001Welcome to the uh Dresd School Board meeting. Um it will be a budget hearing and budget adoption this evening. We'll call the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Um uh first up is agenda review. And if board members will bear with me for a second here, I do have some things that I want to propose that we adjust. But before we get to that, for anybody that's here that would like to get online to see any of the documents posted, we now have guest access available in our Wi-Fi after hours. >> I was gonna if you have a device and you want to get online, look for SAU70 guest after hours. You will need to register, but after you register, you will be online and you will have access to the worldwide webs. More importantly,
002you will have access to assembly where all of the board documents are posted this evening. And I already have a question from the audience. Please go ahead. >> Mr. Odell, when I attend that self-registration, I find that I cannot register. I get un incorrect username and I don't know the rules. >> Anybody know? I am going to turn to our new director of technology. She's coming up right behind right now. >> And with no pressure on her, she is going to fix every technology problem. >> I'm not complaining. >> Yes. >> Um and if anybody else is having difficulty tonight, if Lauren can fix that one, then she can fix everybody else as well. So, in typical classroom hash fashion, just raise your hand. uh if you need assistance with the text stuff later on,
003you had your hand raised, too. >> I just want to mention that because of the comments at other meetings where some people just don't have technology, so I did print out some little packets, the documents. >> Perfect. All right. >> So, anyone from the crowd, if you would like a a board um budget uh packet of information, they're available in that seat right up in the front. Okay. Now I'm going to move on to agenda review. Can I first ask the question, who were our board members that assisted with the service uh staff contract negotiations >> and they just >> it was just >> Ben. >> He'll be here. >> No, we won't. That's the reason why I am here is because Ben is so here. So my question was going to be for those
004people, right? So, uh, this evening, um, that is one of the warrant articles that we're going to need to approve, and I wasn't certain if we really needed a non-public session to discuss the details of that agreement prior to considering it for the set of warrant articles. And since our lead negotiator is not with us this evening, um, I think the answer is no. I was actually going to lean towards no anyway because I don't think that there was any uh information about negotiation tactics or anything like that that was going to be shared that would require a non-public. It's really just uh the outcome of that agreement. the dollar amount of which you can see because it's in the warrant articles >> um that we will be considering later on >> and Teresa can
005talk about >> but if there's any other questions about that my suggestion to board is that we no longer need a non-public to talk about the service staff contract we can just discuss that in public session if you have any questions when we discuss the warrant articles for approval okay the second thing that I am going to suggest is that there are two other items in non-public session tonight that I don't think need to be covered this evening. Um the first is the item that's listed as fundraising and planning for indoor fieldhouse. The board has not been in receipt of anything yet related to that. So I believe it would be premature to have any discussion about it because I'm not entirely sure what we would be talking about. >> Then that's great. So once
006that happens then information come back to the board. Um, the second thing that you'll see that's listed in nonpublic session is a JV hockey petition for a warrant article. Um, I would like to So, two things on that one. A, I don't think it's anything that needs to be discussed in non-public and B, um, according to New Hampshire statute, if we receive a petition warrant article, the the way that the statute reads is that we shall allow it. So there is n necessarily any approval that this body needs to do. Uh we did receive a petition warrant article for JB Hockey. It we believe that it met the requirements per statute. Um I do have some questions around the language in the petition article that we are reviewing with um legal counsel, but right now
007I believe, you know, we're in receipt of it. Uh it looks uh okay to me. It just moves forward. there is no action that the board needs to take on it. Um, and I certainly don't think that it needs to be discussed in non-public. >> Just for clarification, Neil, I don't have it under non-public. I just have it in the public board hearing. >> I have nothing under >> being added potentially to non-public. >> So, I currently only I don't have anything in non public hearing. >> They're all >> Sorry, we were having a conversation about that. They're highlighted meaning >> we were gonna add them to agenda. >> Wait, so nobody else sees it? >> Nobody nonpublic article >> but it's not under nonpublic. >> I see I see things that you guys >>
008My apologies for creating >> because you're the only man at the table. >> We're doing it over here. This is >> okay. My Okay, so you guys are all wondering like what the heck was he talking about? We were looking at this first here adding the lime tuition agreement and the principal search. >> Okay. Yes. So then we do we do want to have a nonpublic later on to add the lime tuition agreement and um the principal search update. >> Okay, perfect. >> Uh Julie, go ahead. happy for it to be public, but will we have a chance to ask you some questions about the hockey warrant article or you >> uh you can ask questions. I'm not sure that we'll have answers tonight, but there's always public comment. >> So, whenever because it's on
009the agenda, is that when I save it for that? >> Uh, no. What I would like to do is um if folks have public comment or questions around it, let's do it during public comment. >> Okay, got it. >> Okay. All right. Those are my suggested changes for this evening. Does any board member have opposition, Kelly? >> So, might be similar questions to Julie's. If board members have questions about the warrant article pertaining to JB Hockey, will that also be during public comment? >> No. >> Okay. >> I can cover that. I mean, listen, >> during warrant article discussions, >> our public comment policy allows people to comment during public comment, right? >> And if they want to comment again when we actually discuss that agenda item, we can do it there as So sorry
010that would be under board articles the agenda item. Yes. Okay. Thank you. >> But to be clear >> yes >> reading of statutes the board does not need to take any action on the petition. >> I have a small question but I'll save it for >> all right. Um with that any >> any other >> Lisa >> I just want to sum so to some there is non-public but to discuss the the principal search in the line and that's it and everything else will be under warrant articles not in the mysterious other that we couldn't find or ether that we couldn't find. >> Okay. Thank you. Those have now been added. >> Yay. Refresh your board. Okay. >> With that then and those changes, I do want to then move on to public comment. And
011so at this time, if there are any members of the public here that would wish to make comment, please um let us know your name and what town you're from. >> Presuming I'm the only one. My name is Jim Rubin. live in Hanover and I wanted to hand out before commenting for some data and I happen to have nine copies. >> We can also share >> my fingers. Yeah, >> they don't make that sticks >> once you get those numbers. So, my time here dates back when I was the state senator representing Hanover here and I wrote the state's charter school law and in that law was open enrollment policy and the charter school law has been used to great effect. We're greatly proud of it. And the open enrollment provision is just starting to
012be used. It's been litigated as folks probably have been updated on. Have you been updated on the litigation on that? >> Yes, >> you have. >> So, it's it's being used now. So, I'm advocating that you seriously contemplate using it as a budget reliever uh to make the Dresden district uh an open enrollment district. and in the law as it's revised after I wrote it and revised in a way that allows the district to set limits on inbound students and outbound students. And I would recommend that you uh set if you have time for this to be a warrant article this year, it would take effect next in this fall. If you don't have time to consider it properly, consider it for next year again as a budget reliever. And you can look at these
013numbers that I put together. I hope they're correct. Uh, this district is very well positioned to benefit from this program very because we have an attractive set of programs that people around within easy relatively easy drive distance uh can benefit from. The other concern that has come up is what do you do if a child is uh a special needs? the sending district is obligated to pay the entire cost of the special needs increment of the program. And the advantage of this for Dresden is that uh districts that uh send students here are obligated to pay no less than 80% of the average per student spending at that grade level in that sending district. And I believe without pouring into your numbers deeply, the incremental uh benefit of that revenue coming into Dresden would greatly
014exceed if you have capacity greatly exceed your uh your your incre your uh your your cost to providing that service to that student. So it' be a revenue raiser. So I I put together these numbers here. Uh and if you look at your non-lime inbound students, you can see since the year 2019, which is that yellow column to the extreme right, you can see your percentage of uh your budget, your total Dresden budget occupied by the pr-rated revenue coming from your from inbound students, not including lime has really dropped postcoid and hasn't really recovered. And so I think uh that this program would would I think jumpstart the recovery of your uh of your past capacity to absorb and provide services for inbound students. And you can see the number in the extreme left the
015the total number of uh of en of of of out you know enrollments. Uh you you have a declining enrollment situation here which is probably not reversing over the next fiveish years. And uh this will do you as I mentioned benefits of being a budget reliever and allowing you to maintain and continue uh programming that you might otherwise be pressured to uh to throttle back as a result of declining uh standard enrollments. So love to have any comments you folks have about what are you thinking about using that law that open enrollment law. >> Uh I I think the short answer is no thoughts currently. Um we have been in discussion with legal counsel. Um so we certainly want to you know uh have chance to review this um you know have that conversation. Um
016>> but I certainly uh appreciate this perspective and you bringing this forward tonight. ask clarification on the document. Yep. So the in the yellow columns that where I see the minus line that's students tuition students coming from districts outside of Lime. Is that right? >> Yeah. Not the minus Lime means uh don't don't include the Lime number because I'm I'm seeing that Lime numbers are fairly stable. >> I figure that almost everyone from Lime is >> using that service. Mhm. >> So in order to look at the the extent to which the marketplace >> for inbound tuition money is changing if take out those lime numbers or look at the other than lime numbers. >> Thank you. I appreciate that. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your consideration. Sure. >> Um other
017public comment this evening? Yeah. Go ahead. Let's uh know your name and what time you're from. Uh yeah, Matt Buck from Norwich and um I wrote this up. So I've got three minutes, right? >> Let me get my timer started. Speaking of revenue, um so I want to thank you for giving me a moment to speak with you all tonight to start. Thank you for doing what you do. you have a challenging position balancing budget proposals, proposed changes by state federal legislation, public interests, all while supporting students and district staff. So, I applaud and respect you for that. Um, I want to share my support and reasoning for the Dresden School Board working with the Nor School Board for the continued feasibility and hopeful timeline for including Nor sixth grade students into Richmond Middle School.
018Okay. Uh my words come from a professional and p personal perspective of two desk two decades in um our local school district here. Um they are focused on standpoint from student engagement and opportunities not uh the fiscal town management perspectives something that I know you would really have to consider and hold as a door. So please know that um at its core, my support lies within our older students in Norwich who need to receive key developmental opportunities that are both appropriate and necessary for their continued growth at this stage in life. Sixth grade marks an important turning point in a child's academic and social journey. And I feel that this essential growth will be best served at RMS for our sixth graders in Norwich. Over the past several years, resources available to upper grade students
019at the Marian Cross School have significantly shifted from past philosophical reasoning, practice, and expectation. Foreign language, for example, it's been reduced from 180 minutes a week down to 70 minutes now per week in the fifth and sixth grades. That's a 61% decrease in instructional time. At the same time, an RMS sixth grader right now is receiving 195 minutes in foreign language instruction. Additionally, there's no longer an electives program at MCS, which was the closest thing that we could um have that allowed students and teachers to explore learning in areas of self-driven interest, passion project, small group motivated collaborations, all hallmarks of middle school learning, development, and healthy growth. Student services and supports at MCF. They have rightly been devoted and shifted to younger learners, particularly with the addition of multiple prek classrooms, which I respectfully
020understand the needs for those learning environments and environmental adjustments for that aged cohort. They they need that. I understand that. However, the consequence of that shift has been that resources have left our older students um with fewer of these opportunities that they have had in the past. Uh the RMS learning environment, it's designed in particular with models and pedagogical theory. It better supports the developmental needs of students at that age. RMS would provide them with this chance to make more choices about their own learning to be treated as emerging middle schoolers rather than the oldest children in an elementary environment. Um my concern not lies within the teachers at MCS. They are amazing. They're intelligent. They're dedicated and they do so well. I can attest that from my experience in the district and also as
021a parent of an MCS student right now. Um I just think this need for attention lies within administrative and greater leadership decisions within the schools. Um I lost my spot that shape what is possible in the classroom for prek and beyond. And in parentheses I really started talking about equity. That was for my own notes. Um, so this is my voice asking for you to align our students needs with the environments and the programs that best serve sixth graders throughout the Dresden School District. So I urge the boards and administrations to consider taking next steps towards making RMS the equitable starting point for our sixth graders. Thank you. >> Thanks, Matt. >> Thank you very much, Matt. Appreciate it. >> Any other public comments this evening? Is this on the budget or on the warrant
022articles? >> You pick. >> Then I'd like to just speak briefly to the hockey article. >> Yep. >> My name is Jeremy Egleton. I'm a resident of Etna and um I was part I'm a signatory to the petition that was submitted and um I know that the board really doesn't play a role in whether it gets onto the warrant article or not. I I think you're correct that it just goes on to the warrant. But I did want to give a little background to the saga, if you will, um just so you understood where we were coming from. And I have one small plea if I can ask at the end. Um so um we understand that several years ago during COVID the uh school district eliminated the JV hockey program because there just weren't
023enough students who were interested in participating. Um we fully understand that. Um it now looks like there there's a strong pipeline again. And so in discussions before this board last year, uh it was very clear that the district didn't have the financial support for a JV hockey program. And the parents who were who wanted that outcome completely understood that. And so they worked uh together with the administration to try and come up with an option that would allow kids interested in playing hockey to fill that gap year between the handover Hockey Association framework and the varsity program. And there's a couple of good reasons for that. One, um a lot of ninth graders just aren't physically big enough to handle the varsity level of hockey. Uh it could be risky for kids coming in at
024nth grade. two, they're not often good enough and the numbers are large. So, just by way of example in the springtime, Coach Dods offers kind of a a free skate for everyone interested in playing for Hanover High School, playing hockey for Hanover High School. And this past spring, I think there were 36 kids there. So, that wasn't more than enough to fill two complete teams. And um all those kids understood that there were really realistically only about 18 18 to 20 spots on the varsity team and that's at the high end. Um and a lot of those kids would sit. So the rest of the kids had to retire from hockey which is a bummer for the kids. Um or alternatively they had to skip a year until sort of a place opened up for
025them on the varsity team. But then at that point they're competing against kids who haven't come through the program yeartoear and they've just lost their edge. so to speak. So, for all of these reasons, a group of parents got together to try and create a a a replacement JV hockey team, uh, privately funded, privately insured, privately supported by the community, privately administered, and they worked closely with the athletic director here at, um, Hover High School to see if we could make that happen within the NHAA framework. We're on the verge actually of starting our season this year playing against other competing NHIAA teams like Pinkerton and Conquered and Vo and Edward and places like that uh in a JV league. Uh we subsequently learned unfortunately that um the other NHIA teams were not permitted to
026play this team because um the NHIAA rules wouldn't allow uh a privately funded team that wasn't expressly endorsed by the high school to to play other NHAA teams. And so with that in mind and and everyone we talked to said we've got to find some way to that to that to that to that to that to that to that to that to that to that to that to have these kids play hockey. You know whether that was NHIA or HHS and um we uh you know everyone wanted the outcome but we couldn't see a way to get there and so I'm I'm an attorney and uh I happened to know the attorneys for NHAA just through my professional connection. So, I called um Rob Beetle up who represents NHIAA and I said, "What can we
027do about this? It looks to me like your bylaws should allow this." Um, and one minute. Okay. >> You already had three, so >> 60 seconds. Um, and Mr. Dele said, "Look, what we really need," I said, "Is there a form? Is there a paper? What can we sign?" He said, "All we really need at NHIAA is to know that there's somebody at the other end of the phone with Hanover High School or the school district who will say, "Yes, this is a HHS team and hold the students accountable for meeting all the eligibility requirements." And so, uh, with that in mind, we prepared this petition and we're hoping that that's the outcome of this, uh, petition process. It's intended to be non-budgetary. They're not asking for money from the taxpayers, just authority uh required
028of the school to sort of endorse this scheme. And I and I understand that you're not taking a position on this tonight. You're not up or down on it. If you are ever asked to take a position on it, whether in the context of the warrant, um I I I just request that you either defer taking a position or at least support the the warrant article. >> Thank you, >> Julie. Um, so Ryan's about the JV hockey piece too. Um, having seen it today or yesterday when it came in. Um, and I'm a Norwich taxpayer. So I know in Norwich we have and maybe everywhere else we have a line that says the board supports this or the board doesn't. I think it says the board doesn't or the board does. I'm hoping there's a
029line that says the board doesn't necessarily explicitly support it because and I would urge you not and I love Jeremy but um not but to to do what Jeremy's asking in terms of not take a position or support it because it's a really hard like as a leader of a school if every group that has money comes forward and says I would like you to teach I don't know whatever it is like >> um agricultural studies, Bible studies, um, Mandarin, right? And then someone does a warrant article and then the town votes for it. And as a Norwich voter who supports the schools, we by and large say yes to everything on on there, whether we read it or not, if it has to do with schools. So if you're a supporter, you kind of
030go through and things tend to pass that are on there. So, I would if the board was going to write, "We want this, we support this," then I would hope that you would go to the leaders of the school, Robin and me, and have asked us to put it in the budget. Um, and if you leave it up to the taxpayers, JV hockey might be great, but what are the other things that everyone's the 25 people are going to get together and do a Warren article about what English classes we're teaching, what sports we're doing. Now, kaying is going to be a program, right? And it's going to be a really hard way to have a curriculum decided by people in a town, not by people who have been trained to work on curriculum for
031a school. >> Thank you. Um, just for my fellow board colleagues and and for the public as well too, we've been here before. Um, it might it's likely before all of your time um on the board. It used to be uh it was a situation that we called self-funded sports and JB hockey was the exact sport that we were talking about um probably at least 10 years ago. Um it was at that point in time a self-funded sport. There were a bunch of people that wanted it to be a fully funded sport. Um and so we went through that whole process and it became a fully funded support sport for a while and then enrollment uh the interest dropped and then it it fell out of the budget. So we've come sort of full circle
032on this one. Um at the time the board actually had a very robust conversation about what is the criteria, what is the path for a sport to go from um self-funded to fully funded. Um I need to go back and find all of the documentation and the discussion from back then. Um but just to give my colleagues um a heads up that uh this has been discussed by this body before um uh absent sort of a petition to warrant articles. So um we do have some history that we can look back on and help and inform ourselves as we consider this moving forward. >> Um any other public comment this evening in the room? Yes. >> Um I'm going to comment on the JB Hockey too if that's okay. My name's Kim Doven. I'm from
033um Norwich. I guess I would just like to comment that I I I feel that we do have a hockey program here. Um I have never been in a situation where I've seen that varsity and JV are considered two separate programs. Uh we have many varsity sports here. Every voice team is supported with subvarsity team or more than one subvarsity team with the exception of hockey. Um, and I'd ask the board to consider the hockey program as one program that allows a continuum of talent um, throughout the school. >> Thank you. Any other public comment this evening? Is there anyone online that might have their hand raised or is looking to make public comment? No. Okay. Yep. Sorry. Go ahead. Mitch Greger, vice chair of the finance committee and uh I just wanted to give
034some clarification on the recently um identified shortfall in revenue collection from MHB. It was just brought to our attention a couple of weeks ago and I was just wondering what the plan was to address that shortfall going forward. Yeah, because that's obviously with the medical cost going up and every little bit here is really kind of snowballing into a pretty significant potential benefit. And so I'm hoping that you can impress that in this. >> Yeah. Um Teresa, you want me I I can try it and then you tell me when I get it wrong or you want to >> Sure. And or we do have a meeting tomorrow actually with the town. >> Okay. Yeah. Um so the last that I understood was we uh the shortfall was about a half a million dollar $500,000.
035Um the loss of that revenue to the school district we seem to be okay with at the moment. We have enough funds to continue operation and the idea was to make up that shortfall in the spring tax bills um that would go out in handover. So, we think from an operational perspective, we're going to be fine from the school district side and rather than go through the process of trying to issue a separate tax bill um that would incur some additional cost, we would just make up that lost revenue by adding it to the spring tax bill. So, did I get that right, Teresa? >> And that's essentially and that's the conversation that um we have a meeting tomorrow with Rob at the town to discuss the potential of how we can handle that. So
036are those numbers incorporated in for the figures that >> they are or not? >> No. >> Okay. So >> no because so that would be revenue that would collected against this year's budget and so it's not it's not part of next year's budget which is talking about >> when it's presented to the town it should be clarified so people understand that the there's going to be slight modification in the normal billing procedure. So >> yes >> that would be very helpful. >> We are in agreement on that. All right. Any other public comments? Nothing online. Okay. All right. So then board, we are going to move into the uh public budget hearing portion of our meeting this evening. And first up is the budget hearing and adoption. So board members, if you've refreshed your packet,
037you'll see we have a multitude of documents now posted in the budget hearing and adoption session section. Um I am going to turn it over to Teresa just for to guide us through some of these documents. But the first thing I'd like to say is so um Dresden budget committee met last week um to discuss the state of things um and as a refresher for board members in case you don't remember um the budget guidelines for Dresden were a 6% increase. The initial budget came in above that we asked administration to go back and take a look at things and try to get those numbers down. Um we have two uh basically two tiers of reduction. That first tier of reduction from both the middle school and the high school brought us down to a
0387% increase in the Dresen expenditure budget. So a percentage point higher than what the budget guidelines called for. Um we have an additional uh tier of cuts that you will find um attached in the uh in the um budget hearing and adoption section of assembly this evening that are those additional reductions that would get us to that 6% expenditure budget increase. The budget committee met last week and budget committee members can correct me if I'm wrong, but the budget committee is in support of the proposed reductions that would bring us to a 7% increase in the Dresden budget. The budget committee um was not unanimously in support of the additional budget cuts from both the middle school and the high school to get us to a 6% increase. Those items though, >> we didn't vote
039on >> We didn't vote. So, we don't know if >> but I don't think that I don't think or not. >> I didn't call for the vote because I didn't think that we had the votes. So, >> it's a different >> um this is uh this is our task before us this evening for this body um to determine whether or not we feel any additional reductions are necessary in the Dresden expenditure budget so that by the end of this discussion we get to that dollar amount for the Dresen expenditure budget that we need to approve that goes on the warrant article the additional reduction ions that are in the packet this evening to get us to that 6% are in rank order by our school's administration. So the things that they were willing to give
040up first are at the top of that additional reduction list. The things that they would be willing to give up last or at the bottom. Now, before we go into discussion on this, Teresa, can you just um guide us to the the correct documents that are posted in the packet that we want to be looking at, can I start with the expenditure budget that includes the reductions that get us to a 7% increase? Which document is that? >> If we want the document that shows the appropriations report, it's going to be um exhibit number six. That will be the the line items. 6A or six >> exhibit six >> appropriations report. >> Appropriations, >> not the newer version. >> One's detailed and the other one's not. Got it. Thank you. >> Yeah, the 6 6A
041is the 6A is the common report that we've been working with. That's like 183 pages. We did not print that. six is the one that did print for people that consolidated. >> Okay. >> Also broke out by um districtwide first, then by um RMS, and then by the high school. >> So just to be clear, Teresa, that is the budget that's showing the Dresden district total of $33,958,29. >> Correct. >> A 6.8% increase. So, are you finding that, Kelly, or not finding it? >> Seeing a different number than you just said. >> In gray, slightly above it. >> In gray, >> look at the yellow number. >> 339. Is that what you said? >> Yeah. 33958. Yeah. The Sorry, the number at the very bottom of that sheet highlighted includes the additional warrant articles. >>
042Thank you. >> Okay. Um, thank you. >> Teresa, can you point us towards the documents that um outline the reductions from both the middle school and the high school? >> That would be exhibit 16 is going to RMS possible Richmond reductions and then >> 15. Sorry, we got to cross the road. Um, it all loaded backwards. I don't know why. Um, and then yes. Exhibit 15 is the Dresdston High School. >> Yeah. But to be clear, right? So the exhibit 16, which is the RMS reductions, that includes the both sets of reductions. So tier one were the reductions that got us to that 7% increase. >> Correct. Tier 2 have not >> been implemented in the >> in the Dresden H sorry in the in the high school document those are all the tier 2
043reductions that have that would get us to a 6% it does not show us what was reduced to get to the 7% increase >> is that document >> I did not know actually Okay. >> It's also available back to the meeting. >> Yeah, it's just it's a little more convenient to have >> Dina. Go ahead. >> If this a naive question as a new board member, um, go with me here. U is there any way for us to better understand like the impact on the the taxpayer? What the change in the budget does mean? >> Yes. You want to start with R. You want to start with handover? >> Yeah. Just like the percents are hard to >> put into um Kelly and I just talked about having not me. >> Okay. >> I'm going
044to turn to Kelly. >> So very very high level in handover. Adding $100,000 to the budget adds about three cents to every $1,000 property value. But that's like very that was from the old property value. So that's very rough. >> Right. Okay. So, okay. >> Which means like and then I try to do the the on like a million dollar home, >> right? Yeah. >> Three cents. So, you're talking >> 300. How many? Huh? >> Yeah. >> $300. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> For every three >> for every $100,000. >> Everyundred,000. Every $100,000. >> Yeah. There are finance committee members who want to yeah >> fix that. I mean that's that's rough rough rough. >> Do we know what the corresponding Norwich impact is? >> Yeah. >> Yep. So, so for the so for the
045the Dresden budget that includes the reductions to get us to a 7% increase >> and we take into account um the Norwich budget that we were considering at that last Norwich budget meeting, you know, we're we're coming in at a about a a flat tax rate, a little up, a little over from from last year. So, if I'm if we added like um so if we went go from 31 million to $33 million, we're adding $6,000 to a million dollar person's tax. >> It's actually $30, not 300. Check the thank you. It didn't $30. Okay. So, we'd be adding $600 in tax to a say million. And just ballparking, you know, not quoting. It just helps me get the numbers right. >> Thank you. It's very >> Thank you. >> What other questions, comments, concerns
046do board members have? >> Um, I think I would love to know, I didn't have the opportunity to talk to Robin before this meeting. One of the issues as a budget dress and budget committee that we had talked about and Neil you asked Robin to look at since our last meeting we didn't have a lot of days was that there seems to be a potential equity issue on the um RMS budget particularly seems to be extremely extremely lean. So when you ask for one more percent off of that budget it is a different impact to student learning and opportunities than it might be at the high school. the high school process seemed even though this was not a fun process for either of the the leadership, you know, of either school, it was not as
047um a direct impact to students. So, I was wondering if you had any because I've been thinking about this since the meeting and I would love to hear your thoughts. Well, it's interesting because I did ask the leaders in the schools about equity and if they were feeling like it was not equitable for their schools, the budget cuts based on, you know, what we've done in each district. And I think people are so focused on what they're doing with their own areas. Um, two out of the four of them said that really they didn't even pay attention for the most part, even though we talk about it in different ways, but they said they're not paying attention to what's happening in the other schools. They're really concerned about what's happening in their own. >> When
048you're in it, it's so hard to see. But I will just say as as just a committee member, my observation was the pain level for RMS was at a absolutely different caliber than the pain level for Hanover High School. And so I I mean if you look at the things on the list for RMS, they are things that I I wouldn't have the appetite to cut. But I don't think that that means that we have to live with the 7% budget. I think there's an opportunity to say, "Hey, this line item we need to keep. We need to find some dollars on the handover high school budget." And I apologize, Julie, for saying that, but maybe there is the opportunity. And I wish that we had been able to do that exercise earlier in the
049process, but it does not seem feasible to me to make some of the cuts at RMS that are on that list. >> Um uh before I I got can I just get clarification on what you just said? Are you talking about the tier one cuts that got us 7% or the tier two cuts that would get us to six? >> So my opinion on the tier one cuts is those are baked in and that's how we get to seven and there's no back. Yeah. tier 2 cuts that are different. There's a different animal at the RMS cuts than the handover high school cuts. I mean, it's it's striking. >> Yeah, Kelly. >> Um, thank you for that. Um, I I two questions, one for each of you. Um, so one question for um, Anissa. is
050there any appetite to only do two sports instead of three? Is that some I mean is that something that perhaps is a less painful cut in fact because that allows us to more seamlessly take that program off. The athletic advisor committee met this afternoon and I was at uh SD CSDC so I didn't have the opportunity to attend but I know they were talking or proposing um the three spring sports uh which would be uh lacrosse uh and track and field for the first year and then for that second year they Brandon has figured out a way within the amount it's proposed to add baseball softball. So there' be three, four, um, both male and female students. >> Okay. Um, >> and yeah, where it would settle, we only have two. I'm not quite sure.
051>> Okay. >> A difference about the spring sports though is this year for basketball, we have two or three teams based on student um, demand. >> Spring sports, we're looking at like one lacrosse team, right? One baseball team. >> Okay. So it sounds like no is the answer. the simple answer to my question that the preference is for three sports per season. Yes, >> you make it work because it's new and we haven't done it. But >> right, which which was part of my question. Okay. Um and then similar question for Julie. Um at the handover um budget conversations, we've been talking about um special ed uh EA positions that we have just not been able to fill. Is that is this a perennial position that has been vacant for years or is this a
052position that we have every expectation we'll be able to fill? >> So if you look at the numbers for next year one the can high school's going up 18 or so students or 16 or so students that's not true for some of the other schools in terms of students. We've also been told those are higher need students coming to us. So the one and a half that's in there is part of what we haven't been filling, but we're having more traction on filling positions as the salary has changed. And so I don't want to cut those first because if we could fill those, we would serve those students better. >> We asked the question, are they not being served now? We don't have them yet. but also we're we're doing a lot of things to
053to um cover and make sure kids are covering and it might be out of the hide of our staff that are here, not the three that are missing. Right. And so if we could fix that situation, I would rather leave that there. similar to and I guess while I'm here um to what Tara's point I don't agree um we have a rising numbers for next year and we cut part in that first tier of vac like to cover for that and also it's what we exposed right so we exposed death by a thousand cuts let's cut a little bit from everything I'm sure they have paper and pencils in the other school that they didn't cut but we were like doing that um and also there's certain things it's hard to see when you're not
054running the building. Such as the and and I don't want to pit building against building, but when I see the eighth grade trip funding, we run a whole March intensive with $10,000 to give kids to offset for a school of 700 people. So, we don't have that to cut because we fundra for that. So, right, so that's not even there to cut the high school. So, I think it's kind of dangerous. And that's why leaving it up to Robin to give you a sense of whether she thinks it's fair and the leaders think it's fair is different cuz we went about the process differently and we chose to do thing like it would be easy for me to cut the people that aren't there but that's not those aren't the kids that are coming to
055us and it would look harder to have cut the one and a half people that don't exist but you know that's not we're get we're getting those special ed kids next year we need to service them. So, if we can, I would rather get rid of paper and pencils and things that we can probably live without, which I'm sure other schools have paper and pencils and Kleenex and >> followup. >> It's more a process thing. I mean, I guess I this isn't really a question. I don't really have an answer. I'm a little frustrated, I guess, that we're 7:45 sort of on the night. We have to approve this. And is this all or not? like either we we make these tier two cuts across the board or we're like picking and choosing down the
056list. No, >> I'm just feeling uncomfortable with the process right now. >> Uh we can pick and choose down the list if we want to. It's just that at this stage we felt that the budget committee felt that those tier 2 cuts were a bit more than than we were comfortable with. Um uh Garrett, I'm going to go to Carrie first because she had her hand up first and I'll come right to you. Um, and just for board members, those um, Dresden tier one cuts are now posted. So, if you refresh your page, you can see that those tier one cuts that got us to the 7% increase. Carrie, go ahead. >> Um, so again, with the caveat of newbie first budget season as a board member and not a finance person, um, I think
057the the cut to scholarship certainly looks drastic. As a person that just glanced at this, that felt big. Um, thank you Julie for sort of talking a little bit about different processes that schools pick. I think that's perspective I certainly wouldn't have had. One of the questions I have is not even really fully understanding the process when I hear about um I we're one district that's you know schools aren't in the same place but I'm just curious like is there any appetite for shared roles in the Dresden place you know when we think about are there incoming special education students is there any space and are those are they such siloed conversations that that doesn't happen in terms of like um assistant positions like if there's a need that those positions could be shared. I'm
058just curious about how that happens when the budgets are done and how siloed that happens. And I guess that's a Robin question. >> We do have some shared positions across schools. Um, and many of those actually tend to be in special education. >> So they might have, you know, two fifths and Norwich and a fifth in Ray. And so we do have some of those for sure. And those are things that we talk about like with the social worker position. we were talking about a piece of met in each of the schools. So, we just try to base it on what's best and what the needs are for each of the schools. And sometimes that even shifts during the school year depending upon how needs change. >> Yeah. Can I just help me understand what
059what are we looking at? So when we had our Norris budget meeting and maybe you know this Neil last week >> Teresa we had this number of 9112499 is that already reflect the 7% budget. Is that the 6% budget? Is that >> um >> neither? >> Yeah the the number that we're looking at and it changed just a like a little bit nine just by going back through and recalculating out some of the revenues and stuff. So, so the Norwich number changed a tiny bit at the bottom, but more so because >> was it the 9159? >> Yes. >> Okay. And that 9159, let me maybe ask the question a different way then. Does that reflect the 7% budget or the >> Yes, the 7%. It does not reflect any of the tier 2. >>
060Okay. So, for the record, I think Norwich has been making our budget decisions based on that 9159, which is the 7% budget. >> Okay. So the 6% budget is what we'd be >> okay. >> No. Uh wait continue that sentence. >> So the 6% budget if we approve that tonight would then go lower than nor tax rate even further than correct. So we've been operating under the 91 >> again it's 50 grand difference. I can write it in but we've been operating under the 7% >> correct >> budget increase. >> Yeah. So if we decided if the resident board decided tonight to shave that number down even more, it would, you know, it would be a corresponding reduction from both sides of the river. >> Nor's perspective as the chair of that, again, I'm not
061voting here. Um, >> I would say if it's if these cuts are viewed as very painful and difficult, this is the next layer. I don't think that >> Yeah, >> I don't think that we need to go that far for making this. What I'm seeing here is relatively it's going to be a very small budget impact when you're talking about the nickel and diamond that is >> yeah at this level to go from seven to six. >> Yeah. Well, I'm especially understanding too that any reduction in dresdin only a third of that is realized in Norwich. >> So circle the conversation but I think this really does come down to maybe the handover folks a little bit and how much you really want to >> knock that budget. And I guess my second comment would
062be is yeah I think it looks like at least for the RMS I mean you know we did just go through this whole middle school sports and that is a expense that would go back to the town right because they would have to run those programs they would have to be run through the department right through town taxes. Um, yeah, I think to be determined, right? I mean, yeah. You know, >> I have a question for Julie. I was noticing on your the tier one list that there's $21,000 of cuts to Chromebooks, and I was wondering how that works now that we have the >> Yeah. >> policy where kids aren't allowed to use their own computers. >> Right. So, our IT person stresses to me that she can make our Chromebooks last. They're getting
063better, so she can make them last a little bit longer. And there's some extra ones in the closet that she feels like rather than, you know, having the >> the cycle happen, she can make the cycle last longer. >> I see. >> So, so she feels like that's something we can do. >> Okay. But that I mean that's a good example of how there's some pain in your cuts here for me from my perspective >> because there's like FTE cuts too that aren't easy. We we're good. We want to make it work and so we're going to make it work with that. There's I think 0.9 and FTE cuts in that first tier that we're figuring out how to make it work, which is fine. That's what people do when health insurance rates go up.
064Yeah. >> Or what other questions do we have? >> Yeah, >> this is this is actually not a question. It's just a response to Garrett's comment. And I appreciate you saying it's sort of up to the handover people, but the impact will be felt by all the kids. >> So, thank you, but no, thank you. >> Sorry. That just saying by all the kids like I think Nor perspective, I would >> advise us to just go with the 7% and not start. I think making these decisions and cuts around the table now is like Yeah, >> late in the process maybe. >> Yeah, last question I think. Oh, um the only new programming that we're adding to this budget is the sports. Is that correct? Recognizing that it's not new, >> I would argue that
065that new programming got added last year. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Um and the only reason I say that is because you know it's something we've talked about on the handover side when budgets going up even for unforeseen circum unforeseen circumstances. what programming are we adding to the budget that is, you know, adding new things to the budget. So, I just I bring it up in in a year-over-year that's a new addition. Everyone knows I've been a huge supporter of middle school athletics, so this is not me advocating against it. Um, but I I did just I guess want to point out that is kind of the only new thing that we're putting in. Um, I don't personally, as a handover chair, I don't personally feel a need to cut $30,000 to save what, $10 on
066some tax bill. But I, you know, just wanted we get asked what what new things are being added. You know, if you're talking about the budget going up, what new things are being added? So, I just wanted to call it out that that is something that we committed to last year, but it is a new item in the budget year over year. And um I'm going to do a little uh foreshadowing here a little bit for the board because we are going to um uh take action on the dress and expenditure budget for this discussion, but right after this we're going to go on to the other warrant articles. I just want to make sure everybody understands that these other warrant articles are additions, right? So, I don't want anybody to be surprised or like,
067"Wait, I thought we just voted on this amount. Then why are you telling me that that number is even a little bit higher because we have a service staff um contract uh to approve and um and work salaries >> which are very high. It's very >> Yeah. I guess like in that vein, there's also this big, you know, medical bill we have to pay this year. And so therefore, we have to refill our coffers essentially next year. And so we're looking at our sevenish%, but really between warrant articles and then kind of refilling that amount, we're looking a few percentages above that probably. I don't actually know where the full numbers are in here, but I'm sure they're in here somewhere. Um, but I think that's also important context because it doesn't ne maybe we
068won't change our decisions in this. I think we still need to discuss if we want to do an allocart method and like say let's take this but not that. But ultimately um we're not landing at seven like that's not our end end state. This would be like the lowest number we're going to be looking at. Right. >> Uh correct. Yeah. >> Yeah. Um >> yeah, the net assessment right now is like 8.75 and that's taking into account um when I did the calculation taking into account those war articles stuff like that. So that's >> Thank you. >> You're saying net assessment increases by 8.75%. >> Okay. Yeah. Gina, >> a question that is uh spurred by the issues that came up with the public with the Norwich. Um this is for both Anessa and Julie
069is uh we had some town people in Norwich raised concern about special ed cuts that were happening in the Norwich budget which were then explained by the fact that students were moving out of the Marian Cross school into Dresden and the high school. So I would just love to um because I'm not on the budget committee but special ed cuts how is that going to impact our ability to serve the kids who need those services? the proposed EA reductions that you or educational assistant reductions that's Julie's second >> I'm see I have Julie's open I have yours open somewhere too based on student aid so further conversations with Rhett we were able to identify Rhett Ter we're able to identify that we could produce one FTE in a special education EA based on student needs
070>> okay so that I think that's helpful for us to have in the public record and or ours it would we would only hit the EAS if we went to the second tier and we move those down because I think we're getting right the kids um >> g so we want to leave that in there and then there's in the first tier there was the point two of the it's made it's been decided now that it would be of the school psychologist we have a point4 of a school psychologist that moves our special ed testing along faster because we have more tests than the people in the building can Right. >> And so those would just be a little bit slower. >> Um, you know, but but we decided that it wouldn't come from the
071speech pathologist because based on who we're >> receiving, we need to keep the speech pathologist intact. So it would be the um the school psychologist, the extra school psych. We have 1.4 in the specialist psychology. And so some of the testing also is moving to some of the learning specialists. Got it. to do some of the academic testing. >> Thanks, Derek. >> So, maybe a follow on from Gina's question. I mean, thinking so, you know, is it worth it just to just listen to the principles maybe and go through the items that are on this list, at least maybe the big ones. So, we tier one cuts that got us to the 7% increase or >> Well, the tier one cuts I think are already like are we're not are we discussing the tier one
072cuts still? I am not based on my take of the conversation of the board this evening I think folks are generally comfortable with that level of >> okay so then what I well I guess what I was going to ask the question is tier 2 cuts at least for RMS >> okay >> so basically I think that it's you we already heard about the sports but you know I do in this but just kind of the impact right based on the comment that was made as far as this is and again I know that this is kind of putting the principles on the spot and they're going to be fighting for it but already warned them that this was the right >> they have already prepared for this moment board members >> here and then
073I think in particular the the high school one too right I mean we don't need to necessarily go with the $500 ones maybe but like >> you know >> the special ed thing the you know is to Gina's point some of these things like are we actually losing this what's the impact going to be I don't know what the point4 at RMS means is that like a big deal what's the reduction in services for that that thing. >> Okay, so let's do that. Yeah, let's start with Anissa board members. If you go to exhibit 16 and then Anissa's going to talk us through the tier two. >> So the tier two p I talked a little bit about the middle school sports and that was at the top of my tier 2 because it is
074something that is relatively new to our school community. So we're not losing what we already really have as a longstanding um component of our school. the trip support uh for the eighth grade capstone trips to New York City and Montreal. Um we have practiced for the first for the last number of years really that opportunity for any family be just to simply say I need a half scholarship. I need a full scholarship. We don't ask for any verification but just knowing that there can be expenses and that you're not a really it make it difficult for a child to participate. and want all children to be able to participate. Um, when 8th grade chips first came into being, we did write a letter to the burn foundation and we received some funding, but we really
075wanted to make it part of the institutional practice rather than always relying on uh grant funding from the burn foundation. So that's really the trips the we would keep that $5,000 and cover all of our eighth grade students who are supported by our lunch program and that they would continue to have full drip trip coverage. We do do some fundraising, bake sales, community dinner, dance refreshments, maybe those things come up with a total of about $5,000 worth of fundraising. Will reduce all trip costs for that fundraising. um the tier or the next bit down the looking at uh the point4 FTE that would really depend on where things settled. Um one of the things that uh I had happen this year when I was scheduling was when I was looking at incoming number of sixth
076grade students, I anticipated that we were going to be able to have two sixth grade Spanish one and we have two French one. We ended up with sixth grade uh Spanish one classes at 23 and 24 when we started the year, which is not what I want for an intro to language or language classes. Um so we have a 0.2 edition built in in the quick model. If for some reason we had lots of race students who said, "I really want to take French, maybe we'd open up that capacity." That's one of those things that we find out kind of in March as I begin scheduling and looking more closely at students. We have a 0.5 FTE art uh maker space position that's currently open. Um we had a teacher resign at the very beginning
077of the school year and we've been able to fill un to fill that kind of off cycle. I'd love to keep that as part of our school because it's just a really there there are certain kids that like the creative experiments classes and I want them to have their bits but that could be something that would be on the table. So that point for it would be a to be determined based on student need. >> Yeah. Other questions? Did I miss something? >> Yeah. questions on on this before I ask Julie to talk about the ones. >> Okay, Julie, can you give us a and and board members, that is exhibit 15 in your packet. And Julie, these are ranked ordered. Yeah, correct. >> Yeah. So the computer department one is again the rest of
078the cycle of Chromebooks that we think were talented enough to keep going and then all the things like Saturday night lights admin PR the PR from general teaching um counseling PR health PR. So there different things that we were trying to do in terms of community building like the health PR is was for the health teacher to try to come up with community events that would encourage kids to less sugar or whatever it might be or um you know our peer leaders to have peer leader shirts so they all feel like they're part of the same team so we can survive without it. Does it make you know us feel more bonded together probably? Um, then the dental and structural equipment is just furniture, but you guys who've been here a while know we've been
079doing a lot of furniture upgrade. So, we just will do the continuing to do it the cycle a little more slowly. Um, and then the English textbooks, same thing. They, you know, can use books that they have right now. you know, they have a lot of books at their disposal in the book closet, so they just wouldn't necessarily get the newer whatever it was that just came out that might help with a certain class, but our kids could do okay. Um, music field trips, that sort of goes to offset costs of kids. So, we would just figure out a way to offset those costs. So whether it's fundraising or doing another spaghetti dinner or whatever, general athletics is like when we have pole vault pits that are, you know, full of mouse hoop and whatever
080and they come to us, they say, "Let's do the pa pa pit this year and next year we'll do the hockey goals or whatever." Okay, so that's that. Then equity steward is the person that we've had in our school who right now does a lot of the data um gathering on that does our we do a staff PD all year long whether it's um UDL this year um and many other we have all staff PD that goes throughout the year and that person helps plan that that person also does a lot of book groups for our staff that they sign up for as free PD and so they have book groups that are surrounding all kinds of issues for all kinds of groups of kids. So, we wouldn't have that. Um, and then the rest
081is the special ed EA, which currently is vacant, but we're told we might need, but it wouldn't hurt a human right now. It just might, you know, the humans in the building who need that person, you know, we'd have to figure out how to serve them. >> Yeah. So, um, this doesn't solve a big picture, but it I just the special ed piece I'm wondering about. So, it sounds like a group of kids is moving into the high school that has higher needs. >> That's what we're told by rep. >> Yeah, it's the same budget. Is it I'm just wondering why the special ed from the from RMS doesn't follow those kids to the high school and then there's no budget implication. Is it because there are sixth and seventh graders moving in that also
082have high needs and the special ed at the middle school needs to stay the same? I you know I just I'm I'm wondering why the special ed doesn't follow the kids instead of stay in the schools >> and I think they're already tier one I think had special ed in it. Right. Am I wrong? >> That's right. >> So I I guess I'm just >> Yeah, it kind of does but it's hard to track it. It really is hard to follow. you know, it's not like a straight shot. >> Yeah. >> Different different bodies that have different salaries, different benefits, different costs, >> and sometimes they go and help open physicians, things like that, too. >> And I'm thinking about this with the um with these EAS that we're talking about, the the positions that
083Julie's talking about right now are currently on bill, but they will be needed, >> right? They're going to be needed. I I guess that's what I'm just I'm just trying to >> I don't know. But this isn't for tonight, but is there another way to look at special education that maybe it is >> it is more kid rather than building dependent. I don't I don't know. I don't know if that solves the problem, but it just it's occurring to me that >> if it is the same budget, it just that way it doesn't pit the two I'm trying not to pit the two schools against each other. >> So there process question. We we've been through this before. Um, and my recollection is that at the end of the day, we kind of say, well,
084we want to get down to this number. Thank you guys for all the hard work you've done on this. Like, really, we really appreciate it. But at the end of the day, here's your pile of money. You spend it the way you see fit in your building, right? Like, I mean, I I don't feel like it's my job as a board member to say, "Yes, get rid of the counseling PR. That is not necessary." Right? >> I guess I don't know. >> But we want I mean to be clear, right? like and appreciate all the >> yeah I mean the process question is right we come up with the guidelines we give the guidelines to the administration the administration comes back with a budget didn't meet the guidelines we're like well what would it take
085to get to the guidelines they come back with a dollar amount and then inevitably all of you are like well what impact is that going to have >> and here we are with that list right so it's an informed decision >> but at this point we're kind of like yes take the money out or no right >> I am well that is the question I will say At this stage of discussion, I am not getting the sense from board members that tier 2 is where we want to go. But you can correct me. Let me go first to Garrett and then >> just one quick Julie on the sound like it was order priority, right? So, but yet the 60% of it or more is these two special ed lines, the two last ones. >>
086And those are basically >> is it sounds like it well it's people, but it's actually people that aren't needed or aren't even here today. So, why are they in the budget? Is it just in case we happen to have a special ed need? >> Yeah. So, what I've been told by Rhett is that our our need is going up for next year based on the students he's tracking. And so if he had said your needs the same as this year, we're surviving this year without those people. Right? So I would have said cut it. But because he said to me your needs going up, even though that's the easier thing to cut in a way because it doesn't impact a person, I don't really have to talk to anyone about it in the building. I
087didn't feel like it was the responsible thing to cut first because then we have all these students next year and someone from special ed comes and says we're not meeting the needs of the students we have by law you need to hire that person. So it's almost like a fake cut in a way and tell someone or it's a cut that could cause the district problems if we don't meet those students needs. >> Okay. >> Right. I'm just asking because usually Rat tells you bus what we need and it's pretty not a lot of messing around with this special need. So when he says we're projecting you're going to have these kids moving through the system they need special ed therefore you need to have the resources to >> handle it. So you're kind of
088saying we could cut it because they're not there but we're going to need to hire them. >> Right. And I and I guess the thought the part that makes that over the last few years fall apart the argument is more we haven't been able to fill the positions but yet we haven't had a lawsuit yet necessarily or we have but you know like not lots of them and um so like okay we can make it work on the height of the people who are here who may not get a break or you know we figure out a different way to like double up kids in the same classroom so one person counts for two and we're making it work. So then it's sort of like are they really need right? And so I think other
089schools are probably facing that like are they really needed because you've made it without like six of them or whatever it is. Um it's just that it just felt like at this point when when I'm being told more are coming it feel to me it feels like it's a cheap way of making it work. >> And and also just to clarify these are at the bottom of the list which means these are the last ones that you would recommend to go. >> Right. Right. >> Terra. >> So I think the tension for me here is that I try when I look at budget numbers to put on sort of the business hat, the managerial hat. And I see that there are two sort of structural problems that we have as a district. One is that
090every dollar that we're committing to in a given year's budget is going to compound every other future year. And we as a district have not been doing a great job during periods of declining enrollment of managing our expenses. We have not been doing a good job. Our expenses are far exceeding um normal gauges of price increase and that is consistent and it's problematic. So so that's one issue. Um a second issue and this is a personal issue for me. We talk a lot about equity. The biggest impact we as a group can make toward equity is to contain our budget to a manageable state because I'm not just spending money out of my pocket. I can afford it. It's fine. I'll spend the money, the $30, $100, whatever. I'm spending my neighbors money and not
091all of them can afford this. So we make ourselves feel good I feel as a board to say we are going to have some tuition assistance for program X Y or Z and those are great things. However, what we're not doing as a community is making sure that we are affordable and that's not necessarily a problem right now today this moment. But every year that goes on it gets to be a bigger bigger problem at some point. You just can't contain it. So the only way for us to take a step I think is to restrain the spending now so that next year's compounding won't look as impactful to the community. So that's why not because I want to take away the funding from the high school or from the middle school. I don't. But
092I am concerned about the longer term impact of these decisions, not the $30 impacts, the bigger ones. Thanks, Eric. >> I mean, I appreciate that. I would I do we know what the to does any has anyone done the analysis of what the Dresden budget has been for each of the past years and the percent increases for each of the past like five years? because I'm just looking at the Dresden assessment to Norwich and I realized that that's not the total Dresden budget but in 2023 the assessment decreased 8%. In 2024 to 2025 it went up by.19%. And then 2025 2026 it went up by 4%. So I would say that at least what Norwich is getting and I believe that's because the Dresen budget has actually been staying pretty flat because been taking advantage
093of the fact that we don't have the debt load on there. >> Be a little careful about >> Yeah, I mean we can get the answer to that question. I just don't have it immediately. I'll have to pull it up from prior presentation. So your um your composition of students. So it's just be careful. Yeah. Be careful >> making assessments like does we're also making >> again that I'm going on the assumption that we've been spending up you know increasing our annual budgets above and beyond like the rate of inflation. I don't know if that's true >> on the comment that >> yeah we can look that up. I don't know. >> I I would prefer Teresa to bring up the >> Anyway, I'm just be careful of that comment. I don't want to make
094a decision tonight. We're making the same We're making the same consideration north as far as like, okay, if we approve this budget, this is going to mean that next year, right? Like, >> yeah, >> that's a true comment. I think it's just a question. Is it >> true? >> Yeah. To be clear, though, we do have to make a decision tonight. >> Yes. >> On the budget. >> Well, and I I'm I'm just thinking about how we're looking at this. it says six or it says seven but what's not there is what will make it almost 9%. So it there's a number and then there's a different number. And I just feel really struck by when we were I understand I live in this community, but when we were talking about how much an average
095home would see an increase, Kelly, you referred to on a million-doll house. And there are still people who are living in houses that they didn't spend that much money on. And I'm one of those people and I used to say 500,000 and someone was like, Kelly, that is not I hear you. I'm >> Yeah, >> but we are a community people can't move into. >> Yes. >> Um and people can't move out because there's no place else to go. And you know, it's just I find myself really wanting to be uh to be proud of a low number but >> in terms of an increase. >> Yeah. Um I think it's make what I'm finding difficult is we're talking about six and 7% and then you're just saying but there's all this other stuff that's
096like nebulous that's 9%. Can someone illuminate what that is? Because I think it's really not fair to the board for us to make a decision on budget if we don't know what this extra bonus stuff is that you're saying we're going to have to pay for too >> up to 9. I just that's why I mean like >> why are we talking about 6% or 7% if it's actually >> so like for example the negotiated contract that's that's a separate war article okay our salaries are a separate >> new not >> so to be clear that the board salaries are not going to bump this up tonight >> um and I would I would argue that I I don't think that the service staff contract. Well, either that was a multi-year agreement. >> So, just
097to be clear, in in in New Hampshire, these negotiated settlements with our labor unions are voted on as separate warrant articles. >> Um they're presented to the voters so that you know what the cost is for each year of the negotiated settlement, but once approved, then it's good for the remaining um duration of of that agreement. Um, that information is posted in the next agenda item, which is the warrant article stuff, but I don't want to go there yet because we do need to finish up. I mean, board members need to be mindful of the figures that are in that agenda item, but we need to finish up on this one first before we can move to the next one. Um, >> and Rhett still has his hand raised. >> Oh, sorry. Uh, Rhett, our
098director of special education, can you uh please chime in with some information that's helpful for the board? uh unmuted. Can you hear me? >> Yeah. >> Uh so I I think the conversation's passed and uh Julian and Nissa answered the questions about staffing and if those cuts were going to be detrimental. Um I think our department was tasked like all the schools in saying if you really had to look at you know reducing down to the bare essentials that's kind of what we put forth. Um we look at uh you know the individual students that we know of and we also look at trends. Uh and then the the big piece which is you know where the questions come up is how do we meet those students needs in our schools in a way that
099maintains you know heterogeneous classrooms. We don't want to clump all the students with disabilities in one space because um we wouldn't need as many pair professionals working with them. We want them to be and have all opportunities as all students. Um so the scheduling piece of how do we meet those needs to have those students you know in across four different grade levels across a variety of um academic offerings uh is a big component and we also have a few students with one-on-one needs and some students who attend um either the tech center or some of the collaborative programs like the RC which is a life skills program in Hartford and some of those students also require ED assistants that travel with them over to those programs for the today. Um, so it's really trying
100to balance all of those needs um and put forth the best estimate uh based on what we know and what we think we know which could always change as uh Julian and this were mentioning any questions for reds. >> All right, thank you for joining us. Thank you for making the time. >> Yeah, >> you had a different question though. >> Vina's question. I guess I'm I guess now I'm a little bit confused because so Teresa the 9 9159 that was in the assessment computation. I thought that's a little bit higher than what we were talking about last week in Norwich for the Dresden assessment and that included the Warren articles. Right. >> That did. So there was I think 38,000 um the share of the 100,000 that um 30,000 whatever the number was. Um
101but that is that was pretty inclusive when we did that. So that >> of the warn articles >> of the war articles that we were looking at and in that the um so the 911 whatever that we were looking at the number >> um >> of the wars. >> Yes. >> And this one does too though the 9159 which is a little bit higher than last Thursday also has the war. >> Yes. >> So there's not going to be another like another >> not another big number. we look at exhibit two um be the where it says the net assessment overview that one I did as um as all-incclusive so it's listing at the top for the um operating budget and then it's listing their warrant article also for um the service staff negotiations and
102I know that we haven't don't have a fully ratified but we got the verbal that were good. So I think they I'll put the figures in here so you can see them and see the change. Um so the operating budget is where we sat with the 6.8% and then taking the revenue aside and for calculating the tax differences on the revenue that we might have had this year versus next year. Um so that little difference. So the net assessment in the end um brought us to the 8.75. That's how Okay. Um, board, I'm going to give you all right. I'm gonna go to Tara, but then after Tara, I do want to hear from our Hannover Finance Committee members, and that gives the board a little time to think amongst themselves as well. Tara, go
103ahead. >> Um, I was just hoping to bother someone, maybe Teresa, for some of the historical data on the budget increases. I just checked for the past two years. So that would be school year 2526 and school year 2425. I can actually find the overall percentage increase on the handover finance committee letter that they do supporting the budget um generally every year. And it looks like Dresden went up 7.3% in 2425 including all warrant articles. And then for last year it looks like 5.3% but I'm not sure entirely if that's the right number. I believe it is. So those are the last two years. >> So five >> 7.3 and 5.4 5.3 >> with enment relatively stable >> with I think overall slightly decreasing. It's >> overall slight increase. Yeah. >> Okay. Um, colleagues from
104the Hanover Finance Committee, we'd like to hear from you. Thanks. >> I'm Peter Soulberg, newer member of the of the Hover Finance Comm. I have sort of a a question of clarification maybe for Teresa. Again, you guys have been talking about what is the net assessment increase. Um so a question and then a little bit of a perspective from the finance committee. It looks like again we were talking a little bit about the impact on Norwich which is that assessment which is 6.4%. The assessment handover is actually 9.32%. According to the so that's all in with the seven the tier one. It's not the tier two. So, right. So, 8.75 as you said is the total for in but for the handover voters and the Hover Finance Committee's job is to help package your guys
105decisions for our voters. >> Uh, and so we'll be talking about a 9.32% increase in the assessment for Hover voters. I think that it is challenging when we talk about the, you know, dollars per 100,000 because that it's sort of an abstract thing. But the point Tara made about the kind of the year-over-year stuff, I I think the Hammer finance committee has always been support that you guys do the work of protecting the program and everybody in these communities supports protecting the educational program. But as we cross over into numbers that look like nine 10% at some point with those affordability things which were raised are we doing the job to make sure that we can really say we protected the program but we went for the minimum increase that we could reasonably ask you
106to do. So I think that's the perspective of of finance committee that as we discussed and we were waiting for sort of some of these final numbers but I think our general flavor was to urge that sort of lower end of what is possible for this very reason that that we're talking about I I I think another perspective just to throw out there for you guys right so we know that about twothirds of Hanover taxes come from the schools something on along those lines a heard from the town and from Grafton County and one of the things that we know is those numbers particularly the county stuff is going up. So as as we go to speak to the community and we do these elections differently. So we'll vote you guys will vote and then
107the towns will vote on the school budgets but then shortly thereafter they will vote on however on the on their their other part of the thing that together builds their race. We have to be mindful that these things are all headed in an upward direction. There's the headwinds you guys have dealt with with these crazy healthcare increases and nobody's going to people are reading about that in the valley news so they know it's happening. But in all of our areas, whether it's town stuff and capital spending, there's big increases. And so figuring out how to demonstrate that we're attending to those concerns while as is your duty protecting the program is is the whole story. >> Thank you Rene. Um I just want to emphasize my whole agreement and the idea of compounding uh interest
108and numbers and um how things grow over time in a way that in shock um a lot of newcomers. Uh you mentioned headwinds uh and I believe last year the increase in medical was somewhere around 12%. I think that's what the number was at some point. I don't think it's going down to like nothing next year. like we are going to continue to see major costs there. We're going to do our best to try and find a way to maintain those. Uh but that's definitely something we're going to see. We know we have um tons of uncertainty from federal and state uh governments. So, who knows what's going to happen there. And then we also know we're going into um a contract negotiation next year with our teachers. And so I think it feels difficult
109for me to not say listen we know these are hard but we need to get to a place that is more sustainable. We need to think about not just now but our future because all of these things compound which I think also leads into a conversation I brought up again and again like we need multi-year financial planning and it has to happen yesterday. Um, and so we are just looking at maybe at best two years back, but really it's year-over-year. And that is such a small picture of what it is we've experienced and what we know for sure we're going to experience or think we're going to experience. And so we're trying to make a decision about 862. It sounds small, but like you know it it does not quickly gets big. Um, and I
110think that's what I'm worried about within the cuts themselves, the tier twos. um they're not awesome, but like personally the one that gives me pause is that special ed at the high school if we've been talking about increased movement and Rhett, thank you. I don't know if you're still there for like playing clarity. So I'm willing to say, okay, if that's what special ed is saying is truly doable, fine. I will accept that cut. But ultimately, I I feel very strongly that that might be the only one that is off the table. But everything else we really need to be considering if we're really being uh fisc and fiscally conservative in our kind of thought process moving forward. >> Sure. >> I mean, you know, maybe for the board to think about, but when you
111look at the FTE count, right, like the original middle school FTE count, I think is down like less than one and the HHS FTE count's also down one. Right. So mention middle school is flat and the high school is basically down one FTE and we always say that our budgets are I don't know what the percentage is but it's a you know let's just say it's like 90% FTE >> yet you're looking at these two budgets and one's up you know I'm flipping back and forth here one's up 8.2% 2% and the other one's up 7% and then has the same problem. Our budget's up like you know 8% as well. I guess the question is what you know we're looking at all these little things but and we're taking away things that aren't people
112right and we're not adding people and we can't at least at Mary and cross I'm not sure because I wasn't involved as much in the middle school and handover budgets but clearly we're not adding people and we can't take more people away at least at MCS right now we're down to basically one teacher per classroom >> so we like and we can't increase the classroom sizes anymore So then it comes down to what teacher contracts is that like what's causing the budget to go up seven and eight% a year. >> I mean I would again I I would ask I said this to the Norris teachers I think are you know we just we just went through another C contract cycle which I thought we did pretty well but the average salary increase is five
113or six%. So at some point like are the teachers just needing themselves here and we're just going to basic like where how is this get solved? I want maybe not for tonight but at some point like how much do we just keep cutting the budget versus looking at the long term it's like why is the budget going up by this much as teacher contracts. >> Did you want to comment Robin? >> I was just going to say exactly that it's contracts and it's insurance. I mean we know we had a 26% insurance increase this year that has had a hugely negative impact on the budget and has led to most of these cuts that we're talking about. So >> we're going to see it again next year. >> Um adding to the market for the
114next time, but I think that and this I will probably get stoned for saying out loud most other industries the employees have to sustain or in some cost of the health care given the premiums going up. I know at Dartmouth College which is not a public education but I think you look at there you look at anyone if you look at small businesses large businesses people have to pay for part of their health insurance and I have enormous respect for our teachers and what they do and what they get paid. But I think we need to be looking at something that has probably been something we never look at before when we're looking at teacher contracts. um or look at salaries. Like it's like something's got to give here. And um I appreciate all of
115you pushing us to think about the the cuts in light of those things, but I I just think I someone's got to say it out loud. I'm going to say what's the elephant in the room. If the costs are healthare, we need to be looking at a different way of paying for healthcare. >> Yeah, I'll just add to that. Um that is certainly a conversation that we can have on this side of the river. Unfortunately on the other side of the river it's off the table because those benefits are negotiated at the state state >> level. I will say historically though um they have been part of negotiations every time we sit down at the table with the other side that contribution towards healthcare and the cost of healthare has always been part of the
116discussion. So yeah, >> uh I would just want to say I think it's 11% is the contribution that this year is that right? >> Depends on the contract. Each correct is different. >> The HDA one. >> Okay. >> Are the main one that is kind of driving this expenses. >> Yeah. Of the premiums, but they did not get a share of that additional assessment cost that was fully by the district. >> Right. And I think to but to your point Gina like I think that there's um it behooves us to actually look at what is it that we have really invested in over the last three five years and what is it that we've been neglecting because of investments that we haven't been able to do anything about. Um and I'm sure there was good
117decision behind those but now we have to times have changed. We need to think about different things. we've talked a whole lot about um our kind of infrastructure needs uh and our inability to invest in those and so I think there's a lot of big costs that we need to be thinking about more holistically but unfortunately we are there um that's kind of stuck in this you know um budget proposal but I think that if you look at um within Dresden and uh oh wait sorry the RMS and the Hover River High school teacher lines. Um you'll see where the main changes are in the contract. So for Hanover High School, >> I am in the >> exhibit six, v3.2 appropriations report. Thank you. >> Page five. And this is I would love Teresa to
118correct me if I'm wrong here. Um I just looked at teachers because I there's a lot of numbers here. So, for just sake of comparison, um our salaries for our teachers uh at handover high school increased by 4.2% this year, just so we all have that information. And then Richmond Middle School is on page two and they have an percent change of 6.4%. If you look at the salary schedules, the closer you get to the top um number of steps, the lower percent change you are going to receive year-over-year. the dollars, you know, dollars on a bigger number, a percent on a bigger number, but um so the percent change kind of indicates maybe a little bit more junior um levels of experience in staff potentially, >> but that is why those numbers are not
119kind of uniform across the schools too. So all of that though is contractual. So we are >> there. So team, >> I appreciate a lot of the forwardthinking discussion that's going on this evening because I think that's very beneficial, but I need to remind us of the task at hand, which is to come up with a Dresden budget amount for this evening. I am looking around the table to see if I've got anybody that's looking at me and saying, "Neil, I really want to talk about some of those things in tier two or Neil, I think tier one it is." Let's go with that. >> No, Kelly. >> Um, I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with Dev first only because Kelly has uh >> has talked a few times tonight. >> Does that I'll
120just say I'm tier two. >> Put me down for tier two, >> right? Me, too. I was going to propose that a good cop I was going to propose tier 2 um pulling out the point4 FTE at the middle school basically the people so pulling out the point4 FTE and the larger the largest of the um personnel numbers at the high school so the 70 something thousand so the full FTE >> the last two rows the last two rows >> well to the third to last and the last one yes but not the 74,000 if that makesense sense. >> Uh, so which ones? So, you want the equity? >> I was just going to keep the biggest one. Basically, half of the >> the full bet second to last. >> So, keeping one line item
121for each tier two. >> Yeah, >> exactly. >> What number does that get us to? So, so if my math is correct, which it very likely is not at this point, um that would be 154,700 give or take out of the high school and 63,400 out of the middle school. >> So, do you think that I could inspire you keep the half the last line instead of the second to last line? >> Consider me inspired. Sure. Okay. because that would be my >> instead of or in addition to >> instead of my my suggestion would be we keep that half and the point four >> to keep the last line out on everything. >> Yeah. >> And can I just add to my suggestion? >> Well, you can. >> Thank you. Um I I would
122say again this is not me Kelly or I will I guess dare to speak for the board saying you guys are locked into this. These are the only changes you can make. Right. I mean, I think at the end of the day, um, you know, Julie may very well say that point2 equity steward is 100% a priority for our building and we're going to figure out a way to make that happen, right? I mean, so take it somewhere else. >> I would exactly I would want to say that publicly that, you know, you guys have done such excellent work and you know, >> yeah, you've heard all the conversation, but yeah. >> All right. So, I've heard from good portion of this side of the table. I'm gonna look over here. >> I I have
123to go and I really apologize for that. Um and I do want to say on the Warren article, I am not the vice chair, so that should be corrected on the Warren article. Just that was my correction. Um but for this, I am fine with that suggestion. I probably would keep the one, but I'm fine with the 0.5. Um, and also with the fact that we are not micromanagers. So like you all do with this number what you do with this number. That said, I do wonder special ed is federally mandated. There are laws that we have to staff it accordingly. So I am a little bit concerned that if we cut these now knowing that these kids are coming, we suddenly are starting off the year next year with a deficit. And I I
124kind of would rather budget fully and then not spend. I don't know. I I just I am concerned about that. I'm concerned that we do have to staff this and if we cut it then we are already starting behind and I'm a little tired of starting behind. >> Thank you. Thank you. Um and just for clarification, I believe the issue is we need to provide those cir it's more about providing the services and not that we have to staff it, >> right? can't provide the services without staffing it. I get it. But I just want to make sure that we're focused on the right issue. Right. >> Yeah. >> I think I had a really bad day at school today and I'm feeling a little overworked. So, I'm sort of trying to protect that. Thank
125you. >> Yeah. Um I mean new to the budget process, so I just my brain is in many different places. I I just want to name I think that I feel strongly about the cost of living on this community is um prohibitive and it is responsible for us to be fiscally conservative. Um knowing that it is not a place that people can move to right now. Not a sustainable place for families that are here and um new to the community, newish, new to the board. I think the pieces that I struggle with are yeah wanting to do that forward thinking about well where why is this budget the way it is when at we are one of the few districts when we're talking about prek we don't have a prek program other places in we
126just got middle school sports like some very to me universal access of things um that we don't have which is surprising at times as a newcomer to this community um and so for me that's where my brain goes around like what is that about you know we're one of the few schools that don't have winter sports programs and like we're not skiing on ski hills on Friday afternoons like every other school district in this entire region. So, lots of things that are curious to me and I don't have the answers and other people may have those answers because we've been asking those effective longer in this community. I don't know. But those are things I think about um and I'm struggling with and so that's just where my brain is. And I don't you know
127teachers get paid less than almost any other they are or teachers probably can't live in this community as on whole. Um and so when we think about not giving them when we're digging into their salaries I have icky feelings right like they can't live here because it's cost prohibitive. So um because teachers they don't get paid but they need to get paid. So, I think that's where my brain is is like I love those forward thinking conversations and um we're here tonight and yes, we need to be fiscally conservative. Um but yeah, struggling with some of that. >> So, there was a little bit of a discussion over on this side of the table about entertaining some of those tier 2s. Where are you on that? Um, I think that if Julie and Rhett thought
128that they could be on this, that they can be on this and that they probably know, um, they wouldn't be on this if they knew there was an eighth grader coming in who had a onetoone. That position would not be on here. Um, so I'm just in the place of if it's on this list, I'm trusting that Julie and Rhett have had those conversations about the ability for there to for it to be I don't know manageable without these positions if they made it on the tier two. >> Okay, Gina >> and uh I'm fine with everything, but I'm not fine with what that was just said. I think I agree with Lisa that going into the year not prepared to support potentially what we need. And I think there's a reason that they are
129the 19th and 20th or whatever they are on the list. I think that that's being pennywise and pound foolish. It's $100,000. And if we don't spend it, we have a savings that we put forward next year. But I'd rather we plan for it and be ready. Um the other ones, I'd really appreciate the hard work that's been done by both and I'm comfortable with the tier cuts on um the others. the four the point4 FTE at Richmond sounded like that was fairly painful um but doable. So I I don't know I love art too. So like when she said that that I mean I think being able to if we're we are we are providing athletics support in some way but then we are taking away from the other kids who are not the athletic
130kids. I think we do a lot to support athletic kids in this community and not as much for others. So I kind of like the idea of the maker space. So that's where I'm at. Everything but the last lines. >> Um Renee, I >> think I I think that was with Kelly um which was the keeping of the special ed the the half specialed FTE um on the last line as like a hedging our bets with our special ed needs. um because we have great instructional leaders that have worked together. I'm not psyched about it, but I think that I could be behind that. I could also be convinced to keep the one and the one and a half. Um if the board wants to go that way, um I wouldn't hold up a vote
131based on that. But, uh I think in terms of the other ones on RMS, I am behind Kier. um those don't those are not based on need. They are based on desire and that stinks and there's lots of desires and I have lots of desires but um I'm I'm behind because we need to be thinking about I think overall budget um now and in the future I'm behind tier 2 cuts and RMS. >> Okay. Um give me one second. Uh Ben, do you want to chime in? Yeah, first apologies for being late and thank you for sharing. I appreciate it. Sounds like I missed a doozy in the first hour. Um, but I understand the conversation is currently about I would have some concerns although bearing in mind about tier 2 specific to the sports
132reduction as well as the eighth grade trip support, but I can be easily persuaded on all the other elements of it and I don't want to load down a vote. Okay, Julie. Um, so I feel like, and this is speaking to Peter, what you had said about protecting the program. I feel like tier 2 for us was carefully crafted to protect our kids. Um, I the part I think I agree with you on is when I look at the middle school sports one, like I would almost rather give you half an ed assistant and have three seasons of a sport because I feel like we agreed as a district to take that on and to provide a a good program and to then sort of strip it to two and Alyssa obviously is knee deep
133in it, so she would know more what that would mean, but that just feels to me like like for instance the special ed one if someone has to work a little bit more we are running around and putting two kids in one class that's not great but we can make that work without hurting our kids I feel like that's a direct like they're going to get be getting less than they would have gotten from the town of handover w program so why did we create that if you're going to sort of take that program you might as well just get rid of it and give it back to the wreck department it's sort of and they can run it more cheaply not provide transportation or whatever it is. So, that one feels to me like
134if we're really looking at this from a Peter lens of like what's protecting the program, I think that cut and I don't know if there are other cuts that can be made, but that's not what was put forward. And so, I feel like that one is directly not um it's directly going at the kids program and if we can avoid that in my mind, I think that would be the right thing to do. >> Right. So, you're offering a half ed assistant >> like I negotiating. I mean, I know that I'll get stoned by my staff probably and and I don't know what Red's thinking online, but but literally for $30,000, we're going to make a program that was a three sport season program that we had promised that we were going to grow and
135before it even grows, we're going to turn it into a two sport season. Like, like why are we creating like a program we can't be proud of? >> Yeah, I hear you. I'm just looking for the savings and I like that savings, >> right? Like I mean that's >> we know people are expensive. I know raise hands. >> Yeah. >> So all right we'll talk later. Um all right board. So I am getting a general sense that there is support for um some but not all of the reductions specified in tier 2 both on the RMS and the HHS side. Um, I will admit that Julie's last comment complicates things as we were trying to move forward, but that's okay. That's how these things work. Um, >> I mean, that's >> uh Garrett and then
136Terra. >> I mean, the problem is is if you the point4 at Richmond and then the special ed people at Hannover High, like that's majority of your savings. So, I mean, if you're going to save them and you're just go cut the I mean, again, two grand here, a grand here, the middle school sports thing. I mean, it's like teams. So, I mean, I think the discussion has to be is that like for how important is that? And then there's two special ed provisions is that's for all the CASA. Terra, >> I just want to say thank you to Julie because this was my stupid suggestion at the beginning, right? That I felt super uncomfortable with some of the cuts at RMS and I just had the sense that you had it all figured out
137on your tier 2 list. And I know that that's like a compliment and it's also a criticism at the same time potentially, but I only mean like the good bits of that that um that I felt like you had it figured out and that you were going to do um you were not going to decrease the programmatic offerings to the kids with your cuts. And I don't feel that way at all about the RMS cuts. I just don't. Um and that's like causing me pain really. it's causing me angst. Um, >> and we don't we don't have that capacity within our budget for other things. That part like I remember even last year going through line by line every supply item I could come up with like $20,000 like that's all I got. >> Yeah.
138So, so I don't think there's like a great way through this, but I appreciate like your support of of Anissa just means the world. Like I think that like I would not be able to vote now for a a budgetary number that doesn't include the sports because that that is what leadership is right there. And if we don't support that, I don't I don't know why we're here, right? This is this is the whole purpose. >> I mean, I think if you take that special ed of 74 out and the equity steward of 35, you're at, you know, you're atund some odd thousand, which is about 30% of your savings. So like those to me seem like again I'm not a voting member but those to me and then you would save everything else on
139the RMS side as well as you get that half special ed at the high school that could be used to fill a little bit of help there. But I think that 74 plus that 35 is two large numbers that would go a long way. that that'd be about 30% savings of the cuts and not be nickel and dimming the rest of it. >> What if we just cut 150,000? It seems like you two are getting along beautifully and can make these decisions, right? I don't again I don't feel the need. We don't have to say middle school this, high school this. I don't feel the need to micromanage this at this point. I think they've done all the work. We've heard a lot about it. They've done a great job. I think we just figure
140out what we think is the appropriate reduction >> and not >> so the entire but the I don't we got to get the number right Kelly because 195 was the whole number on the high school and then the number on RMS was 129 320 so it's much bigger number HHS is bigger >> it says the total cuts >> and that's based on population split of the percentage of our messages in the Dresden district and the percent of the high school students in the Dres. >> There's just looking at the dollars. There's two HHS pages, but one page says total cuts 258 1112. The other one says 195300. >> The tier cuts are tier one cuts of the RMS. Um the top half are already baked in to the existing 7% budget. >> So the only
141new cuts the tier two are the bottom section. The HHS are not. >> Yeah, we Yes, >> the HHS are split over two documents. RMS is in a single document. >> Okay, that's just >> um Ellie, >> just to clarify like we can say >> 150,000. We can say 200,000. We can give a round number. >> To be clear, yes, at the end of the night, what the board is going to do is somebody's going to make a motion to approve an expenditure budget of this amount. >> There will be a second and then there will be a vote. >> Yes. >> Right. So, the end of the night, what we're approving is a dollar amount to Kelly's point, >> right? >> Um, and so if we think that that total of dollar amount needs
142to be reduced, we've had a very robust discussion tonight about perhaps where some of those dollars might come from from our administration, but at the end of the day, it's the dollar amount that this board >> approves. Can I just Sorry, last sentence. I mean, if if we vote an amount that doesn't exactly light up and now Julie's cutting $3,500 instead of $4,000 from the music field trips, that's okay, right? Like that we don't have to match these numbers is what I'm trying to say. >> We don't have to match. These were provided as guidance to board members tonight in order to try to come up to that final decision. Karen, >> again, I think based on what what was just said that if you kept the if you kept the tier one cuts of
143RMS, don't touch the tier 2 cuts of RMS and then move over to the high school and just cut a hundred out of the 195. That's basically, you know, per Julie's comment, that's basically the special ed plus a little bit more. And it can either be the other half, it could be the equity. I mean it's up to you know if the other half it doesn't need it for the special ed and the equity is more important then that's fine. So you just reduced this the high school budget by 100 and you don't touch the tier twos on RMS. >> Um what I heard was actually the only thing to keep was the 33,400 for sports. >> I heard everything else is proposed for reduction >> which I am I'm comfortable with given the conversation
144of leadership here. I am not comfortable with not accepting. Frankly, I know there's nickel and dimming in there, but like we we got to take those look like things we should just take. Let's take those and then keep that one line item for fall sports. >> That's what I heard. Just a vote of support that I love that we've been doing the eighth grade trip support, but if the Barn Foundation has supported it in the past, then potentially they would support it again. And that seems like any a less painful cut than the sports given Julie's awesome comp. So >> yeah, >> are we ready for a proposal? Um before you just uh make that proposal in the form of a motion, can you uh walk us through um you know the the dollar amount
145or the reduction that you're about to propose just so that folks understand? >> So the entirety of the tier 2 cuts is $324,620 um aortioned to each school. Obviously, the high school has a a larger share of that because it's a percentage of their budget, which is a bigger budget. Um, I was going to suggest that we make all of the tier 2 cuts with the exception of the $33,400 for sports on the RMS side with the understanding that this is all up to Robin and her leadership to ultimately decide and to I would still like to include the 37,500 $00 for the 0.5 special ed assistant as a safeguard. So I was going to suggest that those two items, the 334 and 375 go back in, which is 70,400 and all of the remaining
146cuts be made. If I did my math correctly, that ends up being a total reduction of $253,720. >> Okay. Now, Teresa, I would need to know what was that prior Dresden budget amount >> between. So the the prior proposed budget was 33,958 829. That's where we were sitting at 6.8%. >> We would subtract from that 253 >> 720 to get to the new number tonight that I think we might have a motion for in a little bit. Hi 375109. >> Hang on. Hang on. >> My brain works faster than your calculator. >> Hey, I was busy running a meeting, right? >> Oh, you did have a calculator too. >> Well, because we all saw what happens when I try to do it in my head. >> 370510. >> Yeah. Yes. >> Y that's what I
147got. >> The math matches. >> Yes. What is the >> board? >> Yeah. Tara, do you want would you like to make that motion? And to be clear, the recommended motion language is at the top of that agenda item. I would uh recommend we move to approve the 2026 to 2027 budget in the amount of 33,75,19 as presented. >> Is there a second? Second by discussion board. >> What do we think? >> Ready to vote. >> Any discussion on the motion? All right, I'm seeing none. All those in favor of the motion, please raise your hand. That I am counting as unanimous. Thank you board. We are going to move on now to the warrant articles. attached in the packet. Um, open up that one that says FY26, FY27 draft warrant articles. It is an
148attachment, so you'll have to open it separately. >> Um, so what you'll see in the packet tonight, some a lot of these are the traditional warrant articles that you may have seen in the past, but a couple I believe are different. Um, article number one, one that we've seen every year, no change there. Article number two, um, also very similar to what we saw last year, there might be a slight change for that district treasurer amount because I think that one does increase um, by a by a percentage increase. Um, article number three. Uh, this is the negotiated settlement with the service staff. Um, Ben, I was to understand that you were the sole board member um that could speak to this and I don't know if there's anything that you want to share with
149the board about this. >> So, this was we received all the TAs from the union side this morning part of a meeting. they had called us and said that we are good to go and so we had have not internally met to discuss that since um Teresa have or Amy been able to get those documents that we talked about this morning. >> As of this afternoon, we still hadn't received them from Jessica. >> Okay. So, at this point, I don't know if I have anything more specific to provide beyond these dollars. >> Has their side ratified the agreement? >> No, but they are going to bring it to a vote. >> Oops. Like I said, this is as of a few hours ago, >> hence the nonpublic. >> Yes. Um >> yeah, we we have
150things to say in non-public on to the specifics, but that would be going by institutional memory of me. Um, so I I'm going to need some guidance here because I believe that the board needs to approve the warrant articles in order for them to get on the ballot. I am very reluctant to have the board vote on a warrant article about a contract negotiation if the other side has not ratified it yet. >> Yeah, I actually wasn't aware that this would be uploaded, >> which means that we will need to get together. >> Yeah. again very very soon in order to approve um a the ratified agreement and then b this article number three >> we approve it in principle with the number to be you know >> nice range >> well I would just
151like to point out right now we have three people from across the river with us and we have a budget meeting tomorrow night is there any likelihood that they >> there's a handover meeting correct >> that's what I mean the handover budget hearing is there any likelihood and when I say the three I was just 24 we need 24 hours to warn the meter >> sorry about the >> but Deb I will point out that there is a north meeting the very next night on Thursday >> that's enough >> we don't need a warrant >> um all right so I am going to recommend that um you know we can approve the other warrant articles if we're okay with aside from article number three >> tonight and then I would um anticipate another meeting a
152to ratify that agreement and then to approve article number three >> when you have it >> I had noted that on the front that it wasn't ratified officially and I think >> yeah um >> was article 5 new >> I'm just getting to that welcome to the new article five >> um yeah I don't know if either uh uh Teresa or Robin just want to explain um this one. >> Yeah, it's basically there there's some um funds and awards that trust that were set up. These were set up some of them goes back to the 70s, but with new trustees on the trust fun buttons boards, um people are dwelling into the past. So anyhow, it was kind of discovered that these had never been officially put on a warrant article and voted on, >>
153but they might have been voted on by the board and set up, but not officially on the warrant article. So that's what we're achieving here is just listing them out and they they've been in existence for many years. >> So it's just accepting. >> So it's just clean up. >> Clean up. >> So this is making it right. Yeah. I volunteered to do this more in virtual >> scoping ahead. We weren't even >> I know >> there tonight. Yes, Robin. And this was brought to our attention this summer. And we've gone back and done all the research looking at all of the previous war articles from the 1970s to make sure that there really was not any warrant articles that existed to make sure that we are going to be in compliance. So that's why
154we have listed these funds. Thankful. >> Um, and then just uh for Ben's benefit, since we had talked about this before, that JV um hockey warrant petition, um we're not considering that tonight because there is actually no action for the board to take on that one. Uh if you look at New Hampshire statute, that is uh the board shall accept the warrant article. It'll go out there to voters. No action is required by the Ford. Kelly, >> you said I could ask my questions about it. Is this the time? >> And this is the time. >> Cool. I've been waiting. Um, no, I my my very basic question is is does that create a directive for the district if it passes? >> That's which is why Yeah. So, which is why we've reached out to
155legal counsel because we want to understand what the district's obligation is if something like this passes. I don't know the answer to that question right now. >> I haven't gotten that feedback. >> I have a second question. Are we um required to put a the board supports or does not support or can we just >> So to be clear, right, that language goes on um sort of marketing material that goes out to explain the budget. It does not appear on the ballot. >> It does appear on the ballot. >> All right. I quit. I prefer your answer from >> I think that that is a discussion that we need to have later based on some comments that we heard from Julie earlier this evening and a decision that the board needs to make um surrounding
156that. >> Okay. Can I make one just general statement about this because I I I hear Julie and I I understand the the sort of Pandora's box that it creates. At the same time, I this particular group has tried to get things in the budget, tried to go through the athletics department, tried what at what point of the year is it the right time to have a non-budgetary impactful request somehow just so I understand why they're going this route because they have tried all of the within the system routes, right? And they really have been diligent about that. So I just wanted to to state that that like this I mean >> yeah that's all >> I do I you know we do we do want to talk with legal counsel and hear get their
157advice as to how we should move forward on this. Uh Garrett, >> so back in my day of doing the Dresa Athletic Advisory Committee, we had discussed this and there is a guidelines for funding sports. I don't know, it was a draft November 17th, 2011 that outlines specific procedures for adding a new sport, for adding a partially funded sport, and for adding a section to an existing sport, which seems like this would fall under. I guess the question is is that they laid out very specific kind of guidelines for both the Dresden board approval of a new sport, how shall be funded for the first three years in the case of a new sport a port part an additional section which sounds like this is that the district would pick up the cost of the
158coach's salary but then the supporters would cover everything else as long as the athletic director decided that this was viable. So I guess the question is is >> did we never do these guidelines not exist? Like why are we not following those guidelines? >> Yeah, that was the point that I made earlier in the meeting where I think that the I don't exist in policy. >> Correct. >> Right. So I I couldn't find them there but I know that we have had this discussion before because I >> I'm looking at right here. I don't know where it came from. >> Yeah. It it came from way back in the day even probably when Linda was on the board. >> That committee have the records. I probably do. >> And so I do think there's there's
159a lot of historical information here that this board can lean on to help navigate, you know, this this request. Um we're just not prepared to have that discussion tonight. >> Perfect. I'm just saying because it just opens up Pandora's box. I know having done that, it was wrestling. I mean, there there's a lot of things that people are leaning on Megan to add to our program that she's like, I just >> can't do that. So, >> yeah. Got it. Okay. >> Just a quick uh clarification for the finance committee. Normally you mention the marketing and we submit a letter making recommendations on the budget as well as the warrant. Since I don't know anything at all about this warrant, I don't know if there's a financial impact and whether we perspective. So is there any
160chance that we could get this language or for the article? >> We have a 23rd a January 23rd deadline to submit our letter. So it would be appreciated so that we can have a chance to look at it before we can you know make your comment. >> Yeah, it is so that the language for the it's in the it's in the uh the simly um >> it just uploaded or >> uh it was there earlier today. >> That's okay. I just want to make sure that I know what to look at. >> Yep. The Yeah, it is there. >> Robin, go ahead. >> Also, just so you know, we just received this yesterday afternoon. So the language is there for >> us because we're meeting it on Thursday ourselves. So be able to give some
161guidance. Yeah, we can do that. >> Yeah. >> And while it I mean the the ongoing implications are definitely something that the board needs to discuss. The explicit language of the warrant article says no budgetary act. So >> there's going to be path too. >> Yeah. And that's the more philosophical piece. >> Thank you. And then there's the discussion which I think is probably one of the things that Rob and I will talk about with our attorney is what happens if there's disagreement as to whether this actually has budgetary implications or not, >> right? >> And like sort of this is what the language of the warrant article is, but how much do we publicly agree with it or not? >> Yeah. So, a lot of questions, not as many answers at this point in
162time. Um, but uh we will be talking about this. So, um, any other board member questions on the warrant articles? Because I will look for a motion to approve, um, the proposed and drafted warrant articles except for article three. >> Knowing that this is something we just received yesterday, have we finished validating the signitories on this proposed? >> We sent it to both towns, but I don't think they've confirmed yet for us. Do we need to wait for them for their confirmation >> that there's enough? >> We don't have it doesn't matter. >> We don't Yeah, there's no but what if there's not enough signatures? That's a that's a petition problem and not a president board problem. >> Okay, >> we clearly there's still time. It was it was 30 days prior to the district
163meeting or the second Tuesday in March, whichever is sooner. >> All right. Um, if there are no other comments or questions on the proposed warrant articles, we'll look for a motion to approve the 2627 warrant articles excluding article 3. I move to approve the 20 26 27 warrant articles excluding article 3 as presented. >> Thank you. Seconded by Gina. Any further discussion? All those in favor please raise your hands. That is unanimous. Thank you board. Um, as mentioned before, we do want to have a brief non-public session this evening um to discuss the principal search uh update and the lime tuition agreement. >> Can I add personel please? >> Can you add that? >> Sure. Make the right motion. >> No, it's the same thing but letter something else. Letter C >> AC and L.
164>> Thank you. I also I don't know what people's agendas look like, but mine are locked, but I don't know if there's documents under CND. >> There's nobody logged in. >> I am logged in. It's me. There's nothing there. >> There's nothing there. Oh, yeah. just >> we still need a motion though gang in order to get into >> non public move non-public session at 9:16 p.m. under RSA 91-8 32 AC D and L. >> Is there a second? Second by Carrie. A roll call vote starting with Beni. Yes. >> Yes. >> Marley yes >> yes. Yes. Nelson. Yes, >> gang will be over in that side bathroom. Yeah, >> you can request it and it will be it Here you go. back. Um, thanks everybody. Uh, next meeting um will be on Tuesday, January
16527th right here. Um, >> should be drive soon. >> Then we need another meeting. >> Yeah, actually, yeah. Uh, there could be a special meeting on this Thursday if we can get one tacked on to the Norwich meeting to address it. Uh >> but only if we hold back what we need >> only. Yeah. Only if we hear back the information. So >> yeah. Um so board members try to try to hold Thursday uh evening >> have a meeting. So >> prior to norm 6. >> Well so sorry. Uh we might ought to do a raise of hands just to see if we're even close to getting >> 6 and I can leave at 6:30. I'm okay. Uh if it's 6, you will have to leave at 6:30 because that's when the Norwich meeting starts.
166>> So whatever happens, it's going to have to happen in half an hour. But at Thursday evening in general, are there pe who could make it Thursday evening? 1 2 3 >> four five six seven. I'm going to count. >> Yeah. Even though he doesn't maybe necessarily have to stress the quorum, >> but I think we'll be all right. >> Michael might be our quorums then meeting in Vermont, right? >> No, >> You can do it. You can do it. >> All right. Um, any other agenda topics for the next meeting? Uh, please reach out and let us know. Um, well, I guess either me or Ben, but I guess >> I'll be around >> the next one. Um, and then, uh, just briefly, I just want to say, uh, thanks, um, to everybody. This
167was one of the more challenging budget seasons I have been a part of. Um, challenging for administration, people that are brand new to this position, struggling through and getting it done this year. And so, a huge thank you to those folks. Um and uh thanks to my fellow board colleagues for stepping up and getting us through this. We're we are done tonight with Dresden. I think we did we came to a really good place. Um I appreciate the collaboration and the effort that it got to get there. Um and I am anticipating that this will pass um in both towns crystal ball. Um but thank you guys. I mean this was this was not easy. believe >> we got through it. We got handover nor left. We'll still do it. Um and with that, I
168will look for a motion to adjurnn. >> Deb, >> I move to adjourn at 9:52 p.m. >> Second. Seconded by Renee. All those in favor just get up and >> thank you. >> So you see it's a smart plan. It's like it's like >> extra money in the budget. >> Yeah. So, we just need some clarification. >> The budget hearing is usually an hour. So that's I'm his essay.