001This is Alice Manion. I will call to order this meeting of the Brookline School Board for May 28th, 2025 at 6:00 pm. Uh we are going to start with a number of agenda adjustments. So catch me if I miss any of them. Um I'm going to read them all and then I'll look for a motion to accept the adjustments as requested. The first is a request was made to amend the agenda to include under deliberations board action identifying the winning bidder for the lease agreement for energy conservation equipment at CSDA and related building improvements at CSDA and RMMS. Second request was made for an additional deliberative item regarding board action to authorize a superintendent elect to hi elect to hire accept resignations and terminate staff until August until the August 2025 meeting. Another agenda adjustment
002was made to move non-public to the start of this agenda. Another agenda request was made to add to the discussions the Brookline the Brooklyn School Board August meeting date. And lastly, uh, a request was made to see what action the board will take regarding the superintendent elect recommendation for administrative and non-union compensations. Is that all of them? Yes, I think so. Fabulous. Can I have a motion to Can I just motion to move all of that? Yeah, that's that's what I'm asking. So moved. Can I say that or do I have to spell it out? You're good. Cuz that was a lot. All right. All in favor? Fabulous. I have nothing in Oh, um I think second. Sorry. Yep. All right. So, in that case then I am going to put us into nonpublic here
003at 602, right? Right. Or do we have to [Music] correspondence. Oh, we need to wait for Lent. Just kidding. We'll pause for a moment. Well, I'll start with correspondence. Okay. Cuz that's doesn't correspond. Okay. So, correspondence. Um, at our last meeting, we discussed the general asurances and you guys voted to allow the chair to sign the general asurances. Since then, they've put out an amended version that has um a strike through on some of the language that some folks felt uncomfortable with. So, um I'm going to ask that Alison just sign the amended version because I never submitted the other one. So, just wanted to share that. Um all right, moving on to resignations. Okay. Dear Superintendent Corey and Superintendent Lect Burksog, please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation for my position
004with the Brooklyn School District effective at the end of the 2425 school year. Making this decision comes with very mixed emotions. My time in Brooklyn has been incredibly meaningful, and I've had the opportunity to work alongside some truly tremendous staff members across all roles. I'm incredibly grateful for the many experiences I've had and I leave with a deep sense of appreciation um for the people who make this district so special. I want to especially thank Lauren Daneiro for her support, guidance, and leadership. Under her mentorship, I've experienced tremendous growth in my leadership abilities and professional confidence. I also hold the utmost respect for my fellow administrators Dan Milinari, Patricia Boule, and Me Peterson, whose unrelenting dedication to students and staff inspires me daily. Their commitment, support, and devotion have left a lasting impression on me,
005and I am a better leader and person for having worked alongside them. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Cindy Olrich for her unwavering support, active listening, and thoughtful problem solving. Her partnership has been invaluable, and without her, much of the progress we've made would not have been possible. It is my sincere hope that the work we've done together during my time here has helped to reset a strong foundation for special education in Brookline's elementary schools. There is an incredible group of special educators, related service providers, para educators, and classroom teachers who are all well positioned to continue advancing this work and supporting all learners. Thank you again for the opportunity to be part of this community. I will continue to give my best through the remainder of the school year
006and am committed to supporting a smooth transition. Sincerely, Jonathan Farad, special ed administrator in the Brooklyn School District. So, we need a motion to accept his resignation. Um, I will make a motion to accept the resignation of Jonathan Varity as an administrator at the Brooklyn School District with an effective date of June 30th, 2025. Thank you. Is there any discussion? I'm sad to hear this news. I think that this is um a big loss for our district. So, I you know, I appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it, but I do feel sad about this. So, yeah, it's kind of a bummer. I echo that and thank him tremendously for his his effort and time with us. So, anything else? Okay. All in favor? With regrets. Yes. With regards. Okay. Um All right. Dear Andy,
007Gina, Lauren, and Trisha. After careful consideration, I've made the decision to retire and formally end my employment at CSDA Brooklyn School District SA41 at the end of the school year in June 2025. This year brought personal circumstances that have prompted me to reflect on next steps and as a result move forward into retirement. It has been a true pleasure to work in the school district for the past 18 years. I'm deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside dedicated and talented colleagues while supporting the health and wellness of our school community throughout this time. I wish you all continued success. Respectfully, Moren Lorden, the nurse, the nurse at CSDA. All right. I will make a motion to accept the letter of intent to retire received from Lori Lorden with an effective date of
008June 30, 2025. I'll second and note that it's Moren. Moren, just kidding. I apologize. Um, any discussion? Again, another big loss. Um, you know, it sounds like retirement is a great choice, but I know she's done a lot for our schools and for our students and especially being a nurse at CSDA trying to tackle that uh puberty part that I'm sure is not always easy. So, definitely a big thanks for her time here. But yeah, happy retirement and thank you for everything. We appreciate it. Um, anything else? All in favor? No regrets. Thank you. Okay. I would like to um announce that we have hired um special ed administrator Jennifer Dolof um to replace Jonathan Varity at a salary of 120,000. Do we need a motion to accept that? That's just an announcement, right? Yeah.
009Just a quick little bit of history about that one. Her father was the first principal ever here. No, Peter Dol was the first teaching principal at RMS. No. Sounds like you should start teaching, too. teaching principal. Well, there were there were three or four before the principal role was principal role, but I thought it was pretty history. That's nice history. I like that. Excellent. All right. Okay. Do you have any I have some nominations. Yes. I would like to nominate Jamie Bassinald um for reading teacher at CSDA. She has a bachelor's in elementary ed and um psychology at University of New England and a master's in education um and reading specialist from the University of New England. We would like to place her at master's step or sorry masters plus 45 step 12 for a
010salary of 81,614. All right. I will make a motion to accept the superintendent nomination of Jamie Wasnald. I apologize if that's incorrect. uh for the position of reading teacher at CSDA step masters plus 45 masters plus 45 step 12 and a salary of 81,614 second excellent uh all in favor thank you you're welcome and I would like to nominate this one I can say Amy Connors as case manager at CSD. She comes to us with a bachelor's in special education from Manhattan College and a master's in behavior behavioral disorders from Riv. She has um a master's placing her in step 14 for a salary of 78,94. Oh, do I need to make No, no. I'm I was writing out so I can say it. Okay. So, I would like to make a motion to accept
011the superintendent's nomination of Amy Connors for the position of case manager at a master step 14 and a salary of 78,940 78,94 94. Just kidding. I might have just messed the numbers up. Thank you all in favor. Thank you. Thank you. Did it. And that'll do it. I almost got them all really right, too. How about that? Okay, moving on to the approval of minutes. So, um, from the Brooklyn School Board meeting on April 23rd, 2025, the following amendment was offered to the minutes. Page 10, line 28 to correct the spelling of [Music] policy. Can I get a motion to accept this as amended? I'm How do I say it? Sorry. Just I motion to amend. Yeah. Yeah. You make a motion to accept as amended. Mo motion to accept as amended. Excellent. Can I
012second? Second. Excellent. All in favor? Fabulous. I'm just I'm going to abstain. Oh, all abstain. Trace. Uh Joanna. Perfect. And then I don't think we had any other ones. What is She had this twice here though, right? Am I missing a page? We um do have non-public minutes. Is that what this is? Mhm. But there was nothing just to accept them. Just to accept and there are no amendments. Okay. I'm just going to make a motion to accept the non-public minutes from April 23rd, 2025. Um, all in favor? Do we have a second? Oh, yeah. Second. I'll second. Thank you. Now, all in favor? Fabulous. Thanks. I'll get this right eventually, guys. Just go with me. Just go with it. Okay. Um, in the interest of time, I'm gonna actually Can I open public input
013now? I'm gonna open public input now here at 6:48. Um, and there is nobody with us. But we will remain open um for at least 30 minutes or more. And while we do that to see if anybody joins us this evening, I will turn over to our principles for our principal report. All right. Good evening. for our May principal report. Uh we have our enrollment on the first page. At RMS, we've increased our enrollment by three students in the past month and we have several more joining us in the month of June. Um so we're excited to welcome those new students because then they get acclimated to our community and into our building just to make next year's beginning of the year start easier for them. Um, and just want to mention anything about what
014you're consistent. Uh, I wanted to first share that in May we had a very busy month with testing for New Hampshire SAS testing. Um, grades three through 10, right? Is that New Hampshire 10? Is that the last grade? 11. 11. 3 through 11 test for New Hampshire SAS. um at grade three. That's their first year of testing for the state. And we are very proud of the teachers and all the specialists who helped proctor our assessment um at our June uh schoolboard meeting. We will present those results to all of our staff results in our district. Um but I want to thank all the teachers um for their time and effort preparing for the assessment, getting the students ready. But what I noticed, and I'm sure Mrs. Ble will probably echo this is when we
015observed the testing environments um the students were engaged really focused putting in their best effort so we're proud of them for that um we are now starting uh as web testing throughout our district so those have started this week um and that's grades K through six and then we had um a stone zoo field trip in the month of May for grade 1 and grade three is visiting CSDA next week they're doing the CSD woods where they're going to take a little trail through the take a little walk through the trails as a grade and then after they come through the building and in the past they've always met Mrs. Boule in the cafeteria and she would just welcome them and share some expectations of when they come and get them excited. But this year,
016we've asked Chaz, the new principal, Chaz Miller, to join us on the walking trail just so that he can get um build some connections with the kids. And then um he'll get time to meet with the grade three students. And then we've built a day for him on June 3rd, so next Tuesday, to meet with all grade levels. And then also open times for the teachers to come meet with him. And then there's a community meet and greet at 3:15 to 4. So that'll be next Tuesday at CSDA. the the meet and greet will be in the library at CSA. And um next Friday, we got practice this week, Mr. Boule. Next Friday, Mrs. Boule will be throwing out the opening pitch at the Silver Knights game. Um she's got quite the fast ball. That's
017going to be exciting night. And there's actually two celebrities there. Mrs. Ble and uh Brock Holt, who used to be a Red Sox player, former Red Sox player. He'll be there as well. So, it's Brock Colton and Miss Boule's retirement pitch. Um, and our Blue Jay, I hope. I don't know. That's a good question about the Blue Jay. See if he can fly over. See if he can fly over. Superhero. Yes. Um, we're also excited in two weeks to welcome all of our new kindergarteners that will be coming next year. They'll be doing our kindergarten screening. What we're what we're excited about doing is we separated them all into classrooms. They're here for a half a day. So, there's a morning session and a PM session. And it gives our teachers a chance to really
018get to know the kids um in the school environment doing different activities like a morning meeting, um some center based activities. Whereas in the past, um this will be our second year doing this where in the past students just came in and they went to like five different stations and then left. So, this gives them a chance to be in our building in a classroom environment um and take off that anxiety piece of entering our school next fall. And do they do the screenings with the kindergarten teachers like Yeah. So, there's two kindergarten teachers who will run each of the sessions, the same two teachers, so that way it's a consistent evaluation of all the students. And then we have our reading and math specialists who are doing centers along with some of our preschool
019teachers helping out. This is the same what you did last year, right? Exactly. And really, really well. We got a lot of good like formative data and informative data from it. It was really good for the kids too. Experience. It was great. It was good. That was good. Yeah. And our teachers like it too. So I I really value what how they interpreted that experience. So um we have our field day coming uh on the 12th which is exciting. Mr. Mars does a great job and this year we have actually a field day committee that have put this together. So, it's going to be um much more improved, but we've already have we've always had a great field day, but I think it's going to be um more hands- on deck with supporting Mr. Mars
020with it. And then report cards come out last day of school on the 17th. Um I also want to thank the Brookline Public Library. They've partner with us to allow all of our classrooms to do a walking field trip. All of our classrooms throughout the building have had a great time going to the library. Um we value that because it gives a chance for all the kids to get access to the library that may not have that outside of school and um the new library um children's director uh Alyssa has done a great job welcoming the students, getting to know them. So she's been very appreciative of that. Uh thank you to them. Uh we have our last fire drill this week. I think you do too. You will. You will. Um so we are
021up to date with all of our safety drills for the year. Um, I think we're good. Yes. Can I So, I just heard one piece of feedback on the SAS testing. Okay. Um, from several teachers that having the writing on the last day was a lot for the kids. Like, if possibly it could be I don't know if it's required to be in that order. No, it doesn't. But like having um because it's typing and they're already tired from doing it the rest of the week that maybe doing it on an earlier like swapping one of the other days. Yeah, we can look at that. That's good feedback and we can talk to the teams about that. This year we started with math because we always found that that's the easy like that's a good
022one to start with warm up the brain. Um but what we could look at is this year at our at grade three we did math and then we did reading the next day. We took a day off because of writing. But we can we can we can reorder it. Um I mean I'm not in it every day so I don't know what makes the most sense but I it was just something you had two teachers actually mention and last year writing was first. Okay and it was it was in March and then we took a perhaps there's no good solution. No that's good. We can take it back to our teams and talk about Yeah. We can we can we can we we have the ability to move it around which is fine. Yeah we
023have a lot of more flexibility. Um before we had to have one grade level test at a time. So in order to make that happen across the whole district, it was a lot more challenging. Now we can test when you know when the team decides it makes most sense. So can I ask one question to you just about the Ames testing? So is there concern about the kids getting like tired of testing like if they're doing SAS testing and then Ames testing like shortly after like so the AS web testing is more of a benchmark testing. It's not a full day of test. It's not like hours worth of test. It's a it's a it's a small window of testing. Okay. I just I hear that I'm like these poor kids just we try we
024try we try to space it out so we don't have that test fatigue factor. Um but like that was grade three. So we've Okay. We tested early May for grade three and they're kind of like the last to test for as web because of that window. Um uh preschool went to the care farm recently for a field trip. Gray K is doing a field trip to Friendly Farm next Friday. Um I think that's there's a couple other small little field trips, but so lot lot happening in these next 15 days, 14 days. I don't have I don't have a countdown. Mayber. I'm here anyway. So good. Thank you. Exactly. And at CSDA, we've been very busy and as as uh Mr. Moi was saying, we've had the SAS testing. Um, one thing that, um, I
025think we mentioned it last month, but, uh, I'll have to say, Dian, we did a good job for SAS testing. Um, as far as we were observed this year, um, the DOE rotates um, school districts every five years. And I'll be honest with you, this is the first time I've ever had um, been in a district where they were observed. And uh it was kind of intense as far as our preparation, we what we had to do um as far as documentation and things like that that we typically don't have to do as far as at our level. Um but Dan and I both received for our schools. So we've, you know, thanked all of the the staff and the teachers the and the students. They did a phenomenal job just showing that we do
026um provide a secure environment, that we do follow the policies and procedures and requirements for for testing. um and the the uh letters that we received um confirmed that. So that was um you know it was it was rather stressful for everyone but they all did a great job. Um uh today actually I was working with uh students from grade five who were taking the accelerated math test um which is a determination if they will be accepted into an accelerated math program for grade six. at that time they would it would be a combined um a compacted class where they would actually complete um the curriculum for grade six and seven in one year. Um so I I finished the testing today and Mrs. Bergskog will be um correcting those and I have a few
027other students to test tomorrow. um grades five and six this year we were looking for new adventurous uh field trips and we discovered the aviation museum in Londereerry. So if anybody hasn't gone, please look up their website. They have phenomenal family gettogethers. Um I know they have um some exciting options out there for families, particularly for Father's Day. So, if you're looking for things to do with your families, um, but it was great because it's related to science. Uh, grade six, for instance, uh, two classes are are going tomorrow, but two other classes already went and they said that they received a tour of the museum showing a lot of, uh, New England air and space artifacts. Um, they also found out uh learned a little bit more about airplane engineering and they got to
028design their own paper airplanes and had flying distance competitions. And then you'll see pictures later in the report of students um learning what a Marshall is. And those are the ones with the the wands that bring the planes into the tarmac. Um so they said they've really learned a lot of things that you don't really understand about how difficult it is. um and the mechanics of all the individuals involved in um having a plane fly off or landing. Um so they said it was a a great, you know, a great field trip um and they learned a lot. We have a lot of other exciting things coming up. On June 2nd, we have um this will be the second year in a row of the Hollis Brookline High School seniors uh returning back to either
029Hughes or to CSDA to meet with their teachers. And uh so we'll be giving them a little sendoff. Um, and the PTO is has generously um stepped up to the plate and they're going to donate some uh breakfast treats for the uh the graduating seniors. So, they'll come to visit. And uh let's see what else. We have our spring annual spring concert on June 5th for students. Um we hope the families and anybody in the community would like to um hear them. It would be a great day. Um, oh, I did forget that we also had our memorial day service uh ceremony last Friday and that was wonderful. The students and um the participants do a really wonderful job and really kind of learned about what um Memorial Day is really all about and the
030difference between that and Veterans Day. Grade six will be going off to the Brown Center on uh June 6th and as Mr. Mulinari re reminded us um I will be giving the pitch hopefully at the NSHA Silver Nights that evening after being in the woods all day. So um just so you know, I didn't share this with you, but while I was away on April vacation with my family, my daughter surprised me and packed a glove and a ba a softball. No, a baseball. Um and they were making me practice on the beach throwing a ball. So they said, "Oh, hopefully you'll be able to handle, you know, handle it." So we'll see. Um crowd too. Great. I can't wait. No, but it should be really great. And I figured if not um I can
031ask Brock Holt for some tips how to throw it. Um but and again, we'll also be having field day on June 13th. And I know a lot of parents have reached out to volunteer. So we're excited about that. And last but not least, our grade six promotion will be occurring on the evening of June 16th and we'll be wishing for really great weather. And then we just want to also just Mrs. Ble kind of um touched on it, but the PTO has been very generous with supporting all of our field trips along with um our budget, our school district budget has been helpful and some parent funded parts of that as well. So, a mixture of different funds coming together to make these projects or programs happen. Um, we would like to invite the PTO
032at the next schoolboard meeting just to have them kind of present what they're doing. Um, and we'll include that in our slideshow as well. They've got some pictures of each of the things that they help um support throughout the year. So, we also I thought it would be nice if we can just give them a thank you because they do a lot uh for our teachers and our students. So, thank you. Um, I just have before we move on for my other school board members here, is anybody planning to go to the meet and greet with our new principal? I am planning to. Okay. All right. I'm not able to go. So, yes, I will go be there with my fabulous. As long as one of us I would like I would like one of
033us to be there. The other actual like um forum candidate forum. So, I have met him. No, that's what I just want to make sure that we're we're there to make sure support. He feels welcome and he you know like I just want to make sure somebody from our group is there. He's very energetic. [Music] You have to still want to have a quorum. I think we're allowed to be at the community meeting. Yeah, that's okay. Right. I'm just being straight. Talk to each other while you're there. Yes. A different corner of the room. based on time to be talk. All right. Anything else from our principal? Thank you guys for everything that you do. We really appreciate it. All right. Moving on to the revenue and expense update. Okay. Um is yours. So, a
034little bit better news than last time we discussed this. Um as you you know have been made aware throughout the year um contracted staffing has really uh caused us to go over budget in those lines both for support staff and um other support services in that category. Also um placement changes for out of district students have caused us to go over the budgeted amount. Um luckily we have some savings with unfilled positions and um and health insurance selection. So let's say we budgeted for a family and plan and someone um opted for a single or two person or or no insurance so that we have some savings there. So looking at um that in combination with our revenue um looking at the let's see page eight um our expense balance is in the red 282,343
035um we have to transfer 40,541 um to the food service unreserve fund balance um our revenue balance is 353,739 um that includes excess revenue from grants um which really just has to fall to the bottom. It can't go in at any of our um budgeted lines um leaving us with an unreserved fund balance of 30,856. So looking at that um and our desire to have um a retained fund balance of 140,000 we can utilize our um fund balance from um our existing fund balance that we reserve from last year to fund the next year. So if we use 109,144 of that um we would um bring ourselves at zero. So, not returning any money to the taxpayers, but allowing ourselves to have a fund balance for next year. So, all of that will be worked
036out as the numbers finalize and all the the year-end stuff closes in June. Um, the auditors came today for their step one and they'll return in um August for the thorough um audit and then in our August meeting, we'll discuss what that um actual end of year looks like. So, we're we're anticipating that we should end with everything right at zero. Zero. Yeah. Zero is I just want to make sure it's not like negative. Yeah. No, zero. Um and then we also because a lot a bulk of the um lines that we went over we overspent. A lot of those are related to special ed. So if need be, we could um have a public hearing and utilize money from the special ed trust because that's exactly what it was designed for. Quick, sorry, quick
037question. Um, I had some questions around um some of the the contracted um services. Is it better to kind of maybe send those to you or or Donna um so that we can really talk about them in August since we'll already be in budget season maybe around that time or I guess it depends. I mean, you know, Lauren has to sign off on all of our contracted services. Uh so I I don't know how nitty-gritty they are. You could always send an email to Donna or to Linda or myself if they're just general big picture ones. Um, you know, as we've been talking about all year long, we do have um a decent number of contracted pair of professionals which cost us, you know, three times as much of as if we hired our own.
038Yeah. Yeah. That's definitely the topic area that I'd really love to dive into. You know, if when we're looking at contract negotiations, when we're looking at budget and tax caps and things like that. um you know, how can we compare apples to apples? Um you know, so how many contracted, you know, paras, what is the rate, how many hours, like what would it be if we had a staff person in there, you know, kind of some of those numbers. So we'll certainly do a thorough analysis of that as we go through our vessa negotiations next year. Yeah. Um that'll certainly be um a regular topic of conversation. Um so I wanted to follow up on that. Um just in terms of kind of like you had mentioned that some of the numbers were skewed because
039we had adjustments in placements. So without going into too much detail obviously for seat are we anticipating that that's going to be continuing or are we anticipating that there will be a shift in that as far as far as for next year's budget. So all placements right now are in the budget for next year. So unless there's an unforeseen okay circumstance or anything for whatever shift correct for that shift that happened this year has been budgeted for last year but there's a lot of houses on the market noticed that. Yep. I noticed that. Okay. Um any other questions about surrounding our expenses and revenues? Okay. for the agenda adjustment of the um lease. Do do we need to talk about that in discussions first or do you just present that in the deliberations the um
040leasing agent? Either way. Um so added to today I'm not sure if you are logged on right now but we added some documents to um the revenue and expense update discussion item just because it was business office related. So I I put it there. So, we have a memo from our business administrator, Kelly Seely. Um, if you recall, we approved the lease purchase agreement for um, well, CSDA and RMS, but the vocal work at CSDA for the boiler, um, some LED lights and some controllers in both um, buildings and the lights in both buildings. So, we she has been working on um, getting some bids for funding for that. Um, and so we didn't get any bids. um it's a it's a small dollar amount and so sometimes it's not really attractive for a bank
041to fund that. So we we you know we work with legal counsel throughout all of this. Um but we utilize additional resources and because of that intervention we now have two solid bids for a 20-year lease. One of the um offers is TD Banks um equipment financing 4.31% interest rates with equal payments of 82,92605 for the term of the lease of the 20 years. Option number two is municipal leasing consultants at an interest rate of 5.62% interest rate for the first year payment of 90,565 and then all others at 92,4836 for the term of the of the lease. So it goes up slightly. Um so in this memo it says both proposals are currently being vetted by by our attorney but they have been vetted by our attorney by end of day today and they
042feel comfortable with either proposal. Um, and so I am going to need you to deliberate and make a decision just so we can move the project forward. So I have a sample motion that we can do in deliberations. I will share that the 4.31% interest rate certainly is um less cost to the district. Um, but also TD Bank, we do u most of our banking with TD Bank. So we've done also other lease purchase agreements with them and so we feel comfortable moving forward with them. Okay. So since we're kind of in discussions, I I think and this is expense related. I think if is everybody logged on? Can you guys see these? Yeah. All right. My internet isn't working, but I've looked at them. Do you want me to stop my computer? It's okay.
043Okay. Um I I'd like to open the floor and see what you guys Is there any reason we would go with a higher rate? Like I mean it seems pretty obvious to me, but is anyone argue against it? We just had to get multiple quotes, right? Minimum one. Okay. So, we were happy to get one, but you know, even better to get two. Um, and like I said, the lower interest rate seems attractive, but it's also with a bank that we've done plenty of work with over the years. Just one point that I found interesting was that TD will, if I, if I've read it correctly, TD will provide the equipment. Um, but the other one is just a lease. Is that um, they won't provide the equipment? No. Oh, okay. I could have sworn
044it said that they will. You know, do you have any so like just having been kind of probably dealing with this longer than like I have. What would you say are some of the benefits that we might experience from going with someone that we have worked with before? So like Katie Bank is a bank that we're familiar with. They're familiar with us. We know like would you say that there's benefits to that? Absolutely. Yeah. process that could be then coming here even with you know kind of some of the discrepancies that you talked about? I mean, going with uh I mean, I don't want to sway your opinion, but going with um a vendor that we already use for lease purchase and use them for our bank accounts, it's very simple to continue that relationship
045and and transfer payments as as necessary. And there's between 9 and $10,000 in savings each year. So, I think that's kind of mean I do have one question. So, they're both fixed rates, correct? There's no no variability. And then if for example, down the road of much better like say interest rates go down, right? Is there any option to refinance or anything with either of them? Just um I do believe there is no prepayment penalty if that's what you're asking. Okay. To like to refinance or rep Okay. On either. No, we would have to we'd have to roll through the town. That warrant article though, right, to refi? No. No, you can prepay. Yeah. So, when you refinance, then it's like a prepaid because you're ending that agreement. That agreement, right? Yeah. Um and we've
046done that with others in the past when we started projects in other districts, um that was before the rates dropped really low and so when they they did, you know, dropped a significant amount, we did refinance. Okay. So, that is an option that could be on the table. Yep. Okay. Um So, when you say the lawyers are good with both, like what does that mean? Just they're comfortable with both proposals. So we just have to pick a vendor right now and then um in the in the next meeting we'll go to the next step. So once what's the next step um you'll see all the paperwork that goes along with it and then you make a decision to authorize to actually sign it. Okay. This is this is we look at both proposals. We say
047okay we want to go with this vendor then then we get the actual paperwork coloring with people like I just need someone to come. So just we are the less we are the less e correct. Yeah and okay so in the TD um proposal it says less or shall verify the equipment specification. So, does that mean that they just have to um verify that it's like up to their standards or Yes. So, if we're buying a boiler, we're buying a boiler cuz that's what we said we were using the money for. And um that we're not buying something that's not going to last for a couple years or something. Yeah. Got it. All right. Thank you. All right. Are there any other questions about the lease options that you see in front of you? All
048right. We'll vote on that when we get down to that discussion. Okay. Um let's talk about there was a um wanted to talk about an employee longevity program. So um this was something that I am not aware that we have and I had started to put together some thoughts on how we can kind of celebrate our staff in the Brooklyn school district for their longevity and when I kind shared that with this group and then with Gina Gina told me that we have something in place. Yeah. Can you tell us what you've got in place? So I did actually know about that cuz I went last year. It's it's you would have Yeah. I didn't know about. Right. So So I'm curious what it is and then um I I want to I want to
049talk about it and see if maybe Okay. So um so at our opening of school convocation, which the board is invited to every year, it's it's that Monday before school starts and everyone meets at the high school and we go into the auditorium and the superintendent has an opening, a welcome and um then there's an employee recognition program. So, what's important about this at the SAU level is that some of our folks maybe start in the Brooklyn School District and then go to co-op or vice versa or any of the um changes that possibly can be made or they u maybe start off as a parah and then become a teacher and so your um collected bargain agreement won't necessarily recognize the years of service as a support staff member um in the professional staff
050contract. So, what we do is we recognize your total number of consecutive years of service to the district, okay? In five-year increments. And so, we recognize them. Some employees don't like to be recognized. And so, they ask um am I up because I'm not coming. Um but we bring them up to the front. Um we present them with um a nice plaque and a gift certificate. And everyone is in that mad race to beat Mr. Fox at the high school who is approaching 55 years of service, the same building. Um or well, the same school, the high school. Um so people have a while to to go to catch up with um but it's great and it's um it's nice when you get to see um a colleague from another school and you might not
051know them as well. Um and so then you know they can cheer for each other and it's it's it's an exciting day. Yeah. And so it happens at the SAU level, not just Correct. That's nice because again we have that consistency, right? Awesome. Is there So, um, Alison, you did a great job. Thanks. I was really really liked my efforts cuz I I didn't know though to know this is learning experience. I also but I also did that from the from the purview of I know that of the three school districts, right? We don't have benefits for our parents. So, I was trying to find ways to celebrate them if they hang with us because we do deeply appreciate them. And then the same thing with our teachers too, right? Like we know that there's
052it's not even killed. And so that's why like I have longevity bonuses in there like trying to talk through how I guess it would probably be stepping on toes if we asked you to do one just for Brookline. Um well I think at the individual schools you do something to recognize individuals in your building. Also, what's great from the school board is um on the opening Tuesday usually it varies but Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, the school board hosts a lunchon for all staff and that is I got a pattern and that is um very much appreciated by staff. Okay. I just want to make sure we're doing enough to recognize and honor our staff, especially and I was thinking about this too from perview and I want you guys to know where it's coming from
053is we have a lot of change happening into this coming year and I want to just make sure kind of from all angles our staff feels supported and recognized and honored because they are. Um, so I wanted to talk about if there's maybe more we want to do at the CSDA and RMS level and if we were to do that is it now that I know that there's an SEU program is it going to upset I don't I don't necessarily don't want to while I want to honor our teachers. I also don't want to like rock the ship elsewhere. So I I want to talk about that in conjunction with and it says community groups here and I don't know how to word this but really kind of maybe finding some time to one or
054two of us to even if appropriate have listening sessions or just kind of open door. I know teachers can come and talk to us here right as a school board but making sure that we're providing outlets throughout this year of change because it is right we have a year of change and growth happening with a lot of leadership changes and just want to make sure that we have a forum for multiple multiple paths right to make sure people feel heard or supported or feel comfortable raising anything um in this kind of time so changing times yeah and so I would say just in terms of um employee and board communications. We do have a policy that um outlines the appropriate methodology of communication. So, we could take a look at that and maybe we want
055to revise it. I'm not sure, but certainly that um I can refer that to the policy committee after July 1. Um when I'm no longer on the policy committee, your rad. No, but we um I would like to we we take a look at that. But um I think what we could also do is um not do not necessarily a full-blown um um oh my goodness, what was the survey that we did twice? Oh, the climate survey, but really just do like a check-ins of how things are going and some, you know, so it's less formal. Um just providing that opportunity for for communication that's in a channel. I think I mentioned this last year too when we had the results from the climate survey that like we had all the numbers which is great
056but I didn't see that we had a lot of the like reasoning behind and I I think that would be a good opportunity um because the numbers are great and they're very important and they give us a lot of information equally I feel like the reasoning behind like why are you using commentary yeah like the commentary I do a lot of qualitative research so I'm happy to sit and listen to people talk that's fine but um I just think that that has given that is something that we maybe should do more of because it gives them an opportunity to really that like express an opinion that you can't kind of do on like a yes or no. Would would that kind of survey this is where I should know this but I don't appropriate coming
057from admin level team something we can put together and then ask you to put out. What is that? Yeah, I think it depends on um the content of the survey certainly. Um but we can just continue the conversation and see what makes sense as we as we Okay. because I don't know if maybe that's something not to No, I could write voluntel the voluntel the um uh wellness and teacher support committee to do but I I do writing surveys so it's I do just want to make sure and I just want to make this clear like I there's a lot of change is not always easy change is good right but it can be tumultuous at times and so I just want to make sure that we're regularly checking in and supporting with all of
058our staff not just our teachers So, okay. Sorry. No, go ahead. So, maybe and and I don't know if we can maybe this goes back to your policies. So like that I think is a good question is like how the the board would interact with the teachers directly because the only thing I would get a little nervous about is like I kind of look to you know um Patricia and and Dan to be like that intermediary because I feel as though it's almost like if if we if we kind of get too involved then the teachers start coming to us directly. So I I would just want to make sure that we are looking to you as leaders in your school to make sure that like what you need you're telling us and and utilizing
059these surveys in an anonymous way so people feel comfortable. Um but to your point if you know if there's guidance needed but I think I think that's where it would start with them. This just my thought, right? Because as as things are happening, you're going to be the first ones hearing it. And that's where you can say, "Hey, maybe like red flag, like I think we need to be, you know, thinking of this or here's how like you can support us." Just a thought just to make sure that we're not again creating any type of um going around them. They have to agree. We have to support them as the leaders. That's all. You want to jump in? Yeah. I do value the um the feedback that the staff shared in the surveys. I will
060say though I think we have other mechanisms to get that feedback. So for instance we have a wonderful mentor program and in the mentor program the new staff have a mentor that they go to with a concern. If there's really that big of a concern they bring it to admin. We have um goal meetings with our staff. So when there's things that come up we meet with them several times throughout the year. Um, we also have the Berkeley teachers union. So, if there's something concerning, staff have the opportunity to go to the union. So, I I feel like we have multiple mechanisms. I also think the timing of the survey, if we're going to do a survey, needs to be thoughtfully put out too because I think in years past we've put it around March
061time frame and March is a tough month. Um, and it's, you know, it's between that stress. So, I think there's multiple mechanisms. I personally don't I haven't seen the survey results so I don't know what they look like other than the yeah that Gina presented but um I feel like we've got a good pulse of our staff and if there's a concern they bring up at staff meetings if they don't feel comfortable they have something to go to but I also don't want to if that's not accurate I don't want to say we don't do a survey I just feel like we have things in place I mean right and I I think it's really important that everyone recognize also that Dian and I and the other administrators is meet with the union presidents um
062and president and assistant I mean vice president um on a monthly basis. So if there is something you know that's our direct communication um and not that they wouldn't bring it to us sooner but at least then we can you know revisit things like all right we've made these changes or improvements we've heard the concerns um have we addressed them thoroughly so there is that communication that you know Dan was referring to um but I I I I do agree with you in the sense that it is important that if you know we need to make sure that we're welcoming our staff and that they feel confident that they can come to us. Um, and Dan also mentioned about the mentoring program and I know that was a question, you know, at the beginning of
063last year even, you know, what type of mentoring program do we have in the district? Um, and it's definitely um evolved over the past 5 years since I've been here and I just actually responded to um one of the members that is kind of oversee helping to oversee it. And one of the statements I said that we we made changes to this year was that the principles would take turns going each month to a mentoring meeting where we would actually meet with the building um uh the building uh mentor and then the mentees and mentors u mentees and yeah and mentors on a monthly basis and we talk about different uh topics and in my response to her I said I really like that because it gave the opportunity for the new teachers to see
064uh us as administrators interacting with the experienced teachers as well. So that kind of will get you know that we that we have a good um connection with them that we can be happy and jovial and um you know but have important conversations but at a relaxed environment. Um and I think that was important for the new teachers to see that so that you know that they know that they can come to us easily as well. But I do want to say really quick, oh, I just want to say one quick thing. I totally support you and what you're trying to accomplish because it's so incredibly important that we make our teachers feel valued, right? So, just making sure that obviously you both know that we're here to support and to think outside the box
065if we get there. We want to do that and and I I know you guys have a great relationship with your like I I get and I understand the multiple mechanisms. I think I'm looking at it more in the the windshield of new superintendent. While we know her, it's a new role. So, some relationships there could shift a little bit, right? Because that that happens with change. Outgoing incoming new new principal. We heard a couple of resignations tonight too from there that So, there's there's some changes and I just want us to make sure we're supporting our whole staff, right? And it's not it's not just teachers either, right? It's it's everybody in both of our buildings. And I want to make sure that um everybody feels during the time that they are. And even
066if it is just a small maybe it maybe it's another midyear lunch just as a thank you or something. You know what I mean? Like maybe just some other extra if we're not right. I mean some I just want to make sure that we have a year of you know support and celebration through changes because there's going to be a lot of relationship building that's going to happen and not overnight does everybody connect with the new faces in the building and so some people may not feel like they have an outlet and what I don't want to have happen is I don't want the union to all of a sudden have to come and say well we got here well why didn't we proactively try to be mindful and aware and keep our finger on
067the pulse because you you guys have your fingers on the pulse, but you you're not going to be a team anymore. You're you have a new new team, right? And so that's that's where this is coming from. It's not anything critical at all because I appreciate everything you guys have done. And I and I hope I'm expressing that properly. It's more I'm just trying to think, okay, through this next year, what are there things that we can do differently to celebrate our teachers to make sure that they're supported and staff right through this just to help us get over um all of the changing winds. Tracy, yes, she does. No, it's okay. I just um so that was a lot to unpack but really quickly I am thinking I think to Allison's point if if
068there are new relationships being built or there are other things that you know sometimes staff might or administration might not feel comfortable talking to each other about if we do have that outside person or mechanism. Um, I think one of the things we had talked about with the other survey was, you know, I think to Dan's point, there wasn't a ton of, um, I don't think we had a ton of responses and I think part of it was maybe the the timing um, because it was handed out at staff meeting. Um, but maybe people didn't want to be seen putting it in, you know. So, I I do kind of see the optics around um, around that. Um the other thing that I just wanted to also say was the PTO is such a great
069partner to us and and so great to us um around the teacher and staff recognition. Is there something we can do as the school board to maybe partner with them or you know just kind of get that scale um so that we you know we could do more in recognition of them. So I'm glad you brought that up. I wanted to just raise a couple points. So with the PTO, I think that's a great idea. And I was going to share earlier that um I don't think the schoolboard knows this, but I think almost monthly they do an event at both buildings for our staff. So I think that goes back to like Alison's point like how do we recognize them? So the PTO's done a great job. You you all do the the lunchin
070at the opening day. So but maybe there's a partnership with the PTO. Maybe it's every other month or maybe it's quarterly. Whatever it is that might be that way you feel like you're involved there. The other thing is I don't want to throw like I don't want to show I don't want to not say that the surveys aren't valuable but I do feel and this is just my personal opinion. I feel like a work session would be better if we if we if we really want to hear how people are feeling. I think it needs to be more collaborative because my concern with the survey is we passed we we talked about it at a staff meeting said there's services available. We put them in the staff room for staff to take. there was a
071box and with that I also questioned the validity of it because anybody in the building could get one fill it out right someone could get one and forgot they even did it because we had it open for a month and then do it again they did it again so I think the validity of it I do feel like a work session whether we did like a um a jigsaw and people went around and discussed at different um maybe some essential topics or questions I think that brings along collaborative nature I think it brings along um gives the chance for the teachers to see schoolboard's face or work with the admin to discuss things as a team rather than a survey. So, I mean, I'd be more in favor of like a mid-year check-in or that's
072just my personal thought, but I've seen it done before and it's been very helpful. Um, so I just want to throw that 100% agree with doing a voice. It just my background is in sociology and and statistics and things and you get a better depth of problem like with a survey, right? Someone says, you know, I have an issue with how something's being handled, but you don't really understand like you can't ask a following question. There's no f it's just there's an issue. We don't really understand the depth of it. We don't understand the reasonings behind it. We don't understand if it's just that person's perspective. So like 100% I think a workshop or a voice to voice makes a lot more sense. We can kind of keep that on our radar. And I I
073appreciate all of what you guys are saying because we don't want to I I know I don't want to step into those. At the same time, I would like to avoid what we kind of had happen last year where I felt just personally as a board, we got hit with all these resignations and I was like, but we just were like the survey said things were fine and things are not fine because all these people just left. So for me, that's where I would like to like I love your idea, Dana, just having that session and whether we're there or not, that's I think it's like whatever the teachers feel comfortable with. But the stuff like I would just like us to have more of an opportunity where we're not overstepping our bounds as the
074board, but we do have our thumb a little bit more on the pulse just so that we can be aware of like what's coming, what shifts are coming, and and if there's anything we can do in our governance to help that that the other thing I want to mention about the resations is we definitely lost some staff that have been so instrumental in the, you know, Burke line school district, but the other thing I think we forget is that we've had staff resign, but then two year two years later they come back. So we think about we had resignations and there was a year we had a ton but several of those people are now working back in our buildings. So I think I think we purely look at the numbers but we're not looking
075at back like there's a return and I think we need to remember that too because yes we've lost people they've gone somewhere else and they found out you know what I'm back here. So I think that's that's a great perspective. I think that's important to remember too but no I agree. So I it's something we can keep thinking about. But I just yeah I to that point I I love hospitality as much as an expert. Like I will shop for anything. But I think at the end of the day we also just want to stay in our lane of governance and not overstep too. So I I just want to make sure I have balance there. One last thing um and again maybe just an idea because I won't be here but um one of
076the things that we we Dan and I have done is that we've had a combined um staff meeting in the month of December. Um, we we figure that's a good check-in for us, but it's also it kind of, you know, we would have specific things that we would talk about first and then we'd have a couple of games, you know, again, collaboration, get with um, you know, sit at different tables with different people or would have a couple of topics that we would review. Um, and we got great feedback for for a few things that we wanted to know, but at the same time, they got to communicate with people that they don't necessarily get to see all the time or they don't get to see from RMMS or they may have, you know, they've
077switched buildings or whatever. Um, and then we'd I I know we bought I put together trays. I'm kind of like you. I like to do the trays of of cookies and, you know, and things like that. But they just loved it. It just changes the environment of what the meeting look like, you know, from the normal month to month. So, I mean, that might be good and end of the year. Yeah. So, we try to do that. Um, so maybe that would be a good time of the year, too. Just just some thoughts and just wanted to put that out there and, you know, just again trying to make sure everybody's that we can support however we can and as much as we can, you know. Thank you. Anything else on that topic? All right.
078I before we keep going though, I'm going to officially close uh public input here at 7:36 because otherwise I'm going to forget to close it. It's been open. So, well, doesn't it technically close anyway? Um yeah, but I'm going to technically close them anyways, right? Okay, we have two more things for discussion. Um board priorities for this upcoming year and then our August meeting dates. So, let's start with the board priorities. I think um this is a good time to and we may not settle on you know a particular focus or anything tonight but I know in the past um the board priorities have been to you know studental program and to help stand that up and to really you know support our schools in that vein. Um, and I know there's been a couple
079of emails. You guys, you guys don't know about it. Just kind of broad just, hey, think about what you what us as a board don't what our board would like. BCC is our friend. Yeah. What what we would like to see as as priorities for this year. So, I know I was asked that question directly. I know personally for me, I just want to ensure that for we're in a contract year and so biggest priority is making sure that we are meeting the needs of our um staff in both contracts without um without destroying our budget. So that that for me is like the biggest priority. Um, but I would love to hear what some other people have. Um, it, you know, and if we want to choose one or two things that we can
080really kind of focus on to to work towards or around for the next for the upcoming year. So, I'll just kind of open the floor. So I mean one thing that I would like to work on um in addition to the budgets and contracts is uh community involvement because I do feel like that was feedback that we got at deliberative last year. That's feedback that we get quite frequently which is how is the community involved. We've made really good strides. I feel like parent square has actually been very good this year in terms of like getting the word out and like um you know people I know like being able to pay for field trips and things like that on parents square has been great. Um, so I I think we're moving in the right
081direction, but I would maybe like um us as a board like especially around the budgets and because we have contracts this year like how can we kind of increase that education piece to the community so they do feel like they have information. So like from a communication standpoint, right? So yeah, like how are we communicating? So like um I was actually really impressed with the Hollis board when they did that educational night around like this in Glaster for one of their warrant articles. They had like a Q&A. Am I remembering this right? Yeah. Okay. Enrollment committee. Yes. Um, and so they they kind of had a Q&A about where people could come and ask questions and kind of get the plan like hear from one board member and I think it was Paula who's the
082principal who was there. So do maybe considering something like that and not to put that extra strain on anybody but just more like I just feel like we heard that a lot at Deliver this year which is like how come we didn't talk about this or I didn't know about this or and all we can do is present the information. We can't make people read it but I feel like we could maybe do a little bit better with how we're educating. Yeah. So that would be a that always feels like a struggle. I think you know this is going into my third year and I feel like we have um the superintendent's newsletter and we have you know other mechanisms and we thought oh do we you know put things up uh in the library
083or what can we post on Facebook you know kind of Johan I think you did a couple like this is yeah educational information. Yeah. Um, so I don't know. I'm I'm wondering in the past we've done things like ex try to explain warrant articles in in writing. Um, is is writing the best form? Could we gosh be silly and do not silly, but could we do videos where we do a a one minute video on each warrant article? Um, just something I I think to Joanna's point too, I've heard that we don't socialize um our priorities or our warrant articles. um in a timely enough manner. So, if we could think out of the box a little bit and ways to communicate and I just I especially think this year is going to be so
084important with the with the contracts. We really because I do think um a couple years ago when the co-op did their contracts again um I felt like I knew everything I needed to know going in because there was a lot of education around it. So knowing that we're, you know, depending on what our contracts look like and with our budget cap, I would just love to make sure like that we have done everything we can to put that information out. Like I said, we can't make them read it, but we we could do a good job of like making sure that we're putting that information out there so that they do understand why we ask for things and in contracts and things like that. Could we do like a monthly at the library, meet a
085school board member? Like office hours? Yeah. Office hours, you know, like or Yeah. No, but seriously, maybe it's like nook nook time or something. Yeah. Whatever. Like I mean, I don't mind sitting somewhere. I certainly have done it before like in my other job and like, you know, where I'll just sit and like come talk to me and ask questions and like if I don't have the answer, I'll find it for you. But, you know, one of those types of things where it's at a neutral location like the library or, you know, town hall or the fire station or whatever. and um you know you can come and and just chat and like maybe it's not necessarily we have all the answers but I can get the input from bring it back to you from
086the community or from the teachers or from whatever from the staff whatever whatever it is but I'm here for two hours on every third Wednesday or whatever whatever it might be. Yeah, we have done I think a much better job communicating with our school communities within the town. Mhm. I think really we we need to look at the rest of the town who do who don't have children in our schools because we ask them to support our schools or who have kids in co-op, right? And not necessarily in these districts that are still being asked to come and vote on K through. Correct. So, so any so anybody who doesn't have a child in the Brooklyn school district, right, but is still in town is still funding the Brooklyn schools, right? Our communications to them,
087I think, need to be better. And I think especially in this year where we're going we're going to face challenges like with the tax cap and everything else. Um so I I think finding ways to communicate I think that sounds like that would be a really good focus for our our group. Yeah. I will share that our um diligent one of the reasons why we did shift is there is a subscribe feature that's not fully set up and so um members of the community can subscribe to maybe Brookline school district and so whenever we post an agenda or documents they get an email alert um maybe they want to do co-op and Brooklyn you know or maybe they only want Brooklyn. So that's something then if we could if we got that set up I
088mean the superintendents do a newsletter. Well I would put I could put that on Facebook just hang on. So is and this is where I'd have to I'd be interested in talking in in in August the schoolboard association like appropriate and appropriate to do a a schoolboard news communication letter. So like when we get into having to explain like warrant articles and whatnot like we have a mechanism to do that. So that would not be appropriate. But we do have the voters's guide that we put out every year. And the voters's guide I can So what as a if you have a child in Brooklyn schools, I'm going to send you Brooklyn and co-op. If you have a child only in co-op, I'm going to send you co-op and the other district that you live
089in regardless if you have children, right? Um but it's getting that out to the community. But this would be um a method to get that same content. So then we could we could maybe talk to the town administrator too and if if there's that link on diligent where you can subscribe we can get that subscribe link onto the maybe the town website so that cuz like I know I sign up for every thing on the town's website and that's something that I think would be helpful to just put out on the Facebook groups like just forformational purposes there is a subscribe feature on diligent business the website like I've done that and that seems to have gone okay as long as I'm very clear that it's like this is um but I think yes I
090think that would be helpful. I also think us having more input would be helpful for us to just know like because if we do like say meet a school board member and we sit there for two hours and no one shows up that gives us information too feedback to kind of so that when we are kind of hearing those questions like well why didn't you tell us we can be like we have been sitting with the library for two hours every third Wednesday this is you know we have advertise like that gives us information too on well we're hearing there's an appetite for more communication we've increased communication no one's coming where is the disconnect but we to increase communication. So, I think that's a good goal. I think that's a good if you guys
091are good, I think that's a good goal for us this year to do that. Um, from an and I not totally in my lane, but from an academic standpoint in in supporting our kids, I would also like to explore um more enrichment and acceleration programs for our students. We've done a lot. We've done a really heavy lift with getting our kids where they need to be if if they are um if they're needing some extra supports. What I'd really like to see um over the next couple of years is our kids who are where they need to be, how do we push them? How do we challenge them more on a more regular basis? Um, for example, I know we have um advanc I think they call advanced math at CSDA, accelerated math, accelerated math
092for grade six, but there is for grade six and you have to meet a very specific criteria. It's not just the child who is where they need to be, right? What can we do for that middle group of the kids who are where they need to be? how can we further um enrich, enhance, accelerate that population? Um so because we have something in place for the kids who are beyond where they need to be and really pushing them. We have supports for the kids who need need some extra love and then what but what about that middle group? So not necessarily I think for anything for us to say, "Oh, go do this." But I'd like to get it on our radars and find ways that we can maybe over the next couple of years
093push. I don't know how you guys feel about that, but and then whatever we can do to support you guys too. That would be wonderful. Can I just ask how does the accelerated math program work? So if they're doing sixth and seventh grade, is that a teacher at CSDA that teaches it? Okay. Because I know in other districts that I've been in, like sometimes kids will go to the middle school for a class and then they'll they don't do that there. Okay. So it's just so who teaches it at CSDA? Cameron Pillian. Okay. All right. So she's one of the math specialists. Okay. And so it's kind of like a smaller like do they get pulled from class time or like how does that So they go to math with her instead of math with
094their teacher. Oh, okay. So they would only go to math with her during their math time. They do this. Okay. So I think if we could build it into that similar because I I would also want to try and avoid like yes, we want to do that but we also don't want to take them too much out of the classroom for like we would want to try and balance that. I think well yeah that's where I would leave it to. Yeah. in our June idea. That's I love the idea. In our June presentation, we have a um FY27 budget focus area. So, we can add like that, for example, we can add that as a just so we don't lose sight of it. That would be Yeah, that that would be great because I I
095do know if I remember correctly, it was the the board who kind of set that standard for the accelerated math and like the very kind of strict standard to get in to that program. And so maybe it's time to revisit either that or expanding that. So the K um that was a K to2 math committee that did a full year of research developing that. Okay. Put that into place. And then when that first cohort became juniors, um there was a full math review again to evaluate our students where um they were in the different ages and stages and specifically algebra one because we teach that um in seventh grade, eighth grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade. Looking at those students, they were all given the same prompt and figuring out like what skills are they
096using to tackle those problems. Why are they going about it? Is it helpful to teach physical science at the same time of taking you know like just looking at it from all angles um and figuring out the criteria was that the best criteria does it hold true um alternate pathways are they valid are they proving to be successful or unsuccessful for those kiddos. We we did that um two years ago and um came up with some new recommendations and um I think we're in a in a decent place but uh we have a new assistant superintendent coming in so evaluate all you want. So one thing that I know we talked about before J you had mentioned was the possibility two of us possibly looking at a facilities committee to kind of keep Yep. track.
097Is that still is that something that Yes. I was like say Tracy I know that was is that something that people that's on that's on my list of of committees. Okay. Yep. So once we get a um lease purchase agreement moving, then we'll need to continue to meet as a or start to meet as a committee to start to look at the project we have in place and then expand beyond that what are our next projects because we we certainly know that there are additional ones on the horizon. Um so sorry, one of my priorities if I can jump in is is kind of around physical infrastructure. Um, I just love it and I don't know why, but um, so in terms of like committees and things to Johanna's point, I I think I'm going
098to be on facilities and capital improvement and renovation and a couple others. You have them all. You love them. I do. I don't know. I just I guess I come from a construction family, so I just it's in my DNA. Um, so I would really love to have that be one of either our priorities or something that is kind of assigned out um as a priority. Um, one of the other things I just love is board management or like like putting a good Oh, sorry. Go ahead. I know where you're going with this. And so that one though I do want to table until we have the schoolboard association here to guide us on appropriate ways of working because we do we need we need better history historical documentation um and if committees are working
099we want to be able to access and see files is where you're headed with that right. Yeah. Well, I I think it is an an overall management thing too, you know, like like what is our onboarding program like formalize like we have really great resources and we do so much. Um but one of the things I love is pulling it all together and making it formal. Um and and so like can we do um an onboarding program that's written out like can we do a handbook um for board members? Yeah. Um is there something like that already? I I didn't I don't Yeah, we we on Yeah, we could talk about we we on board. We There is a book that we used to buy for our board members, but now there's the online training.
100It just seems like it was an expense to buy to buy everyone a book. Yeah. Um and I don't know if they were all read cover to cover. Um but yeah, I mean I think you know that that's a great thing to continue to formalize um you know what Andy and I have been doing just so that it's um known and um and set and so we can ensure that we're seeing the same things. Yeah. And just I mean one other thing is just to really and like Alison said we'll talk more about it in August but you know policies around board function and also um I also love a strategic plan. So, you know, just to look at that maybe every August before we we start the school year. Um, is that when we
101look at it? Yeah, we do our opening of goals. Yeah. And that's based on that's a line, but we can look at it. Yeah. Actually, the June meeting, we're going to do review of that one, right? Yeah. To see how we did meet with the school board like the professional development day. Will that also kind of give us some guidance? One of the things I'm still struggling with, and it's probably just because I'm a brand new board member, is like kind of like what is our intent? What is our role? What are we really doing here? Right? Like I love some of these I love I love the idea of doing more for our teachers, but I want to make sure again that we're not overstepping and that if we've already got tools in place,
102let's not waste our time, right? So I think one of the things it would be interesting to hear is and if they I don't know if they'll do this and if it's not maybe I'll have to think of something else but like like what is our role like where does it start where does it end so that we're just making sure because I think to your point Tracy that's going to help guide us that's going to help us figure out like like is facilities is that is that what the school board's supposed to do right and if it's not you know like let's just make sure that we're getting bang the biggest bang for our buck. And I know we have a lot of comm community like a lot of committees and and I'm not
103saying I please know I'm coming into this like I'm trying, you know, I want to just listen. Um it just makes me sometimes nervous to see that many because we have like and we're combining them and that's great, but it just makes me a little nervous because you know what what do we want to accomplish? And sometimes like when we have when when you're going into a role and there's so many different things happening at the same time, it's harder to accomplish what we need to. That's all. And so I just want to make sure that it's it would be helpful to me just to make sure that and and going back to the the orientation to kind of have it outlined like what is our role? Obviously I know it's the superintendent exit interview.
104Got it. All right. But that's that's an easy one. But then kind of, you know, again, where does the where does I can understand that sometimes it's not black and white and, you know, kind of again, we're here to support, but like where does it end so that we're and not overstepping you, not overstepping you, that we're here to get done what we what we're put in place for. Okay. So, um, couple things with that. There there's and we I want to dive into this in our August meeting when we have the schoolboard association here because I think that they will be able to not so black and whites be pretty clear, right? Um so there's a lot there's a lot that we've talked about and to to unpack and so I think just kind
105of backing up a little bit we're we're going to focus on communication this year. Um, we've put it out there about some student enrichment acceleration for future, which is good. I think we're all in agreement with communications. I think anything beyond that, I hear what you're saying about what's our role. I know we've had some conversations about that, too. Um, so let me seg that way into our August meeting date conversation because I think that this would be a very healthy conversation when we have them here because there really are three main buckets that the school board, you know, works in and and helps to oversee and guide and support. And so I think diving into, you know, the hire, hire and then manage, for lack of a better word, the superintendent who then goes
106and does all the running of the schools, right? um we work with a budget and we work on policy and that those are our three buckets right so communication I think is a priority is a great one because budgeting policy some of the policy work that's going on at the state level that's going to find its way into our community we're going to want to communicate things on right so I think I think that's a good strategic goal I think some of the or not strategic goal but board priority for this year is good I think some of the other things like board management on boarding I formalizing that process is not a bad idea, but instead of recreating the wheel, I think it would be good to have that conversation with New Hampshire School
107Board Association because they may have something already kind of developed like you sent a really nice checklist and everything. And so I think just kind of crossing your tees and do in alignment with what they've got is is not a bad I think it's a good thing. So I I kind of if you guys are okay with that, I'd like to table that until the August 28th meeting. One thing about Tracy's checklist though is the tour of the schools is definitely a good idea because at least even just from a facility standpoint really helped me understand like Dan took and showed me all the boilers and Patricia showed me the boil like so that way when people are asking me questions about it I can be like no I have seen like why do we
108have nine boilers in this so it just sounds like we incorporate anything that's missing right into and so I'd like to have see if they have anything formalized on anything that we have because Tracy's list is good right so I think then maybe working to combine the two but still making sure we're not in a gray area I think is a good thing. Are you comfortable with that? Yeah. The um oh can we have a mechanism for that August meeting to send questions like could that go to you or just just topics that I don't know if maybe a Google form would that work? No just send me the questions directly. Just email me the questions. I'll I'll collect them all because we cannot all work on the same Oh, you said Google form like
109to submit questions. just email them to me. We don't need we don't need to be that formal, but thank you. No, just just if you've got questions ahead of like what that looks like. So then that brings me the question was raised about the August meeting date. Um which is the day before school starts. That's a tough one. Listen, if you want me to sit here and cry through this meeting, we can do that. But that's what that's my college my daughter's college moving day. I love that. Um my daughter's going to kindergarten, so I'm going to sit here and cry most of that night. So mine's going to first grade. We should we should have that. That's why we do or that's why we do orientation the day before. You're going to love orient
110you're going to love the orientation. So I'm going to cry all the time because so kind of bring us back together here because of the importance of the conversation of having schoolboard association come in which I already have scheduled but they seem pretty flexible hopefully. What day did you schedule did you meet? On the 27th for our board meeting. Are we hardpressed? I mean, who who could absolutely not come or does not want to come like for I I can come on the 27th. The only time that I can't come is the week before through the August like earlier in the month just because I'm going to be in Denver. I wasn't originally I was looking for an earlier meeting in June. August their schedules get crazy because Gina, if we're going to have this
111conversation at minimum I want Gina there with us with the school board association. So, so we're not looking to move it up in our I'm trying to not add more to our plate. And so the question is, can you guys all come on the 27th? Is there is there really a hard pressed issue with it being the night before school? I can go on the 27th. I mean, I remember last year it was it was a lot to be away, you know, and then like go home and try to manage the kids for their first day. Personally, I would rather not. Now you have to individually label every pencil. Yeah, that was so exception for all the school members. I kindergarten. I had to label every crayon, too. It was awesome. There's a little baby.
112I'll send you a label maker. I have a label maker. It's perfect for crayons. It's like the perfect size. You send that to send that to I'll send that to you. Oh, it's amazing. But that's why you buy your supplies in July. Oh, yeah. No, I don't worry. Look at the spy list now. And honestly, have your kiddo help you do it. Mine had they had a blast. They made me start peeling them off. Okay, but okay. Back to back to meeting date. I It's really important that all of us are here to meet with the school board. So, if I have to move it, I'll move it. Gina, where are you moving your daughter in in? Um, I am because Lauren, I assume you're not gonna be She's not letting her go. I hope
113you're the 25th. No, I'm I'm in Arizona August and 19th through the 24th. So, the week of the 25th I'm here. Works best for you. What could be Can it be a day other than Wednesday? Like, it could be I could do I could do Tuesday. I can do any night that you could do 20 the I could do the 26th. Yeah, I could do Can you do the 26th? Mhm. Can you do the 26th? Can you do the Okay. Can I make do I need to make a motion to move our school board date in August to the 26th? No, we just move it. Done. We're moving it to the 26th. Fine. I will make that work with my And then I need to remember to email the school board or the school association.
114So So you'll get to email them. I'll email them. Thank you. Hopefully they can come. Hopefully this is far enough to label everything. All right. It is it is the 26th. It is the 26th unless I reach out to schoolboard association. They say they can't come in which case we'll revisit this conversation in June. All right. Wait, Dan, does that work for you? I I either day works. I I think it's I think it's great. I think that's great. You guys can leave a little pencil on the 27th. still be up at 2 a.m. I think it's I think it's I think it's a great move. I I think it's a great move. I feel like I'm just going to label. Oh my gosh. I recre I did it for I mean I have only
115done it one time, but I remember laughing going every crayon. We still have quite an agenda, so I want to keep going. Um we have a standing I'm just going to open the floor. Are there any updates from any of our committees? Um the teacher negotiation team is kicking off next week. Um I'll update on policy when we get to policy. Great. Yeah. Anything else from anybody? Okay. I mean, you already heard my exciting update on Fabulous. All right. Next. Uh we're going to get into deliberations at this point. We need to see what action the board will take regarding the leasing agent and energy conservation equipment at CSDA related building improvements at CSDA and RMMS. Um, I believe we want to go with the I'm going to suggest we go with TD just because
116I think they have the lower I think that's where we landed right like I think it's going to be easier. So, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to make a motion to approve the TD Equipment Finance Incorporated, TDEF, at the leasing agent for the 20-year lease purchase agreement to finance the acquisition and installation of energy conservation equipment, the CSDA boilers and LED lighting and controls at both schools and related building improvements at Cap Captain Samuel Douglas Academy and Richard Mahakian Memorial School in accordance with warrant article 2 approved at the March 11, 2025 election at a taxexemp interest rate of 4.31% as stated in the proposal. That's a lot of Do I have a second? I'll second it. I don't mind. Fabulous. Um, any further conversation around this? Do I have to do
117that now or I can just go straight to vote? Do I have to ask them for more conversation? I mean, they can if anybody wants all in favor. Fabulous. All right. I am dictating um because it's passing the block. All right. to see what action the board will take uh regarding authorizing the superintendent elect to hire, terminate, and accept reg resignations until August 2025 school board meeting. So, what this is is um we don't typically have a meeting in July, there may be need to hire staff st if somebody all a sudden resigns, whatever. Gina usually comes to us and we like we did tonight, we accepted nominations. We are basically giving her approval to go ahead and just manage staff, hires, etc. Um until our August meeting and then we just we get updated.
118Oh, we Yeah, you just so that we don't lose a candidate, right? Because we don't want to wait until we reconvene in August and and then they're like, "Oh, I somewhere else." So that this is what this this is what this is just for everybody's awareness. Are there any questions about that? Okay. Um, so I'll make a motion to authorize the superintendent elect to hire, accept resignations, and terminate staff until the August school board meeting and require notification to the board of such actions. Motions of such actions. This might seem like a pedantic question. I'll second that. But do we because in July you're going to read the super like Yes. So co-op did superintendent elect and superintendent. Okay. I was going to say do we have to put a word in there for that
119because I just don't want it to then come back and be like you said superintendent elect. You don't have one in July. Okay. I retract my motion. I am going to make a motion to authorize the superintendent elect and the then superintendent to hire, accept resignations, and terminate staff until the August board meeting and require notification to the board of such actions. Awesome. Fabulous. All in favor? Thank you. No problem. Um, was there another one from the the compensation? Yeah. Do I actually have to figure this one out myself or did she put this in? I figured this out myself. Okay. To support um Okay. So, I'm going to make a motion to support the recommendations by the superintendent elect for administrative and nonun compensation as presented to the board. Does that cover because I
120that covers everything. Covers everything on that paper. Okay. I just think because I I added the other categories. I just wanted to make sure we didn't Tracy will second. All in favor? Thank you. Fabulous. Thank you. Okay. Now, um policy. Policy. So, I'm going to turn this not over to me. Do you know this you or is this Yeah. Do we want to make a motion and then um to I suggest we make a motion to accept the whole memo and then we'll go through policy by policy. Yeah. So, that's this one, isn't it? Uh, so I'll make a motion to approve the recommendations of the Brookline School Board Policy Committee as per as per the memo provided as part of the agenda packets. All right, let's start talking about these. Okay, so we have
121um five policies that are coming to you as third read and adopt without any changes. So, they're the exact same that you saw last month. that includes public access to school district records. Um, just so you know, when we do um have our policy committee, we look through the minutes of the previous meeting and if anyone received feedback from any board members or community member, we we discussed that as well. We received none. So, yes. And I got updated on what you guys had expressed. Yeah. Okay. Um, we're also looking at EHR, public access to school district record procedures. So, these are simply the procedures that are um that govern how you can get records. It is now required that we have this particular one board approved. Um we also have um JLF reporting child
122abuse and neglect. So this is really just following the law and our requirements. There were no proposed changes. So we're bringing it exactly the same. KFD use uh and location of automated external defibrillators. Once again no changes from the April meeting. And then the fifth policy is IHBA special education evaluations and this talks about um procedures around um outside evaluations. Um so those are presented for third read and adopt. We have a couple that are second read and adopt without any changes. And the reason we wanted to move them forward is we wanted them in place for the end of the year. one is that very long policy. It was just simply a change in the RSA rel related to um how we handle federal grants. And so, you know, certainly we uh follow the
123law. When we um authorize Allison to sign the general asurances, she's saying that she is um assuring that I'm going to follow the law. So, this is just another component. Another piece of that is that we actually have DAFF in place. So, um I'm sorry, what's DAFF? DF is this policy on um federal grant management. It's like 60 pages long and so we found the one part that had to change and it's honestly like it seems like that part was fine. The rest of the 60 pages like I don't know like I don't know that we had to read them if they're not changing. Yeah, we've already read them and we went through them line by line. Bless her. Um I would not have done it. So yeah, I think there was no issue my
124Sorry, I just didn't know if DA stood for something. It's not an acronym obviously. Thank you. Yeah, no problem. Um and then we also have parental objections to specific course material. No changes were um were were discussed um after the first reading and we wanted this in place so that it could go in the handbook as um as written. Once again, it is per changes to um regulations. So, we just want to make sure we're following the law, which we like to do. Um, and then we have a second reading without changes, but we're not asking for an adoption at this time. So, you'd see this again. This is KI, visitors to the school. Um, it says no changes, but then changes were made, so I apologize. Um so the changes that are being proposed
125are substantial which is why we'll definitely bring it back but uh we as a committee felt that it was clearer this way to just itemize 1 2 3 4 5 6 what visitors can and can't do and procedures around coming into the schools um as opposed to simply just saying um you can meet with the teacher you you know you can do all these things but this just seemed to be clearer and more direct and you know we wanted to uh appreciate the fact that it was brought brought to our attention that at some point, you know, somebody had come into one of the schools and just said, "Oh, well, I was told I could do this." And I they weren't there to see a teacher, they weren't there to see a student, they just
126walked in and started using an a piece of equipment. So, it's like, okay, we want to be clear about that. Also, it was brought up that that could open us up to liability. So, when we are more clear, it is helpful for us to just like be able to say, "Nope, this is what we're letting people in for. This is the only thing." And like kind of covering ourselves and in that way. Um, so that's another reason that we kind of wanted and the memo does say with changes. So I just read it wrong. So there are substantial changes. Take a look at them and and I think it provides further clarity. And then finally, we're presenting for a first read with some changes IHAM health education and exemption from instruction. So these are changes
127that were brought forward to us based on changes in um regulations. And um it just talks about um what we will do um notification and then how you exempt your individual child from this particular Is this the one that we took the line out of too about what we are covering? Yes. So the s the New Hampshire Schoolboard Association is a great resource for sample policies, but they're written for K12 districts. And so it identified some things that we don't teach in um preK to six. So, we um pulled out some content that was really just um present in our high school curriculum. Yeah. Just to make it clear for parents because it like I I personally felt like when we look at it, it's like, okay, as a parent, I could see why those
128words are are kind of like red flagging, but if they're not being covered, then it's kind of like then go through the whole thing, they get to the school, they're like, they're not actually being covered. It's like, why didn't you just say that? Like, so we thought by just making it more simple and kind of covering like what our students would be covering, parents would have a more accurate picture when they come in or not. So, that was kind of cool. definitely appreciate that. And those are the policies. Do you have any questions about any of them? I had a couple questions. Um I know we were at third reading and adopt. Um but for I I think I saw when I was reading it, we did put in the charge for electronic. Which which
129one are you looking at? It's either E, Eh, or EHR. Ehr. Um, so thank you to the policy committee for doing that. Um, I just and it is important to note still the first 250 are not charged. It's just following that beyond that. Thank you. Sense. Um the other thing it's just more of an interesting point that I when I was reading through the reporting child abuse or or neglect um one of the points was you know if you see a I think it is if you see a child being bullied um then that can that can count as well. So, I just thought that that was really interesting. Um, as a as a thing that as an incident that should be reported. Um, and that was it. Well, thank you. Okay. Awesome. Do you
130have something? Oh, you looked you were reaching for the microphone. That was a good point. I think I'm glad you brought that point up. You want to talk to All right. We don't need to vote on those again, right? Because we did it. No, we didn't vote. We have to vote. Now we have to vote on the memo, I think. So them all. So you made the motion. So Oh yeah, I made the motion. We went through them. Uh so all in favor to accept. Thank you. Excellent. And just a heads up, the spring policy update is coming out soon. So we'll have a new hooray list of policies discuss. Can I just ask really quickly for policy committee? Do you know which pol like what is your procedure for like cuz there's so many
131like could you just educate me a little bit on that? So we get a fall and a spring policy update from schoolboard association and they tell us in addition to um our our attorneys will tell us these are changes in RSAs that require a change in policy. Um so that's a really good place to start. Uh we also sometimes with grants they're asking for certain policies in place and so we have to make sure that we have those and they're updated and they meet that need. If if there was um a time when a policy maybe wasn't clear to a member of the public and we had a good discussion about it, then we'll refer it to the committee to see maybe we need to make some changes and maybe that conversation took place in
132one of our other districts and so we made a change over there and we thought we should probably, you know, update it in our other districts as well. So sometimes the policies are brought to us from a community member to review. So I think you had mentioned that sometimes too just if something happens even if it's not a parent conversation but like if something occurs in another district that it might be easier or help them streamline like a really obvious example is um um the addition of like ecigarettes and vape pens to policies because when they were written that didn't they didn't exist and so we have to sort of change language update them. Yeah. Thank you. Yep. All right. We have anything else? We have um um another motion in front of us. I
133know. Who wants to make that one? Right. Yes. Motion. Okay. Do you get to do the last month? All in favor. Um I I am going to say though at the June board meeting the motion to adjourn uh principal delay has to make that one. Nobody else is allowed. She has to do the ball. Then she has to rush. I know. We're making her work. Final motion. Final heads up. I'm sorry. Um, at the June meeting, Lauren will be the superintendent representative. I will be at the state level superintendent conference. Fun. And the outline that makes sense.