001Welcome everybody. This is the MSAD board of directors meeting for Thursday, October 9th. Um, welcome everyone. We have um our student reps had activities tonight, so they are able to join us, but it's wonderful to see a bunch of students in front of me. I always love to kick off a meeting with some um student highlights and I'm gonna ask principal Carl Francis to come introduce the ghs magicals. [Music] You can see that they're a welloiled machine. Um, I am really honored to introduce to you uh the Gley High School magical singers. Um, they are an auditioned honors ensemble that I'm really proud of. Uh, you know, when I have time to to listen, it's really a highlight of my job. And it's it's they're dedicated kids that work really hard and it's blatantly obvious
002to me that they love singing and performing. So I am very honored to present to you the Gley High School Magical Singers. Oh, say can you see by the dawn early [Music] stars through fight for the [Music] gall [Music] [Applause] [Music] through the night that our flag was still there. [Music] Oh, say does that star spangle [Music] the land of the free How great [Music] and the love. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Woohoo. [Applause] [Music] started meeting that way. >> That was incredible. Um, what talent we have here. Um, I'm so grateful. Thank you. >> I forgot to introduce >> Yes, please. the uh director uh Sarah Bailey who's been working really hard on this and she is an amazing educator that we all should be very proud of. I know I am. Thank you so much.
003>> Thanks Mr. Francis. Am I using this mic for the live stream? This one. Okay. Um so thank you so much for having us tonight. Um Mr. Francis asked if we could perform something and then give you a few talking points about why these students love the performing arts and music specifically. Um, one thing I forgot to mention in our talking points is that they did just perform this arrangement of the national anthem at the Sea Dogs about a month ago. They generally kick off their year by performing at a Sea Dogs game and it is like really soon after school starts. In fact, this year we had a retreat and school had not even started and they performed at the Sea Dogs. So, I'm very proud of them for doing that. Um, and also
004I just want to say that it's lovely to be back in my old classroom. This was my classroom for 10 years. Um, so I gave them a prompt after we knew we were coming here tonight and I asked them to just freewrite and then we kind of organized all of that into some talking points for tonight. So my prompt was, "What do you want to tell the school board about your experience in ensemble music and why it's important?" And their answers to that are going to revolve around welcoming environment, academic achievement, brain science, confidence, and community. So each of them, each of these singers is going to share a little more with you. >> Hi, I'm Evie Reker and I'm a junior. Um, and I'm going to talk about how music is a place of
005belonging. Entering the performing arts wing creates a feeling of welcoming and belonging. We're all coming together to do something we love and care about. So, it creates a sense of connection and community. Because ensembles are open to all grades, it connects a diverse group of people that we wouldn't have classes with otherwise. We have a dedicated music department that works hard to make us make us have a safe space. Ensemble singing also helps students build confidence and feel less nervous around their peers. Music is a true equalizer in our schools. In choir, students set aside the stresses of a high school and focus only on singing together, creating a sense of harmony and belonging that stands on its own value. >> Hi, I'm That's loud. I'm Charlie Divine. I'm a senior and I'll be talking
006about the uh academic benefits. So a uh journal of educational psychology study of over 112,000 students including participants from British Columbia, Maine and New York found that high schoolers heavily involved in chorus or band which means they are involved in over two choirs or play over, you know, more than one instrument. They found that these students averaged an 11 to 13% higher grade point averages than non-participants in music with an average of a 3.95 for heavily involved students compared to a 3.7 average for students involved as music but just not as much and an average of 2.94 GPA for those who didn't participate in any music program. Researchers noted that students who commit to chorus develop stronger focus, confidence, and academic habits. After joining the Madreal Singers, I saw my own GPA increase by 18%
007in just one school year. A change that showed me how much focus and discipline music brought into my life. Hello, I am Tase Boo and um I'm a sophomore and I have brain science. Um, music lights up almost every part of your brain, making it one of the most brain interactive activities. Participating in the most in music engages more of the brain than any other so-called core subjects like math, English, and science. Music feels different because it triggers the part of our brain that that are related to emotion as well as releasing dopamine. Thank you. Hello, my name is Ella Purcell and I'll be sharing some Gley specific statistics. 79% of GHS singers were accepted to our district level honors festival in school year 24 to 25. 26% of GHS singers were accepted to all
008state chorus in school year 24 to 25. GHS consistently has singers accepted to all eastern festivals and ghs musicians participate in an average of 20 performances a year including community outreach here in town and high-profile events such as Victorian Nutcracker um Christmas with Kennerly and concerts with Spencer and the Walrus and Julia Gagnen. Chorus members have rebounded to prepandemic levels largely due to the success and quality of our program and strong outri out outreach/enrollment effort between GMS and ghs. My name is Ren Morgan. I'm a sophomore at Gley and I'm going to be reading a quote from our friend Grady who could not be here today. Every day walking into the Gley Center for the Arts immediately flips my brain from school mode to performance mode. Music is my biggest joy in life and it's
009what I hope to do with life. So to get so to experience the seriousness and intention of the music facility and all of our music department truly does help me with what I plan for my future. Our job as musicians and actors are taken so seriously and that is the most encouraging and uplifting experience ever. I truly could not ask for a better and more dedicated music department and environment as it really does influence my life in the best way possible and in every way that school aspires to give. Thank you. >> Really appreciate you all coming out this evening. I know everyone uh you're very involved in many things and to take time out to be at the board meeting. It's just so important to us and the fact that the connection with the
010performing arts center and to have that as a home for this be beautiful music is like we're just so grateful. So thank you. >> Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome to say that. [Music] [Applause] [Music] >> Oh, what a nice way to to kick off the evening. Um, all right. Now we have to move on. Um, can I have a motion to approve the minutes of the September 25th, 2025 meeting, please? So move. >> Thank you, Anukica. Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Sarah. Any questions or comments about the board meeting minutes? >> Great. All in favor? Great. It's unanimous. Wonderful. Um, so we're going to move on to public comment. I know I caught a few of you earlier um who wanted to sign up. Did anyone who's joined also want
011to um sign up for public comment? No. Okay, great. Um, so the board welcomes and recognizes the value of public comment. To ensure public comment is fair and orderly, we follow procedures outlined in board policy BEDH, which I also believe this policy is on tonight's agenda, so we get to discuss this. We ask that all members of the public um follow this as well. We follow this policy to keep the meeting civil, respectful, and productive. We also hope that this allows for all community members who like to speak to be heard. I just wanted to mention that public comment is one of many ways to connect with the school board. While the format of public comment at schoolboard meetings does not provide the back and forth um with schoolboard members, we offer many other options
012to do so. So, if you ever have any questions or concerns about the school dis school or district, please don't hesitate to reach out to any of us directly or all of us. We are grateful for the questions and appreciate the opportunity to dig deeper into the concerns raised. All of us have schoolboard email addresses that are available on the district website and we want to let the community know that we welcome um are your you to reach out at any time um for public comment tonight. Um I'm going to go from the sign up list um and we ask that when I call your name if you use the podium and try to speak in to the microphone as best as you can. Um, and we do have a time limit to 3 minutes
013and there'll be a timer up on the clock. When you hear the buzzer go off, just try to try to wrap up. I don't I don't have a gavvel up here as you can see. So, I won't be using it. I don't have one. Um, so please state your name and town of residence before beginning your remarks. And lastly, please keep comments respectful and civil. Um, and please direct comments at myself uh and not about any individuals in our schools or community. So, thank you for anybody who signed up. And I will start with K. Is it Cara Foster? >> K. Fowler. Thank you. I know you introduced earlier K Fowler. Thank you. >> I'm K. Blanchard Fowler. I'm 14th generation Blanchard in Cumberland and sixth generation Blanchard at Spring Brook Farm on Gley Road.
014So >> that's incredible. >> I'm here. >> In the center of Cland for 150 years in the shadow of a staple was Arthur Blanchard, a third generation farmer at Broadmore Farm. spread out down Main Street under Gley Institute, Geiger Gym, Gley High School, the ball fields, Mabel High, and the Elman in the middle school. And then down Tuttle Road all the way to Drown Road School on both sides was Broadmore Farm. Apple trees lined these fields and Jersey cows wandered around in the pastures. People came on buses to visit the orchard and to return home with a sweet taste of Broadmore apples. Traffic stopped to allow cows to cross the street at Tuttle Road from the barn to the pastures. Local kids walked home from school and stopped to buy their apples or to work
015at that first job at after school. picking drops and buying apples for a penny for their apple a day. Gone now are the Jersey cows in the apple trees, but lingering still are the memories of Broadmore Farm and Arthur Blanchard in Cumberland. For these reasons, I would like to suggest that we name the new school either the Blanchard School or Broadmore School. Thank you. >> Thank you. And I know you shared a beautiful picture with me earlier. Yes, I do. You mind sharing that? >> This is a picture and the picture is was given to me by AA Blanchard one time. It is a picture of his Jersey cows in the Moore in the in the Broadmore. It's behind on Tuttle Road. It's behind the fire station and going down Tuttle Road toward Drown Road.
016So, if you'd like >> Yeah. Do you I love hearing this history of our community. So, thank you. >> Thank you for sharing. >> Appreciate that. So cool. Michael Sweat. Thank you. Good evening, Michael Sweat from North Yarmouth, but I'm here tonight on behalf of the Cumberland North Yarmouth Taxpayer Advisory. uh thank you for allowing us to engage in your meeting and again every time I speak here I want to make sure I thank you for your service. Our goal of the taxpayers uh advisory group is to support elected leaders in both the towns in MSAD51 to to encourage governing that is effective ethical and fair working collaboratively to foster healthy communities while keeping residents informed and engaged with their local government. We're all taxpayers and we have several of our members here tonight. So
017why are we here tonight? We're here because the taxpayer advisory group supports the implementation of a tax levy cap for both Cumberland and North Yarmouth to include MSAD51. We're proposing and we've done this to Cumberland Council and to the Select Board in North Yarmouth. We're proposing tonight that annual tax increases be limited to the higher of 2% or the rate of inflation. You may ask why is it needed? We've identified six reasons that we'll share with you tonight. The first is that tax increases far outpace inflation in our communities. Over the past four years, tax increases, particularly on the school side, have averaged 7.7 annually, nearly two and a half times the rate of inflation. In that time, school spending grew by 34%, adding over 14.5 million in new spending to the budget. And we've
018said this before, this trajectory is financially unsustainable. 34% over the past four years. Number two, voter rejection. North Yarmouth rejected both the new school and the school budget this year. Cumberland barely passed by 49 votes. Both of these run low voter turnout. Number three, there's an uncertainty around future costs. The tax impact of the $54 million locally funded school bond remains unknown. We expect the impact will be significant. Further additional capital expenses are planned in North Yarmouth for new fire equipment. Number four, there's a disconnect between inflation and tax increases. Inflation in CPI for 2026 is projected at 3.0%. Cumberland rose 8.3 in taxes this year. North AR 4.6. Both well above the rate of inflation. Revaluations are worsening affordability for residents, young, old, seniors, uh, new families. And number six, there's uncertainty in state
019support. Revenue sharing and the school funding formula are unpredictable, adding further instability to local budgets. Tax levy caps are proven solutions. Main policy institute supports tax levy caps and advocates for their implementation statewide. 36 states currently have them and eight more are considering them in 2025. So in closing to remind you we are proposing to you tonight that annual tax increases be limited to the higher of 2% or the rate of inflation. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> David Mclofflin. I put my name down, but I really don't have a lot to add to it. But, you know, I've been here for a while and Mike asked if I'd like to speak and I said, "Sure." Uh, and I just give you a little bit of perspective on it. Um,
020I think if we put this tax cap out to a survey or to a petition in the community, I think the vote would be overwhelming to do it. Uh I did the research on the 36 states and there's eight more states that's looking to put it on the ballot. Main policy institute advocated for it. It seems to be a tool that I think it's going to be a great tool for the school because first of all it's going to send a message to the community. I don't need to speak a lot about the seniors and the financial pressures that are on them. you hear from us, but we haven't lost sight of the young families in the community, too. None of us are advocating for shifted tax burdens. We think it needs to go down
021across the board. Um the tax cap, I think if you go to it, you you we you're at 9.7% in 2024. That's what your increase was over the prior year for expenses. It's gone up every year. You can't, Mike mentioned it, you can't sustain that. If you go to the cap, you're going to be down at 2%. Well, you got to go from here down to here. But that doesn't require cost cutting. You just got to slow down the pace. I think if you don't do it, I don't think you're going to get the operating budget approved next year. But I think if you start now, you do that, you buy into it, you start the budgeting process tomorrow, not in a year. You start it today because you need to get strategic. Now, part
022of that is outside the budget process. For me, I think our communities need the growth management strategy to stop it, you know, so this stuff doesn't keep flowing in, although enrollment's not up big time, but that's part of the process. But at the end of the day, the other thing too in closing is I had a comment made to me the other day about, you know, be a little careful on cutting the cost back on the school. And I'm going, "No, no, no, no. If you cut back or we really become costefficient, what you're going to assure is you're going to guarantee you're going to have more dollars to put into the classroom and pay the teachers." And I think with all the pressures that going to be facing us even at the state level,
023the better positioned we are from a cost management perspective, the better off we are moving forward. We haven't had to be as costconscious in the past because everything would line up. Inflation would line up. That's not the case anymore. So we have to look at things differently. So I think if you take a hard look at this tax cap, think about it seriously, I think it's going to be it's going to benefit the school a lot. So and by the way, if you hold a workshop, which I would encourage, extend it, invite people like our group into it. We can give you a lot of ideas. We bounce around the table on, well, if you got to go from 97 down to two, how do you do it? We've got a lot of thoughts we
024think would would help out and we just want to help. Oh, I'm way past. Sorry about that. >> You're not way past. Thank you, David. Appreciate it. >> Shirley Story King, >> I thought of something driving here. It's a much lighter note. Um today the district shared on social media the awarding of a genius award to fellow Gley student Nabun Dupta or NAB as we knew him when he was here and I just wanted to share a little anecdote in our very very busy word world of my first encounter with the descupa family and it wasn't first when I had Nab and Priya in class I taught both of them and they were incred incredible humans. But my first encounter was with their mom. She's an immigrant from India. And she was at the Felmouth
025Book Review buying books. And she walked out with maybe eight brown paper bags full of books. And so I had I struck up a conversation with her before even knowing knowing where she lived. she and found out, you know, she lived in Cumberland and their family had just moved here and I inquired about all the books and she had been given recommended reading lists for her children and she went and bought every single book on that recommended reading list. Now, both Nab and Priya went through school before we really had laptops or anything, but I just wanted to, as a former language arts teacher, put in that plug for reading, reading, reading, reading, not screen reading, not um not audiobooks, but immersive reading where you're in connection with the book. and hope that you as
026a board, especially as you think about preschool and all of the things coming with your early learners, just books, books, books. >> Thank you for sharing that. Appreciate that. >> Great. Okay. Well, thank everyone for coming out um and sharing your thoughts and stories tonight. Um and we got your hand out. Thank you. All right. agenda. Okay. Presentations. We get to hear about the summer facilities recap from Scott Pulman. Second here. There it is. Okay. Good evening everyone. Um it's the time of year where we go through all the summer projects that we did in all of the buildings and uh uh this year um was no different than most about six to seven weeks to accomplish all these projects and be ready for the opening of school students and staff. Um so I'll start
027with at Mabel Eai Wilson School. Um a lot of tile work and a lot of paint work was done at Mabel Eye Wilson School over the course of the summer. And while this looks very nice right now with some of the tile and other things, imagine the whole building with concrete floors being ground and prep being done and painting being done and then all new tile put down. Looks uh drastically different now than it did uh back in July and August. So, some of the other pictures uh at Maple Eye Wilson School in the music area and uh up as you're heading up towards um uh you know the uh second floor area. Uh you can see the new tile and all the new paint. Um the building actually looks very very nice now and
028uh long overdue just general maintenance that's been deferred over the years. MIW as well. You can see the new maroon paint and the paint on the walls and uh all of the new tile. Again, um there was just areas that were replaced in this area, but it was more the painting and uh uh Jeff's favorite color, maroon throughout the building. So, uh maroon and white. Uh we also had other projects in the district this summer where we did a lot of um areas of security placing more cameras around the district and outside of MIW. One of the areas where we had a blind spot was outside the parent and library entrance. So we had added a camera there. We also uh did some camera systems around the area which is the Tuttle Road parking lot
029area which is the side of the building uh to add some cameras there for security and then uh also did some oh excuse me let me go back also did some areas around you know the K-wing uh the back of the district office where we have the modular sitting there there's a camera now into that parking lot and also the backside corner of the gym and the basketball area which oversees out towards playground. So, we now have camera systems that uh will help law enforcement, will help administrators um and uh uh and create a much more secure environment for staff and students at the middle school. Um again, this year it was a heavy modular year at the middle school. Um we've been dealing with modulars, I think it's 10 years now, um across the
030district. And we replaced uh three of the older modulars which uh could no longer get air handling unit parts. Uh the air quality was not appropriate and optimal for teaching and learning. And so uh with all those pieces in place we could took care of the very old modulars took them out and replace three of them. And then due to enrollment we had to add a fourth modular there. So there's now fours representing eight classrooms. There were a lot of ramps that had to be built this summer. Uh there was technology that had to be included uh you know uh security alarms uh you know internet access uh you know phone systems um so while you might and also site work had to be done to be able to put the modulars in place. So,
031while they look like they're something you might just haul in there and uh you know, leave in place, there's a lot of sight work and a lot of things that follow. Um lots of technology that had to be brought out into the buildings. Everything from whiteboards to camera systems to um uh you know, the phone systems and intercom. So, thank you to Dirk and his crew for um accomplishing that. And you can see the ramps and uh one of the pictures there is to keep the mud and dirt from coming off the playground. down in the other areas. We actually built grates into the ramps so that the dirt would pass through and go down to the ground thereby keeping the a little more clean. So, uh so that was one of the major things.
032And these were brand new modulars that were uh built and brought out this year. So, we have a two-year lease on these. So, the year that we open uh the new school, the lease expires on the unintelligs and they'll be taken out. Uh there was some other things that we do throughout the summer. Um we had several areas of mold remediation in the building from um uh areas that had moisture and um just aging plumbing fixtures, etc. So we had to do some mold remediation and uh cleaning in areas. And when we do that, we also come through. You'll see in the right hand picture, you'll see if you can barely see it from here, but there's a stand with an air hand with an air sampling unit on it. So we not only clean,
033we sample beforehand and we sample afterwards to make sure that the room is clear and that the air quality is appropriate. So another area is all of our e-waste or our electronic waste in the district. Everything has to be inventoried. There has to be um you know delivery receipts. There has to be uh you know all kinds of things involved with this. You can't just take them up to the you know place and have them recycled. You're we're responsible for them. So, we have to have actually receipts for where they've gone, where they've been delivered to. Um, and there's quite a process to this. So, uh, so you can see there's some of the old units that didn't work anymore, some of the old supplies and some of the old equipment. Um, our technology, uh,
034department does a great job in taking the old items, saving all the parts, and utilizing them to keep our laptops and our equipment and our switches going as long as we possibly can and extend the life on those. So, but at some point you have to get rid of that electronic waste and and recycle it. Uh at Gley Middle School, again, there were some cameras added there. Um out by the kitchen dumpster area, which is as you're heading out towards the retention pond around the the back side of the building, back door in the ramp. Uh the music hall area was an area that was um you know, a blind spot in there and both end of the hallway wings and the stairwells. So, we did some uh camera uh upgrade or some uh camera
035upgrades across the district in many areas. Uh this is something that's been on our list for a while and we were able to do that this summer and get it done. Uh again, uh more security in the buildings, eyes on so we're able to uh you know ensure uh better security for our students and staff. Uh we also did in technology there was some network core replacements that happened and um you know which helped with our internet. Uh we had some switches that were failing and um you know um our network was having some issues and problems and it had to do with much of our core switches and stuff. So we've made the upgrades in that area as well. And this is the closet at the middle school I believe. Durk. >> There you
036go. Okay. All right. out in front of the institute building. Um there was a tree that you can see where the picnic table is and right behind in that first picture and right behind it was an area where there was a tree that was there. The tree was dying so we had to have it removed and there is what doesn't show in the picture here is there's some trim boards up above that towards the second floor which we're going to have to replace this spring and have taken care of this spring or summer. Uh in the right hand picture you'll find that we were able to replace some trim boards and do some repairs to the front of the institute and repaint that first floor of the institute area. Uh you know that's like um
037the brand of Gley. You drive down Main Street and you see the face of the institute and we really want to preserve that and take care of that. So um uh but the final thing that we'll need to do and we ran out of time this summer is the bell tower itself. And the bell actually works still. Uh so everybody knows um the bell tower um has lead paint. Um so we had started to do that tested found that we had um more lead paint that we had to remove. So we stopped because we were right up against the school year. And we're going to wait and do that either this coming summer or in the fall maybe when there's a break I mean in the spring when there's a break in school maybe in
038the April break or something of that nature. So and we'll have the bell tower done at that time. at Gley High School. Incredible amount of work that was done there this summer. Uh new tile up and down the math and the science wings. Uh the main hallway and the ramp. Um many, many areas that were done. Um we had a lot of the tile that was deteriorating. A lot of it um you know was in poor shape underneath it. We had some contamination we had to deal with. uh there were areas out in front of bathrooms and so forth that um you know smelled. So we had to remove those and take care of all that. And that was some of the expanded project that we had to do this summer due to uh some
039of the deterioration and some of the um odors and so forth from the tile. So that was a math and science wing areas and up and down the hallways. Uh also lots of paint work done there as well. We had a crew of painters across the district this summer in each of the buildings ensuring that and working with the administrators to ensure that the areas uh were, you know, cleaned up, repainted, and um we need to care for the facility. So, we want to make sure that we do that every summer. Um and now that we've caught up on it, um you know, it'll now just be a maintenance item as we go through every year. So, uh outside out by the turf field, um the actual fieldhouse building was repainted and the Gley uh
040rangers redone on that and um that was done by the the uh same crew that we had painting the interior of the buildings. But that was another project that we did uh this summer as well. Okay. All of that in six to seven weeks on top of the one campus project in which the upper leftand corner is the uh is the foundation that's gone in for Mabel Wilson School for the addition there. You can see the turf field project that took place this summer as well. Uh there's also a picture of the maintenance building in the in one of the middle circles on the bottom and then the footings in place for the new school over um you know for the new primary school over on the uh uh the Wyatt property and in that
041area. Um so we not only had all these summer projects going on and capital projects there, we had our major project, the one campus uh project going on that we were uh overseeing this summer as well. So, with that, one of the things I'd like to say is none of this can happen without the good vendors that we have. Um, our vendors are amazing uh in the district and the contractors that we use. Um, one of them that was is always been amazing to work with is Story Brothers, whether it's snow removal, extra snow removal in the summer or whether they're helping us with the site work for the modulars, um, uh, drainage ditches, plumbing ditches, whatever we need, they were always there. Um, so they've been amazing to work with. They also were one
042of the subcontractors um on the maintenance building as well. So, uh RW Guggans for electricity. Um we had a problem with the modulars. Uh this particular summer we found out that the building couldn't feed the modulars, so we had to put a new transformer in and they were right there to help us and work with us. And so all of these vendors are just there for us when we need them. Box Modular uh is basically Scavi, that's the modular company who ensured that the modulars were here. they were on site. They got them in place and uh uh followed up and ensured those were ready to go. Dotan's construction tile painting uh construction work and repairs to our facilities. They've been amazing to work with as well. Um and they gear up every summer to
043work in our district. I think Windom, some of the other districts they work in. Uh Northeast Test Consultants helps with all of our abatement, our air quality. Um and many of these companies are right local or people live here in the community. Minute man security and technologies does internet cameras um and our um security systems. Triank welding and fabrication uh works on the ramps and and does the railings for those connectivity point a lot of our networking interstate fire protection. We found that when we first brought these modulars in, there was a change in the law at the and at the fire dep or in the codes at the fire department's at the fire marshall's office that all of those modulars had to be sprinklered. And so we had to pull all that sprinkling off
044during the summer as well and build a pump station for the sprinklers at the same time in order to have space for students. Um and finally, um as far as all the summer projects are concerned, I want to thank Don Foster and the facility staff. They've done an incredible job. And to um Dirk Vancurin and his technology staff for everything that's pulled off every summer here. We really appreciate it. And the one campus contractors, we know that Benchmark is doing the uh maintenance building. Uh R.J. Grandon and Suns was doing the site work for the work to the turf field. Uh Great Falls Construction um is doing the uh addition to May Wilson School and the new construction on the primary school. and Geo Surfaces. Um, a tent gate company uh is responsible for the
045uh actual turf and installation of the turf field itself. So, uh so all of these vendors um um we appreciate everything they did for us this summer and everywhere that we're going at this point. There's a lot here and it wouldn't happen without these without these contractors. So, that is it. Thank you very much. Any questions? >> Thank you. No, no, >> first of all, great work. Uh, as the sole school board member who visited all of the schools last year, I took note of what I will call some shabby tile that somebody pointed out to me was 30, 20 plus, 30 years old. Uh, so it's pretty incredible to to see it looking brand new and I look forward to touring the school again and uh appreciate you guys taking care of our buildings.
046Um, I had a question about the cameras. Are we Do we have all the cameras we need now for Centix? Is it I know we were lacking some outdoor cameras that we needed for our security system to to match with with Centix. So, I'm just wondering, do we have all all that we need? Do we need to install more? Are we are we ready to go? >> I think we installed much of what we needed, but I think the pieces that are still waiting is the exterior intercom systems. Okay. Okay. I think at the speaker systems and intercom systems on the exterior of the building. I think that's what we're we're working on now. >> Okay. Cool. >> Thank you. >> We you did get an award for that, right? Go. >> I did. It's
047on my fridge. >> I just I have a question. How do we um I'm not on facilities so I can't answer this question. How do we make plans for our summer work? Like what what is our process? Do we um come together in committee and make a list? Is it something where does that what's that process? >> So, we have a 10-year plan and we have all of these items listed on our 10-year plan and we have shared that in facilities before and uh discussed them and actually if you look during the budget process, you'll see that we pull from that plan and actually during our budget process, we actually put that up and say here are the summer here are the summer projects and the work that needs to be done in the district.
048So, and then what we try to do is the things that we weren't able to maybe get to this year that are, you know, that where there just wasn't enough funding available, then that just keeps rolling, right? We keep trying to update that that 10-year plan. So, so we do have a plan in place and it's actually helped us acquire some of the other funding that we need in the district as well. >> Yeah, I know. I know you chase those pieces down. I I appreciate that. So, well, I just am um >> just interested in the process and looking forward to the opportunity of facilities and finance really working together more so more regularly. Um it's been really helpful for me to jump into a couple of facilities meetings to understand the pieces and
049parts as we're putting things together. I I think the other thing that'll be very helpful too is once we're done with the modulars, now you're not continuing to spend money on temporary space. And then now you can look at what are the things that you're going to start picking off on your facilities and really have a um an ongoing capital plan that you can stay up with and fund over time and and continue to put money into your capital reserve account. The problem is that we've just been chasing space for so long that that plan gets you know is hard to adhere to. Um so much like um you know our our bus replacements and our vehicle replacements and all of those is um uh we've just been chasing space for so long. And so
050in our plan that I'm haven't seen, do we have um a way to kind of prioritize so that we have regular maintenance, but we also have ways to prioritize um especially in considering funding and difficult years ahead. >> Yeah, we've actually had those conversations in the committee. So >> Okay. >> Yeah. Um, so I think it's tough since last year was my first year chairing that and we >> most of our focus was on the building itself. Um, I know the prior year um we I know like we did our first like facilities walk over the summer and it felt like we had a much more like a better grasp on the normal rhythm during that summer those summer projects and what was happening. I think the the school project definitely was the facilities like
051uh committee's main focus. So, our first few meetings this year, it's really been a shift, an intentional shift to updating that plan, agreeing to priorities of what we're going to focus on, trying to figure out the right balance of oversight without handcuffing the administration of like, oh no, we're going to paint this like they don't have to check for like small things with us. So what's the what's the proper process to make sure that they can do what they need to do while also informing us. So a lot of this first few facilities meetings will be around agreeing to that and then executing. Um but I do I do think that we do a pretty good job of kind of oneoff notifications of when things are happening. But I have felt personally kind of like
052I need to get a control of just like what's happening and what time and when to expect it. Um and so I think that's something as a committee we're working on right now. So you can be so it's not just within our committee but it's everyone kind of understands what's happening across our campus. >> The chilla. >> It will be nice to have a normal rhythm in a few years. >> It will. Yeah. The um Yeah. And the 10-year plans on a spreadsheet. It's, you know, we can bring it to the committee and and go through that fairly easily and >> can Yeah, I was going to say, >> sure, we can bring it to both. Yeah. And we actually just started updating it again. So, >> great. Great. >> So, we'll be able to
053share that with everybody. So, we do have a plan. >> Thank you. >> And to move that forward. Um, so yeah. So, >> yeah. And I did I was just looking at the calendar because I was like, I think we actually scheduled like an actual like joint in January 30th, I think, is what I saw. >> John, did you Oh, no. You're good. >> Can I head in a green? >> Okay. one thing and Sarah, it's my third year on facilities and I will say that since I've been on the committee, there's been this list that has been in existence of all the stuff that's rolled forward from years that hopefully you get to, but it depends on the dollars and the time. >> So, not a lot of surprises. and that list um in
054years past we've walked through with the building administrators who have said here's here's really what's happening like now it's leaking into these classrooms the roof at Mayai for instance now there's a huge ice puddle um at gley middle the ramp that was that leads towards the um the music rooms or the old music rooms um and so most of the things on the list are not a surprise they've just sort of like slowly made their way up as funding and time and ability presents itself. >> Yeah. >> One of the things that the board has done very well and the community has done very well is setting those capital funds aside every year. We take those funds, you know, from our district at our district budget meeting um get the voters approval on those funds
055and move those forward to be able to take care of our buildings and do these. So, so the board and the community have done very well with that and it and it shows when you go in our facilities now. So, Yeah, I think at one of our first meetings after school started, the students were saying how nice the high school looked and >> everyone was there was saying how appreciative >> from the student perspective. >> All right, moving to items for action. Um, our first is our annual approval of the district emergency plan. Can I have a motion to approve the MSAD51 emergency plan as presented? >> So moved. Thank you, Megan. Can I get a second? >> Second. >> And I love that it's our like safety committee. Nice work, guys. It's like you
056planned that. All right. Can you just remind us what um >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> This is an annual approval from the board of directors of our emergency management um operations plan. This plan has been completely overhauled within the last two years by the safety and security committee. This is obviously a very confidential plan. Is not released to the public. Um so what you have in front of you is just the public facing page that is in the emergency operations plan which just outlines the purpose of this plan. This is a digitalized plan that is locked down and provided to only 25 people in our district that have full access to it including our SRO's um police department etc. um in the event of a an emergency and fire department. So um that is what
057you have as the summary. Um board members do have the right to or have the opportunity to access the plan um for a limited time digitally by contacting Melissa Porter who has um oversight over the plan and make sure that it's secure. So this is uh just this is required by state law. That's why it's in front of you. >> Great. Thank you. Any questions? Okay. All in favor? Great. unanimous. Okay. And now we'll move uh put a motion. >> Oh, you want to read it? >> I will. >> That's my thing. It's a word. >> Okay. I move that the resolution entitled resolution to authorize lease purchase of technology equipment in the principal amount of 23 $236,297 be adopted in form presented to this meeting. >> Thank you, Kim. Can I get a second?
058>> Second. >> Thank you, Jesse. All right. Do we want to just give a little overview of this again? I mean, I know you all read through the uh full resolution, right? >> I memorized it. I don't know. But I But I don't get a reward. Jesse gets a reward. >> It's all there. But yes, um Scott, do you want me to go ahead and present that? >> Sure. >> Okay. Uh I apologize. I had it. And there we go. Okay. So essentially uh the district purchases laptops for our students um each year and this year uh in not to exceed the amount of $236,297 by uh structuring it as a lease purchase. It saves the district money. we are able to um spread it out. Um sometimes then in a year where we have
059um a cost center that came in under we are then sometimes able to pay it uh pay off the lease purchase ahead of time and save money that way. Uh so you have all uh 12 pieces of that resolution showing that it is in compliance with main state law for school districts. We do it often. Do we do it every year? >> Yeah, we do. It's a it's a financial tool which allows us to get the equipment uh during the summer and uh and order it and get it in >> and then we can enter into a lease purchase if we want to or we don't have to. But you have to enter into this resolution within 60 days of actually paying >> for the equipment. And uh what we do is we rather than
060pay interest, okay, on something, we wait until we get towards the end of the fiscal year, see if we have funds available at the end of the fiscal year and then we don't have to enter into that lease purchase and then carry that payment to the next year and the next year and the next year over a three-year period and pay interest on it. So, so it's really a financial tool like you say that we've used a number of times and um uh and it's worked well for us. So, yeah. Any questions? Jesse, >> I got a question for you. So, we're just under the amount where we would have to put this out for competitive bid, right? At two 250. >> Uh, that's for building project. >> Oh, that's just for building. Okay. That's
061for >> still. It's a huge amount of money. Can you can you just I I signed all the warrants so I know who we're paying to do this and I looked them up, but can you just tell us who we're buying this from and why do we know that they're not, you know, taking us to the cleaners on these laptops? >> Um, Durk and I just talked about this just recently. So, um, what I'll start with is it isn't just laptops, okay? It's also the switches and things that we did for the network upgrade, which was a major piece of this. I mean, that was probably >> I apologize. I forgot to say. >> It's okay. I mean, it's it's it's all on here. It's um uh but it's um it's uh that was about
06280,000 of the total. So, just the network upgrades by themselves. And the reason why we know that we're getting the best price is much of this is purchased through the main uh laptop initiative, the MLTI program. So while we get reimbursed by the what's that >> Angus? >> There you go. So So while we get reimbursed for a good chunk of these laptops that we purchase, there are some that we have to buy. Uh in addition, I believe it's the second grade laptops every year that we buy that go in through the cycle and we buy those at the MLTI price. So, we aren't going to get a better price other than that MLTI price through the through the state and and so that's how we know that Jesse >> and then um you know
063and there's a lot of other pieces that we do through this uh uh you know some of the more some of the smaller items which have to do with some of the projectors and some of the other things. So, so yeah, we know we're doing the right price and we're getting a good price through the state of for the laptops. >> Great. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Yeah. Um, so just to confirm then this was a budgeted expense that Okay. Yeah. And >> we budgeted for the principal and the interest on a lease purchase. So So roughly $80,000 a year for three years is what we budgeted. Um, you know, 80 something,000 for this in our budget to get to that 240 230 something,000 number plus interest. Okay, it was a little over 80,000. So it's
064budgeted for that. Um, and so what we do is we buy the items, pay the full, you know, pay the full 230 uh,000, sit on that for the year, and if we have to enter into the lease purchase at the end of the year, we will, and then we make that first payment that we budgeted for. If not, if we have funds left in several other cost centers, the board every year at the end of the year will do transfers from cost centers and then we don't have to enter into the lease and thereby don't have to pay interest in principle in the next year. So, but it was a budgeted expense and all of these items were part of your budget. >> Okay, great. And anything different from past or other similar lease purchase
065agreements that we should be aware of? >> It's the same thing. >> Same thing. And then what we do is we'll go out to several institutions. Um, usually Andrew Scogginan has been our best bet. The town uses Andrew Scoggin as well u as far as I know and uh and they've always given us the best uh price on interest and we get a municipal rate on that and then it's also um if we're under a certain level it's a municipal tax exempt rate. So >> thank you. >> So every school I've ever worked with has done this and it's I think I don't know how you would do it otherwise. I think this makes the most amount of sense. Are I think I asked this last year and now I don't remember so I apologize.
066copers and other technology. Are those also on a similar lease? Like we I the schools that we've done this that I did this with, we'd have multiple leases at the same time, but like it's because we had >> different levels of students. Like high schoolers had one that can be released, right? So this is like when we think about the life cycle of every technology and how long these leases last. We just had a bunch of them. >> Can you give me kind of context in terms of like our lease scope? Like do we have multiple leases like this going? >> We've had multiple leases and how we try to plan them is that as >> one is paid off another one comes on. Right. So it we try to keep our budget flat in
067that area as flat as possible by as one comes off another comes on. There have been times as well that we paid them off early Tim. Okay. And we've been able to pay those early um so that we don't have to carry that principle and interest and payments into the next year which which helps us out in the next budget year. Right now, I believe there's one technology lease remaining. Um, and we do roll our photocopers in at time. Those are all part of a replacement schedule that we do as well because um technology um we had worked several number of years ago to use a product called paper cut and we got rid of all of most of our printers across the district and we went to printing to the photocopers because it's less
068expensive price per copy if you go through your photocopers than it is if you have you know toner and other things. So it was another cost reduction measure across the district. So, so right now there is one for there's one left for technology right now which um I think is a two-year lease at this moment. Um uh so that would be at and then we have um uh another another techn not a technology lease, another transportation lease on a school bus which is actually being reimbured by the state. So a chunk of that money. >> Any other questions? I will add that I was playing around with my company's chat GPT and I uh fed it the resolution and I said how would I explain this to someone who does not understand what a lease
069purchase is and the first thing it said was a lease purchase is the wise is a wise way for a district to save money and I'm so glad you asked >> is so positive so affirming yeah >> but uh yes I did as I read through it I realized It was pretty much actually what we've always said, you know, every year. So, I I didn't bring it with me. Um, but yes, it is it is absolutely a smart >> It makes perfect sense because you're expensing the item over its useful life. Right. >> Right. >> Makes sense. >> Great. Thank you. Great. Any other questions? >> Great. All in favor. >> Great. It's unanimous. Now we're going to move on to the superintendent report which will highlight the enrollment. Thank you. >> Superintendent report tonight
070at Mabel Eye Wilson School. Um the grand event is coming up. This is a very popular item. We have um grand parents and grand friends are invited to Mayai Wilson School. It's a huge event. Literally hundreds hundreds and hundreds of people attend this event. So that is upcoming. In fact, it's um so big they have a couple different times that they hold the event. Um save beachtown fifth graders at GMS45 are working together to save beach town from a hurricane. This is al all part of a project. They're considering seaw walls, levies, wetlands, and putting buildings up on stilts. Citizenship in four five as well. Fourth grade students enjoying enjoyed their walking trip to the Cumberland Town office to meet with the town officials and employees and learn about local government, civics, um what connects
071um to the October theme of citizenship. Fifth graders in Melissa Feice and Claire Harrington's classes learned about volume by creating cardboard creatures. Cardboard creatures are displayed now in the library at the middle school. Cardboard creatures GMS 68, uh, the spirit of learning extends far beyond the classroom, of course, was at the Cumberland Fair. And this student, sixth grade student, uh, was the grand champion um, and, uh, won an award for um, I'm not sure exactly what the award was, but obviously something to do with rabbits. GMS 68 7th grade Spanish students um were learning about monarchs. They have names, hopes, dreams. Um they made connections between the butterflies and the day of the dead beliefs and um from a history lesson from the Mexican um history as we begin reading a short fictional novel. I'm
072not going to try to pronounce those names. Gley High School senior sunrise breakfast. This is an annual event. seniors um get up early, come to school very early and watch the sunrise uh over the amphitheater and have food and socialize. Also, at the high school club fair, um this is an opportunity for students to actually uh visit other clubs. Uh they think they had three choices uh where they could visit um and do something different. this is through extended advisory um and just um get a taste of of all the offerings at the high school especially if they don't have opportunity or enough time to participate in those clubs themselves and recently uh actually today not recently today um was uh world uh mental health day and I think it's actually officially tomorrow but it
073was observed by the high school today uh the green bandana project um this is part of the Kyle cares club Kyle cares um is a club that's been around the high school for about three years now. Was started by students. It's one of the most popular clubs at the high school, perhaps the largest club at the high school at this point. Um and it's won um regional awards um for its membership and its drive. So, um, basically the green bandana project, students had green green bandanas tied to their backpacks and clothing, um, whatever worked today. Um, to increase awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. This is tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day. Um and so this was an opportunity for students and staff to um observe this awareness um and um and have the
074green bandanas all around the school. So it was a good very good project from Cal Cares superintendent notebook. I won't go through this too much. Scott already reviewed this, but um progress made on obviously the MIW addition and the new school um the footings and um a couple of sections of the new school now have been um placed and uh we'll be seeing a lot more concrete in in the next few weeks from Great Falls. The MIW staff tomorrow um has been invited up to take a tour of the site with Great Falls. So, they'll be doing that tomorrow. Tomorrow is a professional development day, so they'll be spending a few minutes at the end of the day um taking a a tour of the site. Superintendent's notebook. Um I just wanted to make you
075aware that Maine has had a um multi-year program called Maine loves its public schools. Schools are invited uh districts are invited to participate in this. And um I'm this report is shared out. There's links in this report uh that people can go to and actually read the stories um that we have submitted here from MSAD51. Um and recently we've submitted for uh different stories that have been picked up by the main department of education and their uh campaign around Maine public schools or loves its public schools. So just wanted to make people aware and again the links are also going to be in the report and can be uh you can click on the entire article. Um that's something that we do participate in with other districts in Maine. And just a reminder that um
076name our school, we have a new school that will be completed in about 20 months and we um have a um a process by which people can submit their interest in a new school. Melissa Porter is the contact in um my office and she is handling all this along with the communications committee which Megan Lter is a member of that um that group as well. But the end of the month is the deadline. So far as of today we have four suggest four submissions um and we're looking for more. We also have a lot of students that are going to be or are involved um and will be uh submitting um their suggestions as well over the next couple of weeks. So hopefully the board will have a a robust number of suggestions. I also
077like um tonight to talk about the annual enrollment update. This is something I do annually. These are there's a lot of factors that go into looking at enrollment. Enrollment is a very important aspect and data point that we look at every single year. State of Maine requires that we pay attention to our enrollment for a very good reason. They provide funding for the number of students that we have. That funding formula is extremely extremely complex. Has a lot of weights that are attached to certain groups of students. Um and uh October 1st is our official enrollment date that we have to submit our numbers to the state of Maine so that they can use th those numbers for our subsidy. Um, so it's very important that we complete those reports and that they're incredibly accurate.
078Our new uh kindergarten class every year is obviously one of the most important data points that we use in predicting our enrollment going forward. Outgoing senior class size, another incredibly important point. Birth rates and trends, we do look at that. They're not always accurate, especially in our community, but I'll show you in a minute what we do with that. new housing starts and uh that's obviously development in both towns. New housing starts and development um is becoming an increasingly increasingly important factor over the last 10 years. It has been it has led to um the increase in population in our district. um by no stretch of the imagination that is absolutely the case. And each town has its own um policies and procedures and comprehensive plans and those plans directly impact what happens at the
079school. Um and our enrollment has been increasing. There's been a direct relationship, you know, between development and the increasing enrollment in the schools over the last decade in MSED 51. Rebecca Wandell, who has been our um enrollment specialist that we hired, the board has hired three different times to do enrollment numbers, has pointed this out on numerous occasions that there is a direct relationship here. Turnover housing sales is also another um important point. People move out of their homes and often young families will move into them. Private schools and charter schools, students obviously in the state of Maine have access to these. There are 10 charter schools in the state of Maine currently that are officially recognized by Maine and there's uh who knows how many private schools. We have students that attend both and
080those obviously um influence our enrollment numbers. Um homeschooling is a state law. Students may be homeschooled by their parents. Um and if that's the case, those numbers are also influential on our enrollment. Transfers in and out. Um, transfers in and out are just literally students moving in or out of our district on a regular basis. Um, which happens in every school district. Families do move. That's just the way life is. Superintendent agreements is an agreement between two school superintendent to accept a student or not accept a student. Um, and in Maine right now, both superintendents must agree to the uh for a student to be enrolled in a district other than the one they live in. Um, and if um they agree, then there is no appeal. If one of the superintendents does not agree
081with the other, um, the parent may appeal that decision to the state. The reputation of the district obviously weighs in on enrollment of any school district. and then the economy and the housing market. So those are all important factors that go into enrollment. Those are not new things. Rebecca Wendell, when she's given reports to the board over the years, has also talked about those things. So I want to talk about resident births for a minute. So, our our kindergarten classes for the last um three years have been on the lowest end of things compared to the last 10 years um of enrollment where we've been seeing increasingly large enrollment uh for for kindergarten classes. So, the arrow indicates um where our we're currently drawing in our kindergarten classes. So, we're at the tail end of
08220, you know, 1920 and we're still in that dip. Um, and this is again information that was provided by Rebecca Wandell in her last report. And you can see that those numbers were just kind of climbing out of those lower numbers where we've seen a dip. That corresponds with our kindergarten class. So, the last three kindergarten classes have lined right up with what was predicted and forecasted by Rebecca Wandelle in looking at those uh resident bursts. Now again resident bursts are not always an indication and over the last 10 years they've not always been a reliable predictor of there's not a direct correlation but we can see that it is a factor um and we are climbing out of this particular factor as we look our enrollment. So if this is accurate or giving us
083any indication um we're going to see our enrollment again start moving up in kindergarten in one year. um and in checking with the recreation department which does soccer registrations and the amount of students in our community that participate in soccer is um pretty pretty overwhelming I think um and is a good indicator reliable indicator in some respects or an indicator of kindergarten future kindergarten enrollment. My understanding is that the preschool enrollment in pres in soccer this season is up a lot, which means that we may be getting a large kindergarten class again next fall. Our prek uh 12 enrollment, again, the arrow is where we're at right now, 202526. As you can see, the enrollment um is going up incrementally, but not at a unusual pace. is just going up. And so, generally speaking, that's
084what was predicted by Rebecca Wandell. In grades preK through three, um after, you know, several years of enrollment going up, as you can see in the green, we're now where the arrow is, we've flattened out as predicted. Um at the prek through three in terms of our kindergarten classes coming in. So, it's showing a a small uptick there. um we are actually not at an uptick at prek through three right now. So again, these numbers were completed by Rebecca Wandell um and last completed back in 2023 is when the board last commissioned a exterior or external uh enrollment report. So that kind of shows you um generally where we are at 45. You'll see that um enrollment again was predicted. This is again from 2023. these charts from the last external report, you can see
085that the enrollment is going up and that you will see that is the case um and has been the case for the last um 3 years at four five. It's started to flatten out which again if you look at that arrow you're starting to see the flattening out there and then there'll be another increase if that's accurate according to this chart. for grade 68. Um you are seeing a you know in the green again that's historical really flat enrollments at 68 for over a decade and then since 2023 24 the enrollment has taken off and of course that mirrors what was going on at the elementary level for many years. Um and you'll see in just a moment that those numbers at 68 have absolutely uh aligned with this chart and those numbers are going
086to continue going up for several years. And at the high school um we are actually seeing a little bit different trend than what you see here. You're seeing kind of a continuous um flat trend at the high school um into the this year. We're actually seeing that the enrollment is going up at the high school level. We've bringing students in who are just students that are moving in in high school um which is um an interesting phenomenon and we've actually been seeing that at the middle school as well. Not necessarily all students that start with us in kindergarten are with us all the way through um or I should say kids don't always start with in kindergarten when they're in middle school and high school. Sometimes their families move into the district and we've been
087seeing more and more and more of that in recent years. So this this is actually a little bit off. I would say the trend is to go up and you'll see that in a moment. So current enrollment and I'm giving you the enrollment over a three-year period of time and I'm also giving you um projections from Rebecca Wandell when she did her projections last again in November of 2023. And then NASDAQ u which also does a an enrollment report annually for us. Um, this is from the fall of 2024 was the most recent one they did. They're working on the a current one for us right now. But as you can see in the bold, October 1st, 2025 is our actual counts. These are the numbers that will be certified to the state for subsidy
088purposes. So, preK3, we are down. We're down 56 students. Um, which is the one-year change in over a two-year period. Um, it's 63. Um, that's not an additional 63. That's just the the cumulative change. So at 674 this um October 1st we're at um 730 last year for certified enrollment and 737 uh the year before at 45 um we are more or less maintaining. We're at 374. We were at 375 last year and uh we're up from two years ago 361. So overall a one-year change of down one student but up 13 over two years. Grades 6 through 8 we're at 546 students. Um that is a uh were increased from a year ago which was 515 and uh a huge increase from two years ago 482. So a one-year change of 31 students up
089and up 64 students over two years. grades 9 to 12, um we are at 649. We were at 614 last year and we're at 611 the year before. So we're up 35 students over the last year and u 38 students over the two year over two years. So overall overall our district um is still an increase. It's just a much more modest increase this year of nine students and 52 students were up over a two-year average. Bless you. >> God bless you. Uh you can see that um if you look at the NASDAQ uh enrollment um projections for this year uh we were at is their enrollment projection. We're at 2243. So just about where NASDAQ thought we'd be. Um but Rebecca Wandelle again her numbers are a little bit more dated. Um she was
090predicting 2300 for this year and we're at 2243. Again, I think um taking in account um she was doing these numbers at the tail end of COVID. She was very clear with the board when she presented her last report that our community is difficult to forecast, especially post pandemic, but because we have so many other factors that I mentioned at the beginning um that you have to take into account. She told me that our our community is one of the more unique ones to predict and you just don't know from year to year. So she did her best and again these numbers are now um you know we're approaching two years uh old. So enrollment projections um this is just another way of looking at it for this year and next year if you're looking
091at the actual projections the maroon are my projections um and obviously I'm using actuals for 2526. Um those are the numbers that I just showed you. Um if you look in maroon yellow is NASDAQ and maroon is um I'm sorry blue is WEAL. So if you look at next year and I'm again using actuals um next year 635 for preK to 3 is what I'm predicting that again is predict you know without knowing kindergarten that is an assumption based on kindergarten. So I'm I'm using an assumption as a number. We don't know what our kindergarten class will be coming in. So if I'm assuming 160 students per class, 635, we come in with 200 students in kindergarten next year, which we've had many classes of that. Um, then that number obviously is going to jump
092up. So that's just based on what I know today and I'm predicting for 45 it will be up quite a bit from 374 to 396 based on actuals. 68, 546 uh to 554. So up a few students and at the high school um up a few students from 649 to 665 for next year. So overall next year I'm predicting that we'll go from 2243 to 2250. Again not really knowing our kindergarten enrollment. I think that's the wild card. Um if that turns out to be larger than I'm predicting then obviously those numbers are off. So, break this down a little bit um to give you more information about enrollment and where is our enrollment on some of these other areas for students who are homeschooled. Um we've seen a drop in the in the these
093numbers this year. Um we have five fewer students homeschooling. We had 69 last year. We have 64 this year. They have to register with the state and they have to um register with us. So, we those numbers are pretty accurate. We chase those numbers. Um we look at for families that may have not submitted and make sure our numbers are accurate. Charter schools um right now there are 21 students that we um have been made aware of. Um and again we work on making sure that we get all of the numbers from the charter schools um that are submitted. We had 30 students registered in charter schools last year in our district and we're at 21 right now. Um so down nine. Private schools. private schools do not are not required to submit their numbers
094uh to uh our to districts to school districts. So we have an arrangement where all the private schools that we are aware of that have our students um some submit those to us automatically and then we go ahead and collect those numbers and get those from private schools um as well. So most of those numbers are pretty accurate from year to year. Sometimes we'll get numbers after the I've done this report, but as of right now we have 85 students um registered who in a private school. So that's down 40 from last year. That may or may not be um the number that we end up with or it might be it might be a trend. Superintendent uh agreements in we have 32 students um that were accepted for this year uh into our district.
095That's up five. I also want to just point out that I had to decline many students um as I have in recent years. Um we look at grade levels, we look at class size, we look at where we might have capacity for a student to fit into a class and where we don't. Um this year I I declined a lot of students unfortunately who wanted to come here, but those are 32 that I was able to accept. And then superintendent agreements out, we had 11 students um which is down five students from a year ago. So the summary for this report this year is that the overall district enrollment increased for the 10th year in a row. Enrollment increases, of course, it was more modest this year than in recent years, but nonetheless still increasing.
096Enrollment increases are most pronounced now at the secondary level. Fewer students are being homeschooled or attending charter and private schools this year. Kindergarten enrollment came in lower than projected um this year. We watching that of course over the next year. overall elementary enrollment has flattened or declined in some places and we need to monitor the kindergarten enrollment as I mentioned earlier um to see if um the flattening of kindergarten or declining of kindergarten enrollment continues or is this something that where Rebecca Wandelle predicted that we would be going back up and having those larger bump classes and just to give you an idea 10 years ago we had classes that averaged around 130 students students in a in a grade level. Um we've had many years where we were at 190, 200, even over 200.
097Um and so we are seeing obviously fewer students right now coming into kindergarten. But again, um based on predictions, it's very possible we're going to go back up there. So I'd be really cautious. Um and I think a lot of it, you know, birth rates are one part of this. Uh but there certainly was predicted that birth rates from the 2019 prepandemic years there was a drop there and certainly we're seeing that there seems to be some sort of relationship there uh in those numbers. So >> great thank you. Um I'm sure there's questions. I think that um as you mentioned the classes with 180 200 students those are now working their way up through the middle school and that's part of the reason why we're seeing those increases and a lot of the maybe
098newer families to the district are also adding students in those >> in those grades. >> Yeah. I there's one thing I did not mention actually that reminded me is that um so 10 10 12 years ago we used to regularly have about 10% or of our students that would leave um the middle school and not continue in our district. So they would go to private schools, they go to charter schools, they would you know go somewhere else. Um and that was a very consistent number for the longest longest time. We're now seeing that below 5% as students are staying here and going to Gley High School after they finish 8th grade. That is and we've seen that since the pandemic. That has been a pandemic trend. Um that our students are not leaving us after
0998th grade and going to a private school. Um of course that shows with the private school numbers, but just outside of that that's a general trend that should be um noted as well as we're looking at these things. >> Great. Thanks. questions. >> Um, I know you mentioned that you had to turn down uh several more than several students to to do a superintendent exchange or whatever the proper name of that is. Um, were there any that were not allowed to leave the district for any other reason or were all those approved? No, we gener I mean the only reason reason I wouldn't allow a student to leave is if I've talked to a superintendent who said I can't accept the student. And so we generally try to agree on those agreements if it makes
100sense. The the baseline for superintendent agreements is is it in the best interest of the student? That is the state law. And so as a superintendent with another superintendent, we have to ask that question. Is this in the best interest of the student or is it not? And that's the answer. That's a question we're answering. >> So, I can't think of >> I'm just not thinking of any student at the top of my head where an agreement wasn't made on a student going out. >> Uh Jeff, could you go back to the slide showing um preK through three and four, five? I think it was um >> Oh, yeah. Uh, no. Back or forward to >> the three col the ones that just had the two years. Kim, >> uh, was it that one? I
101feel like it was a later one, but that's okay. This one. >> I don't know. That's go back one. It's fine. >> You tell me the flat A. >> I know. Yeah, >> it's fine. My question is the um four, five being two grades, prek through three being primarily four grades, >> right? PreK. Okay. >> Yeah. >> That amount is a significantly higher percentage for four or five being only two grades compared to kindergarten through fourth third grade being four grades. Yeah. Okay. >> So, um what was my question? My question was, is that typical um or or is that uh because of the bubble, but is it typical that four, five would see perhaps a greater increase like people moving in with older kids or um you know, maybe they've gone to a private
102school for you know, primary um elementary like is is that is there typically an influx of fourth and fifth grade? >> If Carol MacArthur was here, she'd tell you there was there is I mean some of the we do get students that move into the district starting in fourth and fifth. We see that in 68. We see that in high school. So we see it at all three of those levels. Um so that is absolutely the case. We get new students, not just students that we already have who also and I couldn't tell you the number of new students that came in. I don't I didn't track that for this report. Um but who just moved in and became new students to our district in 405. But that is true. >> Okay. Okay. Yeah. I'm
103just um holding on to that information as we look at >> four five and 68. Yeah. >> For the next uh year or two. That huge group of kids. >> Yeah. It's a lot of kids in that building until the new school gets built. And I think as our community continues to become less affordable, I guess um it's harder probably to move, younger families have might have a harder time being here, but maybe when their kids are a little older and right >> and they're further along in their career, they can afford. But yeah, I think we might continue to see that if like families with older kids moving in. Yeah. Other questions? >> Okay, Jeff. I know you couldn't >> um tell me you I mean we we kind of brushed by it a
104little bit and I don't have general concerns because I know prek is coming like what we're going to do with that and I you know like between what I've seen from the select board and and what Cumberland Town Council like we're still growing. Um, so but we kind of brushed aside a little bit how far off that estimate is. So, and we've made some like good decisions based off of like big decisions based off of that. So, >> are you talking about the prior slide? >> The blue I'm just talking we can see it here like that PE the one the Wandelle um like projection is pretty far off from where from >> actual and like I'm not judging like it's a difficult science but we are pretty far off. So, like do you expect
105that next year will be that far off or like 10 years from now based off of some of the like the projections that she went out? I forgot how far out she went, but I don't remember ever being this far off from a gap from the estimate. It's been pretty close before and this feels like a jump. >> So, she her predictions for the for two years prior to this were spot on. She knew that there was going to be two low kindergarten years coming in. She told us that very clearly. Um, so those numbers we already knew were coming. That was a prediction. It's this kindergarten year that that we have right now that she did not predict being lower. So that is where the the it's very important for us to watch what
106happens next fall. >> Was this part of that birth rate dip that she did not include? And she even said that when she was doing these numbers that she wasn't sure because of the pandemic cuz now we're dipping into that pandemic time period if her numbers were going to hold. So she had told me that. I think she even said it out loud at a board meeting. Um so I do expect you know if her numbers are accurate after that it was that beginning pandemic years that we just don't know how to track or she didn't know how to track. Um, and so I don't know. I mean, it's I I don't I couldn't tell you. I think again, if I asked Pete Bingham Jr., if he was standing right here, he'd probably say, "Watch
107out, you're getting a big kindergarten class next year." And if that's the case, then one Rebecca predicted that. >> So, that's all I can tell you. I mean, I guess my question is is because what I'm seeing is like the room that we have I have in my head like like the prek and in the back of my mind like already adding on to like the the second floor of um the the new building when if we would ever need to do that at any point, right? Like I have that in my mind as a backup. But if these numbers continue to go lower than we thought, like are we what does that mean in terms of like I I guess it's just like how are we watching these numbers versus what we're saying like
108from a capacity standpoint we'll be able to handle the next 10 years because we're planning a lot from a facilities plan around the amount of people that we have coming into these buildings over the next couple years. And so like it's really difficult now like my trust in the long-term projections has been a little bit shaken. And so I I'm now like wondering whether or not what like when are we going to feel confident or are we going to do another assessment to get more confidence in the next couple years because we we do need to have some kind of control of how many people we expect to come in. >> Yeah, I'll just add a couple things. So, one, I'm actually grateful our numbers at the lower levels are lower than projected because we
109know how overt taxed those buildings already are as we're preparing the new school going in. So, I was like, uh, hopefully they'll have a little breathing room. I know so much of the work at MIW like summer maintenance and otherwise like those main spaces I know we have 20 something 30 portables those main spaces have gotten a lot of wear and tear because they were never suited for that many students so I'm glad they get a little more space um as we're getting the new buildings open um I one of the things that we talked about our last joint meeting is to have the district and the two communities commission a joint >> study because as we've just talked about so much of what the future projections are are so related to um the plans
110around building in the communities so I would really love to do it in partnership with them um because you know this is just based on what we knew at the time um which was a few years ago now for the Wendell study the NASDAQ one we get every year right and that's a different >> we get that annually we get that in December >> I'm honestly worried that they're going to see these numbers and be like, "Oh, we have more room. Let's like like why do we need like let's continue expansion at some point, right? Like we project like what we built was projected on pretty high numbers, but there are continuing to build. I think we're going to fill that space in more so." >> Yeah. And I think it's just the add-ons, right?
111Like I I'm concerned that like we're going to have a false sense of comfort without the extra variables of what we're going to do with prek and then also the like the just the additional expansion that we're having within. >> Yeah, it would be great to commission a study together. And just a reminder, we were not opening full by any of the imagination. So we had extra space plus >> time. And I think what the additions what they say one-year turnaround if we did need to do the additional classroom. Is it one year? >> Yeah. I we're not threat there's no threat of getting to that point but I always have that in my back in my head especially with like oh prek like what does that mean for us like I would I would
112love to do like a joint study in the next like year or so. Um go ahead. Yeah, I think that's a great idea, but I also think we need to track with Cumberland and North Yarmouth. >> When LD1829 goes into effect, >> right, >> growth areas of Cumberland, you could split your quarter acre lot into eighth acre lots and put a house with four units on it. So, >> you know, there's growth and there's development, but then >> if once this fully goes into effect, people could be putting ADUs on every single property. So, it's like we might not want to project I don't think that's really on people's radar. I would love like a workshop um with the >> some great there's some great stuff that the town lawyers have put online at least
113for Cumberland they have a presentation and like a >> a thing cuz yeah it's like >> who knows the legislature maybe they'll pull it back but if they don't like >> it could supercharge development that's already kind of happening. though >> I think we just need to looking 10 years out >> all of a sudden people could put up quadlexes on an eighth of an acre on Main Street and >> quad >> you can put you by by law you can put four housing units you can put four housing units >> they said quad flex >> you know like a Boston style >> can I answer um Tim's question for a minute so I I did not put numbers up here based on my own projections although I have them and certainly there's Wandelle's projection
114ctions going forward from 27 28 uh for the next several years and Nestex using the new grade configurations. >> Oh, right. >> So, if I if I'm just going to speak out loud and I did calculate some raw numbers depending on what you decide to do with preK um as a board at the end of the school year and whatever plan you develop, I based I downgraded the class sizes from 200 to 160. So I started using an average over the last five years. So it was 160 um as an average. So even if I did that going into the new preK1 school, you're already if you just maintain this the exact preK number you have now, which is 32 students. Um plus you use 160 as your class size, um you're around 350 for
115a a school going in. Now, if you decide to um serve all IEP students who are four years old plus, you have to do 50%. That's very important. Uh you can't have a classroom of all just disabled students in it. You're now talking about 120 students if the board chooses to do that. Now, we're at the 462 uh mark for that school. That does not even address, and I'm not even going to talk about the delivery model for three-year-olds because that's a whole another ball of wax. But if you are at all doing anything, that is where you're you're going to be with four year olds, 462 students um based on if you're serving all the students on IPS plus 50% in the building. So you're looking at a you know and that's using 160
116students per class. If those numbers don't hold and we're now looking at 180, 190, 200 students, you're certainly looking at um you know larger a larger school at that point. So that just gives you an indication, you know, of how challenging it is to look at enrollment um and to have this state mandate um being rolled to the local school districts uh that now that goes into effect in 2728 which is when we have to implement this. >> Yeah. And talk about a policy change having an impact right on >> oh polic any policy change has a huge impact on a local school district. Yeah. So, one of the things that I wanted to float is just I mean there's so many conversations going on about like what the implications are of this state policy
117change is just like having a workshop just to ground like everybody in like what the actual state like what the requirement is so we all can get a baseline understanding and have a chance to talk about what the actual requirement is that districts are being asked to >> to fulfill because I know like the communities interested in the impact. Um, we're interested in learning more about like what they're asking of school districts. >> You mean are you talking about prek? >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Sarah, I I can speak a little bit to this. Um, >> or can I speak a little bit? >> Okay. >> Yes, you can. So um this the districts are really becoming responsible for the services for the um speech, language, OT, PT, behavioral services for three and four year
118olds and testing. The state is not does not have an expectation of us providing prek full day prek. you have to provide the services that is the requirement and I think that's important to state especially as we're looking at a new school we're looking at new grade configurations um so I think I think prek is its own animal in one handful um but as I was looking at these my head went to are we wise to be breaking the fifth grade into the 68 when it looks like that school is going to explode. And I know that that is not going to be a popular statement. And if we did a community model for prek and we did K3 at or K2 at the new school at MIW we did 68 at GMS and Gley
119High School being 912. And I know Jeff's going to answer this, but this is to the point even with the prek committee and all that. This is to the point of like why we need a better estimate probably than what we have going on. I don't know honestly if we can wait for the towns and a collaboration something like that because like these are decisions that are coming pretty quick and if like we like the numbers that we're going off of if we made the four five decision is based off of an estimate that we may be fine but like I'm a little shaken in it right now. So just I know Jeff you were about to answer but I think that's the point of like we need more accurate numbers or another set of
120accurate numbers to go off of I think to start making to to reassess some of these decisions. >> Tim and I did not plan this conversation. >> We did not. No, >> it does seem like a back and forth. Um so if we're just talking about I know that 58 has always been a little bit of a um a worry. >> Oh yeah. We did have a we did have Steve Blat's office first of all do a um a report and do a space study for as we were going into all this um to look at the space look at the new configurations use the numbers that were available that Rebecca had predicted and also our actuals and he uh determined um that the space would be um ample for the grade level for the
121numbers that we had. Now to give you something a little more substantive um in looking at these numbers for 58 and just to give you an idea in 2728 and these are using these are my numbers based on the actuals that we actually have in our district. So these are actual numbers plus a 5% inflation guard which you have to put into account for kids that might move in that we're not aware of. We would be opening 58 and 2728. My prediction is we'll have 815 students that first year. Now keep in mind we have a building right now that has 900 can't remember the exact number but 900 um over 900 students between 48 well over 900 u we do have modulars of course those will be gone um but the next year after
122that that is the high so the next year I predict 770 students for 58 the year after 744 students the year after 676 students so it's not going to stay at that 8:15 just to give people a little bit of reassurance that yes, we're going to open on a fairly, you know, at 8:15, which the building has the capacity to to handle 850 students, that building. Um, and keep in mind, we run two buildings, right, or two schools in that building, too. And that's what Blat looked at. Um, they looked at all of that because we have duplicate services because we're running two schools um under one roof in in many cases. Um, but just to those are those are based on actual numbers with a 5% inflation guard built in. So I'm giving you
123just something to go on. So that the I know there's some worry about that. >> Yeah. And that's why it also became like the timing of opening that year was like really important too because that building there was no way we were going to have 48 be able to be there without adding more modulars to the middle school. Um so we saved on adding additional modulars by being able to open the school that year. But it is a high because then the the lower classes start to work their way up. And you know, >> Tim, I want to circle back um to sort of the the perception that this creates, right? Like >> yeah, >> we're we are still um doing a lot of work to reassure our community that we um that building this
124new school is the right choice. >> Oh yeah. >> Right. So if we think about if we didn't build the school and enrollment stayed relatively the same that would require using the portables for an undetermined amount of time and at what point Scott we some of those portables modulars they are not that portable some of the modulars we are coming to the end of that five year reimbursement. Correct. >> That's correct. There's um two more years on one of them. >> Yeah, >> that's it. >> And what is the general life span approximately of a port of a modular? >> Well, the newer ones much longer. The older ones not so much. So, um because they were just old units, but I guess a modular would be a 20-y year lifespan. >> So, okay. Roughly
125guess. Yeah. But we'd be continuing to pay. >> You'd be paying without reimbursement, >> right? >> And so, and you'd be paying for temporary space that you wouldn't own. >> You would be looking at either constructing something to take its place or buying the modular outright and holding on to it or at least purchasing it over a period of time. Right. So, >> Right. Right. >> Yeah. It's it's the huge expense for a for a temporary space that expires. >> Yeah. and that's that's to accommodate the students that we currently have. So if we do see an increase, then even these modulars potentially would not be enough. So it's a done deal. We're we're building the school. But I think it does kind of help to think in terms of even with some wiggle room
126in certain numbers certain places, right? We this was not a sustainable option to keep >> the modulars, right? and um and the wear and tear on the permanent buildings. >> Yeah, I hope that's not the implication. I'm what I'm saying is we have a lot of decisions now ahead of us that are based off of some of that data. And so I'm just saying that like I my initial question was like, Jeff, make me feel better about this. But also um but also I do think it's worthy of us to monitor that as I like from a trust standpoint because we're taking action off of it. And if we again we have the prek thing coming up, we don't want them making decisions on data that isn't great, right? So like when if we see
127a warning flag of like that looks bad it's worthy of us to reassess that and take it for what it is and and then re like okay yeah maybe our plan is fine but now we have new data so let's go off of that action but like don't just stay the course because of data that we're finding right now might not be accurate for whatever reasons but yeah I mean I think there's it's we're still very clearly need that space and I still think based off of what I'm seeing in the town we're going to need more space But I don't know how much more space. And I think we're just we're all all within our committees are making decisions based off these numbers. And I just want to make sure the numbers are good.
128>> That's all. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So Jeff, make me feel better if you ever do, but I I Yeah. I mean, I think it's good for us to have discussions about this. >> Well, this is why we annually update these projections and we obviously factor in the actuals that we have that we know of. These are known numbers. Um and then we have to make predictions based on that and thread it through. So that's what um that's what we're doing. But I mean this is obviously um you know not an exact science. You had a a pandemic that was there. It was unpredictable and that threw everybody off obviously with the numbers. Rebecca said was very clear about that um when she presented those numbers and I I think um you know they still
129are threading through in in many places and um absolutely um you're going to have you know still full buildings in 2728 for sure >> and um and going forward and you don't even know what you don't know yet. So >> if only right? >> Yeah. >> Question to sorry that was really loud. Um, and I I know we've had general conversation, but do these numbers include um the Chases Pit development, which was 75 houses, and the Yorkidge original plan plus the two phases that are in planning. >> I mean, those are just came in planning. >> I think the York Ridge was something that was um discussed with Bill Shane at the time because I think it was already in concept, >> right? I think some of them were in but not all. >> Yeah,
130>> I I'm trying to re vaguely remember. I don't want to answer if without remembering, but I think Bill and I talked about it. I think Rebecca and Bill talked about it because I asked her to go talk to him about it. But um after that, no >> cuz we we've we've got a lot of development happening in North Yarmouth. We've got a lot of development that's happening in Cumberland. So none of that if it if it was so her numbers are really from November of 23 and anything that was concept she tried to get more information from but anything beyond that forget it. >> That's what I'm that's what I'm thinking. And so just really feeling like how important it is to be communicating with the two towns. Um because I think Chase's pit
131is 74 houses. 74. >> Yeah. I that I don't believe was ever in the ever in any factor. I don't. >> And is it 1.7 kids or 2.4 kids? Do you remember? >> One point the fert 1.7. They're fertile myrtles. Remember >> bird females for >> Don't count my household. We're >> Yeah. Really? Tim's got the anomaly. >> Tim took over development for the Rose family. >> That would be its own development. >> But I have four daughters, so dude. Pick it up, Megan. >> Um Jeff, when do parents start registering for kindergarten? So, in other words, like when will you actually know? >> Yeah, they start registering um in February. And um generally we know by we generally are have about 75 to 80% of the parents register um usually by the end of
132March um maybe into early April. we'll know about 80% and then we usually uh will just forecast from there how many more students that we generally pick up you know and we're pretty much spot on with that um we've been doing this long enough so we know we get about 80% of our kids we just add 20% to that >> um between March and August is what we get the rest so I we will have a um a fairly good idea by mid to late March >> soccer numbers seem like a good indication later though for the registrations. >> No, it will be it. I mean, and we get the most registrations right off the bat usually. So, >> okay, great. >> So, I just wanted to follow up on the cadence of these um
133projections. So, if I'm seeing that right, it was three years ago she did this last one. What was the one before that? Are we are we due? Do we have a schedule? Is there >> So, we get the annual one, right? And then I think >> Nestec is the annual. So we'll get theirs usually in December is when we get um theirs, but Rebecca's last report was November of 23. So it's been 2 years. And pre before that, it was a year before that that she did her last one in 2022. And then the one prior to that, I think was 2019. Those are the three most recent ones. She also did one in 2016 for us when we started seeing some enrollment increase. Do we want to put like a I know this came
134up at the last joint meeting. Do we want to put like a formal request in I know we have an upcoming >> joint meeting to put a formal request in to do a a a plan together. >> So that that's up to the board. Um if if you >> I go ahead. >> I move to put a formal request for what do we want to call it? >> So I would I would um think that would be a motion of the board. That would actually be a vote of the board at a subsequent study. >> A couple things before you go and vote on it. Do you want to notice this? Do you want it on your next meeting? Second of all, um we can do it different ways. Um I don't even know if
135Rebecca is doing enrollment reports. >> That's what I was wondering. >> More, >> so I would even have to check with her. Or do you want us to go out to RFP? Um it's not at your policy DJ. Um but we would obviously have to get a a price for doing that. she's always been, you know, it's not it's not that much money to do it. Um, and so it's up to the board. So, you kind of have to have those parameters in mind as you're directing us to do this. >> Oh, I was more thinking of it just like an invitation for the two towns to join us in something. Um, >> is that a is that a joint boy workshop topic? Well, yeah, cuz we have so we have one more meeting and
136then we have the joint one. Um, and so yeah, you're you're I appreciate the the details that you're um talking about as far as how we'd actually go about commissioning it. I I guess in my mind I was just thinking of like >> a letter to the >> a letter >> to the towns. >> Oh, inviting them. Okay. Okay. Sorry. I think I love that you're like, >> "Please bring all of your housing developments in plan in proposal to the meeting." >> Well, no. I don't think it's even that necessarily, Sarah. It's like I want somebody who's a professional to tell the towns what or to ask, sorry, not tell ask the towns what they need to do projections. Right. Well, and then you add the GP COG and that um assessment and desire for
137more and more housing. Well, >> and that's just a really scary >> How does GP COG help with >> Oh, they don't help, but they don't. But the there's there's a general desire for more and more housing is my is what they're pressuring is more and more housing. >> It might be a good idea to go in with a joint thing. In 2016, that's what we did. we went in as a joint report and at that time it was planning decisions which was part of GP cog was I think they were I don't remember the relationship um but in 2016 both towns and the SAD went in with a joint report it was done and it looked at everything looked at development it looked at school enrollment it looked at the whole thing and it
138was actually very comprehensive and then there was a report out I know Shirley you remember that probably um that went to both towns and the SAD at that time. So, it was really it was a good it was a really good exercise for all three entities to be involved in. >> Lean Lean would >> Sorry, it's Megantori does not allow it. >> Does not allow moratoriums. >> So, we need we need to know what they're being. >> Yeah. So, I know North Yarmouth is really listening to GP COG and working um along with those initiatives and they're going to impact our school and enrollment. >> Okay. >> So, sure. >> Um it might be helpful as we approach our joint meeting, our TRICOM meeting, just to ask the towns if they could get an update
139from their planning, their respective planning boards so that you know we won't have what we want at that meeting. It's just too soon. But perhaps they can sort of give us an idea of what they know is coming down the path. >> We could ask for them to present on >> Oh, good. Okay. Great. Great idea, >> Jesse. >> They 100% can do that. At the uh Lands and Conservation Commission, we get a report from Bridget um who's the town planner. And so we see all the proposed builds, new builds. We also know how many EV chargers and solars and heat pumps are going in for sustainability. >> But I mean, she gives us a report, so we we see all of the development that's coming in various stages. So, it would be very easy
140for Bridget Perry to just hand us that sheet from whatever date to whatever date. She's like super on top of this stuff. So, >> info's out there, easy to get for us if we just ask. >> I think it would be helpful also to provide some cost per student to the planning board. So, when they are showing one of these developments that comes in, they're like, "We're going to put 74 houses in. That's 1.7 kids per house and that's a cost of X per student per year." And put that in perspective. So when people are hearing these development plans and what that cost really is at the meeting, they get a better idea of what they're approving. Then whether that development is in a TIFF location or not. [Music] >> 2018 2019, but our kiddos
141in kindergarten are 2019 2020. That's Yeah. Yep. >> That's right. >> Yep. >> That's right. >> So, I thought you said the arrow in kindergarten. >> Oh, is the arrow is the arrow in the right place? She was born in 2020. >> Yes, you're right, Shirley. Yeah, >> thank you. >> I think Yeah, the point is that >> Yeah. >> I mean, if we're down in kindergarten, then that reports already >> Yeah. I mean, I think that's where, you know, we're in this era. We're in this time period with the birth rates. We're looking at that. And again, that's what she had made. The point was how predictable is this based on going into the pandemic? Are these really going to hold or not? Can you really have a relationship between the birth rates and
142your enrollment or not? This is one indicator. Um, is it the best indicator? Is it the only indicator? Absolutely not. No. Yeah. >> Okay. Um, as far as maybe we'll put a try to put a motion on the next agenda around um what we want to invite the towns to do with us. Um, unless someone feels confident on what the motion would be right now. Not the Jeff's details, but we can I mean when >> I just I was asking what the what the scope is where are you actually going do you want to actually go out and get a report done? Do you want to do it with the towns? I guess that just level of detail. I just want to make sure we get a motion that's correct if you're trying to >>
143do it. And I would also suggest you do it when you've noticed it on an agenda. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So I think we give the towns a heads up. We're going to ask the next meeting we can figure out exactly the details and if we need to make a motion around that we do that. >> Great. Are you meeting with them still regularly or not as much? >> Um, not regularly. I mean, we check in on things. Um, but yeah, we do need to talk about the agenda again. Um, okay, great. Any other enrollment questions? >> Um, >> I mean, there's always more. There's always more. >> There's always more enrollment questions. >> Um I just had a quick one about um um substit um superintendent agreements like like at what point in time
144do we say no, we can't take more kids in. >> So I always No, it's a good question. Um so I always go right to the principal first. Um so for every superintendent's agreement, um I talk to the principal. We look at they look at class size, they look at enrollment, they look at everything and say, "I could take this student. It would be okay." Um, we've been seeing in recent years the principles are saying more and more, "I can't take this student." >> So, we get more requests than we can take for sure. And then some of these numbers for superintendent agreements. Um, we have students that have been coming to us for years. They were accepted many years ago. Some of them are now in high school. So the last thing I would
145do is say, "Oh, it's nice that you've been coming to Gley since you were in kindergarten or first grade or second grade. >> I'm I'm cutting you off now." So we try re We don't do that. Actually, we just don't do that. >> And what um is it tend to be mostly teachers? Um >> we have a lot of staff who have their children come here, but we also have a number of students who who their parents do not work here. >> Okay. Um and here another category that we do tend to get a lot of um interest in is the IB program. So we'll have students that like to come here for that reason. >> They like the program. >> Yeah. >> So they'll come here in high school. >> Okay. Thank you. And
146since you brought that up when when we when we approved the IB program, the whole idea was that we were going to have tuition students and is that that people were going to come and it was going to be um partitionally supported by the tuition opportunity? >> No, I mean we we rarely have tuition students that come into the district. Um that's a pretty rare occurrence. Um, and that statewide isn't really practice at all. It may have been practice. It was practice in an error at some point, but >> it's now I think there's it's really frowned upon. It's it's really if you're going to accept the student, you get subsidy for the student. >> We get we accept them. We get state subsidy on the back side >> for the student. But that's considered
147double dipping and it's just not acceptable. >> Truth. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Great. Thank you. Okay. committee reports. Um, we do not have our students here this evening, so we'll begin with finance. >> Uh, just as a reminder, we are now publishing minutes from all of our meetings. So, you can find those on the board committee websites uh under um our board meetings, all the all the different committees and me. Uh, I'll just kind of go through quickly. We um looked at the preliminary full-time equivalents hours of um what we can expect to see when the well for next year but even before the building opens, but primarily the year after that when when we have four new schools. And so just to get a sense of what we're looking at and what we can
148expect uh and also talking about what positions might need to come on next year as opposed to holding off until 2028. We discussed the lease purchase and agreed to bring it to all of you tonight. We are going to be inviting our bond counselor and financial advisor to our meeting on November 14th to discuss the bond schedule and the debt service. Uh we are coming due for our next BAM. And so ban ban, not BAM, not books a million. Um we're it's getting to be that time to to renew that or or to get our our next one. And so they'll be talking with us about that as well. We also are keeping in mind that there are might be opportunities to look at capital expenditures from the standpoint of the one campus budget. Not
149adding things, not using money just because we have it, but how can we wisely look at what we are gaining um the costs that we are losing with the modulars, things like that. Um and and that speaks to what we talked about earlier, which is that we're very much looking forward to sitting down with facilities and getting a real sense of what's coming down the road and and how can we how can we really be wise about what we are planning for as well as um applying for the revolving renovation funds. Uh we are now all four of us signing the warrants. So, there are now three more eyes on every uh invoice that is being paid. Uh so, we've been kind of doing it in stages, but um hopefully Jesse, you I know you
150went I'm not sure Sean if you were able to get in there. Yeah, it's going to be really hard to do it all four of us together, but um it's it's great to have new sets of eyes looking at these warrants and coming up with uh with questions that, you know, I had to ask and and it's just I I really appreciate that we're that we're doing it this way and that we're all signing off on these. And finally, we are indeed beginning the budget process already. One of the things we have asked for is to look at all of our subscriptions, primarily technology. Uh is there a way to add those to uh pricing the cooperative? Uh making sure that there are no overlaps. We do not anticipate that there are any because the
151teachers often work on their own budgets but we we are asking just to look at that because it seems uh like it's a place where maybe maybe we just want to have a sense of all the all the u subscriptions that we have there's just a lot um and keeping in mind that the ones we do have all have to have the data privacy agreements. So in that sense we are somewhat limited in shopping for vendors. Uh Jesse also brought up that an energy audit was done. Uh when was it finished? What was the energy audit? >> Yeah. Okay. >> August. >> Yeah. Something like that. We don't have those results yet, but that will also help guide us as we're making decisions about uh energy costs. Uh and also health insurance is another one
152that is going to be problematic. It continues to be problematic. It is part of collective bargaining, but we're going to just kind of keep that in mind that this is something that is a huge huge piece of our budget. I think that's about it. I do just want to speak to uh once again the idea of trying to meet at night. It does not work for the committee to meet at night. I am not able to meet at night. There are other committee members who are not able to meet at night and I know it's frustrating when people from the community want to come to the finance meetings but as of right now they they need to be during the business day and uh that's just a constraint that we have. But we are looking
153at hopeful opportunities to add one or two evening meetings this year. That's it. >> Thank you, Kim. Appreciate that. Okay, so policy and we have a couple first reads, Jesse. We do. >> This is very exciting. >> We do, but let me catch you up on what we did on Wednesday first. >> Thank you. >> Uh so we finished looking at policy ACA uh and tabled that. No, no further changes to that one. Uh we finished up reviewing policy DJ bidding bidding and purchasing requirements. I think that'll be coming for first read at our next meeting. Um there's been two uh sample policies that have come out since the last time we reviewed it. So we've got some updates. Uh and we also looked at a booster organization policy, policy KJA, which is not a
154policy that we have, but it's a policy that was drafted and has been used sort of uh in relationships with booster agencies. Uh, so we're going to get the board to sign off on it since it's already sort of out there and is a a working policy, but it's not in our manual. So that's going to be coming for first read. And we also looked at policy JL, our school wellness policy. Um, we had a bunch of updates and we're almost there. We have a few little little tweaks left to do. So that'll probably be coming for first read in uh two meetings time if I had to guess. Uh, but yeah, we have two first reads before us today. I'll go over those. So, first is policy BEDH, public participation at board meetings. Uh
155so, if you have the policy in front of you, there's a number of changes. We added uh this paragraph at the beginning. Uh the primary purpose of school board meetings is to conduct the business of the board related to board policies, programs, and operations. The board encourages residents to attend board meetings so that they may become acquainted with the operations and programs of the schools. So, that's a new paragraph. Uh and then third paragraph down we did uh some word smithing here. We removed that last sentence about written comments should be submitted to the board chair and superintendent. These comments will not be read during the meeting uh but will be disseminated to the full board. So, a number of changes here I think uh were meant to indicate that uh not all comments or
156questions should flow through the chair or the superintendent, but that basically anyone on the board can and should be contacted. Um and so we're we're trying to make that clear. Um so so some of the language um yeah about directing things to the board and or the superintendent via email. Um and then you'll see some further changes further down about uh asking questions or follow up with board members. Uh moving down to 0.1 uh public comment just some word smithing here. Uh we did not change the time period. It's still 3 minutes. Uh we did add a sentence individuals may not relinquish a portion of their aotted time to another speaker. Uh I know some people see uh Congress doing this and folks have made jokes about relinquishing their time to other folks. Uh and
157we just wanted to make clear that that's not a thing you can actually do. Um point two, uh we added some additional language about uh who we want to prioritize public comment from. So we didn't have students or parents guardians on there before. Um residents of the school district, we recognize uh children may have divorced parents. So somebody may be a parent who doesn't live in the district has a student into the district. So parents are guardians and also students are important people to hear from. So we added them in that paragraph. Um we also added the sentence these are the district's most important stakeholders. So residents of the school district, students, parents, guardians, and staff. Um those are the people we want to hear from first. Uh and then we add a little bit
158of language at the end. We no longer are asking for folks address just the town and city of residence and affiliation with MSAD51 if applicable. So you know might be a resident of Portland but a parent of a really student who was in a you know divorced relationship whatever. Um just to try and make that clear. Point 3A. Um so this gets to how we follow up with comments. Um so previously uh concerns that require further research will be referred to the superintendent for further action as necessarily. Uh so that now reads concerns that require further research may be referred to the superintendent or appropriate board member for further action as needed. Uh and we had toyed with whether we should direct comments to chairs. Um but for instance, you know, somebody like me uh
159might have knowledge about turf questions even though Tim is the facilities guy. >> Jesse was really the example we were going to, >> you know, so trying to just open it up so that anyone on the board could be engaged with to follow up with somebody who has a concern at public comment and not just the superintendent or Leanne, even though you would answer questions well. Uh and then the cross references uh we've updated those uh as well. So that's all the changes here and let me just talk about the change in BEDJ which is related and then we can talk at length if we want. So BEDJ hadn't been updated since 1999 and we just basically took out a paragraph where it's like we need to let you know if somebody's recording because we're
160always recording now and also everyone has a cell phone. So, um really the purpose of this is just I think if the media is here that um the chair will enforce rather than has the authority to comply with provisions in the policy so that if the media is here they're not causing a disruption with their big cameras and cables and anything else. But yeah, we took out that paragraph about whenever a taped or filmed recording is being made of a meeting or any part thereof, the person making the tape or the film shall first notify the person chairing the meeting. Uh the chair will announce at the meeting that a member of the public is recording the meeting. So anyone can feel free to record at any time because we're already being recorded. So if
161you want to pull out your cell phone, the chair doesn't need to say they've recording. Um so yeah, there's an update to that policy as well just to tidy it up. So any any questions as we go through our first read? Happy to answer them or anyone else on the committee. >> Question two actually. um did you consider adding and I don't know if it's a policy thing but if if further um request for information or concerns so 3A >> asking the public speaker or the the commenter to provide their contact information >> or are we expected to find it? >> Can we add it? Can we add it to the sheet now that >> that's what I asked had asked for last time. >> Oh, right. >> Yeah. So we did I think we
162did talk about that and we thought that that fell under sort of procedures rather than policy and so >> I think if we can add it uh or I think in general folks that have had a specific interest >> if they can stick around till the end of the meeting often a board member will connect with them and be like >> for example people who are very passionate about turf for any number of reasons I would always be like do you want to get coffee let's talk about >> thank you >> whatever your concern is so Yeah, I think we thought that was a a procedure, not a policy. >> Perfect. Okay. And then my other question is whether or not it's necessary to include that uh board members will or that the chair will
163not be it's not interactive, right? So, we don't respond to comments during the meeting even though sometimes we work it in to our committee reports or something like that. But, >> so we talked a lot about that. Um, and the thing is that this is again a pretty this isn't we think about public comment as that first like public comment, but like we've got a lot of different opportunities for public comment like depending on the workshop or if we're talking about the budget or just like tonight we had like a small exchange. And so this follows really kind of our principles of how we've gone through policies which is to provide a framework like the least common denominator essentially like or non-negotiables. But from a response standpoint we felt that like that also could fall
164under procedure and best practice to allow the chair or chair to chair or committee to committee or the circumstances to allow that. So there's some flexibility in that. It's the same thing as the three minutes. Like we we we put three minutes as like a general guideline so the public knows I have at least three minutes. But if the circumstances allow for it or there's an appropriateness, we give up to like it's there's some wiggle room in that in that structure. So again, that also falls under procedure, but we didn't want to like tighten the grips too much on the board for a variety of different circumstances from a policy perspective. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? Anyone? >> Um I'm just trying to figure out how to formulate my comment. Um, I would like
165and I I think we hit it some level with policy or procedure, but I just really feel like if the board can respond in real time, I think it is just crucial um to make the connections for it's important that we respond period. But the fact not everybody everybody everybody watches the board meetings and I know every citizen watches the board meetings and they make their popcorn and they sit down with their family and they watch them. So, I know everybody's involved and I know they're fully fully considering all of these aspects. And so, as the community has questions, I think it's so important that our answers are heard by more than just the recipient of an email. So I would advocate for as much public response and I appreciate the idea of you know
166connecting it to a committee report. So, I don't know if it that falls in, but having it um recorded and for prosperity, you know, so everybody can get all of the story as often as possible as opposed to just an email that somebody might get, which I think is very, very important. >> Jesse, did you guys talk about that? >> We talked about all the things. So, we definitely did talk about this because we talked about time limits, more time limits, different time limits, different like different time limits for every meeting depending on the number of folks. And so, this I think is one of those things that came up is there back and forth because as we know Cumberland has uh you know public discussion, right? >> Right. But we don't we're like we
167have public comment so folks can say something and I think we came down that like the board has an agenda and if somebody has a comment and you follow up on it like it should come up in the next meeting or somewhere else if you know if that's if that's come up that we I think we came down to like as part of our I mean it's not in the policy maybe it's a procedure thing so a board chair could decide to do what they want to do but in ter in terms of policy. We didn't want to set that expectation. >> Yeah. I mean, in the comment, there's not in the policy in what we're speaking about tonight, there's nothing on >> doesn't say you couldn't do it. >> The the response, >> we
168don't want to set that expectation that we can answer a question in the moment >> because we pro we may maybe we can and maybe we can't and maybe it comes up later in the discussion of a board meeting if somebody had a public comment, you know, about naming a school and then we talk about, you know, please submit and get signatures. I I don't know if that name has already gotten signatures. >> I know. I was I was curious. Right. >> Jeff, do you know does the the Broadmore or Blanchard >> um that one has not gotten >> So we should So we should follow up and make sure that they get signatures official. >> Melissa followed up and asked >> Great. >> Um to make sure that if it's being submitted that the
16910 signatures are there. So she's already on it. >> Yeah. So Sarah, I hear what you're saying that like and I agree that like the more public information is out there the better, but also we didn't want to set that expectation that we would be able to respond. So again, it's doesn't say, you know, we couldn't if it was important talk about it later in the meeting or but I think procedurally I think that's something that we need to work on to close loops. if there was a question and you know one of us follows up that you know in our committee of reports it should maybe we should try and do a better job to mention it publicly and close those loops. >> We considered every like the like a small meeting like this
170like an everyday meeting like this all the way up to like when we had the the book discussion of like when you have a ton of people and what does that look like and now we we have to follow this policy. So again, like leaving it some stuff like that out of policy and just meaning like, well, we're going to give everybody this amount of time, but maybe we can respond and maybe we won't. Depends on the situation. And I think like it's up to the chair or the board just generally from year to year to kind of figure out what's best within that culture in that time period of what's going on. And so or that exact meeting like I think it's just right >> that's a procedures thing. >> Yeah. Because a sentence
171that was in the policy before and is still in there is these time limits. So the 30 minutes or 3 minutes per comment y >> may be modified by the particular meetings at the discretion of the board. So if the entire board decides there's 30 people here and they want to talk there's no chance everyone gets three minutes and it's something very important. We can say as a board >> should we extend it past 30 minutes and we can vote on it. Right? So, it's like there's flexibility in here, but we didn't want a to set up expectations we couldn't meet and also didn't want to get into particulars that I think should some should be left to the chair to decide how they want to run the their particular board. >> And I do
172appreciate that first paragraph because I I think that's a nice preamble um reminding just to say it the thing that the this is the purpose of our meetings. And while we want people to be involved and we want people to come >> the primary purpose of our meeting. So I I do appreciate that. >> Yeah. >> With that noted and we're on the topic um we have a time to talk about that said not a policy but a procedure related to that. I know we discussed about it at the workshop a little bit and the summer and also talked about integrating more workshops about certain topics within the year. is do we have an agenda item coming up or should we add one to discuss that further? >> Yeah, I mean what I've tried to
173do and I hope that people maybe have noticed that we have tried to respond more um maybe than we have in the past. Um the the thing that becomes a challenge in in my view around some of the the response during the public comment time, it's just not having all the information and then responding in a way that may be misleading um or puts people in a position to to feel like they're then always going to get an expectation. Um and also then it sets the agenda of the meeting in a in a very different way. Like honestly tonight I was like oh we're gonna get through this all super fast and maybe we could have spent more time and now I'm like it look I was like how where and Tim >> where did
174the where did the night go guys? >> So I think that that is just something that I have considered. Um and yeah I do like the idea of of more workshops. I know one that um kind of may have surprised and we don't like surprises and I try not to do too many surprises but um just because we've all t preschool has come up in so many different ways and there's so many questions like what is the state requirement it's Sarah you've been a great resource um to know that okay it's about services right um and so having like a workshop about that um that would be great to have with providers and invite providers to like really offer ideas and conversation and what they can provide and have them be part of the conversation
175because a lot of it's our well we're all doing it by the way we've all been doing this for years. >> We've been providing services. >> So we know a couple of things. >> That was my child care hat, not my >> forward hat. >> We're not deliberating on it. I I'm just I don't I don't put on and take off hats. Um Okay. So So yes, we're still on the first read. Are there other comments or questions, considerations? And I know we did sort of have an informal conversation about this during our workshop this summer, too. >> Yeah. I would just like to add the um contact information on the signup sheet so that that circle is completed at least with the right with the speaker. I would love love love love love to
176have it as much information as often as possible shared with the community on >> landscape >> precisely >> and then we have to be able to to read I feel so bad one just being able to correctly pronounce names and then if I really can't read them then great any other great thank you I know that went through a out of conversation. So, I'm glad we got it to first read. >> Thank you. >> Okay, what do we Where's All my papers are out of order. What's next, Tim? >> Is it me? All right, >> it's you. >> All right, I'll try to go the cliffnotes version. Um, all right. So, we had a facilities meeting two weeks ago. We talked about um the school revolving renovation fund applications that we're sending. I think we
177have two that are going out that Steven Blat's helping us with and they're mostly around the math wing. Um Scott, do you have any other additional details? >> Middle school. >> Yeah, we actually um the middle school is going to be for the chiller and then um we did the air quality test on the math wing and got those results today. And so the math wing isn't going to qualify. So, what we are looking at though is there's some ADA issues that we have on the back side of the high school and so we're going to be submitting applications for those as well. So, >> so is that good news, bad news? Like it didn't qualify because the air >> the air quality >> it's good news. It's it's always tested fine. So, I'm not
178sure what I'm rooting for. >> I know. >> We were hoping to do some upgrades. Um and um one of the things we're exploring too and uh I was actually talking with Melissa in our office today about this is that there is a new standard at the state that board members have to or the board has to take a vote of temperatures in the schools. Okay, if you saw that one coming out and stuff. We'll probably hear more about that at MSMA. >> Um but um but there may be some something around that that I don't know possibly. >> I mean one of the issues is obviously our middle school is used uh year round and um you know we have our extended year services in that building and so the chiller unit is important
179for that building and AC is all part of the air handling. So >> uh so we'll see what happens. Okay, >> we'll try to get as much up there for application as we can and um that's where we're at right now. >> Yeah, we talked a little bit because we're working on the long-term facilities plan but we definitely spent a lot of our time in our last meeting talking about some of the shortterm priorities. Um, I shared a a draft where we have a long way to go in terms of long-term facilities plan, but we'll we'll hit that next week when we meet. Um, then, uh, we also talked about so the facilities building was off track a little bit for a little while. I think we're back on track for the like a November
180open like apparently the we have siding up right now and so progress is being made. So, thank you to to Jeff, Scott, and team for for staying on top of that, getting on board on that. Um, the facil the current facilities building, that move will begin, and I want the public to know that like the consideration from a historical perspective is at the very center of all of our conversations. I know Megan's been working on that. Um and so we will continue working with the historical society and um making sure that we we make that move respectfully. Um and there there'll be some some element of that for sure in the new facilities maintenance building. Um then uh the other thing that I wanted to share with neighbors is that we're aware of the accessibility
181challenges down to the turf field. Um we are looking at a number of options. I don't know if we have any kind of updates on that, but I know we've considered gator like possibility of providing gators like um access down there, but know that we're aware of that and we want to help the public um make sure that they can access that in an equitable way. Um a reminder to get your names in. So, we appreciate the name that came in tonight, but um we still have a couple more weeks to get your your names in. Um, and Corey sent out a message today around participation in the new school playground committee. So, if you're interested in that, um, let Corey Muny know. And then one last thing, um, just a recognition from the committee
182to the our neighbors that we understand that people who are budding the construction are going through some it's a challenge for them. Like it's easy for people that aren't living it every day to be super excited. And I'm sure a lot of our neighbors are excited, but right now they're living through a lot of the dust and the noise and the construction. And we're still trying to figure out all of our new toys and the noise levels at the at the at the field and stuff like that. We are listening to your feedback. We're responding actively. Um like some of us have met with the neighbors and have actually like Jesse's out there with a decibel meter and like figuring out like what's accessible and not. So we're working through that. We recognize the the
183challenges and keep us posted on how that's going for you so that we can respond appropriately. And I I think hopefully so far we've we've done that. Um yeah, and again last last reminder is next week we have our meeting at 2 o'clock. It's going to be remote again, but we'll try to do more inperson ones that makes it easier for the public to to join in. >> Right. >> Are we planning an official opening on the new new facilities building? Megan, do you know that? Do we have we talked about that? >> No. >> I just keep picturing John with some big like scissors. >> I think they're just moving in and starting work. >> Really? They That's really what their interest is. like >> a lot of things that have already been displaced
184and uh Yeah. >> Not that I'm aware of. >> Okay. >> Is that where we're storing the gold shovels? Cuz I need to know where those are being stored. >> I think that has some interest though. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Sarah got to put on her childc care hat for a moment. I'm going to put on my driver's ed hat for a moment. >> Is there any plan to fix here so that the line dividing directions is yellow instead of white? because it should be yellow between directions and it might actually help people see a little bit better um where they're supposed to be. >> So, we did talk about reassessing that it's >> not the traffic pattern, but making it easier for people to understand. Like even tonight, I just went the wrong way
185and I was like, "Oh god." >> Um, >> so we talked about signage. I don't think we've talked about colors. So, that we will do. We'll bring that up. That's a good call. spent a lot of time teaching yellow left. Yellow's on the left. >> You won't be able to see it in the winter. >> All right. Um, you're up. >> Can I ask him one question? >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. >> So, >> when they move to the new building facility >> and this old building is going to get torn down. Has there been been any talk of like trying to salvage any of it? >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I Well, salvage part of the building like >> the old maintenance building. >> Yeah, the old maintenance building. >> I can speak to that.
186Yeah, >> just because like I mean from a personal perspective it's like if they knock it down and no one takes anything, I might go try and like steal some like really old boards that are from old growth trees. >> I will speak to that I promise when we get to communication plan. >> Okay, great. Uh Anukica curriculum. >> Um so the curriculum committee met last week and on our agenda was to finalize the draft strategic priority areas. So certainly the focus for the curriculum committee right now with the renewal of the strategic plan is on the strategic planning process. Um and the committee did finalize those draft strategic priority areas that we are then working with to design a survey that will go out um to everyone. Uh we hope that we'll get a
187lot of responses to that. So, as board members at least may remember, uh Jeff had presented the proposed strategic plan process to us back in June and at that time there were four draft strategic priority areas. Um the and there were some questions amongst the board during that time. There's been ongoing conversations as we know from the most recent workshop with our district leadership team around the strategic priority areas as well. And so what the committee finalized were ended up being three um draft strategic priority areas. Those being one campus, building for now, building for the future, uh meeting the needs of each learner through a multi-tered system of supports and one community connected and thriving within and beyond school walls. >> So those are our broad proposed categories. Again, through the survey process and
188focus groups, we'll continue to gather feedback not only on those kind of um larger buckets, but also what is then contained within each of them. As we all know, there's many things that we already know uh will be happening in each of those areas, but maybe some opportunity for other things um that the committee has thought of or other ideas that come to us that we haven't necessarily thought of yet. Um and deciding how we want to move forward with that. So, our next meeting is this coming Tuesday and our plan is um we have a smaller group of us have been doing some work to draft the survey and we're hoping to finalize that together as a group then in our meeting on Tuesday and figure out our plan for getting it out there
189to folks. And then following on that and part of that survey will be requesting um volunteers for focus groups and collecting contact information from people who would like to be involved in that way. Um so once we have those survey results in and have been able to look at what that data tells us, we'll then look at having those focus groups later in the winter. >> Great. I think that's it for now, but happy to answer any questions or talk with folks offline, too. >> I I love that third one. >> So good. >> I love all of them. >> Great. Thank you so much, Kim. Equity. We have not met since our last meeting. I don't have an update. Great. Thank you, Megan. So glad so many things to tell you. All right. Um,
190the name the school program is underway October 31st. I wish that the people in the audience had stayed just a little longer because um, to name the school, if you have a submission, go to msad.50 msad.org and follow the link at the bottom of the page that says name our school and it will take you to the page that describes how to do it. Um, so I will try to figure out how to reach out to that nice lady. >> Does Yeah. Okay. Does anyone >> does any [Laughter] happen to be here at the end of the meeting? I'll walk you through it. >> Um, we don't have a ton of the submissions. We have four so far, but Mayel I Wilson will have submissions from each classroom. >> Oh wow. as the school is
191sort of separating and many of those teachers are going to the younger school, they will recruit from their classrooms a name and 10 people have to sign off on it and then they'll submit all those names. So, we should get a lot of interesting colorful submissions in the next couple weeks. Um, name the school flyers are up around town. They're on the socials, but um we need to get the word out a little bit more. And so for people who don't watch board meetings or get the board newsletter, >> what if somebody didn't watch a meeting and so was spread the word if you possibly can. >> Um there is not a ribbon cutting for the maintenance building coming up, but we are starting to plan the ribbon cutting party and ceremony for the new
192school in 2027. Um as far as demo of the old maintenance building, I'm so glad you asked. Don Foster has a wonderful idea to um try to salvage as much of the building as possible if wanted. He would like the public to come. Yeah. >> And claim either because there's sentimentality reasons or because a thrifty person. Yeah. You like wood. >> They don't grow trees like that anymore. We cut them all down. Um, so I am working with Steve Morardi on the Cumberland Historical Society to identify specific pieces of the building to claim to then either work into the new school or something on the new school property to um memorialize the old building. So that's that's happening. So once we get a better understanding of whether or not the public can sort of come
193onto the property during demo because there is certainly a question about safety um that'll go out in communications as to how this is going to be done. But >> can I ask a follow-up question? >> Is there maybe this is a Tim question. What's the timeline that that building needs to be gone? Right? Because >> you can knock that building down in an afternoon and put in a truck and get it out of there. Um, there's also companies that will come and literally take a building apart piece by piece to salvage everything. Um, and I I assume we're not doing that, but like there's got to be something in the middle. Like the building's got to be gone, but like >> So, the building was originally going to be demoed in October, but it's definitely
194been moved out. So, I don't have a demo date. Do you have a demo date? >> Not the most recent one, but I know it's really like >> it's definitely November >> soon. Do we have an update on that? >> We'll find out in our next construction meeting. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And and we're not planning on a company coming in and demoing. I think that that's part of like Great Falls is doing that. Yeah. Is my understanding. >> Um if you know different >> No, their disposition on it. And there's also hazardous materials we have to consider as well when you take down a building of that nature. So >> So how we would potentially like offer items for salvage that we're still not totally sure about that. Do you think it's possible we'll
195have an answer or or some more of an answer by Friday and we can kind of discuss at least part >> next Friday? Next. >> Yeah, on our for our meeting. Yeah, Friday. >> Yeah, next Friday we should. Thank you. >> We have a meeting coming up. So, >> yeah. Okay. >> Great. >> Um, as far as communications not having to do with the new school, um, I have received lots of emails from people about um, cell phone bans and cell phone policies and what do we do? So, I met with Carl Francis and um plan to put some some bit of information out even though the guide book the student handbooks for each school are available online with the guidance. No, people don't really know where to go find that. So, um, I'm working
196with the communications committee on finding some way to sort of succinctly and clearly say here's what we do on campus and a little bit of here's why because I think it'll clarify some >> confusion and um angst about our cell phone policy throughout the district. >> I like that. >> Yeah, that's great. It's coming. >> Thank you. >> That's it. >> Awesome. That that's a lot. Thank you. Great. All right. Was there any adop excuse me ad hoc committee reports any? Yeah, go ahead. >> Um, so community partners has not met. Um, that includes PTO and Foundation 51. But I did note that there are some exciting things going on nonetheless. So I think Foundation 51, unless they extended their fall grant submission deadline again, um, that that just closed yesterday. Um, so I'm looking
197forward to hearing what ideas were proposed and ended up and end up getting funded through that. PTO has their annual parent power appeal. They're trying to raise $15,000 by November 7th. Um, the grand event, as Jeff noted, is coming up on October 22nd, and there is now a way to order Gley gear year round. PTO has a new website. Um, so they'll continue to do their seasonal sales, but if you check out their website or Facebook page, or I know it's also been in uh at least the middle school uh newsletter as to what that URL that you can now use to order league gear any time of year. >> That's great. Do are they also selling it at the school store? Did we know that? Was that part of the idea? >> The school
198store in the high school? >> Yeah. >> I don't know the answer to that. >> Oh, the answer. >> I was just kind of curious. I think they're selling some things in the store. >> There might be older versions of it, you know, may not be current. >> Yeah, I'm glad there it's year round now because I always seem to miss the deadline. So, that's great. Um, anyone else? >> I met with the Cumberland Recre um council committee, whatever that is. Um, and I think just a reminder for everybody that we likely can't do camps in MIW next year and that they'll have to work at the in the middle school and that could get a little tight. So, um, they're open to ideas. I think they think it can work in the middle school,
199but just kind of keep that on the comm the community's radar and our radar as well. Um, and then they're still working on the Twin Brook facility master plan. And, uh, Peter really appreciated the work with Jeff and Scott on just like collaborating on what that looks like in theouou that you guys have. Um, and then we're also seeing a like a just a ton of activity and registration um, from a like community standpoint. And so, um, there's they're looking at, uh, more Sunday activities, but that requires more legal, um, like there's they have to get like a Sunday waiver to to be able to do some of the activities on Sundays. Um, and so that's that's just something that for an option for us and community members to know that Sundays might become more
200of an option just to be able to fit it all in. and they were very interested in the new rules around the turf field and how they can use it and how they can engage in it and how the community plans to use it. Um, and I I talked to him and it's kind of evolving thing, but we we um discussed our um our current protocol and I know David has been um in touch with them as well, but they're very interested in the turf field and they've been super excited about what they've used so far and they've been happy about it. >> Great. Any other ad hoc committees? Um, all right then just the general communications item. I just wanted to I think this had come up earlier and it would encourage if anyone
201has things that they would like to talk about future board meetings, agendas, ideas for workshops, feel free reach out. Um, we have the joint meeting coming up in four weeks. I mean, I know the date. I know we have this meeting one more time and then instead of our next meeting, it is the joint meeting. Um, and that's going to be hosted at the Cumberland Town Hall. So, they will be the host. Um, and I think a couple of the questions that came up tonight during public comment were just related to um, taxes um, and proposals around tax increases. Um, so I anticipate that we'll continue having uh, these conversations probably in other venues including finance and with the joint meeting. I'm just trying to think of other questions that could come up during public
202comment. We talked about the naming of the new school and follow up around that. Um, and continuing to, you know, have engagement with the community both through finance and other venues um to be able to follow up on some of those items. Was there any anything else that came up that we think we should address today? >> I just sentimental value about the building over there that we're going to tear down. Um, is it in a shape where we could do a walkth through? Is it in a shape where there could be a little bit of community involvement before it gets torn down? There's someone that took classes in there >> and my grandmother played basketball in there. Just an attachment to it. So, I don't know what kind of condition it's in at this
203point. I know we are using as maintenance building, but it's in not always been a maintenance building. It's been many things throughout the years. >> Was a gym, was a cafeteria, was a classroom, >> a story, a story walk through the an exhibition hall at one point. Yeah. >> Oh, wow. >> For all of those. >> That's cool. >> I think we can we can discuss that Friday. I mean, I'll give my hard hat and vest to anybody that needs to go through there, but um just because I have it, I want to brag about it. Um but yeah, I think we can discuss that Friday as a plan because that that is something I think for sure that whatever the process is of like people engaging in some of the materials as Megan was
204kind of talking about, we should have clear expectations and what that looks like and that's probably going to be based off the date that we expect that to be >> torn down. Um so yeah, I think that's a good idea that we'll try to include the community in a way that's >> I love a collection of stories. I mean, it was so nice to hear um K today share, right? >> Um >> I don't know if there's a way to invite >> stories in to share. Yeah, >> I'm sure the stories played in all of them. >> Yeah. >> Come on. >> Yes. Great. Anything else? Anybody want to put uh the final motion in then? >> Like to make a motion to adjurnn. >> Thank you, Jesse. Any second? Second. >> Thank you, Sarah.
205Any discussion? All in favor? Megan's already got her hand. >> I thought Megan was discussing. >> It's unanimous. >> Thank you.