor. It's been seconded and discussed. Did we do we need to amend I think we can just do it. We just make the adjustment. Yeah. All right. Um, so all in favor of approving the consent agenda, please say I. I. I. Any opposed? That seems to be unanimous. Great. Thanks everybody. Okay. Let's move to new business. Uh, we're starting with um the meeting dates for next year. So, John, is this keeping the same um the adjusted schedule that we did last year?

049Uh similar Okay. similar adjusted schedule, looking at the dates, looking at the holidays, those kind of things. October to May. Okay. So, is there um Well, we don't have a motion yet. Do you want to make it? Yes, please. I move that the board app. Okay. Yeah. I move that the board approve the 2025 2026 board of education meeting dates. Yes, sir. Um is there um is there discussion about this? I'm just trying to recall. Did we add um a board of ed meeting on one of those months? I can't remember. I feel like we did. Yeah. We changed January to one and we made So we did two in February, right? Or we did No, we we took away like the beginning of of January one and we just had the middle of January.

050Oh yeah. And the likelihood of scheduling special meetings because of budget in January is quite high. So that's kind of leaves that open middle January or February if we needed a second one. Okay. And if I might, just the the other one is now that we've I think we're coming up on year three next year, starting after Labor Day, trying to do an early September board meeting was challenging, but October is long enough where you're able to get two meetings in October and, you know, really put together all of those uh superintendent memos to get ready and and lay the groundwork for the budget. Um guys, what are your thoughts about um the January and February? I mean, well, we have a lot in January because we have budget. Yeah, I mean, it's true. Why

051not? Like, why are we why not twice in November? Because of the holidays, it ended up being we had that last year. It ended up being complicated. So, we added two in October. 10 10 years ago 10 years ago there were I believe eight months that had two meetings and then the board had several discussions over the years to slim that down and so it's now down to I think four different months where there's two meet four or five different months now with uh that given the fact that there's so many there's the joint budget meeting there's budget meetings there's the vacations in February you know or long weekends in February and then the vacation in April to squeeze in regular meetings was the thought process was if we really need one uh we can

052schedule one but that's the board's perview. Yeah, I think um it was two or three years ago that we went to having most meet most months having one meeting and I think the rationale at the time was um we'd each rather have like a super long night where we get everything done as opposed to um you know rearranging schedules and stuff to come back two times a month. Um and then of course obviously we can always schedule a special meeting if we really needed to. Um, but I think that was the rationale at the time was to be more efficient with one meeting, which is fine as long as you know moving forward that we're not off theienc So you know agenda items maybe closer closer to you maybe a little closer. It's okay. I

053mean, if anything, I would say adding November 5th back in because there's a long gap, but November 5th or October 22, but then you have spring break. I forget. I can't I don't have that count. I just feel like this. We only had one this past April and I just think it was a long time with that between the meetings and back in November. I definitely think we could do two and I'd say I don't agree. I think we can Sorry. No, no, I would just just share for just point of reference um with the superintendents that I meet with and talk with uh there are a number that pretty religiously except for summer have two meetings per month and I'd say the other half have one meeting per month. I don't think that there's

054no real norm and so I think we're actually probably in a in a a relative sweet spot, but it's got to work out for the board and uh our community, you know, what the community desires. I think it worked really well this year. I think we had enough meetings in January with the budget. We had our special meetings and roundts. Um I'd like to see it go another year with this schedule to see, you know, where we fit and if it doesn't work because we've only done it for one year, uh we can readjust it next year. But I I think this was a really good fit for this year. And I think I you know we kind of have to remember that the the committees is where like most of the heavy detailed work

055gets done and we have I mean all of us have two or three of those you know every month. So I think like you know it's it's probably I would say best to have most at most months unless really needed and then we can of course always have a special meeting you know kind of be at that one a month. And I I do think that we've we've gone pretty late on those those nights. I would agree on um giving this schedule another year. Although I I mean I hear Erin's point that like when we have a lot to deal with, it's incumbent upon us to to deal with it even if it goes late. I agree. I mean, I like the schedule the way it is as well. Do you guys want to discuss

056more or are you ready to vote? Okay, Rosa, you ready to vote? Yes, I am. Okay, so we have the uh motion on the table and it's been seconded. Great. Um all in favor of approving this schedule uh for next year's meeting dates, please say I. I. I. Any opposed? Okay, so it's um 52 Aaron and um Sarah uh were nos. Okay. So, moving forward, um the approval of the IDEIDA grant application. I move that the board approve the annual submission of the district grant as required by any discussion on this. Is there anything pertinent that we need to know about this? No, this is really just preunct. This just allows us to submit the application to the state. um which is due on May 12th. Um so yeah. Okay. All in favor of approving

057the IDEIDA grant application, please say I. Any opposed? Okay. So it's unanimous. Thank you very much everyone. Um and now we will hear from um uh the Brookfield Cares about the attitudes and behavior survey results. Mr. Jaffy, we welcome you. And Mrs. McNiff, we welcome you, too. Thank you. I'm going to need help getting the presentation. There we go. You should do it. Where is it? The way you set it Hold on. I'll be right back. Sorry about this. All right, we're fine. Well, thank you. Um, I'm Ron Jaffy. I'm with Brookfield Cares. I want to thank the board of ed and the uh school administration, but the board of ed in particular for allowing us to present. So, who we are? Brookfield Cares is a nonprofit volunteer community-based organization dedicated to creating awareness and

058positive change around the issues of substance misuse, depression, suicide, and other mental health concerns. We do this by engaging all members of community to reduce harmful harmful behaviors, destigmatize mental health issues, and promote and support healthy choices. Our work is funded through donations from individuals and the town and by grants for specific projects from the organizations depicted here. In order to gain a better understanding of student attitudes and actions relating to at risk behaviors, Brookfield Cares and the Brookfield Public Schools surveyed students this year in grades 8 through 12 on in February. And we've we have surveyed grades 7 through 12 in the past. The results that I'll be showing you are aggregated from multiple questions providing more representative results. So, it's not just a yes, no uh survey. This is the seventh time we've

059worked with the schools to survey students since 2009. And Brookfield Cares fully funds the survey. Brookfield Cares works closely and collaboratively with the school administration on the survey, including the survey itself, which grades to survey, and the need for additional questions. This year, questions on vaping, ZIN, and e cigarettes were added, as well as questions about social media use. The survey was reviewed and approved by school administration and principles prior to be gi prior to being given. Parents and guardians were notified by the schools of the survey before it was given and were offered the opportunity to view questions at the schools and they had the opportunity to opt their students out. 32 students were opted out this year. Students were allowed to opt out the day of the survey as well, but none took

060advantage of that option. The survey is totally anonymous. results are not and cannot be tied back to individual students. That information simply is not collected. Brookfield survey results are provided only to Brookfield Cares, who shares the results with the town, the schools, and with Western Connecticut Coalition, who only reports aggregated data trends, not town specific information to other organizations. The data from the survey is collected on and stored on search institutes secure servers and is only accessible to search institute employees who work on the analysis. Data sets have unique number assigned to them. Organizational names and youth identification information are not stored on these databases. The web pages are SSL encrypted and all data are stored on secure servers. Search Institute does not use the data for any purposes outside of what is listed in

061the parental fact sheets and consent letter and Brookfield Cares only receives aggregated report of the student results. Neither Brookfield cares nor instarch institute sell or profit from the de data gather data generated by the survey. The survey itself developed by Search Institute provides data in a wide range of areas including alcohol and drug use, depression and suicide, gambling, vaping, internet use for the first time, and much more. Search Institute also reports results as developmental assets or research-based frameworks that shows a clear relationship between high asset scores and thriving behaviors. Of the 25 local prevention councils in our region and Brookfield Cares is an LPC, 14 of them have utilized the attitude and behavior survey in some fashion since 2019, including New Milford and Bethl. Over six million students have taken the search institute surveys nationwide

062in thousands of schools. The framework of developmental assets identifies a set of skills, experiences, and relationships and behaviors that enable young people to develop into successful and contributing results. They break them out into external assets and internal assets as listed here. And we have more information on this on the assets themselves on the Brookfield Care's website. And for anybody who's interested, and I encourage all of you, if you haven't watched this video, I won't do it now, but and any any parents interested, this is a very good discussion of the importance of developmental assets. Search Institute has found that the more assets youth have, the more they thrive and the less likely they are to engage in high-risk behaviors. So there's a real a real benefit in working to increase to first off identify what

063the assets are but then to see what we can do as schools, as a community, as parents to increase assets. Some history with the exception of coming out of COVID, the average number of assets reported by our youth has increased over time. So we can take that as good news. We as a community are doing something right. So what have our students told us? We'll talk about assets first. Students tell us that we are strongest in these assets and we've reported as me as much as we can historically so we can see trends. We are strongest in the assets positive peer influence, school engagement, family support, achievement motiva, motivation, integrity, responsibility, time at home, and honesty. Where are we the weakest? We are weakest and some of these may not be a surprise to you.

064Reading for pleasure, creative activities, community values, youth, parent involvement in schooling, you using youth or children as resources, neighborhood boundaries, caring school climate and a caring neighborhood. Now we get into some specific behaviors and this report of course will be made available to you and it's also available on the Brookfield Care's website for download. So alcohol used alcohols once or more in the last 30 days and you can see the results for the middle school and the high school. Um, as would be expected, more students are are experiencing at risk behaviors in the high school. Driving and alcohol drove after drinking once or more in the last 12 months when or rode once or more in the last 12 months with a driver who had been drinking. And I'd just like to point out that

065with that one, it's reasonable to think that a portion of the middle school student results may have talked there about an adult that they were driving with who was having a drink. We talked about gambling, ill illicit drug use, and violence. Okay. Gambled once or more in the last 12 months. 22% of middle school students, 25% of high school students. And the violence numbers are also um of note. Threatened physical harm to someone once or more in the last months, 14%. Has engaged violence. Has engaged in three or more acts of fighting, hitting, injuring a person or threatening physical harm. Antisocial behavior has been involved in three or more incidents of shoplifting, trouble with police or vandalism in the last 12 months. Now again, these may seem shocking. These numbers are not necessarily horrendous compared

066to the, you know, anybody else, whether it's our neighbors in Connecticut or anywhere else in the country, but of concern. And just another way to look at the information really in a bit more detail. eating disorders has engaged in bulimic or anorexic behavior. Uh 19% in the middle school, 22% in the high school, depression, felt sad or depressed most of the time in the last month, 18% 16%. Has attempted suicide one or more times. Now, there's no time limit on that. That could be any time in your life. And again, this goes the report goes into some, you know, breaking it out much more detail. Alcohol use, past 30-day use, perception of risk, perception of parental disapproval, perception of peer disapproval. the same breakout for marijuana and illegal use of prescription drugs. We also broke

067it out. You know, it's interesting to look at the differences between how males and females and many time many times their their responses are similar, but here are the assets that had the widest gaps for both the middle school and the high school between males and females. And again point of note over time you know male female perspective over time results show increased mental health concerns for males as well as females. It is across the board. also of note and again the numbers are better than they were coming out of CO but not to panic but to pay attention to more points of note 8% of eighth grade students you know at at Wiskanir and 70% of students in all grades at the high school reported attending parties in the last where other kids their

068age were drinking. 24% of students at the middle school and 22% at the high school have gambled, bought lottery tickets or tabs, bet money on sport teams or card games, etc. And we suspect that number will continue to increase. 81% of middle school students, 77% of high school students use a computer, cell phone, or tablet to email, play games, surf the web, message, or text with friends for two hours or more a day. And 61% of middle school students, 59% of high school students, watch two or more hours of TV or videos each school day. So when to raise concerns or when to raise conversations about about sensitive topics. Okay. Percent of students that had sexual intercourse one one one once or more uh very very low at the middle school. However, percentage of those

069students that seldom or never use birth control, 50%. There's a conversation to be had there at an appropriate time, whether it's at home or whether it's in the curriculum. This year, for the third time, this survey included questions on vaping, but for the first time on Zen used, you know, used a vaping device. And again, the numbers are certainly more significant at the high school than the middle school, but we need to know what's coming. And I will digress for just a moment. I was at a a uh a meeting of uh local prevention councils recently and what was shared with me and if if you could pass that out now, was information on EIGs. Okay. What what's being passed out is, you know, a graphic that was put together by Stanford Medicine Research Lab

070and it talks about the amount of nicotine in various EIGs. You know, a pack of cigarettes has an equivalent of 20 cigarettes. A jewel pod, one jewel pod is the equivalent of 37 cigarettes. close to two two packages and views or ELF you know these are EIGs that I'm not familiar with but you know the amount of nicotine is just off the charts and so we as a community and as parents need to know what's out there and one of the reasons I understand that the numbers can get so high is that uh evidently synthetic nicotine is not regulated the same way that nicotine is. And so this is a loophole that I certainly intend to talk to my representatives about. Now I'm stuck. Get rid of this maybe. Okay, now I'm okay. I'm okay.

071Thank you. This is what happens when you get an old guy up here. Perceived disapproval. Okay. While peer and parental disapproval is generally high, zenith eyes are less known or less understood to be addictive and with potential health issues. And so this just talks about perception of disapproval of vaping versus zen. And zen is not perceived to be as much of an issue, but it is. Our high schoolers tell us they get their vaping devices from a variety of sources including friends, family members, person other than friend or family members, vape and vape or smoke shop, gas station or convenience store, internet on internet or online or other stores. We also asked whether their family had discouraged them from vaping or whether their family had rules about or talked with them about the dangers of

072vaping. And again, this is I think where we need to work with the parent community to get them to understand the benefits of of doing this vaping and family. Within the last 12 months, many more middle school students have talked with at least one of their parents about the dangers of vaping than high school students. This year for the second time we did we had questions included on safety. You know I feel safe at school. I understand safety protocol safety protocols within the schools and it goes from strongly agree to strongly disagree and most of the students do understand and do feel safe but there I think is still a little work to do. We also included questions about online behavior. Have you experienced mean behavior online or on social media? Or have you been

073mean to others online on social media? Again, not huge numbers, but of note. And we also ask questions about focus. You know, have you struggled to stay focused on only one task? Have you had trouble completing tasks on time? And if you look at the right two columns often and very often, those numbers are fairly high. Finally, we asked what students use social media for. You know, communication with friends and family is, you know, sharing personal updates and photos, entertainment, news and information gathering, joining online communities, other you know, well, we didn't break out. What we should next time is gambling. Okay. So, what have we learned? Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of choice. Digital gambling rates have soared. Zen has emerged as a com concerning tobacco trend. Onset of at risk

074behaviors, drinking in particular, can start as early as age 10 or 11. The concerning rates of mental health issues, especially eating disorders, depression, suicide attempts must continue to be addressed in a holistic fashion. What else can we do? to increase awareness of the assets and behaviors in all constituent groups including parents, school staff, care providers, clergy, safety professionals, elected officials, community members, and more. Collectively work to identify assets that we can increase. Continue to listen to and talk with our children and neighbors. Work to lessen the stigma surrounding behavior and mental health issues. and do not be afraid to reach out for help and support. So, while we we certainly have much work to do, we're pleased to see positive movements. Efforts for the schools, the community, and families are effective. We need to continue

075to work for the positive. We want to give special thanks to the Brookfield Youth Commission who has helped us in a variety of ways uh including we're doing some follow-up uh focus groups with students who took the uh the survey to vet whether they think the information is accurate, but also to find out how we can better implement it in the future or what they think are good programs to help build assets within the community. You know, next steps, continue to update health curriculum in our schools where necessary, continue a series of meetings. And what Brookfield Cares will do is continue the series of meetings and presentations uh to keep the community engaged and educated, continue our presence and initiatives throughout the school and the community. work to continue to inform the community of relevant

076data, work to reduce the stigma of mental health, and ask for everyone's continued support. So, we are working on presentations for important constituent groups. We will have a community event this fall, a community discussion on the results of the survey where we have breakout groups and we talk with community members about what this means and how we can build assets within the community. Next steps again for Brookfield Cares, we will update the parents guide with the new information. We will make that available to all parents before school next year. work with the schools to get a copy to every school as we have in the past. But we want to close by just thanking the schools for being so supportive and the community for being supportive. And it's a lot of information. Um, but I

077if you have any questions or or comments or ideas, I'm happy to uh to answer what I can. But thank you very much for this opportunity. I had a couple questions. Um, sure. Um, have you shared this presentation with us or could you share this with us? Absolutely. Okay. Absolutely. No, this this will be sent out tomorrow. Okay, great. And then another one. Um, and and it is also for the community. It's it's uh it's available now as of today on the Brookfield Care's website. It can be downloaded. Okay. We will also be presenting this at the uh the next at the June board of selectment meeting. On those slides, we're comparing the 2022 and 2025 whisker data. If I'm remembering, you said that 2022 was both seventh and eighth graders. So technically, you surveyed

078half the number of Right. Okay. I just wanted to make sure I was reading this. No, no, it's it's the grade. We're we're actually I think if you go back and look at the the slides, we may be comparing, you know, grade to grade. Okay. We tried to be as consistent as we could. Oh, yeah. I was just then my last thing. Um, in terms of the students taking the surveys, was it in a home room? Like were there was there encouragement to be as honest and possible or is there any type of proactive um in terms of being as uh A couple things, you know, we you know, first off, there was a uh a video that was done by students in the uh the youth commission who um you know who have taken

079the survey in the past, but that that video was shown to students you know beforehand uh you know they were you know it was explained as much as possible. uh you know but you should also know that search institute you know what we get reported to us you know if for sake of discussion just to make the numbers simple if a thousand students took the survey we may get results on 925 okay and the reason you know there are several reasons the reason that search institute asked questions variety of ways is because they want to see is the student spoofing us. They will if a student is just zigzagging, they will eliminate those. If a student hasn't finished, you know, hasn't answered a certain number of questions, they won't include those. There were one or

080two students who for some reason entered the wrong grade when they logged into the survey and those were not counted. So again, you know, search institute does a pretty good job of making sure that what they're reporting really is good information. That just answers my third question. Thank you. How many Yeah. How many questions were there? Because I in the past it was very lengthy. How many questions? It's it's 140 160 in in that range. Is that less than the past or it's the same? It's it's the same surve the survey itself is the same. The basic survey hasn't changed. The questions that we ask which were maybe I don't know 18 20 questions not significant. Uh those are in addition. Okay. Um but again you know last time we did the survey was done

081in a very short period of time based on student uh feedback. uh we gave them a full period this time which certainly falls in with search institute guidelines as well. Yeah. And we again we worked very closely with the administration. We had a a we had a uh session beforehand where we talked with search institute and we were were all on the same page about about data about security. you know, even security, you know, the, you know, the availability of the survey was only literally for the hour that it was being given in the schools and not available afterwards. So, no opportunity to spoof. Okay. Um, you had mentioned, you know, you'd appreciate any advice or, you know, direction. I think that, um, I really appreciate the posters. I think that's one good cares does

082because I see it when I use the restroom in the high school posters. Um they're right there. They're kind of like forced to read it right if you're in stall. Um and I think they've been really good through the years. Um has Brookfield Cares ever like really taken like a deep dive into like the current systems in place like I'll just say specifically at the high school like um because I agree with you. I think we need to have more conversations at home and get parents involved but unfortunately they're not involved. Even people I know that are involved, but they are still not connected in the way that we want them to be. I just feel like the school is the place because they're there for over six hours a day. Um, that's really the

083place to drive it home and to build those connections. So, has Brookfield Cares ever been able to have the opportunity to look at the current systems in place to and solicit student feedback about, you know, building those connections with, you know, the people inside the building that they're with for six hours a day because it seems to me like you just want we just want to improve the parent connection, which is absolutely ideal. So, so we did our first of um we have two scheduled focus groups. So, that's kind of how we're starting. Um and and I will say this, the students are always like brutally honest with us. We learn a lot um from them. But we got some really good feedback and and it is my hope that when we're done with the

084focus groups, we could then either come back and talk here as well as meeting with the principles and the support staff in schools about what the students are saying because I think their interpretation of even some of the results is very different. They looked at some of these numbers and said, "No, that's too low." Um and and it wasn't I'm a parent of of three young adults that that wasn't surprising to me that they felt that way, but I think it would be to a lot of people. Um they came back with a lot of really good information and we've only had the one. So, um, we were just talking about possibly putting even another one on and then yes, I the plan would be to come back to you all and come back to

085the schools with that information compiled by the students because I think that is really there's there's often a disconnect in in what the students feel and and what they're saying and in terms of what the school sees. So, I think we'd like to try and bridge that. Does that answer your question? Yeah. Like, you know, we had that initiative to improve attendance, right? like this huge push. Um it was really drilled home quite a bit, especially the high school. I'm wondering if we had that same appetite for connections and building connections and really driving that home that would kind of maybe flip the script a little bit. I think even in terms of knowing what's available at the schools, um like the high school has the school-based health center. Not all the students know that

086even though it goes out and even though information is given, I think we could be better. We could do a better job about getting that to students more frequently because maybe they heard about it in September and maybe they don't need it until something happens in May. Um, so I think that that those are the types of things that that I think we can have some discussions and work on improving in terms of getting that information out there on what's available to the students in terms of when they need support when they're having an issue and that type of thing. Thanks you guys. Thank you. We really appreciate it. [Applause] Let's move now to um old business. We're going to pick back up our um healthy school start times discussion. Um, can I just suggest

087maybe just for efficiency because the healthy school start times is so interwoven with our discussion of the budget um that we do that either directly after or concurrently with the budget discussion. How would you guys feel about that? I I think that logic makes sense because they are woven together. Yeah, because I'm not sure what we're discussing. So I guess well I think at the last meeting um if uh if I'm correct and some people particularly Rosa and Stephanie wanted to um seek some they had some questions. They wanted to seek some assurances maybe from the bus company about what efficiencies could be found. Um could we retain the three tier busing? Is that correct? And I think um Casey uh the answer end up being no, right? Correct. Okay. Um I have a question.

088Um and I don't know if it's for the healthy start times committee or if it's for Casey. I'm not sure. Um if we went to a two-tier system, which is part of both budget plans B and C, right? So we're at a two-tier system now. Going to three. Going to three. Okay. Okay. Sorry. Sorry. Um so if we go from two to three, which is reflected in budget options B and C, right? Correct. Correct. Um what's the latest practicable start time for for the high school? 7:30. Um right now it look it's looking like 7:30. Um I know that we that Allstar was working on um shortening these are all Yeah. Just very quickly big overview before we go into detail. Hold on a second. We got some little bit of side comment. Okay. 7:30

089um was the the uh latest if we were going to get out at 2:15 the optimal time given bus crowding at the high school and getting to um events for athletics and other after school activities without dismissing students early from school. Um we Mr. Baldwin really studied this with Mr. Band and myself was 210. So, as part of going to 2:10 would mean we'd have to start at 7:25. We So, we pushed it to 7:30 and asked Mr. Bandanda to to find time in areas like passing time and things like that, which he has done and has assured us that we can start at 7:30 and end at 2:10. So, on the holistic, it looks like it's five minutes shorter than the other two schools, but it gets the same amount of instructional time in

090because of all that passing time and the ILT time, etc., etc. He he can find that. He can find that. We I I I tell the story all the time. When I was a high school principal, it was an eighth of a mile from one end of the building uh that I was principal up to the other and kids did in four minutes instead of five. So, it can be done. So, if we're talking about the 7:30, is it cutting passing time down to four minutes? That that's part of the the solution. Um remember, there's only the four big blocks, but then there's lunch. So, there's opportunity to get that five minutes. And and the key with the start times and with the three tiers is that the bus company um is uh they have

091communicated that they absolutely need 45 minutes in between each start time of the three buildings in order to ensure um travel across the the district to pick up all the students. So if if the start time were to be, you know, 10 minutes later, then it would push all the other schools, you know, 10 minutes later as well. Um and then the release on the the um high school end for athletics and everything else. What's the Sorry, I know you unmuted, but um what's the gap between the start times of the two tiers now? Is it 45 also? Um it is 8 o'clock start for the middle of high school. 8 and 8:55. Okay. Yeah. So it's a little longer. It's a little longer. It's 55 minutes. Shave it. Yes. And so we know we

092can shave that 10 minutes because and and as it's been observed, I think by by some folks have communicated it. There are some buses that are waiting at the schools for 10 minutes or 15 minutes. So that goes away, you know, across the board. um next year with uh with the 45m minute interval between each start time and there's no we had um one of the things I had mentioned at the last meeting was possibly doing a rather than going all the way to 7:30 doing like an 750 and a 9 start right and making the gap bigger to be able to reduce a 750 so rather high school for the high school would go to 750 right And then the elementary would go to so that there would be more buses available for each

093route or less as we're combining routes. Right. So the idea was that we would take the amount of buses take away two. Yeah. And then you had said that the way the routes are they have to have 45 minutes but if we if we increase the time between within the route that there was a possibility you were going to check to see or one of the questions was is there a possibility of addressing that? Right. So the router's not following you. I'm sorry. Okay. So So B if BHS starts at what time? 7:50. Okay. And elementary school, BHS and West Cancer would start at 7:50. Okay. Elementary school start at 9. So 10 minutes on each and taking away two buses. There was a possibility that the routes could be because you you're adding 20

094minutes and the possibility that the routes could be either doubled back or two buses can be taken away in order to make them you know what I mean? I stopped like so instead of the 45 minutes in between correct start times on three tiers 55 minutes in between start time between two tiers and would that enable some routes to be combined? Okay. So there I so there is I have an answer for that. Um so there's a lot of different that's I I got there. Thank you. Um so there's a lot of different factors that go into scheduling the bus routes. Obviously number one being the number of students we have. Um, and so right now we plan for transporting every one of our Brookfield students to and from school every day. Um, so that's

095number one, but that's not the only factor that's considered. Um, the geography is also considered and not just like the amount of miles of that that Brookfield covers, but the roads that um are throughout Brookfield. There are and I I think it's Route Seven and another main artery that the buses will not go across. So that sort of limits also the number of routes. Um and so so so there's all those things to to consider. Um I I have asked um every which way and sideways the bus company is tell me how we eliminate any number any number of buses. Um and and maintaining two tiers. Um they have come back every every time very strongly that that is unless we want to decide unless unless you folks want to decide as a board that

096um we don't need to transport you know we don't we will take a gamble and not ensure that we have to transport every student now are is every bus at capacity is not right it's it's not when we start the school year planning for every student and I have all those numbers from allstar um a lot of buses are over. Some buses are over capacity, but um you know they're they're generally all full. Whiskanir buses aren't quite at capacity. Um but um that's that's with three students to every seat. So um once September starts that does drop, right? We have high school students that um that will drive themselves to school. We have um if you've seen the drop off line at CLS, there's a lot of parents, right? Yep. There's a lot of parents

097that drive their school. So those numbers do come down. Um but at any given time um we we need to ensure that we can transport all of our students to school. Um if the board wanted to direct the superintendent to say that we don't we don't want to you know weiskis we we want to take a risk and say you know we're not going to require that. Um I think that would have to come from the board um because it is a legal requirement that we are able to provide transportation to all the students and so I wouldn't want that to um so but to to answer your question you know so more time between the two buses the two routes does not create a situation where they can provide I think what it what

098it what it will end up doing is creating a situation where we're going to have a much longer um bus runs right like routes are going to be longer longer. Um, so pickup times at a 710 start time are now going to, you know, you're going to you're going to start like um coming into the benefit of that earlier start of that later start time by having to pick up earlier. So, um there's there's just a lot to and and I don't know if the and I I'm not sure if the start time um the impetus for the start time conversation was was purely budget driven. I think budget was actually a very was a the it was a yeah it certainly because that does that does impact it obviously um so and and in

099the scenario we were just discussing the the the challenge there is and first I have to compliment Allstar they've been very giving other time and working with Casey and and you know they have a contract and they've been great I I find Allstar has been fantastic for us they do live up to their name and um Deb Jones the actual depot manager has been fantastic and jumps right in there and drives the buses. So, we don't see the shortage like some of the other driver shortage. So, I just need to say that um but in in the impetus as I recall from the committee was to really look at this if budget was something that was a byproduct. Wonderful. But and and now you know comes to fruition with some of the cuts we have

100to deal with. But it was the concern about kids getting out of school early to make those four mainly a lot of four:00 times for away games. If in that scenario, Steph, that you just put forward. If we were to go to 7:50 instead of 7:30, now our that's 20 minutes. So now we're at 2:30. And the problem with 2:30 is not only have the the bus traffic at the school 2:30, 2:35 is the time now you have less time to get through all of our local traffic, get kids to uh a competition in advance enough to properly stretch, warm up, and you know, get ready for a competition. So that's where all this problematic piece comes in. So that's why in looking with the athletic director was that 215 210 window was like the

101latest if we're going to eliminate the majority of kids with the exception of the golf situation which you can't help. Um but we did also talk about when we when we voted on this before and it failed it the fact that like that's one portion of the student population. It's not the entirety and a lot of the survey results like were very clear that they didn't have a problem completing their work. It wasn't an issue to leave early. So, right, that's another component of that data. Sports early time is just one factor in this big giant picture of cascading, you know, sort of Yeah. overlapping uh concerns and No, those are that was the survey. Speaking of surveys, are we allowed to survey the parents to see who needs the bus and who doesn't? You

102said that it's legally are we legally are we allowed to ask them? The the law is that we have to have a seat for every student who's within the the qualifying distance uh which I think is over a mile to you know uh have a bus uh for us and so that's the situation we have. You can decide to do the things you would like to do. That is actually the conversation that's actually the conversation that I would like to have. Um because you know I just think that if you are if we're looking at a cut of this size to take it from one source which is we're going to get rid of start times. We're going from two tiers to three tiers. that sort of hamstrings us in the future for options that

103we could have, right? I mean, if we really want to look at transportation and and this being an area where we can squeeze and cut because to be honest, I don't like any of these changes. I don't want to I don't want to cut any of it, but this is the situation we're in, right? So, none of the options are good. But what I would like to do is diversify as much as possible the cuts that we have to make. And my rationale behind that is that in future budgets, maybe even if we get a great summer where you know budget fluctuations happen, there may be opportunities to work back in whether it be this summer or in future budgets the things that we lost um from this cut. But I can guarantee you if

104we cut $250,000 from ending school start times, that is never coming back because that's not something I doubt I I I don't I really highly doubt any future board is going to say, "Yeah, let's just go invest a quarter of a million dollars in this one initiative in this single year. It's never going to happen." But if we take cuts from this area and that area and that area and it all is it all sucks. We all hate it, but those are things that are more easily worked back into the budget. So, I'm not just thinking about how do we save and reduce this budget, but how do we long term get everything we want, just not when we want it. I mean, that's really like sort of the decision I think we're faced with.

105So, I personally would like to, you know, I think it's a pretty safe thing to say that a good chunk of students regularly get driven to school. Um, and I think that's a pretty reliable pattern. And so I think that it would be just I don't want to say necessarily a gamble, but I would say a minor calculated risk on understanding that a good chunk of students are going to be driven to school. Um, and so I would like to explore, you know, that that minor calculated risk of, you know, forcing the bus company to redesign routes, condense stops, make it more efficient with three less buses. And, you know, I'm I'm thinking, you know, if it turns out to be a disaster and we hate it, we can stepwise reduce that risk by adding,

106okay, now we're going to risk by negative two buses. Still bad. we can, you know, we can add those back in over time in the budget. So, it's not like a final final it's gone. Um, I I think that's for me that's where my comfort is in terms of just securing what we can when we can. Um, I think it's just dangerous to cut from such a major area just once and in one, you know, fell swoop. Jack as well. Is there any way we can get any kind of data of who gets dropped off? Like roughly? Uh, no. I I think roughly because you've got to look at addresses and then they have to talk about the amount of people. You said the drop off line at uh I'm sure just a rough count.

107I mean, no, that's that wouldn't even help, would it? Because it's addresses. It's how you construct the the we'd have to get the students who the parents who would say I'll drive my child. I don't need the bus and their address. And then all that data would have to be collected accurately, given to the bus company so they could then rework those routes. That's not I'm gonna tell you I I the idea is worthy, but that's not going to happen in in any quick time frame. I mean, we've got to design the survey, make sure we can collect the data act, you know, properly, get it out to families, give them some time to do it, make sure that all complete it so we have that and then get it to the bus company and

108then they have to do their analysis. So it just takes Yeah. No, I don't I don't necessarily I mean I I would love that. That would be great data, but like I said, I I do see your points on that, but it's sort of like saying, okay, you know, but legally we we can't say like, nope, sorry, you don't have a ride to school. It it was be mostly like, well, okay, there there is still going to be a bus stop in your neighborhood. Get to that bus stop. Now, we're taking a risk on if there's going to be like room on that bus. And I think that's a really safe gamble to to make that you know if if one kid like can't get driven that particular day or a few you know there

109there's going to be I think space on the bus because there is always still that reliable chunk of students that get driven. So I think it's it's just a way to sort of keep you know later start times for now. I mean, if we want to reduce it on on some other merit, fine. But if we're if we're looking at it from a fiscal standpoint, I think it's it's dangerous to to get rid of such a big initiative. Um, in this one year to reduce this one budget. Um, but yeah, I think to me that's at least a risk I'd rather explore rather than some of these other options. Casey, on the off chance that we do take this route, right, and there happens to be the situation that Rose has talked about, what would

110be the solution if there wasn't a room? Was there like a backup or like we'd be we'd be stuck, right? Yeah. No, I mean that would be probably communications that um you know that uh out to parents that buses are going to be running late because we have to make multiple trips, things like that. Um listen, Allstar and Deb Jones I have no doubt would you know figure it out and they, you know, she works her magic and she she she does that. Um I I would say um in where I live and when when I served on the board and that was during COVID, we actually did something similar. Um we did survey parents now much much smaller uh population and community of of families. Um we're at the time we're talking 300 students

111total right in our school. Um, but we did survey parents and we were able to to reduce um the fleet of buses by one. And I'm talking we went from like six buses to five, right? Like that's just the scale that I'm talking about. Um, you know, and so that worked in a very very small community like that. Um, I think I think what what would be important to consider is um if if we do go in that route and that we we can look at ways to to try to do that. Um I think it's would probably be important to first determine whether or not there still is going to be um an impetus for the board to change start times regardless. Right. So so that's I think because I don't want to or

112I mean I will right if that's if that's the direct the directive that's given to the superintendent. Um, I certainly will put um put the effort into that and work with Allstar um who has been very um helpful in providing data and answering questions and and really explaining. I'm not a bus routing expert, but I feel like I'm getting there. Um so um but but again I to do all that work and then if the will of the board is is to change start times then then it doesn't matter. We have to go to three tiers anyway. So I just you know right sort of while it's it's while it is intertwined it is also two very distinct you know sort of real decisions um for the board to consider um so yeah can you

113remind us when Deb needed all that information again to go from the two to three I'm sure they're all listening to this meeting right now it's coming it's coming up from what I remember yeah they they are they are needing to to have this information Yeah. Yeah. This was the time we needed to make the decision. I think I said the latest was the early May meeting. So to to do Rosa, what you're saying your initiative, your proposal, you'd have to survey the parents, correct? No. Um because I just think about it's not just CL like people are just focusing on the CLS drop off, but I think about my own child or other children at the high school, right? like a lot of the times he was able to get driven by his sister,

114but there were times where he wasn't able to and he had to take the bus. So, I couldn't speak to well, yes, some days he can, some days he can't. You had to provide that, right? The same with a lot of kids get driven by their friends, but it's not always an option for them. Um, or something comes up last minute. I mean, I I'm I'm not willing I don't think it's a safe gamble. I think that's it's a rough phrase to make um without real data to support that claim. Um I'm I'm not willing to put this board in in a liability situation. I sir, so I was just I can speak to my middle school. I know in 10 years there are students from day to day their circumstances change whether they get

115dropped off, whether they get picked up, whether they drop if they're taking bannes from day to day. I personally think if I got that survey, I wouldn't know how to answer it. I'm not actually I'm suggesting actually we don't survey. um suggesting that we reduce the fleet by three buses. They redesign the routes every, you know, the neighborhoods are still your, you know, your kids still going to have a a bus stop. It's just those buses are going to be more packed and the the the routes Yeah, the routes will be longer. Um I I do think we have that that 10-minute flexibility in there, but um but yes, so if and you know, of course there are going to be times where like students situations change like dayto day. But what we're risking is

116statistically all of those kids doing that on the same exact day consistently. And that's something that I don't think is likely to happen. the probability of every student like you know needing the bus when they sometimes get driven on the same day is is I think quite low and I think sorry no go ahead I think this goes back to for me we're talking about fundamentally changing the way our district operates which we can't go back from so like changing start times is drastic whereas if we keep the start times as is and explore other options we have to figure that out. So if we keep start times as is and also they can go hand in hand and if it doesn't work and if we need to we have that you know the we

117can do things different in the future but once we go back to start times and once we fund fundamentally change the way our district operates that's forever and where Ros is talking about taking you know diversifying our risk I feel like there's other areas in which we can keep the start times the same and look at the budget that's but didn't we just change the start times not too long ago and it's clearly not forever. What do you mean? We've just changed the start times. So, correct. We just changed the start times two years ago. It's only been two years since we have fundamentally changed the way our district runs. So, to do that again in two years feels very drastic to me. We have not given it enough time for the data to really

118take effect to really show the benefit. We only really have two classes that have moved up two years. The surveys have showed that it has not impacted. In fact, it's positively impacts the students. They are getting more sleep. So, there's multiple things in play here. I don't think any of these things are incorrect. I don't think any of these things are, you know, not a good way to look at how the district functions. I just feel like changing the start times to then directly save the money for this budget season puts us in a position where we can't go back from what we do to fundamentally change the way the district operates. And also we may still be in a budget situation where we're having to make more cuts, move things around. So it it's

119it just feels like a very um big change for something that could still be a risk. I don't think we we didn't originally um ask to change the start times for the budget purposes. That was that's what this conversation has just turned into. It it they're tied together because we changed that's not so there is a potential that if we do that we're putting kids on buses for longer which you'd have to be very transparent about which I can tell you right now no one's going to be in support of that. Parents will not be in support of that. Um and you're risking safety. I mean, you're potentially the more kids you have on a bus and the more you crowd the bus, put yourself up for for risk. They're unsupervised and nothing good happens

120on a bus. But you're making an assumption they're going to be overcrowded. So like that's the thing. It's like it's there's my kids's bus is already overcrowded. It's been overcrowded for so mine's not and I drive my kid to school every day. So for every scenario, right, there's But even one overcrowded bus is is just too much. Can we not talk over each other because all these points are important to consider. I mean, as simple as like my son having bands. I have to find a way to drive him because he can't get on the bus with his trombone because there's no room. So, I mean, I happen to be he happens to be on a bus that is overcrowded, right? Or that's packed. You know, my high schooler, I could say today, "Yeah, you

121know what? He has a ride with friends. When they need the parking lot and they can't drive or so and so's sick, he has to go on the bus." So, I mean, I don't know. I just I get it. But what if The risk is just what if instead of you know risking um you know the fleet by three buses, we reduce it and reduce our risk by reducing the fleet by two buses and instead make up that that third bus cost something else like the climate coordinator. I'm just throwing that out there. Yeah. So, I I think if if I were to go to Allstar and say, um, you must reduce our fleet by two. Um, but we're keeping everything else the same. You need to transport all of our students. And I I

122just I don't I don't I really don't know that they're I don't know what they would do with that because I've I've asked them to do that and they they tell me that they can't. Um, and I have no reason to believe um, you know, that they're telling me anything other than what they know to be true um, based on all the data they have. I'm look I'm looking right now at some of the the number like the capacity numbers on some buses. So, Wiskanir does have those are those buses are um, less full than the high school um, than most of the high school buses. And I'm looking at like April riding numbers um, that Deb Deb Jones had pulled. So she she has the she gave me numbers for the capacity of every

123run um prior to the start of the school year um in in September after school started and then most recently in April. And so those um the capacity of the the BHS buses run anywhere from there's there's three um three buses that are about 31% full and then all other buses are anywhere from 52 54% to 85%. So, and I don't and these are just bus numbers. I don't know the geography of where all that where they all are. Um the 30% full could be on one side of town and that you could combine with the other 30% um bus, but they could be on opposite sides of the town. So, I don't but just looking at that and this is no scientific way to do it and this is certainly not how Allstar would

124do it. Um I I I assure you but just looking from like a very basic um way on how you maybe could combine, you know, you'd have to take six of these buses and combine them right into three runs. Um you're you're looking at having those combined runs at least 100% full in April and beyond 100% full certainly in September. Um, and again, this is not a scientific way to do it. Um, but but just looking at at the data that I that I have in front of me. And so again, if I were to go to All-Star and say, you've you've got to you've got to reduce these two the fleet by two, I I I'm just I feel like I'm giving them an impossible task that I've already asked them to do, and

125they've told me that it's impossible. Do you know what I mean? And I I think I think Case, I appreciate that. And I think I think the last thing that that I'll say on this and I'd encourage the the someone to make a motion on whatever you're interested in here at this point. But um good faith honest brokers that is Allstar. They're in business at the end of the day. They serve the students. They do a great job for us. They're in the they're in business to make money. They without hesitation with an existing contract said we if we do it this way we can reduce by three buses. That's $250,000 to them. They're not just selling off the buses. So, this is important. And they're not um laying off any drivers because of the

126driver shortage. They want to make sure they have enough to cover everybody. So, they're doing that in good faith. So, I've got to assume if in another scenario we ask them to take buses off um or reduce buses and they say we can't do it, it's they've already said to Brookfield, we we enjoy your business. We want to work as partners and we we would reduce if we can. So I think that that's something that just needs we got to be careful to not conflate those two particular issues and just separate them because um from my view and I know Casey has really probably had a level of irritation in terms of talking to to to Allstar at this point the um they they're honest brokers in this so that what they're telling us I

127I I have to believe I have to have faith in Can I can I um just say we've we've revisited this argument like this is um you know 2.0 0 of the discussion we had at the last meeting. I feel like we've um brought up the salient issues here and I'd like to go around now and just get a feel for are you ready? Do you have a budget scenario picked out are where are you on this? Um because I think it's time to bring these two issues together. Um I think we've made our points really well. So I'm going to ask you if you want to say like I'm between A and C. I'm between B and C. I'm firmly on B. um or if you're not sure yet that that's important information, too.

128Um Rob, yeah, I'm not too sure. I I remember the survey and a lot of the parents really wanted to keep it this way, so I was just kind of leaning towards that, but I also realistic. I understand that we can't fight a losing battle. So, I'm just kind of stuck in the middle at the moment to be honest. Okay. Thank you, Erin. I'm really undecided which the way the law go um to be perfectly honest. So, You know, I also am a little bit concerned about the new buildings going up. You know, we have a lot of new apartments coming up that are going to be finished this summer. So, if children are there and our enrollment goes up or you know, I think that we really need to be cognizant of that, too.

129So, you're not So, I'm just kind of decided where I'm at. Sarah, I've narrowed it down to B and C, but I don't think I've 100% decided between the two. Joy. Yeah. Um I don't feel like I can make a decision um on what scenario based on um where we go with the healthy start times. Um I'm not but I'm certainly not willing to take that risk and put us um facing a liability. I'm not okay putting um increasing our students on buses for longer. Um so which scenario seems most compelling to you? Um I guess B or C. Um more um B because I'm not in favor of cutting the point 2 French teacher based on numbers um are high class sizes already and then the increased enrollment interest with French. The one thing

130we talked about just to that point, Joy, um at the last meeting was that we are going to really sharpen the pencil in some areas like professional learning and other areas with the principal. Um if in fact as Mark does the schedule for next year and is working on that if in fact we still need that point 2 because this is designed back in December um we will find a way to if we need the point 2 to have the point 2 and we will trim and shave to Rose's earlier point all over the place to find that $15,000. So just so you know that that's a priority. So that's something we talked about. So that's that's kind of just the two. Yeah. I mean we also had higher class sizes in a lot of

131the other you know in some math classes too in science. So you know I really don't like any of the scenarios. I mean I feel like cuts and we go back to the drawing board. So and and if we go back to the drawing board I just if it's okay if I I did I know you didn't get around Wendy to everybody if we delay it is not the end of the world but Dr. man, can you talk about in terms of your supervision of HR and working with the principles and posting of jobs and hiring and appointments of veteran people given the reductions in reallocations the impact that that might have in terms of timing. Okay. I'm sorry Wendy. Thank you. Um Okay. So, um, like Rob, I I think, you know, I I

132would love to go with, you know, just taking a what I would consider to be a calculated risk. Not one that I just willingly go into like it's great. It's none of these scenarios are great, but that's what I would that would be my primary choice. But, you know, I do understand that having administrative support is um very important to making any plan work. Um, and so I value your feedback in in that regard. I would then lean more towards scenario A just for the simple fact that the cuts are diversified and they could be things that I could more easily envision coming back into the budget. You know, 45,000 15,000 even 100,000 or a position. Those are things that we have added to our budgets as investments in previous years. Um, of course it

133delays the progress of other investments that we would want to make, but that's the nature of any budget cut is a delay in your progress. Um, and so for those reasons, I would lean more towards scenario A, the diversification of it. Okay. Thank you. Um, Stephanie. Yeah, I'm I am having a really hard time with it as well, but through this discussion, I think I'm leaning towards a as well. I feel like the point that Rose makes about sort of diversifying the the the cuts and where we can add back in in future years. I I really just have a hard time with permanent changes like going back to earlier start times and bus schedules and things we've only been we've only had for two years where there's a lot more um ability. I mean,

134again, none of it's great. all said we don't like any of it. No one wants to cut, you know, sections from from classes and um yeah, that's where I'm at. Okay. Thank you. Just clarity, I just so for scenario A, that would increase class sizes at CLA, correct? Yeah, but it's still within the range that we have approved in a previous meeting at the recommendation of the class size committee. That's a very very very important point to make. Um because it will probably get you know communicated that we're voting to increase class sizes. It will still be within the board of education guidelines. So um and in the sheet I gave you earlier on class sizes, the purple shaded area to the very far right just shows an example for every grade if you were

135to reduce. So just so you can take a look at all of them are under the limit. Yep. I looked carefully at that. Yeah. Well, if we were going to vote right now, I would vote for scenario C. Um, I understand and respect the points that you're making. Um, I also am really hearing that AllStar has done their best. And I think that if we have if we take away buses, we're going to nullify um I mean, the routes will just get longer and that'll nullify the the um whole point of Well, they're not they're not changing any buses. I understand. I understand. But I'm putting more weight on the the the immediate instructional gets that happen with scenario C. Um, and I know that a point to French is not like it's just like

136one little piece there, but that's that's really great to hear that Mr. Band feels that he could move some things around to to ensure that because um we we have seen the the growth of the French program and we'd like to see that continue in a healthy way for students and teachers. But I think that the benefits of scenario C for me for a pragmatist position those are um those are what we need those are the things that we many of the things we say we value I know we talked about adolescent sleep and brain science and it's it's rough but anyway that's that's my thinking that's why I can I make another clarifying point then to you sure so the 02 French which is $15,000 right if that were to come from other areas

137of the budget a general general haircut in every other area of that of discretion. Would that make this scenario more palatable? No, no, that that was just that was just a a point to add on. I think um seeing that the the climate coordinator position is in which we may not need next year, but I think we're going to need soon after to be compon. Um can we unless we need it now, why are I Not to say that we don't need it. I understand it's in the budget proposal. But though that is something that is more easily added back into the budget compared to I understand I I listen to to all of the arguments made tonight and over the course of many weeks of discussion and at the last meeting and this it's

138a difficult decision but that's where I land. I have one make one point of clarification on C that uh compliance teacher position would be re appropriated to a math interventionist at the at the middle school which was one of the asks from this board and also from the principal. So it would not be that that FTE would not be for any I understand okay but the position is can I make a suggestion um I it's important to talk about the the different budget scenarios. I think it's also important to circle back to um how BNC came to be. Um and it wasn't because um you know the administration said let's find a way to to to you know reduce transportation costs and eliminate buses. Um rather it it was just the byproduct of the initial

139conversation about the start times. And so really scenario A may not be necessary to do depending on the board's you know decision on start times whereas scenario B and C may be the only options right if depending on the the decision on start times. So, um I think that like whatever that decision is on start times is going to inform what options you have to work with. And if start times were to change or or or were to remain the same, um certainly if there's things in scenario A that um the board is uncomfortable with or wants to see different variations of, we can go back and and do that and eliminate the the busing transportation costs in total. Right? if the if the firm position is that we are we're keeping the start times.

140Um so I just think that that decision point is is really crucial to even at this time figuring out which ones to my opinion is like that might have been a byproduct of that committee but it has become the sole focus of the conversation regarding start times. We if we want to have a conversation about what's more important adolescent sleep or sports we haven't had that debate. So that's my sort of sticking point with this is that we made this a budget conversation and the committee made it a budget conversation and so now that's what it is and the just I have to emphasize the start time decision really needs to be made tonight. Either we're staying the course or we're changing it because Allstar needs the time if we're going to change now to

141start doing that. That's one. Uh two, Dr. Man, can you share a little bit about the delaying on the budget decision tonight in deferring it for another couple of weeks? How that impacts our hiring process? Right. Going into the summer time, we have reduced in force, you know, these six positions because the instructional coaching model is gone. So, we have six tenure teachers in those positions. One of those people has retired, put in her retirement. So we need to find a place for five people who are guaranteed through tenure law a position. Um so that's one part of it. Um that if and we have posted some all of these positions that we have posted with the exception of we just got a resignation yesterday that we have to post. But um most of the

142postings that we have put out since March are anticipated because there's no decision made on this. So I can't in good faith begin hiring for these positions when I don't know what positions are available. So we have the physics STEM teacher posted anticipated. We've got the curriculum support teachers anticipated. We've got the math interventionists posted anticipated because I don't know what is is what I can fill. So it's May and we're going to lose people and because they don't know and the thing is if if all of these go away that forces a domino effect and a tenure teacher bumps a non-tenured teacher that person has to be told. Now there's a timing of that reduction in force technically you know we obviously you want to do you want to let someone know as soon

143as possible so that person can go find another position. Um but that you know the reduction in force piece will have to come into play if we have to go through that bumping scenario because other positions have been eliminated. And just to our two of our neighbors who we often compare ourselves to Bethl and New Town have already and new in New Fairfield have passed their budgets. So they're posting not anticipated real openings and they're getting the best candidates because they're starting their interview process that we're missing out on. We need to vote tonight on both. No. Oh, so I just want some of these positions like the physics. No, I think and of course while the referendum has not we haven't had it. It's not till May 20th. Hasn't formally passed it. There's always

144possibility that the budget goes down and it has to be posted in that's the other that's out there is that people need to know what they're voting on, right? So they need to know what they're voting on. Exactly what I'm saying. So like in the three main points, we can get things out there to people and you know documentations, you know, and in the parent square um blast that we've been doing to let them know what they're voting on. Exactly. So really it's important to get these decisions made tonight. So um what do you guys think? Should we do um what do you think? Should we do a um start times vote or just go right budget? Right. I think we should vote on the I think we should vote on the budget scenario first

145and that will if it's B or C then we're going to have to formalize it. We're going to have to formalize it with a with a vote on the on the healthy start times. But yeah, but then it's going to force a budget scenario. So I think anyone can put a motion. Yeah, exactly. And anybody can put a motion on the table. So I think the motion was Oh, yeah. There's a motion tabled from last time I guess from April 9th. There's a motion tabled. Um So, oh, we have the uh we have the um language of the motion from scenarios. What do you guys think? I think it makes cleaner if we we go on um start times because um then we know we either pass um to change start times or not and

146then that that greatly simplify simplifies our options. Then we only option scenario. We only we tabled a discussion, not a motion. There was no motion being about healthy. Oh, okay. So, someone could needs to put a motion on the table. We need to have a motion on the table. It just doesn't make sense because then if we're voting on a if we do the healthy start time discussion or vote, then the only scenario left would be A. So, why would we vote? It would just be A. I think we should do budget first. I'm going to make a motion that we go with scenario C. or that we vote on that we that we vote on the budget. She said she made a motion. All right. So, there's a there's COT to adopt. So, adopt

147She made a motion to adopt scenario C. Erin did. Okay. Did you get that stuff? to adopt budget scenario C made by Sarah and seconded by Aaron. Is it fair to say that we've had adequate discussion and we're ready to vote? Okay. All in favor of um adopting budget scenario C, please say I. I. I. That's four. All oppose say nay. Nay. Okay. So it passes 43. We have adopted budget scenario C. So with that um then de facto there is no need to vote on healthy start. Well there is we need to close it out. Well, there's three scenarios for that. So, we need to decide that's the that's the discussion that we tabled. Okay. We can't pull that up again, can we? No, the presentation with the scenarios that they outlined. Yeah, I

148shared it with you. And now it's kind of been tweaked though because now we have the 7:30 to 210. Yeah, that that was just a little fiveminute thing that we can just have to see the slide again. But we can once it's up there, a board member can make a motion verbally to say specifically the start time for each. Oh, you have language. 210 45 minutes after No one knows chicken scratch. That's chicken scratch. Chicken chicken. I don't know. I don't know. Did you Did you send it to us or was it just in the presentation? I said to Casey. Yeah. And Eric, we've got it. There's three of them. Don't worry about it. I wonder if you have it in your drive. one of you guys would have been sent to everybody. I think

149I was in the main point. I know. I don't know. Yeah. No. April 19. I think it was my How does the motion need to be? Well, it was just like Yeah, the proposal was 7:30 for high school start time. 7:30 to 2:10 and then 45 minutes between I've got the Google Casey. You're logged in. Case sent you the email that was from Joy. So, Yep. Oh, that's the January one. My apologies. I'm sorry. Did you do it? earning Google Docs. Google Slides. Google Slides. Google Slides. All right. Good. We got it. What's the Yeah, I don't have good service here. I think we wanted It's right there on a slide. Yeah, but the 7:30 works. So, we can make the motion password for because I'm on BPS visitor and there's no it says no

150internet connection for me. Yeah. private or I'm sorry. One word lower case for 45. It's funny because I can't get in. How are you? How are you? I just It says I don't have an internet connection. I never do when I'm here. Okay. All right. It's Google. Casey, check your email. See if it does what I just all the slots. Should be just I just shared with you. Just want to make sure that's the right one. It was only three. Yeah, that's the one before. a possible. Yeah, I think this one's enough that we can fine No, it's from January anyway. So, it's a point. Can we just I have a slide. Yeah, that's the last slide that compares the two. Sure. Text or email. Okay. Can we just like write that information down? Yeah.

151I mean, this is this is like, you know, the nail that loses the shoe that loses the horse. So okay what are so proposal one was 725 to 210. Yeah, that was proposal one and proposal two was 7:30 to 2:15 for the high school. The high school was 810 to 255 or 8:15 to 3. Okay. CL is 8:55 to 3:40 3:40 or 9:00 to 3:45 but now we can change the 730 we can adjust the high school correct thank you for saying that so then at 7:30 you'd have to have an 8:15 and a 9:00 that 45 minutes. What are the implications? I know the end time is important. So, you'd have to go seven. We're doing 210. You'd have to go 740. Yeah. To to 220. It just it it just makes le less

152opportunity to get kids, you know, the right and and that's more chance for kids have to be dismissed early and that from from class. That's that's saving on athletic transportation because they can get out and get back to Yes. No, that's true. We don't want to Yep. So just keep it on the high school. So now 910, but the conversation really because we couldn't get the presents jumps like I think 215 was the threshold. Yeah, that was that was really 215 and part of the conversation I remember and because of the finding time during the school they were able to move it to 210 based on that 7:30 start time that was that whole meeting right it wasn't just sports it was activities and any activities that take the bus after school again picture we

153have to consider that's a factor missing instructional time. A portion of students, not entire populations of students, big population. So, is there is there a motion on the table? I'm just going to I'm just going to suggest a number to get to frame people's thinking here. Is there a motion? Will a board member be ready to make a motion to have BHS start time start at 7:30, whiskey at 8:15 and CLS at 9:00 because that's really what needs to happen. The end times fall in line naturally. This gives us our 45 minutes in between each one and the 7:30 is really where we were working which was the whole controversy that we've had to discuss with the high school. I'll just say so moved. He he Yeah. Okay. Do I have a second? Second. Great.

154So, um Roso moved. Erin second. Um all in favor of um BHS starting at 7:30, Wisconsiner at uh 8:15 and um CL at 9ine. Um please say I. I. Any opposed? Okay. So it's unanimous. We um have passed it. Thank you. So uh now we turn to public comment. Uh second public comment. Mr. Korea, you are up. gonna have a lot of unhappy parents. Okay, we're at public comment, kids. Hello, Andy Fria. Um, Brookfield resident. Um, uh, just reflecting on the, um, presentation from Brookfield Cares. Um, what wasn't in there for data that was in there in 2022? Um there's a breakdown of girls girls versus boys or males versus females and how they feel in school safety wise. So in 2022 the numbers were like similar like I wouldn't say they're okay in terms

155of number of students that don't feel safe. Um but when you break it broke it down by gender in 2022 it was predominantly females and males felt significantly safe. Um, and if you sort of check the tape on me coming up and speaking here over, you know, several months about school climate, um, there hasn't been a significant change. So, I would recommend the board take further into that. Um, and then separate topic just remind you when you talk about the legal matter that you're or the um ethics matter, you should name the full full matter including the respondent. Um, I advise you when you come out post executive session, if you do decide to go to an executive session as opposed to discuss it here publicly, that you should come here and let um the

156post executive session public piece be um recorded and broadcast. Um, and then um remind you that both the respondent and her number two uh right-hand woman needs to recuse himself the post executive um session ethics complaint. Um, and I just would like to read from the probable cause finding from the board of ethics. The allegations could reasonably determine that the constit that constitute a violation of the Brookfield code of ethics and the charter. The evidence evidence submitted, including the publicly available YouTube recording of the November 20th board of meeting supports the assertion that the complaintant failed to recuse herself from official discussion and voting in a complaint in a matter of which they she had a direct personal interest. Um, another communication said that the evidence was irrefutable. Specifically, the the video video footage shows

157the uh the respondent participating in the deliberative process, initiating motions, engaging in discussion, voting, and at no point did she physically remove herself from the board table as required by the ethical standard. Furthermore, this was highlighted in an October 30th, so about 20 days before conflict of interest training by attorney Tom, board of education chair and the members were board of education attorney. Um members were explicitly reminded that participation in any deliberative process where a conflict of interest exists is inappropriate and contrary to ethical obligations. So there is was this comment in the news times that the complaint was concocted. It really was just a narration of a video that you can all look at. So, you know, this is the, you know, we talk about how deliberative the budget was. $55 million budget. Thank

158you, Mr. Korea. Not $1 change. Mrs. Case, it's your turn. Um, I was planning on speaking on something else this evening. Um, but I have to say I feel a little bit like I'm on another planet. We had a presentation by Brookfield Cares. Um, and we're partnering with Brookfield Cares and they're identifying risky behavior, bullying, drug use, blah blah blah. The list goes on. Um, and we are letting them survey our children. Whether we agree with the content of the survey or not, we're allowing them to survey our students to get this information to get the statistics and the numbers, but yet when we have a live child that comes to the podium to say, "This is going on with me in my school, we turn her away." How how are we making sense of

159that? Explain that to me. We have a child who was bullied, cyberbullied, insexual in nature, not feeling safe in school. She took out her camera to record the incident as proof because it was a ongoing issue of her not feeling safe in school and she was suspended for it. The victim was suspended for it. How does that make sense? And how do we do nothing about it? And how did she come here and she was she was then showed the lowest form of emotional intelligence by the board by sending her away when she said, "Help me. Make it make sense to me. I will be opting my children out of this Brookfield career survey and I I hope other parents do it too until we can address these issues properly and they get handled immediately

160by the school in the proper way. Not that children have to come here and beg for the board to help her. Thank you. So, um we've covered a lot of ground tonight. Stephanie, what do you have for the three main points? the care survey, the adopted budget, and the New York Times. Yep. You guys agree? All right, sounds good. Um, upcoming events. Upcoming events at CLS, Tuesday, May 13th and Wednesday, May 14th is the art show at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21st, fourth and fifth grade chorus concert at CLS at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 21st is PTO meeting at Wisconsin Middle School. Thursday, May 8th, is the at 7 p.m. in the VHS auditorium. Wednesday, May 14th, uh begins the eighth grade field trip to Washington DC. Monday, May 19th, is the art show at

1616:30 p.m. Friday, May 23rd is the seventh grade career fair. Friday, May 30th is the true and thrills educate uh adjunct thank you adjudication late adjudication of the band and chorus um and field trip to Lake Compounds. Monday, June 2nd is the quasi field trip. Saturday, June 7th is the eighth grade dinner dance. And at PHS, as Melissa mentioned earlier, senior prom is Friday, May 11th at 7 p.m. And the band and chorus concert is May 20th. districtwide. Friday, May 23rd is a half day for students, PLC uh PD day for um teachers, and Monday, May 25th, is Memorial Day, and there is no school. And can I just add that the Wiskanir art show on the 19th is going to have food trucks, so please come and try to make a night of it.

162Yes, trying. Great. So, that concludes this portion of the public session. We're going to move to um executive session um where we have um two three two items. Um we will be we'll be joined by um Pete Mahar provided that the Google meet link will work. Um should action be taken uh afterwards, we will resume public session um at in the um conference room um and all of the proceedings will be recorded in the minutes. Ready? Yes. I move that the board enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing a confidential attorney privileged communication regarding a Brookfield Board of Ethics complaint against a board member and invite attorney Pete Mah into executive session. And I re Oh, we do them separately. Sorry. Oh, second. Okay. Um, all in favor of uh entering executive session

163for the purposes of discussing ethics case C 2024-4. Well, it's really for the attorney client privilege. We're not discussing the ethics complaint. Oh, yes, that's true. That's true. For to receive the attorney client privileged information. Um say I I um all opposed. I So nay. Nay. So um four um in support and three opposed. Erin, Joy, and Sarah. Uh I move that the board enter into executive session to discuss the employment of athletic trainer, security monitor, facility supervisor, in school suspension site. Security Monitor, Tech Director, Security Monitor, Maintenance and Mechanic, Security Monitor, Administrative Secretary to the Superintendent, Board of Education, Human Resources and Benefits Coordinator, Detention and Inschool Suspension, ISS monitor, part-time, human resources supervisor, maintenance mechanic, accounting supervisor, director of business operations, security monitor, coordinator of management systems. Second. All right. All in favor

164of um entering executive session to discuss and possibly take action about employment of unaffiliated salaries for the coming school year, please say I. I. Any opposed? Okay. So, 61. Who's that name? Sarah. Okay. And it is um it is possible that there will be additional new business when we um when we exit executive session. All right. Thanks for coming everyone. Two different motions instead of just like one long one. No. Oh, because he probably wanted to like separate out the Oh, he's only going to be there for that part. Okay. Um session well so it can't be discussed because he won't discuss it in public. So then we just don't have to figure out what to do next. will receive information will not receive information and therefore we cannot proce um executive session um uh

165the the initial motion about um receiving attorney client privilege information connected to the uh ethics complaint uh against a board member C2024-4 did not receive um the requisite twothirds vote uh so that um cannot transpire um but we will be entering executive session to discuss um unaffiliated salaries and there will not be um there may be action well there may be action afterwards but it needs to be understood that uh attorney Maher will not discuss attorney client privilege information publicly. That's true. And therefore, we will not be receiving as a board tonight the information from our attorney from our attorney regarding and we will not be discussing anything in relation to that motion which is time bound. So that's interesting. Correct. So now he attorney Mar will have to be engaged to figure out how

166to get that information to the board. So, does anyone have a desire to change to revote or change knowing that we will not be getting that information? Okay. I just wanted to make sure I'm recording it properly. Right. Okay. That's curious. Uncharted territory. All right. Good night.