Board of Education: February 9th, 2026

001Yeah. >> I know. Yep. All >> set back there. >> Yep, I can hear you. >> Okay. All right. >> We got rid of the loop. >> Got rid of the loop. >> I think we got rid of the loop. Yes. >> Oh, no. Do they What happened to >> the Are we recording? >> Good. Thank you. >> Okay, it's 6:00 p.m. I'd like to call the Vine Board of Ed regular meeting for Monday, February 9th to order. For those who can stand for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Our first order of business is we have a special recognition for some women representatives and I'll turn

002it over to Jeff. >> Yeah, I'm uh I'm going to call up uh to the podium here Linda Darson and Gretchen um for a recognition. Both Linda and uh Gretchen work for learn. Um they have been collaborating with our district now for year four three four >> three or four. >> Um and it started with uh some of our equity, our inclusion work. Um it's morphed into our student belonging and experience. Um and they uh they have been running our cohort. So we talked a little bit about our cohort. We're in cohort three now. We have three cohorts across the district that are doing some uh some great work. Um, and they are leading those groups. Um, they're part of some of our school-based committees, too. Uh, they'll jump on Zooms. Uh, and and what's

003the best part of working with two of them, they're always accessible. We have staff that can reach out to them, principles that can reach out to them, assistant principles, administration, and they're always there. Um, and no extra charge. Uh, you know, they just they're champions of some great work um that we continue to do here at East Lime and across southeastern Connecticut and and beyond. you're both going to be traveling to another state soon and you're presenting. >> Yep. We uh we got accepted to present at South by Southwest. So, it's a kind of a big deal. >> So, uh we just wanted to take an opportunity on behalf of Slime. Thank you both. Um you're wonderful to work with. Uh it's a pleasure. Um and we look forward to the continued the continued partnership

004and wanted to provide you with each of Viking Valor. And then Anelise has a shirt and a uh >> some wearable swag which I may I may mention >> that I would love to have some swag >> that I would like something that says Viking on it. So thank you very much so much for your partnership. >> Thank you so much. And we have your certificates here. You know, I'm gonna put this behind and then we're stand. >> You look scared, Steve. Jump on in there. >> Let me just let me just read this as well. Um this is uh they both say the same thing. Um, Eastan Public Schools Viking Valor Award presented to Linda and Gretchen uh in recognition of her dedication and partnership in fostering student belonging and experience in East public

005schools given the ninth day at so much. >> We give this one to you. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank youful squeezing to get a picture. Yeah. Awesome. Good. I'll send you that, too. >> Thanks. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. You don't have to stay either. >> Thank you for being here tonight. >> No. Thank you. >> Can I just get on Thank you. >> Change too many picture. Okay. Next order business. Uh public comment. Any public comment? Any public comment? Any public comment? Hearing none. Move on. Henry, do we didn't see our students yet? I did not see them out there to confirm that they would be here though. So, my apologies >> and the slide. >> Yeah. Well, let's go. We'll go to the

006select if they show up. We we'll adjust the agenda as needed. So, >> okay. So, we do have our selectman representative Candace on video. So, Candace, turn it over to you. >> Yes. Hi. I hope everybody can hear me. Can you? >> Yes. >> Okay, great. So, for the board of selectmen, our uh previous meeting on the 4th was cancelled. Um, however, we did get a special meeting that's scheduled for tomorrow night, uh, the 10th at 6 p.m., and that's to hear the first selectman's budget presentation. Additionally, we will be reviewing the short-term rental recommendations at our meeting scheduled for February 18th. Um, boy, under some wintry weather. A huge shout out to our public works department. They've done an incredible job ensuring that East Lime is up and running safely despite the salt shortage

007that is affecting so many. Um, this weather is also impacting our local businesses. So, I urge everyone to do everything local as much as possible along with restaurant week coming up scheduled for February 20th uh through March 6th, supporting our local restaurants along with benefiting our local car and share. So, it's a win-win. And that's all I have. >> Candace, any questions for Candace? >> Okay. Thanks, Candace. >> Oh, you're welcome. Thank you. >> Okay. Um, >> well, technically we can't. So, can I make a motion to move special reports to 5A in case they do come in because we can't just bounce around an agenda. >> I make a motion to move it to a special reports item A. >> Yeah. Move 2A to 5A because that might give them time to come in

008>> just so they don't come in and get not be able to talk. >> Is that okay? >> Thanks. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Jamie. So Jamie made um that motion. Lee has seconded the motion. Further discussion. All those in favor say I. I. >> Thank you foring that. >> Bill vict. Yeah. Good. Okay. Uh opposed abstain. Um motion pass. Thanks Jamie. So we will move that. So hopefully they they come in. Um moving on discussion and action instruction. So we do have um our discussion for student services presentation. Kim Davis is is here to talk and give us an update. Um so appreciate our go. >> All right. Great. Thank you. Good evening everybody. Sort of felt like a heat wave today I think. Right. Like 29 degrees. We're getting up there. Um so just an

009update a brief up update on uh the department of student services which as you know is bigger than just special education. So, um, I'm going to start with that, but and then work my way across the different things that we do out of our office. So, um, in terms of special ed, a highlight, you know, we've been talking about the numbers and the students. So, I'm going to talk about other things, uh, in my update. So, um, the state of Connecticut has put together the seed grant, which you may have heard about in your travels, and it was, um, something that was sort of, uh, it was in legislation that passed on July 1, and, uh, but then it came with a lot of restrictions and procedural pieces and not a lot of directions. So,

010districts didn't know how to ask for that money and were unsure for quite some time about all the different ways you could spend that money. But the intention is to uh support your IND district programs uh to make them more robust ultimately to hopefully keep kids in district. So we've been patiently waiting and um an FAQ came out which was very helpful and now they have um put an application even though it's a it's a grant. It's not competitive, but there's still an application in the um we call it egrants management, the software tool that the state asks us to put all of our grant funding applications into and then we keep track fiscally of you know we develop a budget and we're accountable to the draw downs through that system. So that is finally

011open. So I'm working um with the special ed team to develop our budget for that which we've settled on um really working to enhance curriculum for students. um our first priority will be in specialty programs. So in our ABA and therapeutic programs um to kind of give more consistency to their curriculum resources, their teachers create a lot of things and you know take from what's happening in the general ed curriculum and and then um add or accommodate for students. So we're thinking about um what resources we can get them to help make their job easier um as well as then also in the therapeutic programs. And then we will branch into literacy um for the resource room teachers to give some you know sort of we have the general education curriculum which we follow and

012we benchmark kids but we also need intervention tools. So that's going to be the plan um for spending that money. So I think that'll work out really well. Um and we have to spend it by June 30th of 2026. So there's not a lot of time. So we we have to develop our budget, get that in there and start ordering. Um in terms of uh integrated preschool and creative um they're scheduling their open houses for March and enrollment will begin um later in March. Both programs are going to use infinite campus for the first time for their registration process and their tuition billing which is will be new and that means we'll be able to eliminate another software platform that we were using uh and not have to pay for that out of their revenue

013funds and they'll be using campus um along with the district. they already provide their like demographic information so we can notify them of closing as a student in infinite campus. But this will be um one step further than that which we're really looking forward to. And then in integrated preschool in the spring when we can see the playground a little bit better, we're going to start holding some uh playground planning meetings because their equipment is um a bit aged. It's somewhere in the nature of 25 to 30 years old. And so they're, you know, the plastic covering that makes the metal safe is kind of peeling and cracking and James and the custodians at Hannes are always out there adding some tape and doing different things, but we really need to look at new equipment.

014We'll have our same footprint because we don't really have anywhere to expand based on the space um where it's located, but we're going to work uh with some input from the teachers around what would make sense uh and where we want to go. So that's why our revenue um account for integrated preschool has been building and it's a little bit high on purpose because it's a pretty big investment for playground equipment. Then in the AIM program which serves our 18 to 22 year old students um we have recently added Chili's uh and CBS as placements for job uh opportunities. Um the kids in the 18 to 22 program remember are students who are not yet uh ready to leave us based on their IEP goals and objectives. And so uh we're looking at prevocational skills,

015independent living skills, and possibly post-secary um types of training that they might u need to prep and experience. Many of these students go on to be followed by state agencies such as the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services or the Department of Developmental Services, DDS. So, we work in partnership with those two agencies on a very regular basis and they have recognized our commitment to them and um approached us for two special opportunities this year. One is called a work-based learning experience um which gives students with intellectual disabilities additional opportunities for uh workplacements. Right now through state funding they only get one which is really not enough to kind of get your feet wet. See if you can uh get used to it. Maybe it's not the place for you. Stocking shelves is not good, but maybe

016you're better at a food service. But you never get to really try that in the same way that you would um and be paid. These work experiences are paid. So they said, "Hey, Eastline, you're a great partner with us. Can we use you as one of our like pilot school districts?" So they just notified that about a month ago. So the AIM staff is working um with BRS and DBS around that. So it's I'll give you updates as I get them. Um the other thing we got approached to do was be a part of um a grant for um bridging transition services and getting families of even younger students aware of what the state agencies have to offer. Um this is it's a very like government heavy languagebased grant. So it's taking a little longer

017to get it off the ground, but um essentially it's about education and reaching families of students with needs sooner before like the high school age time so that parents are thinking about all those skills that are needed for life after the school district um a little bit sooner, right? So that's really exciting and I just have to sing the praises of the AIM program. Um our transition facilitator Joe Dyus is amazing with these students. Um we have a new uh special education teacher Megan and then all the job coaches and kids come into this program and they leave the high school and they've had an amazing experience here but it's it's still in this limited sheltered school-based experience. And so, um, we had two students just this year who were like sworn mortal enemies since

018middle school. And now with like slow drips and drabs of like, oh, so and so this, and the staff has coached them. They were on the treadmills side by side having a conversation two weeks ago. You know, they work with families to say, what do you need for your child to be able to do in the home that we can help replicate here in the program, and let's help you transfer that skill. Um, there are some families whose student is really hard to take out in public and so they will organize a family visit like to CVS with a job coach. So, everybody's going together to see like how we prompt the student, what they might be able to do. So, they're just doing really cool things um in that program and very quickly. So,

019um up next, our multi- language learner department. Um, we work with Flirt uh and Linda sometimes, but mostly some of the other consultants. Um, and they are rocking it. They We have a new teacher because Sally Vernalia retired last year and we added um Sur Chow to our three teacher team for multi- language learners and they are just great. They're our resource with with each other. They bring me ideas. They execute new things. They're meeting with principles regularly and they're really servicing the needs holistically of our students, not just based on I'm tied to this school. They're, you know, new student comes in, they're changing their schedule. This is a newcomer, they speak no English, you know, how are we going to support this student? So, they're um doing a really phenomenal job with that.

020And we are continuing our partnership with learn um to um enhance their professional learning as ML teachers. And then also we're going to um develop some work at Hannes around how do we talk about the progress of our ML students through um like a teaching and learning lens and if necessary through an MTSS lens and keeping track of their progress. So learn to help us develop sort of a data team that can come together and have those conversations and then productively move students forward in ML. All right. Jeff told me if you play a feeling I'm not. >> All right. Um our nurses also a department that's going extremely well. Um we had a couple needs for long-term subs this year and and we've been able to fill those. Um and we hired our first

021LPN who's now working here at the high school. Um we had a health aid who resigned and we decided to replace the physician with an LPN, a licensed um practitioner nurse. And that's uh I think really exciting because the LPN can do things that the health aid couldn't. So a health aid has to have no specific training. So they're an assistant paperwork, communication, you know, have a see what happened, how did you bump your head until the nurse can take a look at you. But the LPN can actually administer medication, you know, follow the nurse's orders for, you know, um an asthma treatment plan, those kinds of things. uh can assess a student who comes in with a head bump or a fall or scrape or whatever they need. Um also helps with the health

022screenings like the vision, the scoliosis, the hearing um and of course paperwork. There's always paperwork and then any emergency care that might be um required. So this is big because when a nurse is absent and there's no health a or there's, you know, no one to sub or an intermittent sub, we can get coverage for part of the day, then principles are giving medication because they're trained by our nurses to do that if there's no one else to be there for them. So with the switch into the LPN situation, the three schools that have that second person in the health room will have that backup built in, which I think is great. So it'll be um and there are three busiest schools, right? So Lily be Hannes, the middle school, and the high school. So

023lots more kids, lots more needs. Really helps to have two active and contributing partners in that health office. So um >> that was part of our negotiations. Yeah, contract negotiation. >> Yeah, I didn't know if you wanted to mention Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're close to having them ratified and hopefully you guys will get that contract >> soon. Yeah. Um, all right. And then at central office, um, we're welcoming a new secretary, um, in my office. Julie Dowling from Dionic Center is coming over, uh, to replace Cindy Campbell, who retired after 25 years of working in the it was the special education department when she joined the team. So, we're really excited. Julie starts next week. Um, and what I've been saying about the position is we're modernizing it. So, Cindy's position was called like CMT

024test coordinator in the secretarial administrative contract. And so now it's an administrative assistant to the student services department. So it can be a lot broader. Uh we're going to expand our ability to help teachers solve problems with CT sets by training Julie in a more in-depth way for that. Um she's really that position is really the school secretary both for AIM and for preschool. um they manage all the scheduling, enrollment, um file management for those programs as well as doing ordering and ESY and all various other things. But um so really I'm excited about that new work uh with Julie in transportation. Things are going well. Um with the new contract, it was also time for us to have new buses. So buses kind of like a 10-year life on the road. um and 10

025of our buses needed to be replaced. So, first student gave me the update um the end of next week. I think they they're expecting those new buses sometime in May. Now, she says expecting them. That doesn't mean they'll be driving and on the road. That means they'll be in the lot. They still have to get like the East Lime lettering on them and pass all their Connecticut um inspections. And then the other buses that won't be new, they will they have been rotating out those older models and getting what I call our new to us buses. So they're probably less than 5 years old. Um and those are already on the lot and transitioning in right as we speak. So that reduces breakdowns uh and trouble on the road has newer, better equipment. So that's

026what we like to see. Uh we're getting ready. >> That's all part of that. That's all part of >> all part of our contract. So, >> um we're getting ready to post for ESY, otherwise known as our pop-up school in the summer. So, um that's coming along. It's hard to believe that in February it's already start time for that, but it is. I need to get those postings out. Um, and then as a tangent in my office, we're also starting an initiative um with the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Prevention at Western um state. Connecticut. >> Did I say that right? Western >> Connecticut State. Yes. So, um you know, since Coline and other you know, crisis situations in schools, schools need a method of crisis response and threat assessment. and we've been

027using paperwork that has come out from the FBI and behavioral threat assessment um pieces, but it was kind of eclectic and it was sort of our own model. And so I had been um a year ago now to a session at the Council for Exceptional Children conference uh where a district in New Jersey uh did a presentation about using the SEAG model, which is the comprehensive school threat assessment guidelines. And so it's essentially a really elaborate flowchart. Uh it's a researchbased um procedure that was developed in 2001 uh by a professor at Cornell. And now uh Western State is funded by the state of Connecticut to do this crisis prevention work for districts, any district in the state of Connecticut. It's free to us for the training. Um and then they become basically a lifelong

028partner and resource in this work. So we are setting up a training for March 20th with um you know school administrators will be part of that, school psychologists, counselors, social workers, general ed teachers, administrators, really anyone because when you're in a situation, my goal is that we have a process. Yes. for those in the- moment situations where a student might get a threat assessment for making comments that are unsafe or um you know is engaging in unsafe behavior at a certain level. But this gives us a mechanism to follow them because it's a committee that reviews and talks about interventions that can be put in place for that student um and follows them. So it's not just a one and done and this set of paper goes in the file and we completed that. So,

029um, that's my real, you know, passion about this particular, um, process for talking about kids and what they need and how we're keeping everybody safe and working through things. So, um, and then a couple celebrations. I just wanted to note that, um, Alicia Rose at Lily Hannes is rocking it out by taking OT students and, uh, also certified occupational therapy assistant students, at least two or three every year. So, she's helping contribute to the um profession by being a mentor placement. Uh and this year we expanded by having her students also work at Nyanic Center and at middle school, which gives us some additional help obviously, which we'll never say no to. But I really appreciate that she's been willing to do that because that is extra work for her in addition to all of

030her management. And it's not just like one-time student teacher. She's had uh students every semester for like the past at least two years. So, I think we're a preferred placement for pl uh like Manchester Community College, University of Hartford, uh and some of the Connecticut State um community college branches. So, I think that's very exciting. Um, we also have uh a school store up and running and staffed by our special education students at the middle school in the ABA program and uh the OT and the special ed teacher uh are kind of primarily running that and kids get jobs that suit them. Some of them are observers, some of them are face toface customer service, some of them are stalkers and inventory. Some of them are cleanup friends. that everybody once a week is getting

031a chance to work in the school store and you know their peers are seeing them in a different light and it's a you know that sort of tracks back to AIM by giving them you know job a job which is pre-employment skills can you talk to somebody you don't know can you problem solve if something was you know on my right yesterday but next week it's on my left who do I ask if I have a question all these little subsklls that make you a good employee later right so that's really exciting And then um our BCBAS have capitalized on a student's strength in the best way I think possible. We always say to use our kids strengths, but they have a little guy and he is um very bright and he's very motivated by

032science and data. And so behavior analysts take a lot of data and they make Excel charts and they track, you know, is the behavior increasing, is the behavior decreasing? that they have enlisted this little guy to track his own behavior and he's using Excel and he's looking at his trends and he's using BCBA language on a bi-weekly basis to talk about how his behavior is changing and what he might need to work on next. So, I just think that is unbelievable. Um he's in elementary school I will say and um he's rocking it uh with that. You know, I still got plenty of things to work on, but how great to use a kids a student's strength to help them, you know, move forward. So, >> that's all I got. >> Great. Thanks, Daniel. >>

033Got so many questions because like my sheet is full of little notes I took for myself. Um, thank you. This is this was a lot and it was a lot of information, but it was like necessary information, I think, especially as we're looking at our budget and what's going on in our schools. Um, I just have a couple questions. One was I don't know if I didn't hear it, but how many new buses do we need to get are getting 10? >> Then how many multilanguage learners about do we have and how many languages? >> We have about 100 ML students right now with I believe the latest count was 19 different languages. Maybe that's it. I'll probably find Oh, I do have another one. Yeah, I had a cave convention meeting and we were

034talking AI >> and there was conversation around Joe Costa. I don't have my notes in front of me, so I'm going to do it from memory. >> Okay. >> He is developing an app for special ed busing. Um, and Kanan is going to be piloting it. I don't know if you've heard anything about it. >> Um because it was brought up in our meeting today because we were talking about obviously having AI at convention um that >> it's either Costa or a Costa. I I have like I said New Caden. >> He's pilating it with Kate. They said New Caden, but I'm assuming they meant New Caden. Um for it's for transportation app for special ed buses and transportation needs. Sorry. Is it skipp? >> I don't know. It's something an app he developed to

035rounding or >> special ed bus transportation. So >> about special treatment. >> Okay. >> That's what we were given that he's doing special ed bus transportation with this app he's developing, but he's piloting it with them. So I don't know if it helps, if it doesn't help, but something to keep our ears on. >> Thank you. >> And that's it. But thank you. This was awesome. >> Thanks, J. So again, thank you. Uh to build up on Jamie's question about multilingual learners. >> Yeah. >> Um I think was either last year or two years ago that we added a new multilingual learner um teacher. Um how are numbers looking? Like are they been steady or like are we should we like be thinking like maybe in a year or two we need to add more?

036Like I know it depends by building, right? >> Yeah. Well, so we have three total right now. So, uh, one person covers the middle school and high school right now, and then two people cover the three elementaryaries. Um although I say that and I think after they're finished giving the last links uh one of which one of the teachers might also cover a little bit of middle school but um they they basically look at where are the students you know and who needs what based on like newcomers who speak no English at all obviously need more time with providers than students who are progressing and maybe are about to leave us um from a proficiency standpoint. So, um, the three that we have are very solid. I mean, I think if we talk to the

037elementary principles, it would be great to have one in every school so that you could do a a real true push-in approach. Um, and, you know, help the teachers with the scaffolding and the um, all the language models we could put into place, but we've been holding steady at about that 107, 104, 100, you know, number. Um, I think this will be the third year of that. So yeah. >> And what was the just the the stat that we talked about when when was it 10 years ago maybe? >> Yeah. So like around 2012 when I moved to central office I mean I was a coordinator not the director but we had about 35 students in the district and so we're up to that 100 number but that seems >> the last couple years >>

038you know it can like I said it can tick up more like 110 but then come down to one you know so uh it's variable. >> Okay. >> It's in that range. We haven't seen a steady like >> incremental growth like we were before. >> Got it. Okay. That's what I wanted to see like if it like projections of like but if it's been steady that's good. So we are at the right >> Yeah. >> level for now. >> Yes. >> Um and then the other question that I had was about the aim. So you mentioned CVS and Chili's thinking back Candace is coming like local employers and >> Yeah. >> What other employers do we have like our partners? Those are our newest, but um I can tell you because I made a little

039note here. Um we also work at Anytime Fitness in town, central office, Flanders Fish, uh the middle school cafeteria, and the Lutheran church in the past. And it's student dependent, too. We try to match things with students needs and interests and um folks who will have us. So, we've been at Hallprint Pantry in the past. Um we've been at Town Hall. That's just on pause right now. We don't have a student who fits that need. Um, we've been at Lily Behains in preschool. Actually, I think we're still in preschool. Um, you know, sometimes we do cleaning of the toys. Uh, sometimes, you know, working with the kids in a center. Um, so, you know, various places. I do think they're trying to see if they can have get it in with McDonald's because they have

040somebody interested in fast food at the moment, you know. So um and then with the help of BRS we do have a student who I think it's in March mid to late March is going to do a cool internship at the Old Saber train station. So he is like and that has been developed and cultivated just for him because it's a super passion. So >> that's amazing. >> Yeah. And then you know uh BRS when they do level up placements in the summer through their agency we've uh CVS is a common one. trying to think where else actually I can't remember where else they've been in town but they have different locations because they have different connections and you know so >> any other >> I I had a few questions um sticking on the

04118 to 22 program do they are they able to take culinary classes or did that like does that help they get into our class okay >> yes it if they're interested yeah Yeah. Yeah. But you can see where it could lead to if they're going food service. >> And then changing these are all completely separate. No. Um on the buses. >> So we still don't know about 2030 going electric, right? I know we're lobbying. >> I I know we can't like but we're >> legislator. >> No, we don't know. >> They said it's it's being processed. the bill being processed to u 2040. >> They didn't say 2040, but to push the date further out is the exact date that was used. >> So if we're taking on 10 new buses >> and I don't

042know how that plays into us. >> Well, they're owned by the fleet, you know, of per student, right? We don't own these buses, but yeah, but I think you're directly, >> right? Right. They're assigned to us. And if yeah >> if we say okay it's 20 not 2030 but it's 2032 or something right it's 2040 we have some time and this fleet will >> all go before we yeah have to do that but >> uh and we have other much broader implications which with that which actually being able to charge them and all the other yes >> but if it only moves to 2032 or something like that I mean I don't I don't know how it plays into getting 10 now. >> Well, I think that you know you wouldn't not because the ones

043I mean these would get >> two I don't I don't know the answer to this but would you get okay we're going to 10 new buses maybe we get two or three electric. >> Yeah. >> Or something. So I >> I I mean I can check in with first student. It's you know they haven't really been >> talking to us about this so I don't know if as an organization where they stand with it. um either. So, >> do we know the implications if we if we're mandated 2030 and we just say forget about it? >> Like Austin said, >> basically, too bad. >> Kathy Austin shrugged and she said, >> "It's $25 million for us." >> It's not like they're with funds from us. >> Kathy Austin shrugged and she said, "It won't be

044the first time school doesn't volunteer." >> Okay. But they they have to I mean they would >> okay >> I think the 2040 is is >> she went the first time. So um the elder at the top we were talking about I think was it seag yeah >> so that is all part as as you know the discussion we had last week as and the communication that Jeff had sent out or board of eds actually sent out you know this is that's part of our whole comprehensive security strategy and that's one part of understanding and understanding risks and threats and >> well yes and supporting students Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But and that >> but I think it's important to know we we have a comprehensive strategy with a lot of different pieces and this

045is one piece that kind of fits into that. >> Um >> Sure. >> Thanks. Other questions? Thanks Kim. Great great update. Really appreciate it. >> Thank you. Um moving on to our next discussion which is our um detailed discussion for 2026 2027 detailed budget discussions. You did this last week too. Um this was just a set that we were This is the set too. You saw this last week. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. And then um she want Yeah. 12 indicator >> information on the accountability index. >> Yeah. That came back yesterday. Um so based off of conversation that we had last week we um provided some uh updated slides and maybe uh yeah you don't mind showing those too can see those. Um so what we did uh here was um the special education

046component. We wanted to we were asked to kind of break that down um you know our special education student like the general ed students our our total special education students for the last five years up against you know both pairs and certified staff. So provided that uh that updated graph and then um you know what I maybe sorry maybe we just I want to just take a half a step back just as a refresher. I think everybody is on so it's it's good to kind of I should have and I'm sorry I thought so there it's kind of tough timelines right. So we're we're talking today um the March 3rd meeting is our public hearing. So, we have today and one more meeting to really give the public an indication of kind of what we're

047thinking about for what budget we're going to propose. Obviously, we're going to then hear from the public, but they need to know what we're thinking about at least so they can appine back in the public hearing. So, so we really have today and the 23rd to do that. um you know the superintendent's budget was >> 6.79 >> 79 6.79 um and that's what we're kind of working towards. We had a good discussion last meeting and then continuing and and so sorry I just wanted to recap that. Um >> yeah, I think that's is important is to know that, you know, you've got tonight and you've got 23rd. >> Yeah. >> Um two weeks to do some final uh deliberations for you know the hearing and then final discussions. So um so yeah so and I

048think really you know after going through the list we kind of jump into things here where do we want to start looking at if we want to consider reductions or I guess you know so just quickly um again that special education breakdown with certified specialized staff the other staff by school we added in maybe numbers um so you can see those uh components now um that has asked for a listing of administration ators. Um those positions we uh we put those in some of you would ask for that. Um we updated the staffing list of retirees is you know to today uh what we know and what we have for retirees for one year only positions and we've still seen the same you know what we've already reduced staff reductions. So just to be clear,

049the retirees and the one-year only positions are still in the 6.79 in the budget. >> Retire is that you have a retiree then a secretary or something. >> Yeah, that Yeah. >> Yeah. Which a one year open position at center, >> right? >> Okay. That's that's where that's okay. Y that's okay. That's what I wanted to see. um didn't get into any great expansion here, but we just kind of broadly, you know, other departments areas which you we looked at last year, you know, facilities, athletics, you know, obviously other staffing areas. Um we probably want to take a look and talk about, you know, we've got projects, we've got furniture, get replacements, equipment. We could talk about those last year. Um talked about, you know, it's tough to cutting those because all it does is

050kind of put the 15 down the road, but something to be uh to be cognizant of. Um and then uh the budget reduction scenario sheet. We brought that back around just so you can see that and Mariana has we started as I mentioned last week that running tab of you know so far uh we got you know 20 based off the 679 now in the total budget um we've got that $25,000 for software if we do intend the intends to go ahead and make that reduction um then we start kind of dropping there >> with the 20 subber so last week we looked at went through in which did an overview of all the um or some of the software programs. Lexi is the one looked at use usage ratings um had some recommendations that

051we could potentially reduce um some software that's currently in districts. The total amount was $25. Um the decision was finally made on that but that was about four. >> Yeah. I mean I um Lee had requested information on textbooks software and the potential for AI redundancies with magic school. So I provided supplemental materials which I can send to you. This should be in the um >> in this packet right here. the one you just >> so um you know in the in the software section I just sent Jared um some of our software programs that are essentially underutilized per the um vendor's recommendation where we could pull back from that would be the decision of >> I found the notes >> one quick clarification on that Um just want to make sure my understanding is

052correct. That data was very very helpful. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Just want to double click on the fact that like for a program like Lexia, the kind of potential reduction that we could pursue would not necessarily eliminate Lexia. The folks who are currently using it would still retain that use for their classroom. >> That's right. We would we would look at sort of doing a slow roll out or pull back. um based on what teachers are able to utilize it if at that range that it's deemed effective. >> So if they are not using it, they will no will no longer be paying for a license that a teacher is not using. >> Yeah. So we we were thinking about that model but also looking either at just scaling back to either just the

053K1 and really leaning into K1 and supporting that. So I've been working with coaches on um what direction we would want to go in there. Um I've been hearing some feedback from teachers with regards to the US usage if there difficulties of getting you know um kids online to use it. And so I'll continue to work with the you know our constituents to decide what's the best next step. But it it's not a $35,000 or $33,000 cut. It would be we back out of it like I approximate about half um next year so that we're supporting those who are using it. And >> one other piece that happened being last meeting this meeting we did move forward last meeting with that discussion with Mr. K2 um class sizes. So in terms of I'm happy to

054start anywhere. Um, if someone has something they're that's burning that they really want to, you know, dive into, we can do that. If there's nothing burning want to hit immediately or and I'm happy to go either way. One would be what I may recommend although see what people think is to do non staff related questions. So take um you know the last page we can talk about um when you talk about transportation you talk about projects like furniture carpet replacements we could talk if there's any questions on facilities athletics um other things like that um talked about software already there's probably not much more to talk about from the software perspective I think we probably bottom that one out um and then we can talk and then go into the class sizes and maybe start

055looking at just get an idea. We have this, you know, sheet um page four which you know has the retirees, the one-year positions, it has the ones that are already reduced in the existing superintendent budget any preference does anyone have burning issue that they want to hit because if there's something you want to we can just dive into that as Yeah, >> I just have a question in the on the chart for other staff by school. Just quick question. >> Yeah. >> Uh where does like security personnel for example fall? Which one of those categories do they fall or are they not in that? >> So um oh other staff, >> right? Yeah. >> No, we uh we didn't put them on here actually. We have the diretory here uh in the uh administrative grouping,

056but no, we didn't do the full count of uh security. Sorry, that was one uh I think we didn't focus on errors and anything else. So we we can easily pull that information. >> Just just curious. It's that we have like a flow like all different types of >> are there any other category that we didn't >> food services is revenue >> you know that's >> that's not operating >> food service maybe >> I mean we could it's just food services isn't part of the operating >> okay then I'm thinking more operating >> we got nurses >> that's a security Custodians >> that's on thereian >> secretary is in here. >> That's it. Okay. Yeah. >> Thank you. Thankful hearing um no burning questions. Maybe maybe it's worth I see Chris I think it's online

057but maybe we could talk a little bit about what projects that we have built into this budget just so we can understand that piece of it. probably the best thing to do maybe would be go to Mariana sent the email the um Jamie has questions that she did >> yeah all of the projects are within that uh that email I believe am I correct on that Marian that in there Chris is on the line as well um >> was a breakdown about preventive and air maintenance projects. Yep. So, it looks like some of the projects Yeah, these lists the question three has a list of all the projects. This projects is object code 5437. >> So, that's probably the easiest way to >> I can read them if I have it right here. This is

058on >> so um so Marian had emailed everybody sees just before the meeting. Yeah, just >> um so we can look. So first one we have is the gains replace passive grease trap kitchen. Um, uh, I I wonder if maybe if Chris or or one can apply because it's probably 15 of these or something. Um, maybe to prioritize. Are there any of these that are >> I think if I can just interrupt the passive re track that was initially um put in but that is being covered by food services we we cut that >> oh so >> I think that's just Chris may be listing I think all of the project he had initially >> okay >> put in but um >> so that's not >> that it's not in the budget um respond Chris

059Urban Chris is Chris Urban is um going to pay for on food services. >> So is that 10,000 in Jeff's budget that he presented or it's not? >> No. Okay. So that's not that one. >> So maybe if we take maybe go to the um >> we had this the another one that we've had numerous times and maybe start with we have um the carpet replacements because those are pretty significant. >> Um yep. And so we have Elms the next KA and we have a high school carpet replacement next phase. Um so between them, you know, it's over $50,000. Chris, you want to um I think this is the is this the last KA for the middle school for carpeting or No, it's there's two more. >> No, it's not. >> It's at least one

060more potentially two. depending on what we want to do with um All right. >> I forget what the name is. >> Yeah, we did last year. >> Okay. >> We did leave it in the budget this past year for this current year. >> Okay. So, this is the next KA down. >> Correct. >> We There are KAS that are right now not utilized. Is that right? >> They're not utilized for classes, but they're utilized for other purposes. Um, and I forget the name. I always think of colors, but the one directly across from the cafeteria >> containing House Hill, but um, it partially is that is when our PE teachers are required, the help units, they do run classes um, within those classes contain. So, not on a day-to-day basis, but we do utilize them

061and it's utilized for a multitude. We have the Rotary that we use on a monthly basis. Yes. I used >> yeah I was yeah I was going maybe in a little different like but in terms of so I'm thinking about carpeting um and so if we shifted students each year between kas because we have open ones but maybe while we utilize them they're not being utilized every day with a 100 students you know running around would we get more life out of our carpeting or some of the are we replacing any carpeting in was a meeting house or whatever. Are we doing is that one not being replaced? >> We're replacing carpet now that is all over 25 years old. So, it's it's already gotten its life out of it. >> So, we're just trying

062to pick them off one at a time. If you were to go into it, I know you've probably seen them before that if you look closely, you can see where it's, you know, threads coming up where it's definitely have no pile left to it. Um, you know, anywhere there's one of those like floor penetrations where there is, you know, access to an receptacle or an outlet, um, those are all peeling up. Uh, any of the kas that have, uh, sort of like the little auditorium type of seating, um, those areas are are pretty much done for. Um, so we're just working our way through basic maintenance now. Um, you know, picking them off one at a time. Eric, if I could just add to and Chris, I think that we've been able to get an

063addition as long as we have out of them. Um, our head custodian, Mr. Kums, does an amazing job of replacing strips or sections to continue to prolong. Um, but then it becomes sometimes a safety issue because there is a ripple that is in there and a tripping hazard. But Mr. Kums have done an absolutely amazing job trying to explain the longevity of what we currently have. So, so last year we discussed this car my recollection is we've discussed the carpet replacement fair amount of time we spent on on discussing this be interesting to get people's perspective. This is part of we could defer it, but all that means is the next year it's 90,000 or you just deferred one year and then you still have 45,000 next year. So it's at some point that 45,000

064is going to come if the carpeting is 25 years old that we're we're replacing. It's definitely not getting any better. Um so anyway, be interested in and people's perspective because that's a that's a big one. That's $45,000. So in all of these that we're talking about, that's by far the largest. Anybody have any thoughts? Hearing none. Uh any either way, like is it is it something that we want to keep on our list of something we would think about producing? >> The list of >> whole project looks like >> say 120. >> Yeah, but that's not what's in the budget. >> Yeah. So, right now what's in the budget for projects is um three there's uh $3,000 at the middle school to relocate the wood shop dust bath. That was uh priority for Chris. Uh

065there's $44,780 for the carpet replacement at the middle school. And then at the high school, there's 9,500 in carpet replacement. the three rooms. Um then there are at central office there is it's going to give you the total there's um five projects totaling about $22,000 and then >> from the asbestos. >> Yeah, there's asbestos. Uh there's um electrical modifications. There's a action for the grounds building commercial water and aband abandoning the well and that's about it. >> Is the boiler in there for 15,000 in the facility? >> Uh the boiler is um >> building boiler 15k. >> Is that in the budget though? >> That's on the pro that's in the project list in the budget. another location. There's there's a water heater, a boiler room, and >> you got districtwide for the district wide.

066>> Yeah. So, that's that's Sorry, that's at Nantic um center. >> There's Yeah, there's a the hot there's a water heater at Nyanic Center and then the boiler is in the new facilities building. >> And are both of those 18,000 in the facility >> the new facil the one in the new facilities building? So we we said we can wait. You said we could wait a year on. So we have 18. >> Yeah. We have $18,000 at ionic center for the water main water heater and the boiler room that is inic center school. That's $18,000. >> So So I think we'll be really we can get a list of what's in what's currently in the superintendent's budget because then we can decide if what's decisionable. If you could give some type of context of how

067how I don't know how how decisionable is it? I mean if if I don't know if this water heater >> that is number one >> okay >> that is number one >> bubble gum and duct tape right now >> I love duct tape. >> So we need a new water heater. So Chris, we you did um last year did you kind of put these rankings and put the this list in some type of ranking order for us. If you could do something similar to last year, that would be great if you can pull that out. That that would be really helpful. >> Okay. >> Ultimately, you know, a lot of these we'll have discussions on last year. A lot of it did come back to um from a materiality standpoint. The carpet was probably our

068biggest discussion. Now there's also carpeting in the high school. >> Yes. >> And last year >> did we not do it in because that was on the there was high school carpeting last year >> s we >> we have been doing carpet at the high school as well. Um and I think Mr. kid. I can see him that he could tell you the remaining rooms um you know the occupants were very disappointed when they were cut from last year's list and uh >> 9500 I thought thought we pushed some off. >> Yeah, >> this this is what we had pushed off for a year >> from last year, right? this some of this 9500 is that >> um I think two of the rooms were pushed off and one was the last one if I

069remember right but um maybe Henry remembers what it was. >> I think you're right, Chris. Um and I would I would agree there's a couple of rooms where there's been some um some concerns about the age of the the carpet. Let's just say >> couple air quality questions have been asked. Yep. Okay. So, if we can get the prioritized list of of what's actually in the budget and then we can uh go through that to so thanks. It's really helpful. >> Sure. >> And um would the f would furniture be in that list as well or is that a separate list? >> That's typically separate. Was there any is there a lot of furniture replacements or high school furniture? >> Um so maybe if you could provide us like with some prioritized list of the

070projects these type of projects as well as what furniture there is and maybe prioritize some of that. you know, things that 25 30 years old have fallen apart, we need to replace, others maybe >> there's about approximately 100,000 in furniture in the budget right now. >> So 100,000. Yeah. So if we could get some type of prioritized list on that >> list because of placement reasons. Um yeah, some of So there's instructional equipment that would be like desks, chairs, things related to uh students and then that's 46,000 and then there's 60,000 in instructional is uh there's facility some uh maintenance requests for preparation machine pressure cleaning pressure machine various items. So quite you know a lot of the list together right to the library. >> Yeah. >> So >> second phase of library furniture. >>

071Yeah. >> So yeah we can um we'll we'll just we'll take the whole furniture list. >> So there's furniture, there's projects. Is there anything computers or anything like that? Is that else technology? >> It's all an acquisition. Yeah. Yes. Forward to the board. >> Well, yeah. Finalize that today. >> Anything else that someone's need? I just had a quick question. The second to last project, the undesated project funds for unplanned needs and contingencies. Uh that's great. I'm a big fan of being careful. Um now that we is there any chance that now that we have a non-lapsing account is that potentially redundant >> kind of for the I think the board you know >> to decide right >> yeah how we want to use that non lapsing it could be um if the board wants

072to to look at it in that capacity >> that coming agenda >> we do yeah the the 23rd we're going to try >> well no FFO is FFO is going to >> so FFO is talking about it on the talking again on the 23rd. So So we'll we were hoping to get it in the 23rd, but we're probably going to do it >> or March early March. But but that this is these are great. is exactly what we should talk about like how do we want to spend these funds and this is um a way >> if I may if I may on that one though I would suggest that it's probably not appropriate for non-lapsing because some of those projects may be something as simple as you know a $500,000 repair or replacement or

073something special that a school asked for that you wouldn't necessarily want us coming to ask for 500,000 bucks. So those that that line really is those tiny little things, you know, usually around a th000 maybe $2,000 that come up during the years that year that nobody anticipated, >> right? >> And that line was reduced by 15,000. So really first $10,000 and that was what I was going to first comment on. They're not like this major thing that has happened that that would make sense absolutely to use like you know when we have that boiler >> uh that went you know in the middle of the year for 68,000 that was that would be appropriate to >> your point other other areas items that you know I don't just use that as an example but other.

074So, um have on here. Is there anything that athletics related? Would anyone know what anything we could kind of do athletics? Um go back and look at, you know, all the supply items, >> supplies and equipment. >> Yeah. Equipment. Uh that's purchasing >> maybe supplies. and be purchasing things that you know maybe could last another year. Um, we could break that out some. Um, not huge savings, but uh, it could be an area look at one, you know, get off with that. Maybe it's worth hearing Kevin or I mean he doesn't have the meeting for but Kevin is what's his what's the kind of strategy for replacing uniforms and equipment is just like the philosophy is you know every four years the varsity uniforms become the JB uniforms which then become the freshman uniforms or

075something which I think my kids were in school it was something like like that um will get kind of passed down or something. So, so we can agree that that makes sense that um from a philosophy standpoint. And then yes, we spend on replacing other stuff. >> Kids, we we have that list from a few years ago how much parents spend on buying their kids um equipment. So there's a lot of stuff that we're I guess football not right. So we provide helmet, shoulder pads and all that but for baseball, lacrosse, it's basketball people are buying the sneaker. So it's replacing some of basketball or something. So >> a little bit about how this forget the numbers gift amounts that looks the strategy is for I think it just comes up. I think it was

076kind of settled. >> Yes. It's like giving an update because we got the other the new you know the very generous >> and what what I need this give us a little blur is doing with those funds. I know when we got the scores let us go bigger ticket items. >> Yeah, you know that's starting to gear up for post of the uh the football field of the score there. That's the next big >> that are that aren't presented in the budget. >> Yeah, that's not that's not even in the budget yet. He goes after all the donations to help offset >> the scorers table by scores table which then allows for advertisements. So then he's getting revenue dollars for from that score table. >> Yeah. With the we did the baseball. >> Yep. Yep.

077That's exactly what we did with the baseball. So if signs you see on the fence um were all donations that helps us at the cost. >> Yeah. So I think if we could give an update on that and then the wish to >> Oh just was saying even just like a in writing I don't know >> but I I would like to to get eyes on that for In that vein, do we have an accounting of how much revenue P is brought in? >> Yeah. >> Like is there a line item to budget or is it >> um I don't get that >> in the activity. >> Yeah. So we at the end of like the end of last year and provided that as part of it I can just have >> to that I

078I was thinking because we have FO on the 23rd. >> Yeah. >> Can we go through the re all the revenue accounts? We haven't done that in a while. weren't that problem. And then we can summarize that and bring it to the for just the state of the union on the revenue like one you see Kim was talking about earlier. We have a larger amount of money that's being built up on creative right. >> No integration. Yeah. We did that a few years ago for creative and then we spent it down because we got new playground equipment for them. So, you need about 80,000 80 to $100,000 to work on a playground. Um, so even a little one. I know it's a lot. >> So, that's what we're building up for. >> Yeah. Okay. So,

079let's add that. Uh, so then we can go do that. I'll share. So before we get into I have one on um >> special Oh. Oh jeez. I just go ahead. I missed your hand. >> No, it is. Um thanks. So one question I had was you know I remember um sometime last year there was a discussion on the how how we how our facilities are used and then we have some kind of an arrangement where they buy some equipment um and that's how how we that arrangement works but technically it does cost us to maintain and provide uh staff during and security during when those activities are happening. I think those those activities happening happen in the middle somewhere I think in Lily Hannes. Um do we mean >> could should we be considering

080that we you know we should be charging instead of providing services because that's a cost to us at the end of the day. Okay. So, just as a rec to recall from last year, the um it was mainly East Lan youth basketball. It could be other organizations, but I'll use that as example. They had kind of instead of paying for the services for custodian or whatever, they bought something. Was it new backboard ring basketball or hoop? um which yeah they they bought some stuff for the town. So kind of inind trade. we bought you that that covers the other. Um at our discussion last year, we said, "Well, shouldn't that be a board come to the board decision because we might decide we can't we're making a choice of replacing carpeting or putting in a

081new backboard or replacing a boiler or something like that. Those are the decisions we have to make. So if the money just came to us, we can decide it might be to put it in a new back, you know, we're in back order whatever it is or stand but um that we then would be making that decision. >> Yeah. Yeah. And that is the plan. So um Okay. >> Yeah. And and just to note, the board, I'm not sure if you were on, but at some point the board voted to not charge nonprofits that were in uh district for rental facilities. So, we would be charging them back for uh custodial or security if that were to apply with these basketballs remaining just custodian. But there isn't a charge right now based on the way

082uh the board voted to charge a rental cost. >> Yeah. So just say that. So what we >> basically we're running it at at break even. >> Correct. >> And we're not asking East Lime Youth Basketball to pay a fee to rent our facilities. Um and it's kind of >> I don't know if it's technically through Parks and Wreck anymore. It's not through Parks and Wreck anymore. Um but Um I think what we had discussed last time was you know we do want to encourage whether it's you staff or lacrosse or um whatever the the the youth organizations um to not be making money. We can change our mind on that and we can charge them but that is something um that does allow them and I have my my bias I was on the

083East Lamb youth basketball board for like 10 years. Um it does allow the youth organizations to keep their fees low um lower for more um students um and residents to to participate. But we can change that. >> Yes. I'm I'm not I'm not suggesting we charge them rent. I'm suggesting that the for the services we provide whether it's security, whether it's custodian, we we get reimbursed for that. I mean >> that is what we do and Mick that is what we we have done for this year we've switched to that so based on our discussions from last year we have switched to that >> well that's in the last year >> right right >> yeah they're not yeah we're not yet Brian get a picture. Yeah, ma'am. Um, so I had uh just one point

084and it's going in the wrong direction, but I I do want to bring it up. So, uh, in special ed, um, the past few years we've been over budget special ed because things happen. um in rates go up, people move into town, whatever. But our numbers went up and our budgeting philosophy has been zero based. So like whatever it is today, we don't build in anything for things that happen kind of every they're going to happen. It's not an >> it's we don't know how much. >> Yeah. >> Well, we're building in zero >> and zero is you know zero is not going to happen. you just don't know how how high it's going to be. So I guess I don't know from a budgeting philosophy and I'm okay with zero but then we end

085up you look at our financials this year and Eston had great questions about that is you know we were we're under in some areas which were able to fund and cover or overspend in special ed and I don't know if we should budget a little more do something in special ed that we know it's not zero we don't know what it's going to be but we know it's not zero can we make some type of educated um guess and we can be on the low side so we're not over budgeting. Um but I didn't know if people have any any thoughts on that. Is that something that I was thinking about? Um that we're almost going into each year knowing we're going to have a deficit in special ed and that we have to make

086it up elsewhere or we have to cover it through our non-lapsing account or raising supplies, hiring and other things. So, um I don't know if anybody had any thoughts on on that and if Kim if you have any thoughts on how you could come up with a >> I mean we certainly can do a bit of a look back in terms of finding maybe a trend with that I guess but you know um I would defer to Mariana as a better financial for planning. I mean, we can't, you know, if one student moves in, that's a few hundred,000, we can't that that just >> that's just >> we can't plan for that. That just going to happen. But it's more the the regular. >> Yeah. >> Um >> I mean, I do a a little

087bit of that like, you know, there's a student who is a senior in an out of district program. I'm working hard to have him come back to AIM. However, his tuition is still in the budget. So >> like assuming we'll probably trade that student, you know, for somebody else. So there I I do a little bit of I call it like a placeholder um to some extent. There's not many opportunities for that, but that's you know, aside from the zerobased budgeting, you know, I feel like it kind of is, but it is a little tiny ocean. >> Maybe it'd be good if you can give us a rough if if if we didn't say it's zero. We said you had to put some s what because I don't even know, you know, are we talking,

088you know, it's not $5,000. No, it's not. >> Yeah. >> Um and we're not going to be able to get $300,000. We're not >> like somewhere between $50,000 and 100. I don't know. That's why >> you got Yeah. If you can look and give us an estimate of what that and also I mean are there models for this in other districts? I mean it's it's a wildcard kind of profession. I mean my my colleagues on the district round table in the learn region we all struggle with this. So >> so so just give you an idea just looking quickly at just the out of uh out of place tuition that does I'm not looking at right now transportation or uh people services which is another account that um intends to go over. So, in 2024,

089we went over by 212,000. In 2025, it was 427. Um, the year before that, in 2022, we were only down 88,000. And in um 2023, we had 124,000. We were, you know, we didn't go over at all. We had a positive. So, um it's just a bit of a >> It's pretty variable. >> It's very Yeah, it's very variable. Um, so >> certainly we can certainly I can pull an a quick Excel sheet together and just pull all the accounts that make up the basically the out of not just out of district but through 323. You can explain more of what that is. So that's like testing and things for students that come off that just >> services that yeah where you know if we don't have a provider who can offer a certain service

090we might have to contract with someone but it also is where we um have all the related service tuition for out of district students. So it does have a connection like transportation, contracted services and tuition are connected >> um for the out of district placement situations. Um so yeah >> well if you can take a look at it sounds yeah if we sometimes go positive then it gets a lot harder. If we're always negative, it's a little easier to say, "Hey, we're always negative. >> We need to budget differently." But >> I forgot about the positive. >> I know. >> So if there are time then then then maybe we just continue with what we have. >> Just because it doesn't there isn't like a trend to say that oh it's always over number of

091dollars. It just doesn't >> work that way really. But yeah. time I think was it for this current year what was it March >> we there was a handful of >> yeah there was an influx of students that >> that came in that just missed that budget in a >> right >> where we could have put them in for discrep shoulders didn't have the information >> and maybe this as we talk as fo um this is more you know why do we need the non-lapsing >> these this is a great example is we're going in with zero We see there's such variability - 88 plus >> plus 100 minus 200 - 400 take >> that's pretty variable that's very hard for us to manage >> right >> so if you have the non-lapsing we can

092soften the impact of those so maybe to add to our reasons for why we need the non-lapsing that that's >> I think that's really the core reason as to why state you know and legislation passed to allow districts to have the senate. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Because also remember in some of those years you know they have um enacted the formula that's different for excess costs. So we've been trending down on what we've been getting reimbursed for what we have spent over that per pupil um times four formula. So there's I think that has probably had an impact as well. >> Just heard about the seed grant too. >> Yes. >> This current year we got 60 it's not a lot. We got 67,000 but now that's down >> to 63 63 this year

093and 60 I mean next year like 70,000 or something like that. >> It's going down. Yeah. >> But you can't use that for anything in your current budget. It has to be in addition to So that's always the way with special ed grant funding. it's in addition to the programming you already have. So, um you know, we keep doing more good things, which is great, but it doesn't help our you know, financial picture. >> Any other non staffing related questions or areas we want to probe deeper into? >> It's not an area to necessarily, I would say, for us to probe deeper into. And I know we're very thoughtful in our kind of communication to board of guidance on this, but I'm already anticipating the questions specifically around like bus routes. I don't know if

094it's because it's so visible because folks in town can obviously see school buses driving by, see where the bus stops are, kind of get a sense by what they're looking at in the windows that, oh, this bus is empty. But I just I feel like we have the same conversation every single year. not here, but with kind of community stakeholders around bus routes and why they are the way they are. And so I just I want to be very proactive in our communications because I know and maybe if if things have changed and like there is something more we could do there, but I know like wanting to get kind of a census on how many students are taking the bus, how full they are, if we could pull this one comes up every year.

095we can pull families to see who wants to opt into having a bus come to their house. Like it's pretty predictable that we get these same questions and I feel like year after year we spend a lot of time there. So, um I'm not raising this as something for us to dig into now. I just I think maybe being very tight with our kind of comms and like what we are required to provide versus where we have a little bit of flexibility might be helpful to kind of get ahead of those discussions. You looked over a bit, Vic, but she's very passionate about this area. This >> Yeah, you knew what was coming. So, I I mean, I am I have a very strong opinion. We do not need the same number of buses for

096high school compared to middle school and elementary school. We have we have to do everything that we can for for the for for for for those schools. But high school, I know kids drive uh cars once they turn 16 to school. Um and I I I have enough anecdotal evidence to believe that I think we we are we are um there is some wastage of tax dollars that is going on when we when we provide the same bus routes and the same number of buses for high school compared to the other schools. So I feel very strongly that we should be looking at this very carefully and deciding what what and how we can what we should do both with contracts and how we provide buses at the high school level to make sure that

097we are are are having an optimum uh use of the buses and we are paying for what we need. >> Yeah. And the key and thanks VC thanks and and the key for all of this is also is how do we moni if we can reduce stops buses for number of buses at the high school route but maybe not at middle school elementary fewer stops. How do we monetize that to savings? Because the way our contract is may not drive to savings. And then the other part is it's hard finding bus drivers. And if you're it might be hard to find bus drivers only willing, you know, willing to do two of them, they'll they'll make less. They're only doing middle school and elementary school runs rather than three runs. Just these are the not

098not saying we should definitely look at this this scenario. Those are the kind of questions. If we get to the point where we're like we're gonna have fewer stops, we're going to run fewer buss at the high school. Then it's the question is how do we turn work with first student to say hey is there some savings there and how do we capture those savings and how do we make sure that we do have bus drivers to drive all the routes which you know other districts we never had that problem or limited problem you know other districts have had significant problems with that so that's that's going to be important >> Jeff sorry not sorry Eric I'll just say One one quick thing is I I very distinctly remember 2015 2016 the number of stops

099for the high school buses was lower in my in my neighborhood. they would walk the high school kids would walk all the way up to uh Boston Post and they would get picked up um at at at at that that intersection while the middle school and elementary school kids had an additional bus stop which was much much much closer to to our u much in you know um uh what do you call there were there were two stops that in our neighborhood for the elementary and um uh middle school uh kids. So, we have done this in the past and and if you don't need that many buses, especially for the high school kids, why should we pay for it? That doesn't make sense. We need to build that into the contracts somehow. We need

100to have that conversation. >> Yeah. The only thing the bus wouldn't do is run. It still has to sit on the lot and wait for the middle school and elementary. That's the catch. So, we can't >> if it is not running, why are we paying for it? >> Well, well, that Yeah, that's that's the question. Right. That's I think what what we need to look at that it's it's sitting there. It's not going to go away. So you can't eliminate the bus, but it's not running. So could there be a be a discount of some sort? And definitely there's a fuel cost that's going on there uh as well. Um and the driver issue would have to we have to tackle the driver issue as well. These potentially might lose drivers or they're going to

101go to you know over Waterford. Waterford has first student. We just have to we'd have to work with first student on some of those questions to see maybe there's some s you know and through the contracts. >> So let's let's dig a little deeper next meeting on the transportation and see what options we can especially the high school other. So, in terms of um staffing is I know it's always good. Could we start we really haven't looked at the elementary class sizes and then we can work our way up. Could we take a look at the elementary class sizes as it sits today and then kind of reconcile that with that page four which does have the staffing updates and the retirees and the one-year positions. So that's in um go back to the beginning

102of tab two right under tab two. Yes. The first two pages with the guidelines and then and so this protected enrollment and count is with the features that you have in um you've taken out you know staffing reductions. So in and then slide four those three positions are not in this these numbers in the bottom. Oh, in the lab. Yeah, there you go. Yes, those three positions are not are not in that's what your your best side numbers in right now. Uh just factor in that kindergarten waiver component um is back in play. Um so we could we could see few more kindergarten students. And when I look at that the slide four for the retirees and oneyear positions there's two FTEEs N and center features for those >> two certified staff certified staff. Okay.

103>> So those are two is that and that's it right that's it for elementary correct that's not decisionable whatever. So we have two open positions in elementary that um that are still in there. Do you know what grade they're in this stuff? One is a kindergarten retiree and the other one will be now the other one is a um literacy interventions. >> Okay. for the literacy of interventionist is not in the least number. It's not it's one of two. Yes, it's right here. It's there, but it's not in the in your count. >> Yeah, we didn't uh we didn't remove there's a kindergarten teacher retiring at an ext center, but we did not remove that position. >> Right. Yes. Yeah. Just for my own learning, does our literacy interventionist have a case loan? Are they

104providing services and IEP? Okay. >> Oh, uh, no, they don't service IEP students, but they do have a case load of students who are either on tier 2 or tier three intervention. >> Got it. Okay. Hopeful. Thank you. may require such certification 102 certific >> um starting up kind of as you speak already had a couple inquiries about the So um now pretty soon we have March time frame and then uh meetings uh and take place in >> so we won't have final numbers budget time >> not the final numbers yeah >> that's where we found ourselves sometimes we come back in the summer teacher >> yes I remember could remember when it was >> yeah I will preface to be where those those numbers and you know specialty areas that we talked about past

105with trying to watch those class sizes just it's a different it's a different so if you look at and I don't know what to do with it um but if I look at the elementary class sizes I do this quickly so if I have it wrong, but I I think it's in second grade that Nanic Center and plan second grade Nanic Center and Lily B are below the guidelines in third grade center and Flanders are below and in fourth grade they're all below although the center kind of rounds up Well, round that up. It's close. Um, and we don't have any any that are over or schools. What we So what you've described though is because we really don't have from this list on page four the only opportunity of a retiree and not filling

106a retiree that's in this list is center one kindergarten teacher but which they need two so it would mean You'd have to find somewhere else >> somewhere else. >> Yeah. >> Person. Now the Lily B 51 is that going to go for kindergarten. They're at 12.8, but that 51 we're expecting to go up. I assume I think it will go up estimates and yeah, I already had one or two about the labor. So that will go up. And what we can do too is um remember we gave this sheet back in January. So might even be see to see it might have been adjusted a little bit. Yeah. the the the two is, you know, the the most problematic area obviously because you you know >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, they'd be 35 students in one

107class, so that's not going to happen. So, um so that has to be two. So, it's just one else in the mix. thoughts, any information people want to get more information about on elementary. Okay, we move on to middle school. Um, the middle school class side is our kind of where we want them to be in the in the 20s AC kind of across the board. Um there's the one literacy coach position which I assume people know how full all our classrooms are probably have to replace the literacy coach. Anybody have other thoughts about that one? >> That would be challenging. So any questions on that or anything on the middle school? So then um about high school. So um the Vic and I met with Jeff and Rain Elise and really appreciate Henry pulled

108together that those pages which everybody did not put the spreadsheets with a lot of detail and all the classes really you know just great document and in great information and really um got to kind of go through you know some of the complexities um that I I I probably didn't fully appreciate as you I understand look there's a lot of classes um students take very different it's it's not a have a set standard somewhat for each student that each student has their own schedule so there's a lot of complexity there there's also the complexity which I probably didn't fully take into account is also making sure that each teacher has a full set and blocks of classes as well. So that's another element is you want to make sure that students have classes and you

109also want to make sure your teachers are teaching the requisite number. Is it five sections? Correct. Roughly five for each. >> Um so that that's where the complexity comes in and then you add another complexity. So take um you know math and global language. So math we have a retiree. We did reduce math last year by6. So when you look at the math retiree, but the math class sizes broadly pretty high. I mean pretty good. I mean they're kind of in the range of stuff that we hear thinking. So it'd be pretty hard to remove a math teacher. um open to people's thoughts and ideas and to Vic please give give your thoughts as well and then for global language it adds an even another layer of complexity of um teachers teach a language within

110the world language and this um is a um teacher is a Spanish teacher where we have high demand for Spanish so it would be pretty hard to reduce the Hispanic teacher at the high school, you know. So, if the retirees were in different places somewhere else in the high school, you might be able to, but you can't um you know, in in elementary school, we could take a second grade teacher make and move them to a first grade or third grade or something like that. We can't move uh you know we can't move necessarily a French teacher unless they are dual certified to to go and teach Spanish. Um it's different. So it adds some complexity. So I'll let you know that's that's some of my learnings going through this. Um I I do know

111that you know it was a good conversation. I know that Henry is really um on top of this and kind of spending more time in analyzing the numbers and and trying to optimize this. Um, also hopefully as technology continues to improve both edtech and AI or education, you know, there's maybe some technology can help optimize um some of this multi-actor decision or multi- many equations, filling teachers, getting students to get the classes that they want and how do you optimize scheduling that? Let me go to Vic if if it's okay if you have anything to add from the discussion and and want to say anything. >> No, I don't have anything to add to the discussion. Um I think you summarized it very well. I think we the only thing I'll say is that we

112need as a group need to kind of discuss and have have a have an agreement on how how we are going to approach this. Um the one thing that we you know we we we need to also discuss is is the philosophy because I I do believe that from a from a philosophy perspective we you know we are going to have the extreme ends of the distribution of of of our student body where you will will have um um some some class sizes that will be um on the lower end. So that that component is something that we we need to discuss. I do feel that the the extreme ends is something that we will have to we'll have to accommodate because that's that's how it you know that's kind of a a natural thing

113when you have a distribution of um uh of of of the you know a wide distribution in the student body. Um so the the place where we will have to obtain achieve efficiencies is is somewhere in the middle. So that's that's kind of a philosophy that I'm working working in my head but that's something that we all need to agree discuss and agree to. So that's it. >> Thanks Vic. Yeah exactly. So, one of the things we walked away a bit from that discussion is, you know, looking at having a discussion of class sizes across our for all levels as a board of ed, but not during the budget season. So, May, June, July when when this is done and we can kind of have these discussions and you know what what do we think?

114Um, are we okay? you know, some of the ends of the spectrums where, you know, some class sizes are like 24 25 and some others might be 10 or 11. You're okay with that? Uh there's reasons for that for for each of those. Um, you know, as I know Bill has brought up re, you know, the every other year class, you know, are we pushing more to having some classes just be offered every other year that would open up. There's also other things that we can do. So there are a lot of big conversations, but I think unless people think otherwise, I I I think where we got to is we have enough going on with the budget that's pretty complex in trying to solve things in this season. We'll spend a these are probably

115best when we don't have that overhanging our head and just be able to step back and can have a you know committee of the whole meeting on class size and just you know just go through and discuss and and kind of more brainstorm um and then eventually form an opinion that would be more you know for this time next year as we go through the budgets. Um so any thoughts or on that concerns what thoughts about not having that specific discussion now and thinking more that's kind of May June July >> like where you're going with that I think that is something that we should have to regular check in. Well, come up with the philosophy and then check in on it too level again or you know more discipline. So, where do people want

116to go from here? Um, you know, we talked about some of the non staffing. If you look at the staffing list, um, >> which color is, the red and the bright on that >> the Paris Paris? >> Yeah. So, yeah. So maybe we could touch on Harris for a second because we have number of open pair positions, right? Because we're way under budget, >> a handful. We've Yeah, we filled a better job. We've had >> come up out of sort of the big hole that we've been in for a long time and had um a good uh number of people like in the last six weeks. Um but there are still about probably 10ish vacancies um that are out maybe 13 but um that's pretty good uh based on where we've been and I mean

117we've been up to as many as 34 in the past three years at any one given time. So uh we feel like we're in good shape right now. What if you know we have open positions what would an impact of just say five or six half of the open positions and if we somewhat reduced by that five or six what you know what's the impact or or can we seems like we're always under anyway and kind of figure it out how to make it robotic. So, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that. >> Yeah, I mean, you know, we wouldn't have them on our list if if they weren't recommended in some way, shape, or form. Um, so, you know, there's certainly not no impact. Um, I'm working on, you know, a more

118clear projection for next year's list because what, um, you know, certainly sometimes kids develop a need for a career professional. We have students who move from the elementary to the middle or the middle to the high and the parah stays at the building because there's a need coming in behind and so we have to fill the position at the next level where there wasn't someone to take that on. So, you know, getting a a clearer picture earlier of that uh is something I'm working on right now. Yeah. Any questions on Paris? My my personal view as we kind of go through this is in my head I'm in that you know five or six or something like that. Can we find some savings that we've had open positions for a year we trouble finding? So

119maybe um that would help us bring your budget down. So um so then >> I guess just the implications of >> being worked out was >> yeah I mean like I said there's there's not no implication. What happens is, you know, you're covering students, you know, say in a program with, you know, your studentto staff ratio is higher and then if staff are absent, you have fewer adults to, you know, make sure everything's running smoothly and then, you know, compromises have to be made. So that's really the biggest impact is that you're, you know, the people who are here are doing a little more, right? and um trying to cover everything and get it all accomplished. So, >> so then the other open positions that should talk about. So, we have a high school secretary

120librarian retiring. We have an integrated brief position. Um we didn't talk about that. We have a the one-year high school counseling position and we have an center secretary position. I can't share with each rate of prek. We reduced a position last year. Yeah, that's one of the individuals that we did talk did. >> Um, >> so not an area based on the numbers. Can correct me if I'm wrong even kind of >> Okay. No, we've been pretty steady with the four sections at integrated preschool. We've, you know, had the year where we went up a little. >> Um, but they're in a good place. And we talked about even going up a little defrayed their class size numbers, but we couldn't staff the paras needed for that. And so it was a constant struggle. That's

121a really good example of how having not enough staff to cover was stressful. they'd rather have two more kids in their section than have all the paras they should have rather than an additional section. So the four is a really good sweet spot we found for preschool over the last several years. So we would look to replace that teacher >> question. >> Oh no not a question. >> Oh no no okay any question on that? Well, I don't know for do you want to go through this full I don't want to like jump >> thing I I wanted to go maybe through each of the I was saying go through each of these positions because either what you said or not but we can >> yeah I think that makes sense and >> I think

122my concern and I think we ultimately got to this place last year and as much as I don't want to get there this year I do feel like it is inevitable that I don't know that the folks um I'll speak for myself I don't know that I have enough visibility into, you know, all of these positions and impact to kids on the ground at school. And so I believe last year we reached the point where, and I hate asking our admin to do this, but okay, let's say hypothetically you need to cut x% from your your budget. What would you look at with your knowledge of your school building and having that kind of intimate understanding of what would hopefully have the least amount of impact on staff and kids and then they brought those

123potential recommendations to us and that I think is where we started to find some momentum in having these really challenging discussions and so I'm not advocating that we get there now and at the same time like we are going to have to have some really tough decisions soon and I don't feel like I have the right context to be able to like I I >> Yeah. >> And those are on non staff stuff. So the things could be staff as well. >> It was honestly that it was helpful to see it was pretty holistic. Like I know some folks said we would probably if we had to cut we would probably cut these field trips and we would probably look at this software item. It was very much a a mix of everything or like

124this capital project. And I think it's just it's helpful because I feel like we have a very high level view and as much as we can dig through this binder, it's really hard to identify just from these papers what the impact on kids and staff would be. So it was just it was that that for me was helpful to kind of launch some of these conversations. >> Just don't backwards just to backwards think it though. Is there a target when we look at that last sheet that you know scenarios is is there a target that we're kind of looking for as a board? Um >> well and there goes back to I remember we had this phil question last year where it was >> do we ask for what we need and what we feel

125you know we oh our our district and our kids and I I don't know I think last year we kind of landed somewhere in the middle of like understanding that like this is not sustainable to increase like this and so I don't have an answer there but >> well may let's let's hold that because I think we should talk I just want to give Bill and then Jamie have got their hands up. So, Bill, >> you're on mute. >> Can you guys hear me now? >> Yep. >> Okay. Um, thank you, Lee, because I agree 100%. Here we are looking at It's nice that um Henry gave us all these numbers, but to understand the the complexity of it, it's it would take all of us much too long. That's I don't think we're in

126a position uh as well to to say we can you know it's one thing to decide whether you know and Chris is going to help us out with this whether we forego the carpets or something but it's another thing on impacting students and staff and we're not we don't have enough understanding of that detail to to to make those decisions. Um the other part and and the community needs to realize this is we we had to make a correction in our salaries in order to maintain good teachers and and pay our staff what they deserve. And you know, making that correction doesn't mean, okay, now we're going to weed out everybody because or or get rid of people, I should say, because we we can't afford to to honor the contract that we just gave

127them. You know, it's it the town's going to have to realize that there's going to be a few years where we're going to have some increases so that we can pay our staff what they're deserved. I I don't know. Um, we we did the right thing by giving payraises. We now need to honor it by trying to pass the budget to keep those people in in a position. >> Thanks, Bill. >> I just had a clarification on the integrated preschool comment. Again, this is someone we let go or is this someone that retired? Last year we had a reduction because there was a fifth section and so we reduced back to four based on the numbers. This year we have a teacher who's retiring and I think the question was do we need to replace

128that person or can we reduce again? So when we reduce from five to four did we let someone go or was it >> two people that did not have a job? So that's going to circle back to my next question is do they have recall rights in the bargaining unit? >> No, no, we think we gave them a play off. We gave them a termination. >> I don't know. That's why I'm asking the question. I don't haven't looked at the contracts and they passed it. I don't remember or not. I'm just asking in case it comes up. >> Yeah, those are the only two that we could not find at the end. I'm sure everybody else we were able to movements right up to the sum. We were able to find positions. >> Just asking

129so in case it comes up. >> Yeah, >> they need to be rehired. I just want to make sure we're doing right. So, um, thanks Jamie. Moving back to Bill Lee terms of members doing it. I can't remember. Did we say 10% or 20%. >> For them to come up? >> I feel comfortable with 10 over 20. >> But why don't we do 10? >> Um, I mean, just be prep. We don't, you know, there's two, you all know this, there's two steps to this process. We're going to come up with something. It's going to be present to the board of finance. Actually, three steps. They'll come up with something. We'll have a public hearing with their number and then they'll get back together and finalize. So, in that time, not to necessarily share with

130anybody, but it's not a bad idea. You have we have a little more because those will have to turn around quickly. We do get the number of how we're going to actually achieve it. It's not a bad idea for you to all the principles to think through and administration of the defined savings. What would it be? Uh just on your own, not necessarily to share more than that, but 10% we think we vary the percentage. It's just you know 10% is a heck of a lot of an impact high school. So I think we kind of vary the percentages. >> Maybe we can kind of work Yeah. >> with them looking at those. Elementary don't really help. >> They're bare bones at the elementary level with the smallest budget. >> Well, come up with some

131ideas. >> Yeah. But, you know, we'll throw out 10% but it's really just, you know, brainstorm, come up with some ideas to bring so we can >> kind of hear what what's that next thing. If if we have to find a dollar of savings, what would that dollar be from? So um the reason to throw out a 10% number is otherwise I think you guys will know you know how how much are we looking for like you want me to look for a million you want me to look for 200,000 you want me to look for 20,000 like what is so 10% uh but for the elementary three of you want to kind of work together a little bit and see if there's any ideas that um do across elementary and like what would the

132next dollar savings be and then middle school and high school with bigger budgets, you know, looking at some of the bigger numbers and 10% of ideas which will help us think about uh decisions and the impact. So obviously anything you come up with make I'm sure you're putting the you know student impact the education you know with why um you know what your concern would be for reducing we we know the easy ones were are the easier ones are already not in the budget yet you know they would have not been in the superintendent's budget so this is that next question Um, Bill, did that cover it for you, too? >> I'm sorry. Um, in terms of sending it back and and getting uh getting feedback from our administrators. >> Yeah. Yeah. So we're going

133to do that and we'll get the high school middle school be around 10%. Elementary schools will get together the three and come up with what are the next things that you they would if they had to reduce what would those next things 10% there's not much to get from them even at 10%. So just come up with whatever ideas they've had. >> Um that seems like a high number though, right? I mean I I don't know. >> It's not that we it's not that we have to take So the the I think the reason we say 10% and we could do five but it's something so that we we have some decisionable list to look at. Um, and we might say we don't want to do certain things. And if 10% you want to do,

134you know, green, yellow, red, or you want to input impacts, whatever you want to explain, you know, why we should or shouldn't. Um, you know, for me, in the back of my mind, you know, we had, you know, Dan came in here and and talked about numbers, you know, you know, not sustainable, all that other stuff. Now, that's not it's in the back of my mind. That's not our responsibility necessarily, but um I'm worried a little bit about that. And we, you know, you guys all listened to the board of finance meeting a few weeks ago. You know, they had a lot of questions. Um so, you know, they're going to ask a lot of questions. So, I just want to be kind of ready for that as well. Um, by the same token, we're

135being asked to increase our expectation for health insurance. So, we're being asked to pull in both directions at the same time. >> And I'm looking at the budget history with the four years that we have here. I'd be curious to know what that fluctuation is like ac like the health in like I mean we're talking about eight figures of the budget >> um uh across those four years are going back even further how do we account for that >> and to be realistic to you know um are there things that given this year is exorbitantly high in terms of that adjustment are there things that we can uh hope for that it won't be as high on the years that we can defer for a year, two years and we're not projecting double digits insurance.

136Is that a naive question? >> No, I mean think it's a it's a very fair too. You know, one could first hope that 15 will come down a little bit. just based off of what we know. We haven't got anything new of late, but the last report was, you know, maybe look at like a 13 or 14%. But each percent is $92,000, so that that all helps. Um, and then the other piece to that is, you know, I'm worried, you know, health insurance costs here. State, I think, was struggling with that. They were, was it last year, this past year, they they were they didn't have the funding. Um, >> right. That's why we're seeing a higher percent. Is that going to be a new trend now? I guess is what I'm trying to say.

137>> Claims are are trending based on the last report their claims are trending just much higher. They were hoping that after first report a couple weeks ago they were hoping like stagger and it's not. And then it's a lot of pharmaceutical deaths as well by and pharmaceuticals that are so causing >> I don't know if the period you'll see but we had our um insurance bro come in and give in order to whether or not we should stay in the state partnership plan but us save money to to exit partnership plan and go back to either being selfunded they said that you're based on your claims that you're good where you are stay where you stay where you are but there's obviously you know cost to that is a high number I mean just that

138number was down at you know four or five% the the savings to be clear I don't think it's going down anytime soon >> no I don't either uh I don't even know >> so why don't we say um Henry 5 to 10% somewhere you know come up with a just you'll see at some point you're like might as well close I exaggerate like might as well close the school at this point we're going to have 30 students in a class or we're going to have no that you know so see between five and 10% of a list of things that um savings that you could help >> so if I'm reading our budgets of grace we in the last five years we've gotten rid of 16.6 teachers. Is that a correct number that I'm looking

139at here? >> People certified. >> Nope. I'm just doing general education teachers. >> That's just regular. Yeah, that's just regular core teaching. >> So 16.6 have been either let go or attrition now for retired from the high schools. >> So, and I know our numbers are going down a little bit. We've got that little bubble coming through. >> But we are supposed to be stacking the next like 10 years out. That's what >> for the most part. Yeah, exactly. >> Where it's it's leveled out is we've had an increase in support staff, right? So the two Yeah. >> that shows following trend of of decreased students. The other way our increase in special education students, >> right? We're getting well or just mental health needed the social workers, you know, >> psychologists >> which serve

140more than just special ed. Where I'm kind of going with this is >> I think we've hit that teacher point where we are not laying off any more staff. Like if you're looking at our numbers, if we lay off staff, our classroom sizes go above our classroom threshold that we've set for ourselves. And secondarily, the staff, our teachers are the ones who are working with our students and teaching them. Um the parents aren't teaching them, they're helping the teachers teach. So, I personally will be very uncomfortable of making that number go down farther. Um, that's my personal philosophy. I am just not comfortable with that. Um, I would be comfortable in doing things that don't learning what they need to be learning. If it's a pair of scissors and somebody could share a pair of

141scissors, yay. I'm all in favor. But anything that's impacting our kids educationally, I just I'm very uncomfortable with that. That's my philosophy and that's where I'm going. But everyone else is entitled to their opinion and philosophy. But that's where I'm standing on this Jamie. So then moving on. Uh so we have for retirees we have not discussed there's a high school secretary library aid what's can you kind of give more what would the impact of but not filling that is there a way to spread work across that's exactly what you do I know we had talked about this position in the past um it was it had come up um it was uh helping everybody slapped in. So, you know, kid would all have to kind of look how potentially would be spread out, I

142guess, if he were to remove us. And we have the dynamic center secretary as well. I don't know if those they're both secretaries. I don't know if those go inside at all or they're really completely separate. uh just completely separate um and just in in light of you know we're having these discussions um we'll move forward move forward with just one year from now um it's tricky you know the center sizes versus you know what we desize but when we redistrict you're going to balance those out again so we think we have to be careful there as well on parking reduction and then this time we're you know one year later when the schools are balanced sell. Um, just something for us to to think about, but we just left it as a one year

143because, you know, we're trying to any of those positions to look at, you know, some some where there was some opportunities uh for a period of time. So, >> any thoughts or questions on the dynamic center secretary or the school secretary library aid? Any thoughts? How about they're already gone? It's not a cut. We could do without. >> They're not going yet. The other >> No, but I'm saying if they're retiring and it's not a cut and if we could see if we could do without, then that's something I'd entertain. But if it's something that we absolutely need then but and and they're not being cut because they're retiring. So it's not like we're cutting a staff member. >> What does that look schools? >> Part of the look that the administrators are going to

144be doing with the percentage and just kind of in the context of looking holistically at everything. We have we have physicians that are Yeah, you get um I wasn't just including the the positions as part of like the the 10%. No, I'm saying it's a separate but just to understand implications of what would happen if >> yeah didn't go back to you know to look at uh when we did this last year this exercise supplies obviously is in there um areas we kind of look at um >> what's the uh both supplemental >> or to understand just the best way to get understand the implications of these one-year positions or you know so maybe that's not the right >> yeah we can yeah we can talk further exactly we can talk further about the the

145one years um you know again with the the center it's tricky because you know a year from now you know our schools are going to be balanced again so if you're going to leave two secretaries at age um less planners and then we want to keep it consistent if all schools are same roughly the same size right now you know little is double more than double the size of you know center so um >> no and that's helpful context I think it's just kind of adding that layer of context to >> but if we can defer hiring for the year that's what we want to try and just give the full board you know the the full picture basically of what we're what we're looking sort of Um we have to be careful you know

146there are elements that we have to work obviously with Jeff that was something that was to happen but u there's elements of what both did so um it's our job um something we just just a brainstorming I didn't want to have conversations with Mr. And then the last is this one year basically council position. >> Yeah. So that's um that's still in from um service. Yes. Correct. So >> So when are we posting running that process? Um pretty soon we'll be posting soon. Um the March I'm sorry in February uh March I'm sorry. We don't we have to have some conversations. Sure. If Lisa's interested and you can play out in different scenarios and Lisa doesn't uh when was interested when would you just make that decision? >> I'm I'm trying to work is because

147I >> Lisa is interested in if Lisa at that position then do we need do we need to backfill position? That would be out to be a decision we'd have to look at whether or not we think >> well what's the time would the timing work with our budget touch we're going to make that no >> it would be tight we really have to look at uh final finance and final deliberation so we wouldn't make it unless we rush it question is there any reason to delay posting that goal. >> No, we Mr. G and I are actually talking about that recently. >> Okay. >> And there might be other movement too. Um, you know, we heard a couple rumblings and maybe a couple more people retiring. Um, so we definitely get too. So there

148could be maybe changes to the shifts couple weeks too. So >> yeah, none of it's um none of it's easy to have to see, but uh any other questions budget related? Um so so maybe to summarize, so for the 23rd, we do want to see a some type of reductions from the principles of what what would those next savings potentially be? We need um we're going to go through furniture projects and >> equip equipment >> maybe transportation. >> Yeah. So we're going to go through those. We're going to go through talk about transportation and for those savings that 5 10% we should talk so from athletics we should talk to Kevin and what those savings would be >> I think you do the same percentage as well >> and also we do want to hear

149from Kevin on what these donations that he's been getting the revenue he's been generating where that been what has he done with And this can be a this can be it doesn't have to accompany there paragraph or something. And then also how he um his philosophy on replacing equipment, uniforms and all that and how does he decide how that's done just to give us an idea. And I'm just going to say it because I know that the board of finance mentions it every year. They're going to ask for some kind of administrator uh have to become administration. Why do we still have administrator? They're going to ask it >> so we can be prepared with something because they do they ask it every year. >> Sure. Yeah. Yeah. We share that date list. No, I

150don't. I just I just they always ask what you mean for >> ask this is something that we do need that we will the list of administrators is something that we will show. >> I'm not saying cut. I'm just saying why we haven't cut it and I just >> on the table. >> I also get the impression that they think we have like 40 administrators running around like that there's a big number. It's all day do nothing. >> We should you know we have no HR director which we haven't had very good. So so when you when you look at this you know twothirds of the um administrators or principles assistant principles and things like that they're I get the impression. So you're you're only talking like six seven positions or something. I really get

151the impression that they think that number is like three that or something. except it's a lot more. So I think this is really just listing out saying this is all of it. >> You could take that mandate list and be like this one does 12 through 42 and this one like because they're not just sitting in their office twiddling their thumbs all day long. They are actually working administrators like >> which is a rarity >> that you have administrators that work >> because if you look at like CEOs and stuff they just keep my thoughts to myself. Let's see. >> But administrators have a really hard job today in education. We do. It's not like it was 50 years ago, 60 years ago. Administrating now is a lot of work. >> Can I say something,

152please? >> Yeah, Joe, go ahead. >> Okay. I'm just thinking I don't know if one of the administrators wants to put themselves out there but I think about I'm just going to use you as an example Anelise or you Kim as an example what your day is full of. Do we need to submit I'm just just um thinking here a diary like to show them what you're doing all day long every day. I can't I mean unless you're on the board of ed or you work in administration, you don't realize the time commitment or the amount of work that you're doing besides trying to think and be creative and manage people and manage people you really don't count within on your schedule unless you're doing a review. I I don't know. I'm just trying to

153think of something if they who who said that they thought we had 40 administrators. No one did. That was just me saying that's just my impression. So, nobody has said that. That >> all right. I didn't want to start a rumor. >> No, no, I don't want that. >> But what I'm saying is what what do they I'm saying maybe this would be and maybe it's too much, but or we we can use this as an idea to jump off of is this is what I do all day long. I mean, I just think about what I hear. Like, I just heard what you did, Miss Kim, and I'm going, "Wow, that's totally impressive. I'm amazed." And only women can do it. Excuse me, guys. Can manage thinking about that many different departments and in

154things all at the same time in your head. But anyway, I shouldn't have said that. But bottom line is I think they need to understand what it means to be an administrator if that's a concern of theirs. And I don't know, that just all of a sudden s uh hit me while I was sitting here. So, or maybe they need to see what the teachers do all day, what a teacher schedule is. Or maybe what we need to do is take them into a classroom. I don't know. Maybe we need to be a little bit I know. I'm just trying to think of something to let them understand what we do. Not we, it's not me, but what our what the staff does. So, anyone want to submit their calendar? Just a joke. But, but

155I'm serious. I think they need to understand. Okay. Thanks. Got that off my chest. I appreciate y'all listening. >> Thanks, Jill. I mean, I think it it's it's right in terms of we have to be prepared to how do we have when the questions come up and if they're probing deeper, especially depending on where this goes over the next few months to just be ready for, you know, Not to keep you spoke today, so we'll keep using Kim, but to Kim Kim to talk about, you know, what is it? What is a day in the life or what are the here are the things that I really have to manage and this is why um we have my role. >> Well, then maybe Kim should go to a meeting. Kim, I apologize. I'm not I'm

156just uh I just >> I'm sorry, Kim. All due respect. All due respect, but I just like what is what? Okay. Well, I just got a little fed up here. What is it they don't get? And I mean, I've been on this board what, 14 years. I know what this school system does, what we graduate, what how successful many of our students are. What And I understand I I totally understand that people don't like to pay their taxes. And I can say with proud with pride I'm on a fixed income, but I still am thrilled to pay my taxes because it's worth it to live in this town. But maybe someone should do a presentation instead of let's get ahead of it. Let's get ahead of it because they'll nitpick each little line. I've seen

157them. I know what they do. We all know what they do. So anyway, I'm done. I think so. >> Yeah. No, I think it's it's >> but let's get ahead of it. Let's get ahead of it. That's good food for thought and and you know there's a lot of new board of finance members so um I think we need to kind of really start to understand what are the what are their questions and what they're looking for. So um trying to move move. So I think we have our list of actions for the next meeting. And remember at the next meeting we need to kind of really come up to a not an indication of what our number is that we're going to bring to the board of finance so that people then have two

158weeks prior to our public hearing so that people can, you know, decide whether they're going to come to our public hearing because they like or dislike the number. But they need to know roughly what that number is so they can apply it. Yeah, I'm gonna let them go home and think about that. So, if we can Yes. And then Yeah, >> Eric, I'm gonna say one more thing and then I'm quiet. >> I think we we need again to get ahead of the game. It's not about nitpicking every line, which is what they do, but what what they're getting for their money. I mean, maybe we do a meeting ahead of time with all the new new board members, the new board of finance members. Obviously, unless they're in the audience, I can't see them.

159Again, I'm working off an iPad, but maybe we set up a special session with them and have them listen to what, you know, again, our administrators or what you do, what you do, Jeff. I again, I don't know. I think they need to be we need to indoctrinate them before they're indoctrinated by you know what the board of fin what the board of finance thinks but again I have drank the Kool-Aid I'll admit when it comes to the board of ed so okay >> thanks Jill >> yeah bet >> okay let's move on from our budget discussion moving on thanks thank you all >> thanks guys >> uh moving on to discussions Jake school that yeah it yeah school balancing balancing yeah balancing so we went that um went back and did a little bit

160more um investigation on this um so we were able to find um can we catch everyone because I can't remember if everybody was there so we had the discussion um We've had um original but it's the they had done it for us person who's on that that organization doesn't exist anymore but he's on it in his own organization. He has all our history and all our data and did a nice job. he's come back with a um proposal and he is in our the state system whatever that is state pricing and stuff but we had asked Jeff for what do other you know are there other districts or other things so that >> yeah that's where we're where we're at and that that um cost uh last time we did this um eight years ago

161was uh $25,000 and change um just so every that number >> and the proposal is >> was 37 and change and now with going through CES um which is a risk um and that's what puts it on bid list um it brings it down to 35 change so we get a little bit discount so >> the 25 to 35 is roughly inflation over about seven years >> basically exact yeah >> so um let me run through this some questions yeah So um 10 out of the 11 um that we were able to obtain uh in 11 different districts that had done something similar um again buried in you know in some size but um 10 out of the 11 had used MD like the one that didn't was NASDAQ the scope of their study probably

162knowing what they NASDAQ it was something smaller scale NASDAQ um they don't never hear them doing these bigger James, they were the ones who had originally came up with forecasts for our students going back before we um got and their methodology was extremely if you remember we probed and do dove into it. So I don't remember who was there but um extremely flawed methodology for coming up with their projections and then we brought >> Malone and I >> Eminem. Yes, I'm going to say Eminem. I can never remember. Uh and they really had a pretty sophisticated and they've been pretty close on their projections and stuff. So they they actually did a nice job. >> Yeah. Um so uh again 10 10 of the 11 have used but um talked about the cost you can

163bring it down to 35 and change. Um when it comes to some of the outside firms um difficult to we really went right to the source I said Mike you know who who are your competitors circling you said ones that Connecticut used one out of Ohio and one out of Boston he was aware of it. Um they're not demographers though. That's the one thing you wanted to make sure you point out that you demographic diving in and understanding and doing work. Um one cost 50,000 more per addition but uh that the other one did have a number for the time but 50,000 more um top award. So if it's a 35 then add 50 to that. Probably much bigger outfits. Um and then you might know some of these the sizes of your scope some

164of these bigger but you know Mike is a small small other piece is you know um Mike is 20 minutes away and he lives in Nancy um the thing this this proposal um includes up to six virtual meetings um group sessions and then in addition three in-person meetings as well and then we can supplement if we want to have more exact I don't think we exceeded that last time. Um, he just recently did um a uh old black point u three years ago. He did study for points there. So I don't I kind of want to push there is I don't see any reason why we wouldn't you know build like costwise location proximity the quality of the product gets potentially buying they're not here um probably so that's kind of where we're >> um

165I'm curious guess if we've attempted to negotiate that role um specifically from the angle of like a repeat customer discount. I think the amount of kind of context building they had to do the first time around made sense. obviously if things have changed in the past nine years a lot and I'm wondering if because he is already familiar with our district he has already been in the weeds with us here like I I >> point piece too >> and the last point piece I am I am aligned with your recommendation I think you would do a good job for us and I would feel a lot more comfortable opting in if they got that number down >> see if they'll go down was a 37 down 35 see if it could get you know lower

166Jamie and Vanessa. >> So I'm going to apologize because I have not had a chance to watch the last week's meeting yet. So what I may what I'm going to ask may have already been answered. Um $35,000 or whatever the price is ending up being is going to do what? district. >> It's going to give exactly what we did last time where it's going to break out all of the numbers, develop a whole postal plan. This pertains to which boundary we do the whole boundaries for all the schools on basically >> I haven't shared yet the whole something that I was going to try to get >> based on this and I go back to him >> because I have a second question. >> Yeah. Um, >> yeah. >> The school reorganization ad hoc committee.

167>> Yeah. >> Is this going to negate the work that they're doing? Is it going to be in concert with the work that they're doing? Is it going to be in addition to the work that they're doing? >> Where is that coming? in addition to maybe in concert with um >> because I'd really hate for us to redistrict and then the school reorganization committee comes up with something else that blows that out of the water and we got to spend $35,000 to redistric again. could be something that could what Mike told me too is you know you can do that for us too if we want to you could incorporate in um what it would look like to do a full model to be that's something that he could do for us as well this

168was just strictly signific having feedback from the school reorganization committee I don't know how the board feels about doing a lot >> you know what I'm saying so I would hate for us to spend 35,000 today and then a year from now spend it again. >> So I'm sure that's something >> I just don't know how the reorganization committee is coming along. I think >> we're gonna come back to you. >> Yeah, we have a so kind of a high level update of where where we are. So basically, without us too far down this rabbit hole, we did some like back of the envelope scenario planning, if you will, where we looked at a lot of our kind of enrollment data across our current schools and then, you know, our space and capacity across our

169schools and then mapped out, well, what would it look like if we did a K2 model or we I mean, there were we didn't just stop there. literally kind of green field did multiple different scenarios and reached the point where like there were some that were potentially interesting in pursuing and we kind of reached the limit of we think that these you know two or three things maybe would be worth pursuing and the change management of it and just the level of sophistication that we were able to bring to the table when it came to mapping these out. We essentially reached the point where when will it make sense to maybe approach the board about having someone who is uh an expert actually provide a recommendation on whether or not it's it's worth pursuing. >>

170So I'm going to now circle back. I would feel more comfortable spending $1 amount on the entirety of the school reorganization, redistricting, school balancing plan instead of spending money twice. Especially since we're sitting here for the last hour and a half talking about cutting paper, scissors, staff, uh, electricity, cutting everything under the sun to make our budget go down. So, I would really hate to throw money after money to do the same thing two times in a row. >> To that point, I don't know where we're interested in this, but would he be able to with his skill set do scenario planning that not only involve redistricting, but to Jamie's point say, "Okay, well, here's option A. We just do redistricting. We keep our K4 model. Here's option B." >> Yeah. Yeah, he said he

171could do that for us. >> Yeah, >> that's not reflected in this >> I just don't want to spend 35 this year and then 35 >> because we are seriously we just spent almost two hours talking about cutting our budget. So I don't really want to waste money twice. >> Well, why don't balance these and see if we can get it? What if we can get that increase of 35,000? Le all all Lee's all in on that. >> I'm all in on that. Well, I just I don't want to waste money. >> Yeah, >> I that's very smart. I got to couple it. Yeah, >> so that's okay. >> Your your comment got me thinking about something else. So I have a question and then a comment. So um when was the last time we

172did this the restricting work with him with this? >> Eight years. Yeah, it's like eight years ago we started it. Yeah. Finish it. >> Perfect. >> Yeah. >> So, cuz so I've been on the board for four years and since I started four years ago, we've the schools have been out of whack, right? And that was only like three four years after that plan. So, not even halfway through that. So, I hesitate to spend money on that. I don't know if it doesn't seem like the results were very accurate. I mean like not the overall like number of people like they the protection was right but not like where the pockets or where people were going to be. So I but now after thinking about Jamie's comment about maybe just think maybe a little bit

173bigger picture maybe we should be looking at like having him look about the uh the reorganization. Thank you. uh project more because that that's really long term. I'm see I'm I'm thinking that's where we will see more savings if we consolidate some of those seven sets, right? Having three third grades all over is having two of them or one of them. So that way we can move people around because we're, you know, we do the re redistricting probably another four years we're going to be again like you know I don't know if people we don't get the exact demographics or where population growth is going to be and then we have to do this again. So longer term I think the reorganization is more valuable for budget planning just because we'll have more flexibility if

174we have more kids of the same grade in the same building as opposed to Thanks. >> I hope they incorporate that in line. >> Yeah. Know just um sort of an addon. I think it does make sense to move forward with this approach um with this gentleman in particular. And you know, I think the reasons that you started out with um you are the things I think that are important, the reasons why we select this person. Um adding on to a broader look, I I I wonder if that conversation can be a little bit more open to, you know, without kind of presenting the level of specificity around scenarios. Um I think the more scenarios maybe potentially the more cost but I don't know that we've really arrived at I mean there's so many different

175sort of iterations you could do. Um I think perhaps presenting this as you we're looking for this we don't have what those exact scenarios you know would look like today and and and how much you know specificity do we need to provide back but just something for us to think about rather than saying you know we want you know AB and C is that I don't think we've arrived at that yet. Yeah. >> I think of looking holistically in future futuristically makes a lot of sense. I don't I don't want to, you know, kind of be giving him three scenar I'm making it up, you know, three scenarios and say, "Oh, that's not what we want." And have to go back to him, you know, for for more costing. And I think, you know, we

176did think about some different different ones, but I not everything that I totally look at >> and we will to pay for this or further for later discussions. We've discussed using the nonap buttons to deal with this. that it was something that maybe talked about last week for 10 seconds or something, but that that could be a further discussion if we want to utilize the nonlapsing board. >> You got good discussion. Yeah, absolutely. >> Okay. Um, moving on. high school student not >> so we will move past five. So that closes our discussion action items and we move on to administration reports and Jeff >> I we met last Monday and uh Dave there's nothing >> can just we just give a 10 second 20 second update on think we heard stuff from the email

177that you >> did we get fe like have have we been getting respon you don't have to go into too bad and I just talked we met this afternoon and going through. Um yeah, the numbers that I shared with you were nothing new has has come forth. Um there was just one uh one email with um a series of probably three or four questions. That's what I shared with Don today um for us to be thinking about. I don't have it in front of me. >> That's okay. >> But um we got another kind of formal letter um and very supportive of want to move forward. You know, it's uh and it's the right thing to do. all the correspondence has been, you know, for the most part, um, you know, in favor and it's

178slowed down now. I anticipated this once we push push that out there, people respond, but now it's it's slowed down. So, we're going to want to do another kind of push as we get into kind of midFebruary. Um, and then also at that point, Chris and I were talking, we want to compile it all in in a PDF and then just give it to all you so you can read through everything. and start to formulate our plan for the 12th when we do that. So D and I were talking about two the slides that we want to present or share out. So >> thanks Perfect. Yeah, just uh Anelise >> I really don't have much >> nothing. Okay, committee reports K. Uh, >> I would like to Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Um, so I'm

179going to apologize because I spent last week in New York in DC with NSBA. Um, it was a really busy really, really busy but fruitful week. Fruitful. I would like to thank Jeff. I gave you some big asks and you and your team came through with those monies, those dollar amounts and numbers for me. Um, we met with all of the congressmen and all of the senators in DC. Um, I don't know if you were following what was happening, but it was budget day when we were down there. While we were meeting with them, they were voting on the budget, so it was really hectic to get in with them. Um, they were actually blown away by our numbers. um and what we do with the little bit of money that we get. Um I

180reached out to you and today that Johanna Hayes and Courtney would love to come and see our pathways program. >> Yep. >> Mom and you said you were going to reach back out to them. Um it was a very very interesting week down in DC. Um, we actually, a lot of us did get to go in to the capital and see the vote on the budget, which was extremely cool. Um, to see them do the debate and the budget vote. I've never, I don't know if any of you have ever done it, but it was really, really cool. Go into your senator's office or your congressman's office and ask for a pass and you can go down to the gallery. It is something I think you should do just as an American to see the

181cool process. Um, but they um know we need money. They know they're asking a lot of us. Um they know what we're struggling with. Um they are also struggling because federal government is a mess. Um uh and they are fighting for education and funds for us. But call your senator, call your congressman, write them a letter. They do listen. They do pay attention. But that's what I got. >> Thanks. Yeah. Bill, you had a your hand is your hand up from before or it's a new hand? >> No, no. Well, I one thing I just I I didn't get it up in time. I I wanted to say the with regard to the redistricting and the and the money spent for that. I I just want to repeat what I said last time. Is are

182there any districts that have any tools to constantly monitor this or is the only solution to just do a reboot every x number of years? There's are there are there schools that are adjusting annually or every two years or whatever? I just would be interesting to know that. Um it I know it's late. Uh but I did want to comment that at our district-wide um culture and climate um meeting Anelise did a great job. Energy was high. Uh anecdotal data was good. Um people were, you know, I think we're moving the needle forward a little at a little bit at a time. Um I was hoping there would attendance would be a little bit larger, but the people that were there were were definitely all in. So that was a good feeling. >> Great. Thanks,

183Bill. Um and learn, I have my learn board meeting on Thursday, so no updates from there. Um moving on. So we we have board comments but we do have need for I think it's a short executive session hopefully like 10 minutes or something but we do need have a need for that but before that >> can I get one board comment. >> Yeah. Yeah. So and then but before that um open for board comments. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> I forgot one with my cave agenda. 3:14 is day on the hill. Um, I am going to be making appointments with Nick and Martha. If anybody would like to join me for those meetings, I would love to have Nick in there with me. Um, usually around 10ish, but I don't know what time they're going

184to be open, but if anybody wants to come, I usually come up and I break the numbers of our district with us and we have a chat about what we're looking at. Nobody wants to come. I'll give you the time that I'm March 14th. >> No, March 11th. March 14th. >> Sorry. I don't know why I have the 14th stuck in my head. The 11th. Yes, it's the 11th on Wednesday. And then um >> Sorry, Jamie. Do you have a time on the >> I haven't made the appointments yet. So I I when I get the time I will share it out, but I always found that it's nice to have a group because then you can all get something that the other person missed. Um and then uh the Miracle League is having their

185night for miracles on February 21st at 6 at Moheaggan Sun. I know you've come the last couple years. It is a lot of fun. >> Fun. >> It's uh in the comedy club. I can never remember the name of it. The Sun Cabaret. Uh we have Phil the Magic Man this year and another man that I can't remember. But Phil the Magic Man is incredible to watch. He's very very cool. He's like a mentalist. So the things he pulls off are really neat. But we are not doing the hypnotist this year. So we're trying something different. Um, but it's a lot of fun ones to come. >> Uh, the 21st at six o'clock. >> There board comments. Okay. So, we do have a need to go into executive session. So, uh Oh, does someone make

186a motion then we'll drop off. Is someone make a motion going to executive session? Someone will just fine. Somebody >> moved. >> Uh do I hear a second? >> Where we bring >> Oh, we're bringing go to executive session. Um sorry. Uh motion to enter executive session to include Superintendent Newton for discussion concerning an attorney client privilege communication related to the board's legal responsibilities under the sale co-op appro uh in we second. All those in favor say I. >> I abstain. Uh we are