04-02-25 Regular Board of Education Meeting

001It is now 7 o'clock and I'd like to call the board of education meeting to order. Please stand. Pledge allegiance. Justice. Please join me in a moment of silence for Bernard O'Keefe, history teacher and cross country coach, Memorial Boulevard in Bristol Central from 1960 to 1986. We will also have a moment of silence for Marie Revard, grade three and four teacher Okonnell School 1969 to 2001. We would also like to take a moment of silence for Stan Sepio, head automotive teacher, Bristol Central High School, 1966 to 2004. Thank you. I would like to remind all board members to please be sure to turn on your microphones when speaking and voting to ensure those online can hear you. The next item on the agenda is staff and student recognition. Um I would like to call up

002Leah McCabe for Bames Royal Bees drone team. Thanks, Jeff. I I appreciate the applause, but I did not do anything. Um, it is my pleasure, uh, Commissioner Ponds, uh, to, uh, introduce the members of our Royal Bees drone team. Uh, this is an offshoot of our technology student association. Our TSA and drone club adviser, Miss Crystal Cowet, is here. Um, she has all of these students both in her class and in her after school clubs. The four team members have different roles in the competition and they'd like to tell you a little bit about um what they've been doing. Um and so we have you guys can stand up and come over here. Um we have our team captain and the autonomous lead, which she'll tell you about, eighth grader Natalie Waznjak. Our lead pilot

003and teamwork skills lead, seventh grader Zoe Biano. our co-pilot and lead pilot for the piloting skills challenge, sixth grader Emma Gaty, and co-coder um sixth grader Blake Monsum. And they each wanted to tell you a little bit about um what they do on the team. Zoe's up first. Hi, my name is Zoe Biano and I am a seventh grader and the lead pilot and teamwork skills lead. The target. The largest competition of the drone competitions is the field challenges. There are three field challenges. The first is the autonomous field. In this field, Natalie codes our drones to certain specifications like height and distance by using color codes. The piloting skills field where Emma flies the drone through an obstacle course. And the teamwork skills mission is the largest field where two teams works collaboratively to

004push balls and move bean bags throughout an obstacle course. This field requires excellent communications between team members and with another group of students we've never met. Hi, my name is Emma Gaty and I'm the lead pilot for the piloting skills field and I was responsible for organizing the log book. The log book is completed before the competition to highlight which skills we have learned and how we have worked together to prepare for the competition. There is a dedicated page to each field and that outlines how we will collaborate with other teams. It also contains all of our certificates from our training courses. The log book is very um long and we worked together on it for the last three months. It it is a record of all the work we have completed and our goals

005for future meetings and competitions. Hi, my name is Blake. Uh I am a sixth grader uh and the coder of our team. The final component of our drone competition is the interview. During the interview, we went we meet with the judges from the competition. They ask uh questions about what we've learned and what our roles were on the team. We we reference the log book throughout the interview. They also ask us about how we use the drones in our everyday life. To prepare to prepare for the interview, we had to practice how to communicate efficiently with adults to show how we learned. We are a little nervous, but it was great to be able to talk about topics we enjoyed. On March 22nd, we competed in our second ever drone competition at the Gilbert School

006in Winstead. There were 22 teams from areas middle school and high high schools. Uh we scored the highest of any middle school on the team or competition and outperformed many high schools as well. We made it to the semi-finals of that mission. Because of our performance in all of the components, we were awarded the all-around middle school champion. This award is a reflection of not just our coding and flying skills, but our collaboration, communication, and preparation. By earning this award, we have qualified for Northeast Regionals, which will be held at the end of May at Fairmont State University in West Virginia. We hope to be able to raise enough money to compete. We also hope that our success will inspire other schools in Bristol to create drone teams of their own. Thank you. I just

007w I wanted to just recognize Natalie, Zoe, Emma, Blake. You guys are just amazing and brave and standing up here and talking in front of a room this size. I know how nerve-wracking it can be. And you guys killed it. I want to tell you, the guy right up here in the front, he's the mayor in town. Maybe he can help you raise the money to go to the spot. You listen. You know, you got to do some networking while you're here. Absolutely. Yeah. Everyone So, our next group uh isn't here tonight. It's the model UN student recognition. Um Hayden S Santa Cro from grade 12 and John Stens is the advisor. John I think is here. We can recognize John and just say good luck and we know that amazing things are happening. Uh

008the next person on the agenda, the national para educator apprec appreciation day is April 2nd. Um yes, that looks great. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Ponds. So, we wanted to recognize that today is National Par Professional Day celebrated annually on the first Wednesday in April and it holds significant importance for several reasons. Par professionals play an essential role in the educational system, particularly in supporting teachers and students. The day is intended to celebrate them and help raise awareness of their crucial role in the educational system success. For many in the broader public, the role of paraprofessionals may not be immediately visible or fully understood. National paraprofessional day helps raise awareness about their critical work, helping to shift perceptions and build greater appreciation for their role in the educational system. We want all Bristol public schools

009pray professionals to know that we recognize their contributions and thank them for their hard work on behalf of our students and families. So, thank you. Thank you, Chair Hans. Yes. The next item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes. Uh the March 5th, 2025 regular meeting minutes. You all have received a copy of the minutes in your packet. Are there any corrections or abstensions? Uh I abstained. Okay. Can I have a motion to approve the March 5th, 2025 regular meeting minutes as written? So second. All in favor? I opposed. Motion passes. Uh, you all have received a copy of the March 4th or I'm sorry, the March 12th, 2025 special meeting minutes in your packet. Are there any corrections or extensions? Motion to accept. Motion's been made. Second. Second. Seconded. Uh, all in

010favor? I opposed. Motion passes. Uh, next we have committee reports. Uh first we will start with finance and operation. Nothing to report. Nothing to report. Okay. Policy. Good evening. So policy committee we met on March 26. Um and the two policies I really wanted to highlight that we really focused on closer to the Can you hear me now? Yes. I can't. Um the two policies that I really wanted to highlight tonight that we've spent a lot of time as a committee discussing have been um policy 5145.123A search and seizure use of metal detectors and then policy 5145.12 student search and seizure. Um we'll be hearing more about these policies tonight as well. Um as a committee we really sought feedback from the full board. Um, we sought feedback from our board attorneys, administrators, and then

011we reviewed it again as a committee. And I think we're really proud as a committee um to present this piece tonight um for full board hopefully approval and discussion. Thank you. Oh, our next policy meeting is April 23rd and student student achievement committee will be meeting April 30th. Okay. And I think we have one more school, family, community partnerships. Thank you, Chair Ponds. Uh this month at school, family, community partnerships, of course, we started with activating well-being, um which is a way to have a more relational approach to the work we do. It's sort of foundational to the conversations that we have. and we we engage in an activity called one word and we started with um a word or a phrase and because we work on promoting family engagement, we started with the word

012family engagement and each person had to add to that word and create a sentence. Um and and it was a really I thought a wonderful sentence and activity to speak to the work. It kind of grounds us and keeps us focused on the work um and ways that we can continue to serve families. And then we did the same activity but we timed ourselves. Did we give ourselves two minutes? One minute. Who remembers? Two minutes. Uh two minutes. And we started with school family community partnerships and we crafted another sentence. And um then there were uh two prizes that we're giving out and we always invite people to participate. It's invitation not obligation. Um got it on. Yeah. What was that? Just muted. Oh okay. So um so we you know had that activity. Then

013we we had uh Dr. Broadick report again on the school family community partnerships goal and action plan. Um gave us some updates on the great work that this the school community is doing um to to further the work of school family community partnerships. And then we talked a little bit about um community partnerships reports and we've been having um representatives some of our community based organizations come in. We had Dr. Josh Maderos come in from uh Bristol Parks Recre Youth and Community Services and he talked about the um wonderful things that they're doing in the community, but also the ways that they continue to partner with the school and uh support the needs of the school school community both inside the schools, outside the schools during the regular school year um throughout the summer. So

014it was really great to hear from Dr. Maderos and we then talked a little bit about the roles of liaison. So, as board commissioners, we are uh liaison to schools or organizations and historically we present out each month um based on information that school leaders may give us. We talked about how to maybe reshape this role and having it be really impactful, really um organic, but also um continue to be forward- facing, but in a way that serves the highest good of um of the school community. So, we may be reshaping that in the future and would love to get some feedback on how we could maximize those conversations and opportunities. And we also talked about staff and student recognition, ways that we might be able to um empower our school community, school leaders to

015um give us information about um staff recognition, student recognition, certified and non-certified staff, some of the great things that are happening, those that are really anchored in the the v the goals, the values, the missions of Bristol Public School, so that maybe we can even celebrate them formally at our board meetings. So really great things happening in school family community partnerships. We would love to have um more participation in the community and of course if there's any feedback on how we can um further the work, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Simmons. And I will tell everyone in the room that she has great prizes. So if you comment to school family partnerships, you could win a prize. Everyone's a winner. Everyone's a winner. Not paid for by the paid

016for by me. Pays for her own prizes. She actually grows things in her garden and brings candy and different treats. We have fun books like to read. Okay, so next on the agenda we have the student representative reports. First up is Bristol Central Amelia Brown, a junior. Okay, so she may be a little late. So, we're going to move on to Bristol Eastern. Paige Ansaw, a junior. Good evening. Good evening. Nice report will focus on um sports upcoming and past events as well as accomplishments of students. Firstly, spring sports have kicked off and are in full spring. Our track has its first meet on a Tuesday, April 8th against Farmington High. Boys and girls lacrosse have already played a couple scrimmages, but they have their first league games on Saturday, April 5th against Rocky Hill

017and Weathersfield. Baseball also has their first game on April 5th, and it's against Hall. And finally, soft softball's first game is Monday, April 7th against Newington. Eastern's National Honor Society welcome its new members on March 28th. New members will be inducted on April 7th. Um to be accepted into National Honor Society, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher and meet the pillars of NHS, which are scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Quarter 3 is coming to an end, and the final quarter of the school year, quarter 4, will begin shortly. Teachers have a couple days after quarter 3 to finalize grades in the grade book. With quarter four beginning, students will begin to prepare for finals in June and AP testing in May. Recently, on March 27th, juniors had the opportunity to take SATs,

018which they could submit to colleges that they plan to apply to. The SAT test, reading and writing, as well as a variety of math skills. Many teachers offered a variety of different SAT prep resources throughout the school year to make sure students were properly prepared and ready to take the SATs. Scores will come out later this month. Juniors will also have to take the NGSS testing next month, May on May 19th. For news on prom, prom prep preparations are at an all-time high as junior and senior officers handle the logistics of prom, which will take place next month. Junior prom is being held on May 10th at Hawks Landing in Southernington, and senior prom is being held on May 24th at the Aquaturf. Junior class officers have offered an opportunity for juniors to get a

019free prom ticket. If juniors sell 20 items from our cookie dough sale, they will be awarded with a free ticket to prom. Project Prom has also been working tirelessly to prepare to gather prom dresses and suits for students who may not be able to afford them so that they may experience prom the same as their peers. Mr. E's culture day is coming up. Diversity club has many fun and educational activities planned. Um, culture day is set for Friday, April 11 during which students will have the opportunity to view a variety of different cultures and learn about them from peers and teachers as well. There will be games, music, dancing, and a parade in the morning to start the day. Students are encouraged to join the parade. As we um get ready for culture day has

020also put a lot of time and effort into the spring musical Rock of Ages. The musical will premiere in Bristol Eastern's auditorium on May 2nd and 3rd at 7:00 and May 4th at 2. Finally, students with student council have formed a committee called Earth Day Committee to help plan activities and events to help students and teachers learn more about bettering our planet as well as actively partake in the cleaning and betterment of our environment. Earth Day is on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thank you so much and have a good night. Oh, do we have Amelia Brown from Bristol Central online to do the student representative report? Okay. Well, let us know if she logs in. We'll try to fit her in. Okay. Through the chair. Yes. I would like to move item six chair report and

021item seven superintendent report to follow item nine public comment. Okay. Second. Motion's made been made in second. All in favor? I I I not discussion. We just Oh, sure. You want to have discussion? So, the superintendent's report focuses on um a budget update for us and I think there's a lot of folks in the room who have a high interest in what is being discussed and I know that we have some folks who submitted public comment relative to this matter. So, I think it would behoove us to allow those people to share their comments tonight and then that would allow us to engage in the discussion that follows. We normally can't respond to public comment or engage in discussion. So, I think this would be an appropriate way to do that. Okay. So, all in

022favor? I I opposed. Motion passes. We will move items six and seven to after public comment. Okay. Next, we have consent agenda. And I have a motion to approve the consent agenda, which includes items 8.1A through 8.2A. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. All in favor? I I opposed. Motion passes. Next, we have public comment. Mrs. Ever, do you have have you received public comment? Yes, I did. And distributed to uh to commissioners at their seats anything that I received before the meeting. Okay, great. Have we have any form? So, the rules of public comment. Everyone is requested to address the chair for recognition. Each speaker must state his or her name, address the topic they are commenting on. Comments are limited to items on the agenda. All speakers must observe rules of common etiquette.

023Personalities are not to be injected. Speakers should not attack or question the motives of others. Anyone violating this rule will be denied the floor unless waved by the chairperson. Each speaker shall limit his or her remarks to three minutes. A speaker will have one opportunity to speak per meeting. Written statements and materials may be made available in advance of comments for distribution to board members. Speakers shall state their positions on the subject being discussed. Board members will not respond directly to comments during the board meeting. However, the superintendent may direct the question to the appropriate staff member for followup when appropriate. The chair has the discretion to provide brief factual information. For example, the chair might explain that legal limitations on the board's authority prevent the board from considering the requested action. Speakers cannot denote

024their time to other people or speak on behalf of other people. Disruptive behavior, harassment, and violence are not permitted. In cases of disruptive behavior, the chair has the authority to warn the speaker, request them to leave, or in extreme cases clear the room. If I may through the chair, those rules. Yeah, if I may through the chair. Um, given uh, you know, given that we are we are discussing the budget and there's a lot of uh, a lot of you know that that was revolve around the budget. Uh there's two items on here uh for the public meeting rules that I do have some concerns it could limit or restrict uh some people from being able to allow their voice to be heard. Specifically um line number three um comments should be limited to items

025on the agenda. Um, some items might sound like they're not on the agenda, but they could be related to there's, you know, budget. You know, the budget does encompass a lot of can encompass a lot of different things that might restrict some people from being able to to, you know, to talk about certain things. It's not a new rule, just so you know, that rule's always been on our public comment. All right. And uh furthermore uh you know uh line 11 um speakers cannot um I'm sorry uh where the um yeah they cannot uh speak on behalf of other of other people. Um you know some people you know have real busy schedules can't make it you know they should have the opportunity to still be able to have their voices heard. Um you know

026so I think that it would be appropriate to allow that we'll at least have someone speak on over. We have the opportunity to send in public comment and share it with all of the board members. So, anyone who can't come or speak online absolutely their voice is heard. So, we have that covered. But I really appreciate it. The concern is though is that it doesn't get read. But it is kept on public record and we all have a copy of it. So, we just this meeting these meetings are meant to inform the board on decisions they're making during our meeting. We have a lot of agenda items and so we are really wanting to hear every voice in every way we can and I can promise you we read every public comment that comes in.

027But thank you. Okay, so the first person up is Spockwad, 718 Pine Street Baps on the budget. Good evening, Chair Ponds, Commissioners, Superintendent White, and Deputy Superintendent Hawk. I stand before you tonight not in my capacity as the principal of Green Hill School, but as the president of the Bristol Association of Principles and Supervisors, commonly known as BAPS. In this role, I represent the 40 dedicated members of our union, many of whom have devoted their entire careers to the Bristol School District, and I'm pleased to see many of them are here tonight. We're incredibly proud to work in a district that has long been recognized as a model for excellence across the state. A distinction that we have gained through the collective work of teachers, administrators, and central office. However, as we all know, Bristol

028has faced significant challenges over the past year. And through these challenges, our group has felt disconnected and uninvolved in finding solutions to some of these challenges. We recognize that central office and the board of ed have been working diligently to address a variety of complex issues and BAPS wants to be a part of the solution. Last week, we were able to schedule and hold a productive meeting with superintendent and deputy superintendent. And following that meeting, we sent a letter outlining our concerns regarding the lack of communication within our membership. We have copies of this letter available for all board members this evening and we'll also send them via email to ensure transparency in our communication. In addition, we recently distributed surveys to our BAPS members to gather their feedback on the current direction of the

029district, what's working well and what needs attention. We'll share that information with you soon as well. I mention these actions because as we move forward, BAPS is ready and eager to assist in navigating these challenges, ensuring that we continue to uphold and carry out the vision and mission of the Bristol Public Schools. As the president of BAPS, it is critical that all of our members voices are heard and that we are included in the decision-making process. And as budget discussions for next year continue, we'd like to be meaningfully involved in the process. We understand the difficult decisions ahead and we respectfully ask to be included in conversations around the various budget scenarios and proposals. We believe our insights and experience can help guide these decisions, ensuring that the potential impacts on our staff, teachers, and

030ultimately our students are clearly communicated. By working together, we can build the clarity, transparency, and trust that we all desire within our district. We're also committed to collaborating on creative solutions as we face the reality of these budget cuts. We know these cuts will have a profound impact on our schools, our educators, and our students. It's crucial that we work together to identify strategies that maintain the quality of education and support that our students deserve. The BAPS membership has always been committed to working alongside district leadership and the board of education to create the best possible learning environment for our students, staff, and the entire Bristol community. I ask that you engage uh with us in meaningful dialogue as we move forward so that together we can continue to make Bristol a place where students

031thrive and educators feel supported. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Jeff Kajiano, 100 North Main Street Board of Finance budget update. Good evening and um I wanted to make sure that you all hear this publicly. Um we've had a very difficult budget season, a lot of workshops. Uh the update that I want to give you has to have a little bit of a historical context. So over the last three years, unfortunately, we've seen lots of funding that tends to be one-time funding. I know that we had about $3 million of COVID surplus funds in 21 budget year. Those got spread out over budget year 22 and 23. And all of our conversations in the board of finance workshops were that these are one-time funds. They could start to create fiscal cliffs. Um I I'm

032not sure how it happened, but I think through this budget process, we are pretty confident that there was a significant amount of money spent from ESS or ARPA funds on salaries for new employees. Um not going to lay blame anywhere, but realistically when you look at a potential 5 to8 million spent on salaries that comes from one-time funding, it creates a budget cliff. And last year at our budget hearings, we agreed that we wouldn't add any new positions in the board of education with the exception, I believe, of two TE-OL teachers. Clearly, there are more on um your FTEES than than was expected. Last year, you had a 3.4 million deficit. At this time, we were reported that it would be about 1.8 million. As all of you know, we were MBR non-compliant last year,

033and that created another $1.4 $4 million budget increase for you this year. Kind of good news. Bad news is that type of funding took away from our surplus and our potential fund balance. Right now, our fund balance is already depleted to the point where we're approaching the board of finance limit on uh the ceiling of where it sits. We're projecting, by the way, that you might come in at about a five to$6 million deficit this year with your running deficit and the excess cost funds that come in. And um one other thing I do just want to talk about, and I think it just has to go on the record, is that the Office of Legislative Research uh report from November 14th, 2024 talks about uh procedures for appropriations and the penalty for exceeding appropriations.

034Board of Ed expenditures cannot exceed the municipalities appropriation plus any money that the B bill BO received from other sources. That includes grant funding. You guys get a serious amount of grant funding and that's important. This is the important part. State municipal law prohibits school board members and school officials from authorizing expenditures that exceed the board of education's appropriation. The law makes these officials personally liable for those expenditures. I will say there's a footnote and Tom Mooney has the footnote that this has never been um brought before. You have to show that there's intent. Um but I do have to just throw this out there that we have been in constant uh contact with board administrators, board members themselves. We're concerned about policy violations and guidelines and spending and uh that is concerning to us.

035Um I'm going to pass out and I'll give them to Eric to pass. what was discussed uh tonight at our board of finance proposal. You'll see that there is a 5% 6.6 million increase that has been proposed by um the board of finance at this point. Um I know that's a tough number for all of you and you guys are looking for cuts when we have in the neighborhood of 5 to8 million over the last couple of years that have added to that. I know you've come forth with a $2 million recommended reduction in force. Um, but we we don't have that rainy day fund that I think a lot of people think we have. So, uh, I I have a request of you tonight and and we have reached out by the way to

036both administration, I hope they will, um, admit this as well on partnerships, uh, information technology, others, field maintenance. you know, the city is really working try trying to work hard to work together. I have two requests. I would ask um and I will go back Iris to our February 12th text message. I just read reread it again today. We had a hiring freeze put in place on the city. You texted me which was very nice and asked should do I does this mean we have to do a hiring freeze? I texted you back the truth. The truth is I cannot make that decision for you. I would hope that your board would consider that with the fiscal issue that we have. I'm going to ask this board tonight to consider that and bring that up

037for adoption tonight. Um, that hiring freeze is important because I looked and I hope I'm not wrong on these numbers, but there are 45 positions listed on your website right now that are open positions. you've already announced that you are looking at 20 layoffs approximately and I I would hate to hire new teachers that automatically would have to be um let go. So um I'm asking for a hiring freeze on the board. I think that's a fiscally responsible thing to do. You yourselves are talking about cuts. I know this number is a difficult number for you to accept tonight. The second thing that I will ask and I promise this is my last issue is um there have been some conversations about how we reduce operational cost. Uh oh by the way back to that

0386.6 million number very important point that wasn't just picked out of a hat. That is what we assume and you have told us as a city is the amount of money that was special education money that was underfunded. We want to try to at least make you whole there. Um, so anyway, um, one way to cut expenses would be operationally. Edgewood School currently has about a $16 million appropriation. I think three and a half million is from the city. And um, it's great to have a prek academy, but previously those preks have been in our schools. Uh, we're going to go to the K5 uh, model. My suggestion is to go to a prek to five model once Northeast Middle School is built. You have two very large elementary schools in Green Hills and in

039West Bristol and I know I think you're housing some of those children there now. We were very gracious when you came to us and we're allowing you to use the Beck Center. I don't have faith that the Edgewood school even with the roof repairs now would be ready in September and that is significant funding that you might need to replace these kids. I'm asking for you to uh get the prekmies back into the grammar schools. And unfortunately, the only real control that the board of finance has, which we will bring up at one of our next meetings, is to rescend the $3 million for Edgewood School if if there isn't some partnership that moves forward here. So, I come to you asking for partnership. It's going to be a difficult journey. It was very difficult

040on the city side. If you want to listen to our board of finance meeting that we had just previous to this, hard decisions have to be made. It's not you alone here in the city of Bristol. This is happening in every single school district. And I can also assure you that uh schools in our DUI are are very similar situations and and I have not seen a proposed increase from the board of ed for any of them over 4.6%. So, um I I thank you very much and I thank you for giving me a little more time and I'm open for questions too if you need to respond to a couple of the things uh you know quickly. Um we are on a current hiring freeze. We have been excellent. Um since you announced um

041was that voted on by the board or because this to the board. It was to the board that we were on a hiring freeze. We we are on a hiring freeze, but our freezes are a little different because if there are positions that are required by law because of the needs of students, special education, yes, we absolutely have to hire those positions. So, no positions are being hired right now. I don't believe custodians, however, would be under there. And there's custodians. There's they may be posted, but they're not being hired. Excellent. Okay. So, um transparency in the past on our budgets definitely an issue, right? And and Tom Mooney is our lawyer. He's amazing. And I understand that his footnote is that it's never been done where board has been held accountable. However, we take

042this very seriously and we are committed to transparency. That's been something that this board has worked really hard on and we feel very confident under the current administration which was evident by the 16 plus million dollar ask in order to uphold the previous infrastructure. Um transparency is paramount and we have a lot of trust that we know now. We are fully aware now of what the actual expenses are. Um, I would also like to say that the $6.6 million, I understand that you're coming back with that special ed class. It's not actually our special ed cost. Uh, we are in upwards of $8 million currently in a deficit for special ed. Uh, so when we're talking about only providing the funding to meet that need, we're looking at over 4 about four 4% on four

043of our budgets on contractual obligations, an uncaped $3.9 million increase in benefits. We've never even seen a million dollars in benefits. So, we're kind of confused. We don't know if some of those payments might have happened in another way, but it just doesn't seem to add up. Um, and we have really, really not been paying attention to the fact that the special ed costs are rising at over 20%. And our budget isn't. So, we would like to work with you and we can schedule some meetings because you, you know, are offering to meet us at the table. I think that's a really good idea to have some discussions at the table. Um, but you know, cutting another six uh, what are you asking for? 3.6 million more off of the budget would devastate what we

044have for services for our students and we would never be able to provide the legally required services for all of our kids. So respectfully, this is hopefully the beginning of a conversation, but I don't think that's a number that we could ever agree on. I I understand your position. Uh, one last thing I will maybe ask and comment about is um what makes it difficult is last year in our budget negotiations, we were told a million of one point. We were told that we would have a deficit of 1.8 million. Came in at 3.4, we were NBR non-compliant. In your February dashboard, you were running at a deficit of $7.5 million and we calculated your excess cost funding that would be coming in the second half of that. And that's why we're projecting a 6

045million last year or this year? This year right now. So this is my problem. This is a numbers run out of munis today. So the numbers I'm giving you came out of munis today. And how do those dashboard numbers go from uh you know seven and a half? It was seven. I work for the district. I'm an elected official so I can't tell you how municipal and I just I just want to let you know where our budget came from. I think the history of our budget will answer those after uh Congress's report. The last thing just to say and I think we have agreement on this. We need to be known on a we need to know on a daily basis what your projected deficit is. We still have not heard that number in

046the city. This is a surprise to me and it came up at our board of finance meeting. So, not a total surprise right now, but that kind of communication has to start now because we can't plan. We are more than willing to have meetings whenever you have invited me to meeting mayor. I have attended and I would be happy to attend. I would love an update on your projected deficit on an ongoing basis. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Absolutely. Okay, the next person is we have Ellen Zapo 47 Cory Lane to speak about the budget. Good evening everyone. I was actually going to take uh a different approach with what I wanted to comment on tonight, but um in lie of some of the comments, I think that I

047just want to say especially here at the board of education level, this isn't just government work, it's generational work. And I give all of you a lot of credit for doing what you're doing in the face of public intimidation of elected officials, um, insinuation of malfeasants, um, policy guidelines and spending violations, which I think are probably um, part of a narrative but not part of a reality because I know from the seats that I've sat in in the past that the city of Bristol conducts very stringent audits every year on both sides of the House, the Board of Education, and the City of Bristol. And if any of these things were evident in any type of trending or in past budgets, I think that they would have been found. I also would like to reference,

048since we're talking about it, the draft audit that I looked at a couple of weeks ago that was commissioned by the mayor's office in the financial analysis section of the draft audit. It says while its expenses grew 20% from 2021 to 2024, the budget only increased by 5% creating an immediate budget shortfall. There is no more important sentence than that one on page 14. And the report also notes that the costs related to special education, tuition, and professional services are increasing at higher rates than what the district is budgeting. Reasons? Well, inadequate budgeting. you're not getting enough money to do what you need to do. Underfunded excess costs, underfunded mandates, unfunded mandates, unknown special education costs, and unplanned migration of students in. And as has been said previously, this is not new to any community,

049but how you manage those issues are obviously um what you what you can do internally. Um, the budget overages are one piece, but the other thing that I thought was interesting was the notations from the auditors about challenges within the purchasing order process. And also they actually call out the fact that there's not enough communication between the board of education and the city. And I think that we've seen that here tonight. There's been discussion about a lot of things including surpluses and fund balances but there hasn't been a lot of conversation about the kids about your students. I didn't hear anybody talk about the students. I didn't hear anybody talk about the educators the parents the staff but we are talking about the custodians and others. But all of this is part of an ecosystem.

050You can't have certain parts without the others. And so I think that tonight my only comment which I'll make after sitting through this is um government can't function if you're afraid to govern. And it's not about who has the power, but it's about who understands their responsibilities. And I would just like to say that my three children and many of the children that I'm connected to, including a series of young girls that I've mentored for the last 10 or 15 years, have greatly benefited from the education that they received here because Bristol cares about their students. We care about our resources and we care about how they're appropriated. And I think that you should hear tonight that regardless of your party affiliations that all of you have the support of a lot of people who

051want to make sure that our education system continues to be unrivaled within our DUI within our community within central Connecticut and it's because of the work that has been done by individuals and the coaches and the janitors and the paras and the secretaries and everybody else and the administrators um everybody who makes up this ecosystem. So, thank you tonight for doing everything that you've done and there's many of us who have been following this process and will stand ready to help and ensure that the system continues to excel the way that it does with a passion and a purpose. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have Mike Reynolds, 551 Peaceale Street AFT budget. Oh, I'm sorry. I missed Jennifer Benonudo. I'm so sorry. Will absolutely let Mike go first. You can go, Jen. I'm so

052sorry. They they You know what? I should have put my readers on. This is the problem being 51 years old. Problem letting Mike go first. Okay. Expected things to say. Um I apologize. Happy to be here this evening. Um, just going to start by saying a little disconcerted. This is the first time I've actually got to meet the mayor in person. Um, I thought your not so veiled threat is everything that's wrong with society right now and wish you would be careful because people like my son are watching. Um, and if I picked it up, I'm sure other people did as well. So that aside, um, sorry that was a little unnerving for me to be perfectly honest. Um, the future of our society lies in the hands of our children and their education should

053be our top priority. Adequately funding our schools is not just an investment in classrooms or textbooks, but an investment in our future. When we ensure that stu that schools have the resources they need, we equip our children with the tools for success, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving skills. Underfunded schools struggle to provide quality education, leading to larger class sizes, outdated materials, and less support for students who need it most. This not only limits their potential, but also undermines the future of our workforce and economy. By investing in education, we break the cycle of poverty, reduce inequality, and give every child the opportunity to succeed regardless of their background. We must also acknowledge a frustrating reality. Taxes in our city are continually raised, but too often they seem to go toward other priorities rather

054than directly benefiting our schools. This misallocation of resources short changes our children and undermines undermines our ability to create the kind of education system they deserve. It's time we prioritize their future by ensuring that funds are directed where they are most needed into the classrooms. What you pay for belies your values. And right now, children don't seem to be this city or administration's priority. Furthermore, excuses, excuse me, I'm pardon. Did you have something to say? Oh, okay. Thank you. Ex. Furthermore, excuses and financial mismanagement by the current city administration or the improper handling of sunsetting COVID funds, which were clearly warned to be sunsetting, are simply unacceptable excuses. These are not valid reasons to deny our children the education they deserve. Mismanagement cannot be an excuse when it comes to securing our children's future. We

055cannot afford to let bureaucratic inefficiencies stand in the way of providing a quality education for every child. Instead of threatening the board of education with punitive cuts, the mayor, the city council, and the board of finance should focus on growing the grand list and expanding the city's economic base. Building a stronger economy would provide sustainable resources for both schools and the community rather than resorting to cutting educational budgets in times of need. Playing political games with school funding is not only short-sighted but deeply irresponsible. Children's future should not be used as a bargaining chip in political maneuvering. When politicians prioritize their own agendas or reelection over the needs of students, they are failing those who depend on a solid education to break free from cycles of disadvantage. It is both morally wrong and utterly irresponsible

056to jeopardize the success of our future leaders and our city for political gains. If we want a stronger, more prosperous society, we must commit to adequately funding our schools. The returns are clear. Stronger students, a more skilled workforce, and a brighter future for all of us and our community. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next, now we have Mike Reynolds, 551 Peaceale Street, AFT budget. Thank you, uh, Commissioner, Chair, to the board of education. Thank you. Thank you for all you do. know this is a uh definitely a selfless job, but we appreciate everything that you do. So, I'm Mike Reynolds, president of the Bristol Federation of Teachers. I'd like to thank all of the board of ed commissioners and superintendent White for recently and acting superintendent Hawk for recently giving staff the opportunity to

057have a voice by giving for the first time I've been in Bristol the 27 years an open-ended anonymous paper survey. I look forward to collaboratively working towards real solutions. We look at the open and honest feedback that came from the teacher voice, pair of voices, secretary voices, administrative voices that did fill out that paper survey. The BFT trust in Superintendent White, acting deputy superintendent Hawk, and the board of ed commissioners to make the right decisions. We I and the BFT would like to thank you for fighting to fully fund our schools. The BFT looks forward to collaboratively working to make the Bristol public schools the best that they can be. I respectedly ask on behalf of the BFT that we work together to avoid any teacher layoffs in an already short staffed barebones district that

058we have to avoid any layoffs of any paras in an already short staffed parah anybody who's working in the buildings that we avoid to to lay off in what we've already for staff, but we trust in you. We hope we make the right decisions and we really look to just fully fund for the first time the Bristol public schools. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, the next item on the agenda that isn't the chair report is the chair reports. So, in my chair report tonight, I want to share how superintendent Iris White became the acting superintendent Bristol Public Schools. There have been a lot of stories about the situation, and not all of them are accurate. While Iris and I worked together at the Connecticut State Department of Education, we were in different departments, our collaboration

059was limited to a grant program that allowed us to meet a few times a year. and I was always impressed by her skills and professionalism. Iris has a great temperament and is respected by her colleagues both in the agency and in school districts across the state. When the previous superintendent resigned last April, Iris had just finished a year working with her in Bristol to earn her 093 certification, which is necessary for public school superintendent in Connecticut. This certification involves a thorough evaluation of leadership skills through coursework and an intensive internship program. During this internship, Carly Foron, who is beloved by the district, worked with Mrs. White and later recommended her to the board for the acting superintendent position. When I contacted Miss White about Bristol's urgent need for an acting superintendent and mentioned Carly's support,

060she agreed to take on the role, a decision for which many are truly thankful. The board is currently working with a search firm to help choose a permanent superintendent. The job posting was recently published, sparking conversation about whether a doctorate degree should be required alongside the 093 certification. A review of superintendent job listings statewide showed that none listed a doctorate as a preferred qualification. Thus, it seems unreasonable to require a degree that is not required and often irrelevant to the position as this could discourage potential candidates. Recognizing the importance of ethical and legal standards, I believe it's vital to provide clear legal information to clarify any confusion about the process of appointing a permanent superintendent. The hiring process must follow legal guidelines that emphasize confidentiality, which is key to attracting top candidates. The state constitution

061and applicable state laws outline the responsibilities and limitations of local boards of education. To appoint a superintendent, a majority vote from all board members is necessary and only board members have the legal authority to vote for a superintendent of schools as indicated in Connecticut General Statute 10-157. This procedure is consistent throughout the state and the Bristol Board of Education has followed this regulation in selecting all previous superintendents in Bristol public schools. In Iris's less than a year as acting superintendent, she has faced many challenges from from the beginning. These challenges included from day one a statewide investigation into testing irregularities, the closure of a preschool academy due to a failing roof, finding temporary state space for preschool students, and the urgent need for new roofs at two of our high schools. It became evident that

062the city had underfunded the board of education for years as the state notice confirmed that the city did not meet the minimum budget requirement which states that the city's funding cannot be less than the previous year. An external financial audit conducted by the city's outside investigator or firm revealed a 20% rise in special education costs, violating the city's underfunding that led to the current deficit, which now exceeds $8 million in special education expenses. As a result, the budget would require a $16 million increase to sustain existing operations for the next year. The situation was extremely challenging and led to difficult decisions, including eliminating positions and making significant reductions in budget items to meet the board's approved budget, which was already reduced by $6 million last month. It is important to acknowledge that these budgetary challenges

063were not created by Superintendent White. she inherited them and has been asked to present a budget that emphasizes transparency, accurate financial reporting, and prioritizes district support for students, enabling us on this board to continue to provide the free and equitable, highquality education to all of our students despite limited resources. Local budget decisions are often complicated, shaped by various factors, including state funding and local priorities. As we near an election year, the city's revenue has fallen short of expectations. It is unfortunate that election cycles influence the funding designated for education. When budgets are constrained, cuts become necessary to maintain low mill rates and taxes. And regrettably, many of the many of these reductions have impacted our education budget and capital improvement funds needed to maintain our school buildings. When our children come home reporting buckets in

064their school hallways to catch water leaking from the roof, it is a clear sign that it is time for parents to speak up and advocate for better conditions and for the city to prioritize education again by providing adequately and and adequately funding our budget. Since 2021, the city's focus has shifted away from education with 67% of the city's funding supporting the education budget at that time. This figure has now dropped to 62% this year and the city is proposing to reduce education share down to 56% next year. While acknowledging the city's financial difficulties, it is crucial to highlight that the board of education budget has only increased by 6.55% from 2022 to 24 compared to an 8.84 increase to other city budgets during the same time period. The urgent issue we face now is what

065steps will we take? Based on our current understanding, it is unacceptable for the city to cut our requested funding by an additional 3.6 6 million, especially considering that the mayor, with all due respect, was a former board of education commissioner. And he has decreased the percentage of funding from the city's revenue by roughly 11% since 2021. It is both misleading and unjust to blame the current leadership in this district or this board and try to hold us accountable for years of inadequate funding. This concludes my chair report. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is a superintendent. Thank you, Chair Pogs. Good evening, everyone. In lie of a formal uh budget update, I felt uh it appropriate for me to just share some remarks as a superintendent. When I presented my proposed superintendent budget

066back in January, I did so with complete transparency, recognizing the crucial role each of you, commissioners, colleagues, staff, and the public play in understanding and addressing the district's financial situation. My 12.58% initial increase request was unprecedented in this district, but I felt it was a necessary step to reveal the actual cost of running a district the size of Bristol with the needs of our students at the forefront. It was also designed to show any inequities in the distribution of resources across schools andor departments. We are grateful to the mayor and the board of finance for funding an audit that reviewed budget requests for the preceding years and identified reasons for budget overages, including rising special education costs and excess cost sharing funding shortfalls. I often um feel sorry for saying special education costs because I

067feel like we're blaming special ed students and pointing the finger at special education. And as a former special education teacher, that really is very hurtful on a personal level. One of the major contributors to budget overages was inadequate budgeting that did not sufficiently consider actual special education costs. The audit also provided practical actionable recommendations which our team is working to put into place. As the saying goes, the only way out is through. We are committed to examining the district's past financial practices and rectify any errors made to ensure that this district is never put in this position again. I'm grateful to the mayor for your reaching out your hand and saying you want to partner with us and find solutions. I'm also grateful to Mr. Gardet, sorry I can't see your face in the back

068corner there for your remarks and the willingness of BAPS to um work with the administration to find solutions. And that's certainly something that I'd like to pursue. Last Friday, with a heavy heart, we had to notify staff members that their contracts would not be renewed due to a reduction in force. This decision, which affected math and literacy coaches, five new teachers and other staff members, was not made lightly. These coaches who have served with pride for years and these new teachers, most of whom I was excited to welcome to our community when I interviewed them just this past August, had made significant contributions to our district. I understand the profound impact these cuts had and will have on our staff, their families, the community, and the overall well-being of our students. Our team members play

069a crucial role in shaping the educational experience we provide to our students and I deeply regret that we are in this situation. Our commitment to preserving the core programs and services that support student learning and success is unwavering. We as a central office team have worked diligently exploring all other avenues to address the deficit, including cost cut cost cutting measures such as hiring freeze, decreasing the salary offered to new candidates, the creation of more indistation programs, an early retirement incentive that we're working on, the relocation of positions to grants, and the pursuit of additional funding sources such as grants and partnerships, and lobbying the state for increased funds. While these cuts are complex, they are designed to minimize the impact on our students education while also being sensitive to the impact on the taxpayer. I'm

070happy to see so many of staff in the audience tonight and I know many are also online. I hope that everyone will continue to be engaged as is beneficial for the city to see staff and community interest and involvement. Thank you. That concludes my superintendent update. chair. Yes. I think now would be the time that we agreed on kind of have a robust discussion around um the budget and superintendent's remarks. Um mind being the one to start if you'd like or however you'd like to do that. Okay. So just make a motion to discussion. No, I think we can talk. It's on the agenda. So Okay. Um you want me to go first? Sure. Okay. Um well, first uh I I want to thank u the the MAPS union and uh the BFT for coming

071out tonight and uh sharing with us your willingness to be part of the solution um when it comes to these cuts. Our last meeting that we had that was a special meeting, we voted to cut $6 million from our budget, but we reserve the right to decide what those cuts were at a later date. Part of the promise we made as a board unanimously was to hold a workshop to talk about what those cuts would be. I'm fundamentally of the belief that the decision needs to be made by the professionals who work here, not just members of this board. I also don't believe these cuts should come from the mayor's office and these cuts certainly shouldn't come from the board of finance. You know, hearing some of the comments tonight, it's hard to slice. No,

072it's easy to slice the tension in this room with a knife because it's shocking to me that anyone would come up here and make a threat that they would resend capital planning money to us that was part of this district strategic plan when we reimagined this district. That is a plan that was unanimously approved by this board and was adopted not just by Democrats but was a Republicanled initiative. Republican. Now, this government in the city is controlled by Republicans. The majority of the folks that sit on this board are Republicans. I don't find this to be a matter of politics, but it certainly the irony is not lost on me when we have these discussions ever. It is not lost. Now, I did want to talk about some other things that came through because there

073there's constant a constant discussion about little things that people dig in on this board. I know recently at a board of finance meeting, we started talking about a purchase order for $500 worth of Pepsi and that was used to insinuate that this board is a prlegate spender and irresponsible with its money. Well, let me tell you something. The last four years under the Kajano administration, this board saved itself from a deficit by implementing a general budget freeze where we weren't actually spending on our operating costs. Now, let me put the operating costs into perspective for people in this audience. The board of education manages 1.4 million square ft of facility. The city manages 600,000 square ft. That means we manage 70% of the facility square feet in this town. Now imagine that. Imagine if 70%

074of the city's funds went to the board of education. We wouldn't be talking about special education deficits because it would be funded. But unfortunately, we do have to talk about it. Now, there were public comment mentioning our audit. I think everybody needs to read the audit that was demanded by the city because they were so concerned about how we spend our money. Not one finding, not one, suggests that this board of education is deficient in the way it manages its funds. And that should be made abundantly clear to any member of the public who chooses to go out there and demean people. I also think we should talk about how people bring up one-off stipens as another rationale for how this board chooses to spend its money. We have to remember that the board has

075an obligation to pay its employees fair wages or fair work. How we choose to spend that money, whether it's on stipens, whether it's on part-time work or full-time work, is up to this board. It is not up to boards outside of this. If if the city doesn't like the way we spend our money, they're welcome to share those facts, but I can tell you again, look back at the audit. The audit doesn't say we provide ridiculous salaries to our employees. That's not even one of the findings. I agree with the request to improve communications, but communication goes two ways. Not one member of this board is paid. Members of the city council are paid. The mayor's paid. They're employees. You're employees when you're paid. We are not paid. But we do a job every month

076when we come to meetings. We do our jobs when we go to our subcommittee meetings. I'm very pleased by the attendance in this room because we actually do have very robust discussions outside of what happens here. Now, there was commentary around Edgewood School and I did want to go back to that because I appreciate that some board members in our last meeting came up and and brought that forward as a solution. I don't hear that as a solution from our professional staff that that is the right way to go and I don't think that that is something that we should be bringing to the table at this time. The $16 million was awarded from state is because it's a capital project to improve the building. Unfortunately, when many of us were elected, we inherited a

077system of buildings that were falling apart. We had no choice but to go back and fix them. And we are where we are with those types of things. Now, there was a public comment about public education being an investment, and it is. It's a huge investment. And when I see an additional request for us to reduce by $3.7 million, my head explodes. That's between at the lowest step between, depending on what degree you have, 40 to 55 teachers. How many police are getting laid off in our next budget? How many public works folks are getting laid off in our next budget? How many parks employees are getting laid off in our next budget? How many is the mayor's social media person manager getting laid off in the next budget? That doesn't seem like an expense

078that I think is worthy of discussion. But again, I'm not trying to go back and nitpick what the city spends on. I'm making a point that if the city wants to bully this board into submission on small items but then come here and say let's be partners, I find that to be disingenuous at best. Now, I'm willing to work with all the other folks here at the table, but I'm especially willing to work with BAPS and BFT and our other union folks to figure out how we cannot impact kids. But I got to tell you, another $3.7 million is going to impact kids. And if people in the room want to get that message across, go to city hall, talk to the board of finance, call the mayor's office, and let them know another $3.7

079million is unproductive. And lastly, I'll end with this. It's not just the city's fault when it comes to special education. And I'm a realist about this. I'm actually I think the only professional who who is responsible for a corporation's budget. So I understand when there's challenges and things are unfunded and I understand that the state isn't paying its fair share. It's actually one of the audit findings. But the city also has an obligation to grow its grand list. Now if we tie the mayor's salary to the growth in the grand list, I bet you we'd have a lot more growth in the city of Bristol and we'd have a lot more money. So I'll end my comments there. I look forward to working with both the unions and everyone on this board to finding real

080solutions to the problems that are before us. Thank you chair. Yes. Um I'm not going to add to the back and forth here. Um but this board needs to start and continue to provide solutions. Um, and I think we're well on our way to doing that. Uh, I do think the workshop is helpful because not everybody gets to sit on every committee. Not everybody can attend every committee. Um, there might be some ideas, there might be some questions by the board around the ideas that are already proposed. It is a fair to be in a way in a when you're in a situation like this, which is in the extreme to allow the conversation amongst many board members. Now, I did um receive a phone call from Cher this week and I told her I

081appreciated that call and I asked when the workshop was going to be created and I was told that once they had the number from the city, we would engage in that workshop. I look forward to that. I think there are some uh good reasons for the suggestions that have already been made. Even if not everybody agrees, I think we have to start with some of the larger ticket items that get us the farthest into the reductions and at least come to a consensus of the best we can on those items and then work in collaboration obviously with the superintendent to do them. Um, I know this meeting wasn't meant to put all the solutions on the floor, but is also not helpful for either side to go in the finger pointing and attack mode. At

082this point, it is just not helpful. We are here. We have a problem before us. The rest of our energy should just be focused on finding solutions to the problem. Uh, I'm happy to see all the offers of collaboration. I'm happy to hear there's a absolute power and freeze to the extent that the law allows. Um I think that there's many people at this table that might have some good ideas that could come to fruition or as we enter in those discussions other ideas build off of each other. I hope after this contentious that there is real conversation and collaboration with all people involved and that all ideas are allowed at the table at least for initial discussion. Um, I think I'm just going to stop there, but um, the respect I agree has to

083go both ways. I, uh, the, um, intensity of the comments today was unfortunate. Thank you. Is anyone else up? Yeah, if I may. Um, to the chair. Uh I would agree with Mr. Gon Antonio's uh comments that we you know we do got to focus on on the problem uh rather than deal with the favor point. Um I will say uh I've been the one that's been pretty vocal about closing into it. uh when when looking at like projects or or anything like that, I've walked quite a few jobs. I you you got to look at um some of the uh the quickest and easiest ways to uh to tackle projects. And you know, the school budget is a very good project and I think the elimination of is definitely um a long go would

084go a long way towards um alleviating some of the budget issues that we have. It would reduce our footprint in terms of square footage. It would reduce our maintenance budget by by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Um, and it would reallocate it would and it would not impact staff uh staff at a significant number. We'd still have the staff. They just be a different school. Um, you know, I I would welcome a workshop so we can discuss this as well as other options that we could have on the table. And I would I would I would you know, definitely invite um union representatives as well as members of the city uh to this. I think we should, you know, we're all in this together and the only way I think we're going to figure this

085out is uh by trying to work together on this. Oh, that's all I have. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Anything else? Yes, if I may. I think it's a um it's a problem with the city government in in general. um we tend to delay and put off necessary repairs, replacements, new roofs, etc. Um from my time when I was on city council, we in previous years before I was elected, there was a big delay in road resurfacing which resulted in having to double up on road resurfacing. So the city got hit with a lot of extra expenses and and again it's because you know Pennywise pound this year you put off projects and you create more trouble. We have leaky roofs because roofs repairs have been put off. Patches have been done instead

086of properly replacing them. And that's been an issue. We've got to get we've got to get sensible about it. We've got to do the repairs. you know, we use CO funds to do a lot of repairs that literally should have been done years ago. So, it's been an issue. Um, my focus is on, again, the buildings. I'm not an educator type person, but I want to, you know, I want to make sure our buildings are as the best we can come up with. Uh, again, we want to have proper facilities. It costs money and we have to make these investments. Um things are tough all over. I understand that and we'll have to get a little creative I'm sure. But um we do have to make the investment. Thank you. Anyone else? I think moving

087forward um what I'm hearing and what I hope the focus can be for us is collaboratively hearing all voices and figuring out ways to mitigate this budget crisis because the cuts proposed in our budget are absolutely going to harm teachers. It absolutely will harm educators. absolutely will harm the people in this room and most importantly it will harm our students. That's just as the budget is presented right now. Any addition additional cuts will be crippling absolutely crippling. And it will harm the people of our community. I don't know how any one of us in this room, any member of our community can be okay with that. So in the spirit of collaboration, always coming to the table and entertaining and affirming every recommendation, every idea, every thought, we have to bring value to that um

088in a very open and bipartisan way. obviously um hearing feedback from every member of our school community, not just the unions, although obviously they're the voice for their membership. That's super important. Um but hearing from all members of our community, every angle, every lens. Um there was an article recently that was publish published. Um Kate Diaz, the president of the Correctional Education Association, the state's largest teacher union, said that the reductions that we're facing are really about reduction of opportunity for our kids. And we just cannot allow it. I don't care how we get there. Well, as long as we don't break any laws, obviously. Um, but we have to find a way of getting there. Putting all of the past feelings we may have had about things aside, coming together really authentically or and

089organically and raising all of our voices so we can do what we need to do for our kids and for this community. In addition to that, we have to then build capacity and persistent practices systems to prevent these shortfalls from happening again. And that is my commitment to you um every member of this community. I I cannot support a budget that harms the people of this community and that harms children. So, we have to do better. Thank you. Um, I think a budget workshop would be helpful if we would be able to invite Val into the conversation and find some solutions um that are most um site was hard. It's very contentious. um sad, but um just have to work together to move forward and hopefully can get a budget uh meeting uh workshop together

090on the schedule soon. Thank you. Any other comments? Um just going back to Commissioner Carlson with the investment in our children. I mean I I say it constantly, that's why we are here. um working together. We have to do it. I think a workshop again would be great. Inviting our leadership. Um you never know what someone's going to come up with. the creativity and if our children can work together in a classroom and get together so thank well to piggy back I was thinking of um something when you had mentioned that uh the one thing I would like to toss out on this table that has not been mentioned yet is trust And I think that there's a lot of room to build trust and that's what's needed to collaborate and move forward. Everyone's had

091a chance to talk. Does anyone have any comments? Okay. I um will wrap this up just by saying I have only one teenager left. The others are both above the teenage year. which is a good thing, I think. Um, and um, her friends come over and the one thing that I will say that's really hard to hear is that they know that I'm on the board of ad. They don't really know what it means, but I've been called a slum lord by the way that our buildings are looking these days with the buckets of water. And it's a hard thing to accept that. I have parents call me and tell me they go to sporting events in Meridan or other towns that are in Ardurg and they say they have state-of-the-art facilities. Their buildings are

092amazing. Like I I thought that their buildings would be like our buildings because their towns are like our towns. And it's becoming really loud that our buildings need serious serious attention. And it's really awful that we're competing with capital improvement money and money just to operate our school budget. Like we're competing against ourselves here. And when we say, okay, Edgewood needs, you know, repair, which is true, but we have funding to repair Edgewood. We don't have funding right now to repair Stafford. And we're being told that Stafford building is completely exhausted. It can never just be patched up again. It needs a 66 to80 million full renovation in the next five years. So when we're weighing these things out, right, we're saying, "Oh my god, like there's just so many things that we're competing against

093each other for. Like which school is worse right now? That's not a fun game to play, right? So if we have funding for Edgewood but we don't have funding for Stafford Stafford, we have to do a feasibility study to find out how many kids need classrooms when Northeast opens and we free up space in the other buildings. And if we have enough classrooms, then maybe we would decide at that point if we could close a building, close two buildings, keep the building that's less expensive open. But that isn't a decision that we're going to make alone. These are community schools and people are really rooted in their community schools. So these are conversations that we want the public to be a part of. These aren't things that I signed up to to to make alone.

094Like the people who elected each one of us, we represent our community and we want our community to be part of that decision. So when we're being asked to give back a school or give back money or it's that's not a individual or even a nine person decision in my opinion. That's a decision that involves the community and it involves an assessment of how many classrooms we need. It's using data to make our decisions. It's not because we're in an election year and our mill rate is going to go up. I'm not going to make decisions based on no matter what anybody says. So, while I do want to meet across the aisle, I'm not willing to have those types of conversations. So, I hope the conversations involve the entire community and that it is

095understood that we were elected to represent the students, the 7,650 something students in this district right now that we're serving and that's where our decisions will be made. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is deliberated items district leadership team report and I think we have Carly Foron coming up for that. No, who do we have? She'd rather not. Oh, superintendent white. Someone wrote Carly on my paper. Sorry, that is me. Thank you, Chair Pines. Um, as I notified um, commissioners on Friday, last Friday, um, there are five um, non-tenured teachers that I'm recommending for non-renew due to reduction in force. Um, they were notified, as I said, on Friday. Um, and notified them that it was because of budgetary reasons, not because of performance. Um, I did want to say their names because,

096and I'll give you the names. part of the any of the land as part of the motion. Uh Julia Dolce, grade five teacher. Tristan Gren, grade two teacher. Gina Weiss, library media specialist, grades 6 through 8. Haley Cassidy, math, grade 8. Lori Lena Park Nolles, ELA, grade 8. I want to thank acting deputy superintendent clock um who personally went to uh deliver these notices to those teachers and also personally delivered um and called uh coaches who were notified on Friday. So, I wanted to say that as well. And I have a motion that the board of education vote to move that the contract of employment of red names not be renewed for the following year due to budgetary reasons upon its expiration at the end of 202526 school year and that the superintendent of school

097is directed to advise such persons in writing of this action through the chair. Oh, just so you know the this motion up here is the right year. Oh, the paper said 256, but it's actually 24. Okay, I correct this at 2425 school year. Someone make a motion. Would you read that again? So moved right there. Okay, read it again. I don't think you have to. I think you can just say so moved. We need a second. I'll second. Motion has been made and seconded. All in favor? Uh, can we have discussion please for the chair? Absolutely. Thank you. Um, just a quick question. Um, the it's my understanding and I asked this question at a time. Thank you for the answer tonight. Um, these non-tier teachers were they fired this year? Yes, sir. Uh, were

098they fired before February? Their dates are on the Oh, here. I don't That's fine. I don't need to see it. I could see it after well before February. Okay. Um and the um I had a question because weren't able to have the workshop yet and there was an action. So in regards to the 20 uh coaches and understanding um the achievements that math and literacy coaches have provided this district, it's part of the tiered system that we use to help support um our teachers uh implementing curriculum um helping new teachers. Um maybe teachers would uh need some additional help. Um, and it's very important work and we're up against really tough decisions. I think some of the initial discussions thought that those positions don't touch students and kids, but I I think they do and

099the um board took the action that was under the new superintendent to do that. What I'm questioning though is what's going to happen to that work? Where were you envisioning that were being absorbed that we eliminate all of them? Because in the past, we didn't have as many. There were some shared resources in other buildings. And this is probably a detailed question that would have been better served in a workshop. So, I don't mean to put you on the spot. We don't have that. And action was already taken on Friday, so I wanted to place but to ask it here before we start making more of those things. um did we think about retaining some of those positions so that we can continue to provide the academic growth that we need although we are doing

100well and we've done the level of co we can't pretend that we can't improve math and literacy schools so was there another thought process that maybe some other budget cuts might attain the same results but still keep some of those closures especially at the critical grades and share others Because if you eliminate all of that, I just want to know who's going to do that work. How did you envision it being absorbed in the classroom? Mhm. That work is very it is very important and the coaches have worked very diligently through the years. Um prior to the coaches working on the curriculum, we would have the teachers work on the curriculum under the guidance of uh Carly Foron. Um Carly has four people now um in her office. Two working at the elementary school level,

101two supervisors uh Jillian and Roman and Azra uh Redzick and two at the high school level. So they would really lead the work and have the teachers come and um work on the curriculums as they supervised them. We can also we also have an abundance of teachers who are um mentors. So when a new teacher comes on board, they're given somebody in their building that they meet with weekly that they lesson plan with that they grow with and we've actually increased the number of uh those teachers. Um so they will be helping us with the professional development. Is it accurate that some of the math and literacy coaches are special education certified and are also responsible for the code talk classrooms at the high school? Maybe Garly can speak to that. Uh, a number of

102our coaches are special education certified. Um, a number of coaches across all levels do co-e as part of their instructional model. Uh, I don't know that they would um consider their co-eing as part of the service hours in a student's individual educational plan. Correct. But when we have code taught classrooms, we are picked. Do you want to come up? Thank you, Bo. We'd like to hear from anyone who has knowledge on these things. the more information it's no. Okay. No, not an IP. I I'm just saying where are we using those resources? Okay. So, it'd be better if you speak at the microphone. I'm sorry. They want you to go to the microphone. Good. Go on. I should have sp. Yeah. Never. Oh, have to hold it down. Now you just leave it in. I

103didn't listen to your direction. Sorry. Um, not that I'm aware of. And if any high school teachers on, they could uh text me. Any coach who's on could text me. But from my understanding, my um all the officers understanding that is not I think. So just for clarification for the room, all of the coaches are certified teachers in the teacher union. So Mike is a teacher union president speaking based on that. But I Yes. But I openly admit I'm not aware of everything that happens in the district. So if I'm wrong, somebody text me. Well, I think it was kind of just verification. You both kind of said the same thing. So, I appreciate I appreciate the answer. Thank you. And thank you for being willing to speak right here in clearing it up. Yeah.

104Okay. Clear it up. All right. Okay. So, though do the point that we do have though is that a lot of them are um certified in special education which is shortage area. It's also my understanding that um the typical bumping or whatever takes place can still take place. So, I guess my question is still to make sure that we have plans to absorb the work and if we're um targeting an entire category of a job function that we're not cutting off our nose to spide our face with performance and also that we are investing in trying to retain to the best extent possible the expertise that those coaches also have, especially if they're special education certified and that's shortage areas. Um, and is it also my understanding that if um if all the hopefulness in

105this room for coming up with solutions comes up with better solutions and we can save some of those coaches, I think my my comment would just be I don't mean I mean retain some of those positions even in a shared manner in the critical areas where we need to see the most growth would be the recommendations I in the workshop, but I wanted to prepare some surface mention. So, thank you. Thank you. Does any other commissioners have any comments? I appreciate Commissioner Gony's comments and want to reiterate that this has been an awful process where we did absolutely not want to cut anybody, let alone our coaches who are certified top tier teachers. Um, and we're really hoping that they stay in the district. Um, we do have instructional leaders as well who work with

106students and their job description does say that they can perform direct service and coaching. And so I don't know if there's a possibility and in the workshop we can, you know, ask those questions as well. Um, I mean, one of the coaches I went to high school with and have the most tremendous respect for and my heart is broken that we're making decisions that impact people in this way. So, I absolutely do not like citing these things and being asked to cut more money is unimaginable because we're in a position that is where nobody would want to be. This is the last place anybody wants to be right now. And so, please know, Commissioner Ganton, that I have a great respect for the coaches and for Harley for the work that's been done. And I

107am not happy at all that we had to make this vote tonight for the chair. Yes. Um last week after many of our educators received these notices um I I actually just had the honor of um talking with some of them about this issue specifically and I want to thank them for reaching out and trusting me and using their voices. I think that so that I spoke to coaches, I spoke to teachers, I spoke to administrators, I spoke to union members, I spoke to Bristol residents, I spoke to moms, I spoke to dads, I spoke to um people that are in this room tonight. And I received letters, full grade bands of letters in support of the positions of the people of our students that will not have jobs as a result of this budget.

108People who live in this community who will not potentially be able to feed their families. Students who go to our schools, students who the people in this room see every day. And that obviously is not something any of us takes lightly. I know none of us in this room want to be in a position where um we have to make decisions like this. There are some exemplars I think in our school community places where we have um coaches and um certain positions that are having uh direct providing direct services to students. I know this because my third grader is one of those students. And having two students with disabilities in this school district, I I can tell you how deeply important I cannot underscore enough and I'm not going to stop underscoring it enough the

109work that is being done to help our students read and succeed. My son was over two grade levels behind in reading in fourth grade. And because of people in this room, educators in this room, my my son is now above grade level in reading. A dyslexic student. He still can't spell spell. He can't even spell a CVC word. Don't ask him to spell cat. But I'll tell you what, he's in all accelerated classes because of the work of the people in this district. Okay? So yes, students will be impacted deeply. Do we maybe have to reimagine some of our positions? Sure. Do we have to make sure our functional job descriptions are more reflective of the things that are happening in our schools? Yes. And that's okay. We can do that. But we can't do

110that if we don't have these educators. This was discussion for the motion once I had one other question. Sure. The budget motion. Um because some thoughts are already being surfaced here in advance of the workshop. It would probably be highly recommended I think to be the most productive in the workshop to present a um pros and cons scenario between uh Edgewood versus Stafford and the possibility for fitting students in other I don't think we're even discussing removing buildings this year. We don't have a feasibility study. So that's not part of this discussion. We're talking about the budget to operate the school district, not capital improvement right now. That is not on the table. We need to handle the we need to go in order of which catastrophe we need to talk about first. And I'm

111saying right this minute, we have to approve a budget to operate our school district. And that is separate from school buildings. So, I know that people have pressured us to combine those two decisions. They're very separate decisions. Understood. Um, but if we are really going to have collaborative discussions, even in the hypothetical, it would I I don't understand why we couldn't use some of the time at workshop to strategize whether or not I I'm sorry, chair puns. It's just I just am asking if it's What would we be? We We have to pay the operational cost of the teacher. Just point of order. Just point of order. Okay. The motion on the floor is about whether we're going to accept the the people whose names are on the contract. Any other discussion that is not

112germanine to what's before us as a motion should not be discussed. If people want to have discussions about what should be at a workshop so on and so forth should can be discussed at a later time and responses to that should also be provided at a later time. It's 8:43. We have other things on the agenda. I would if if no one has any other comments on this, we should move to vote. Appreciate the reminder. I just also want to remind that you did say all options are on the table that this workshop that was before. So I'm just making sure we discuss them all. Thank you. Okay. I want to clarify that all options are on the table at the workshop to discuss the budget that we're going to have to vote on. I

113think we can just now make a vote or does someone else have any comments? Okay. Um so we are a motion's been made and second. All in favor? I I oppose. Opposed. So, we should probably do a roll up because I don't think that we'll know who did what. So, Commissioner U Simons Villa oppose. I you you're voting yes. Yes. No. No. No. I Yes. Yes. Motion passes. Okay. The next item on the agenda is end of the year closing date and high school graduation date. Dr. Kulkin. Dr. co is not clear. Um, but I can fill in and say this is just to confirm the high school graduation date and the last day of school for this school year as Wednesday, June 18th. Okay. Read the recommended motion. I move that the board of

114education vote to approve high school graduation date in the last day of the 2024 2025 school year as Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 following the completion of 181 days school days. This date may be subject to change in the event of additional emergency closing days are required between now and the conclusion of the academic year. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. All in favor? I I motion passes. Next. Can I have a vote to accept Southside full HVAC project as complete? So moved. Oh, Peter Fesco. Oh, sorry. Is he here? up. Oh, I'm so sorry. I don't have my glasses on again. Parent conference and marking period dates for the school year 2025 26 and 2627 for great. Thank you. Last month, the board of education approved the school calendars for 2025 226 and 26 27.

115Uh, traditionally after we establish the school calendar, we also then establish our parent conference and term dates. you have those as attachments in the item tonight. I do want to uh thank all of our educators who do uh really value the relationships that they're building with families. I think it's important for the board of education to know that this school year our teachers, educators held over 8,000 conferences as they were meeting with uh their children's families. And one of the opportunities that we're looking forward to in the upcoming years is the opportunity for students to have greater agency and voice in the conferences that they have with their families. Uh after the calendar was approved, we did take the opportunity to meet with school leaders who also then took forward uh input from their school

116staff and there were no changes made uh recommended to the parent conference calendar uh the number of days per level or the times. So, what you see before you is pretty traditional based on uh the positive experiences we've had in the past couple of years. With that, I'd ask for a motion to approve the parent conference and term dates for the next two years. Second. A motion has been made and seconded. Any discussion? All in favor? I I motion passes. Thank you very much. Now we move on to agenda item 10.4. Vote to accept Southside School HVAC project as complete. Do we have Mr. Fusco or Tara Landon? So I know that Tara Landon Tara Landon is online if you have additional questions, but she did um ask that I just share. As you are

117aware, the board of education has the opportunity to seek reimbursement for this project. As part of the state requirement to apply for reimbursement, this project must be accepted as complete by this board. In October 2023, the Southside roof HVAC replacement project committee accepted this project as complete. As of formality for the state, I request this committee to do the same. Um, the total reimbursement from the state is approximately $2.5 million. Yes, please. I move that the board of education vote to accept the Southside school HVAC project as complete. Second. Motion has been made and seconded. Any discussion? All in favor? I I Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have our special services report with Amy Martino. Good evening, commissioners. Good evening. Tonight I will be reporting on the special education enrollment count. As

118of March 1st, 2025, 1,825 of the 8,084 enrolled Bristol students require special education programming. This enrollment reflects 22.58% of the total BPS student population. As of March 1st, 122 students with disabilities required out of district placements at private special education schools. There were n uh 89 students requiring special education services at public out of school districts and that includes magnet schools. During the month of February 2025, 39% of the newly registered students were identified as requiring special education programming at their time of enrollment, two of which required special education program programming at out of district schools. And during the month of February, there were 36 211 and eight 911 calls. Are there any questions? Just a a quick question. Um I know you report every month on the special education percent the student percentages and

119this month reported about 22.58%. Um in your experience, does that seem to fluctuate or is it staying at a little bit above the state average? Um, looking over the past three years, we tend to fluctuate between a little over 20% to a little over 22% from the beginning of the year to the end. And we've seen that pattern over the last three years. So, that's stayed pretty steady. Yes. And do we continue to be o a little bit over the state average? Yes. Okay, we are. Thank you. Any other questions? Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next item on the agenda is tax book adoption and we have Laura Lansa. Good evening, commissioners. Um, this is our second reading of the pre-calculus textbook. So last month I presented the digital resources that are available to students

120including the app for an offline access to the book. Um practice problems, tutorial videos along with translated materials. Um this book aligns to the really hard work of our teachers in creating a new curriculum for students um that really aligns to the algebra 2 curriculum that has been implemented now for two years. um teachers get two contractual days to work on the curriculum. And so they did that um in hopes to get this book approved and purchased with the current fiscal year funds. Um so you'll see and I am nervous asking for this um that we did in our current fiscal year have um almost $26,000 in both high schools set aside. Um, and so we have worked really hard to try to find a book and a solution that does not use all of

121that funding, but I am still asking to spend $3,293.90 on a book that would support our new curriculum. So, I will entertain questions um or ask for a motion. I just have a quick question. the on the slide the uh the total cost for the boat would be the 51920 plus 30 that's what we have currently budgeted for in this current fiscal year the 2425 fiscal year we um had set aside 51,920 we have not spent any of that um on textbooks for either high school so um I'm only asking to use just over 30,000 of those funds so reduction correct thank the chair. And I I know that we've had discussions in student achievement and you were here last month. Um the textbooks are they in your opinion required for students to achieve standards

122in mathematics or you know to to to move their learning. Um, the last textbook was purchased in 2007 with a 2006 copyright. The, um, applications in the book are about CDROMs and things that just don't even exist and our students don't know what they are anymore. Um, this book has new applications. It's going to support our teachers in making learning relevant and make um, theoretical abstract concepts more attainable for our students. This is for the pre-calculus academic course, not our AP pre-calculus students. Um, I really do feel that this is going to elevate our program. Um, and that it would honor the hard work of our teachers in making sure we have a vertically aligned curriculum for our students and it is already in the budget this current fiscal year. Correct. Thank you. And we

123already approved the class, the changes to the class. We did the class and that's a reduction to the line item. Correct. So the it's also available electronically right it's you know the public should understand there's electronic versions of this which allow us to provide better accommodations for all students it's not just the heart of the government correct yeah and if I may the electronic version also uh allows for like certain capacity for tutoring for students if they need additional support there's online video tutorials extra practice problems um their team of experts has translated it into over 200 languages so it's not just Spanish supported. It provides a lot of access for our students. Now that uh that um that service does expire after I believe it was six years. Is that six years? But it's

124really 600 licenses. 600. Okay. All right. I knew there was six. Yep. All right. Thank you. Last question. Sorry. And it's about students who actually enroll in class. Sure. So your expectation is 121 or no, I'm sorry, 115. Correct. That's current. Um, I asked BE and BC for their current projected enrollment and it's 114. So I have a buffer of one right now. Motion to accept. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion further? All in favor? I I I I really really appreciate it. Thank you. Okay. policy revision. Um the next item on the agenda we will have 5145 search and seizure. I think we have Mary Hawk. I want to take a moment to reaffirm our collective commitment to our student safety. As educators and leaders, we have a responsibility to provide a

125safe, secure, and supportive environment where we can focus on learning and growth. The policy before you tonight regarding search and seizure, as well as the use of handheld meta detector wands, are not just procedural updates. They're proactive steps designed to strengthen our ability to prevent potential threats. and respond appropriately when concerns arise. These tools and protocols are intended to protect both students and staff while ensuring we uphold students rights and their dignity. I respectfully ask for your support in passing these policies as part of our ongoing effort to keep our schools safe. Policy 12.1 also 5145.12 is our search and seizure policy. Policy 12.2 policy 5145.123A is the search and seizure using of a of a metal detecting wand. Okay. Thank you. So I'm looking for a motion to approve first policy 514 5145.12 search

126and seizure as presented. So moved. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? No, just thanks to everyone who put in the hard work to actually get that was a long that was a cliff that one. Yeah. Thank you to all. All in favor? If I may, I just wanted to say one thing. Uh yeah to the chair I just want to assure all the parents that that might have some concerns that like your kids are going to have to start walking through metal detectors every day to school. That is not that is not going to be the case. Um you know this is really just to uh if there's a there's concern um you know that you know gets brought to the correct people's attention and that child would be would be wanted uh

127with uh with advice. Um, so I just want to make sure people understand that every every commissioner on this board has had involvement in this, you know, and we had to take a couple whacks at this to get it right. Um, so, you know, I do appreciate everybody's everybody's work on this. Um, you know, I think we all worked hard to try to make sure we we got this right for for the school, for the teachers, and for the students. Thank you. Okay. All in favor? I I opposed. Motion passes. Okay. Now we are going I'm going to ask for a motion to approve policy 5145.123A surge and seizure as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I I motion passes. Next item on the agenda is new business. Is there any new

128business on the floor? No new business. There was a question post about the motion that was passed earlier and just to clarify that the motion was only for the five position. Okay. Thank you for allowing me to just say that the chair if I may. Uh this is really I guess maybe not a new mood business but maybe ask when we do the workshop. I I think it would be a good a helpful idea to just kind of get the conversation going for everybody to come up with some suggestions or feelings as to ways that we could uh you know look at you know cutting budget. Um and I would say that would be for all invited members of this workshop at least you know three five items that they think they come up with

129that they think would help with uh budget reduction. Okay. Thank you. Any other new business? Okay, no new business on the floor. We're moving to liaison information reports. Are there any commissioners who would like to share a liaison report? I'm not going to get pressured. Um I do want to say that I I reached out to um both of the school leaders who are uh leaders of the schools that I leaz and did ask for feedback. We did discuss in our school family community partnerships how we can maybe reframe some of the liaison work and you know maximize conversations and opportunities and I did ask to um for information that was not going to be shared in the student representative reports. So, I'm going to share those while we're in the process of um revisiting

130our our roles as liaison. So, at Bristol Eastern, they are holding their junior planning parent night next Thursday, April 10th. It's a night sponsored by our school counseling department, which allows parents, students, and school counselors to meet together to start planning out the remainder of the junior year and the very important fall semester of their senior year. Information on post-secary planning, financial planning, career pathways, and other useful information for students and families that will be heading into senior year will be shared at this meeting. And Bristol Eastern also is being visited on April 25th by the Connecticut Welcoming Schools Initiative. It is I know, see, aren't you all glad I'm sharing this? It is a family engagement program designed to increase partnerships among families, schools, and the community. The purpose of welcoming schools is to

131improve schools and a range of student outcomes. The program is provided by the Capitol Region Education Council. CREK program focus welcoming schools is designed to help schools improve how welcoming they are to families in four key areas. Physical environment, school practices and policies, school climate and culture, and communication methods. So, I can't wait to hear more about that potentially in another liaison report. And I I I just have to say it, Mr. Godette. Do you remember when I trained in this with your school a million zillion years ago? I might have even been pregnant. This was something early on in my agency work that I was told to figure out how to make schools more welcoming and uh was part of that initiative and uh I I do I hold it dear to my heart

132and it's it's very useful. It's great and it has evolved a lot since uh crack is the one kind of housing it now but um when your two worlds collide right very so Maria thank you for your report thank you to Mr. Higgins. Okay. So, any other leaison reports? I got a quick 30 second. Oh, sure. All right. It's just time. It's time. It's time again to uh register for kindergarten. Uh parents should not wait to register their children as a timely registration helps the district plan accordingly. As an added incentive, children who register before the last day of school will be entered into drawing a ride to their first day of of kindergarten on a firet truck. Thank you. He really kept it 30 seconds. I thought I Okay, sorry. Anyone else? So, with

133no further chair reports, the meeting is adjourned. Good night, everyone. Good night.