12/10/2025 Fiscal Management Committee and Special Board Meeting

001But they are raising funds. They they raised the funds for that and donated for the high school swim. >> So all we got to do is >> okay it right. >> Yes. I mean the okay comes with the re the reality that we have about 3 to 5 million or 3 to five excuse me thousand. I've been working on millions thousand dollars of >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. Then uh that bridge replacement for 2155. What's the bridge replacement? That's in check 11725 to associated technical services. Sure you can check. >> Yeah, checklist >> 1175 inevitable. >> That happened naturally. >> I wasn't ready to say goodbye. >> They were all buried. Yeah, check in the It says D O Genicker bumper. >> Let's see. Uh monthly reports, credit cards, credit checklist when you're on the

002way. >> Oh, right here it is. Associated Technical Services Boulder Bridge replacement. I can make sure the door is unlocked. >> Period. >> Had to do that before I got into this meeting. >> Public address. >> Oh, it's public address system. >> Yeah. >> Okay. That controls the paging for pretty much the whole >> Oh, that's that's where their PA system went down and then we had to get it fixed. That was the down payment for the equipment and they came in and installed it. So, we're paying the second half of that. >> That answers that, huh? >> Okay. We have one in there for >> heavy mechanical contract. >> No, it's 8362. So I was a lot at like 6:30. So those are good for >> monthly. >> Oh, I see. No, we aren't.

003This is the fiscal. >> Okay. I'm sorry. >> That's okay, Linda. >> He's going to try to come for the first part of the special meeting. >> Oh, I thought for the first meeting and then >> I assume he go wandering when they >> Are you ready to go? Sorry. >> Yes, sir. >> Are we Are we all >> Thank you. >> Are we all ready to go here? >> Okay. We'll open this meeting at the fiscal meeting at 5:30. That's what I have. 5:30. Uh, and the first order of business would be public comment. Have you got any public comment? >> Yep. I'd like to. >> Okay. You got two minutes. Is it relative to the fiscal agenda or is it about the special board meeting for the >> fiscal agenda? >> Okay. >>

004Y >> state your name and your >> Yep. 117 Riverlon Avenue here in Watertown. >> Very good. Thank you. >> Uh at the last fiscal committee meeting, a discussion was held concerning Nucella. Nucella is a large library of non-fiction, current events, texts, and some fiction with differentiation. Texts are available at five different reading levels as well as Spanish. It is a resource for teachers to use to find sources to complement the curriculum. It is not a curriculum by itself. We come together to discuss the merits or value of an educational resource. We all need to do our due diligence to make sure that what we claim is factual is thoroughly researched. An original source of the information we are sharing should be shared out to all who are participating in the discussion. There are many

005claims made about NEL at the last meeting. Well, the original source is being shared with everyone. One statement that was made was that a man named Dave Vanzant was the founder and sole proprietor running Lucella with no additional staff. This statement is inaccurate. Lucella is actually co-founded by Matthew Gross and Dan Krogan Drew in 2013. There is an editorial staff. Dave Vans actually is the founder and primary editor of the media bias fact check and is not affiliated in any way with Newella. We need to trust our educators who have master's degrees in library information science and see firsthand how newella is being used in our schools. Thank you for your consideration. >> Thank you. Would there be anybody else that would like to make a public comment? Nobody. Very good. Our next item on

006the agenda is the RMS uh pool scoreboard and timing system. You got anything on that, Mr. Superintendent? I'll turn it over to Kevin. He's got all the information there. >> Okay. Um, so bringing up a very sizable donation that uh the Watertown athletic team has uh or got that wrong right off the bat. Uh has been working with our pool staff and our swim team coach on lining up. Um I don't know if you've been to the pool lately, but our scoreboard is a digital or not digital, what they call analog LCD like flip timer. And um Watt is proposing to donate a brand new video board to the district. Um there's some supporting documents that were in the ministry of content. I think it's close to about an $80,000 donation when it's all said

007and done. Um that will bring our our scoreboard the the presentation facility is really up to par with some of the nicest swimming uh nitoriums in the state. uh working with Colorado timing system which is the top-notch uh pool timing group um I've had the pleasure to work with them a couple other times in some other projects and they're a top-not top-notch organization to work with. So um two things number one bringing this forward it's a pretty sizable donation and project that will be going on so we want to run it through fiscal and then also to say thank you for such a generous donation to the district digital >> questions go ahead >> so uh first yes thank you to the water town aquatics team for that um it was I read through the

008material and it's really quite amazing what this scoreboard does Um, but there were a number of things that we would be expected to do to be in preparation in preparation for the actual installation of it. We got the manpower and all the expertise that we need to to make sure that's all done and and that is not I'm assuming it's not cost prohibitive in any way. No, I mean there is some cost to us, but I mean we're going to be under like two or three I would say under $5,000 for sure on what we need to input, which I think is definitely not viable with what we're getting in return. Um, and the nice part about this is gez I want to say um we've been working on this for about four or five

009months already that I've been involved in it. So we know uh we're working it or scheduling it during our pool shutdown in spring. uh we've already had our electrician in and uh they shared the plans with us well in advance of this coming forward. So our uh the electrical contractor that we use has already got his eyes on it and knows what to do. We got a lift rental all lined up and then we're going to have some staff available to provide the the unskilled skilled labor to support the uh the Colorado timing team. So >> great. Thank you. I had no doubt but thought we should bring it forward and ask about it. But it's a great opportunity. >> Yeah, it is. Great thing. >> Any other discussion? >> Do I hear a motion?

010>> Um so move that we accept the with great gratitude the the $80,000 um donation for the scoreboard for the for the swimming pool. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, David. Oh, you just second it. All right, we got a motion on the floor. All in favor say I. I. >> I. >> Opposed. Thank you very much. We appreciate that. >> You're very welcome. Thank you. >> It's exciting. >> Okay, that handles that. I think we're all done. >> I think we'll recognize the donation at our board. >> Okay, very good. >> Yeah, that's good. Okay, next thing on the agenda is the summer building projects. Also, I have Kevin lined up for the information. >> Sorry. So, uh we kind of preface this last week when we or last month, sorry, when we brought

011forward our um agreement with P to do design services for some summer projects that we're looking at. um some to help make the uh operation of the high school a little bit more efficient, some also to facilitate or to support grade level reorganization if it's necessary um at the high school. And um so this week or this monthly this meeting, how about that? Um we're bringing forth not necessarily any proposal or anything like that, but just um uh our bringing along our construction manager for this project. We have been engaged with JP Cullen since November of last year that we brought on board as part of our long-term um facility master planning process. We brought them on uh through a competitively bid uh through a a RFP process um to serve as a construction manager

012and administer uh projects through a guaranteed maximum price um delivery method. Now um all of that work was geared towards a capital referendum that might happen if if that's the direction that we went and it hasn't happened that way yet. So, the reason that I want to bring this forward is or why we wanted to bring this back to the board was to say we're we're still hoping to use our agreement that we have with JP Cullen, the price structure that they listed, they're willing to hold on to that fee percentage. Um, even though we're not doing a a a capital a huge capital project, they gave us pricing for projects from the $500 Z to $5 million mark. And then uh we just clarified with them to say, you know, even though it's not

013a referendum project, you know, the language was pretty specific in that proposal, will you still honor it if we're not using a referendum process? They said, of course, we'd be more than happy. So, um, this one or I guess why I'm here is more so informational. We're we're not looking to do a like a a formal contract at this point. The way a general uh guaranteed maximum price contract works is um we go through the construction process or the construction and design development process uh and our our architect partner will create drawings um that we can take to go out to bid and once those drawings are completed um around that bid time we set what the guaranteed maximum price for the project will be. The reason we don't do it now is because um

014the way this works is that it really puts the contractor at risk. They say this is the project we're going to do and we are not going to charge you any more than this amount for the project. If we ask them to do that right now without any drawings or anything like that, they would be very conservative in their pricing to protect them a lot. So, we really don't want to set a guarant that GMP until we're further along in the process. But what we're doing is agreeing to pay them a certain percentage of that GMP price to work as our construction manager and do all the um the management of the construction process. So, I don't think there's any action that really needs to be taken. I mean, it could because um or I

015I honestly don't know. Um but just I want to make sure that we're still on board with using um JP Colin. I don't want it to seem like a bait and switch. So, we said, "Oh, we're going to use them for referendum project and then we use them for a nonreferendum project, but it's also a project that is significant enough that the services of construction manager are needed to facilitate." So, >> so what I would be looking for is to um you know, if if this is a avenue that you would like to go down as a board, um put it on for our um meeting uh in um December uh and then agree uh if that's what you want to do uh to a resolution that says we will use them for this project,

016right? Um the information uh will be in there about the price that they're charging, a percentage of the project, right? um and as much information as we can get from the architects as possible. Um but you guys know that our our max budget that we told the architects was 1 million, right? And and so um you know that that's the number that you can use to look at what percentage uh they would be charging us. Um so you would know that the cost the maximum cost we would lay out. >> We already approved it the uh drawings for 70,000. >> That's correct. Yeah. So, I just want to make sure I'm clear on this, Kevin, that we would be um contracting with with Colin to be our our man to manage this project on our

017behalf. Right. Correct. With the team that they've laid out in the document. >> Yep. And they then they go through the competitive bidding process. They set that guaranteed maximum price and take the risk of that project. And then we the money that we agree to give them, they use that to bring on the contractors and pay for general conditions and bonding and all that kind of stuff to facilitate the we still get to see the bids. We like we're it's not like we just say, "Okay, now it's yours. Make it happen." We're still very involved in the bidding and the um specification and the selection process. >> This committee would um see all the bids on bid day, right? Whether they do that here or at their offices, they would go through and say, "Here's

018all all the people who put in for tiling. Here's all the electrical. Here's all right." And then they would say, "Here's what we recommend based on the bid." But if you had an objection to what they recommended, you could pick somebody else. Right. So that's still how that works. >> So what do you need from us right now? If you're if you're happy to go down this route, just all we need is a recommendation for this to go to resolution for the full board >> to to >> go ahead, David. >> I recommend that. >> You recommend that? >> Yeah, >> I'm good with that. >> Well, so am I. >> Then we'll put it on for uh the 15th uh and um can have full board discussion and then uh if you want to

019do that, then pass the resolution and move. >> Very good. Thanks, SS. All right, what do we got next? What do we got next here? The newella. >> Okay, next is this new Zella. And I do believe we have Jason Bull online. >> Yes, we do. and uh he's uh was asked to um work with our our library media specialist team uh to look at uh other possibilities or possible uh competitor vendors uh that do similar activities for Newella and uh report back to the board. Um and Jason will go through um what was asked again uh and what they they provided. >> Is Jason online? >> Yep. Go ahead, Jason. >> Uh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Work. Um, I just have a few items before I, uh, turn it over for discussion.

020Uh, I always want to start with gratitude. So, I want to thank the committee for their continued commitment to learning. Um, your leadership. >> I'm sorry. >> Can you hear me? I'm sorry. >> No, it's sometimes our Google meet has been finicky with the owl microphone settings and stuff >> and so everyone's >> I can hear you online. >> There we go. >> Got it. >> We can hear you. >> Good. Okay, >> I'll just start I'll just start over. So, uh I always want to start with gratitude. So, I want to thank the members of the committee for their uh continued commitment to learning. Uh I just want you to know your leadership matters. Um since we met in November, Jamie Kubertants and Jackie Leoo and I work to put together the chart that

021is now in board docs. Uh unfortunately Jamie and Jackie cannot join us this evening, but I I want you to know the work that that's in front of you is a reflection of their efforts and collaboration. I want to highlight a few items on the chart just to make sure we're all on the same page. I will never read things to you, but if you're looking at the chart on page one and bold is the direction that uh we agreed as we left the the conversation in November and we're looking for one or more comparable resources to Newella that are values neutral as measured by multiple bias checking platforms and individual resource research of the resource and that was the driving work the from November to now. I think while we were in November, one

022board member mentioned that it's really hard to find things uh to some level that everything is biased. And so right below that direction is a blurb that the team found on the UW Green Bay Library website and really kind of aligns with that thinking. So I thought it was noteworthy, so we included that. uh below that we have linked the supplemental resources that we discussed in in October and then November just as a reference for for the group. Uh starting on page two, what you'll see is a chart of uh Newella uh common lit and then read works. I think it's important to note that uh these platforms are similar but certainly not the same and so the work of the group was really to attempt to highlight the commonalities and the differences of those

023three platforms. Again I will not read things to you but on the left side of the chart you'll see how we organize those pieces. As you can see, differentiation, where the content comes from, you'll see things like um cost and other considerations. And then we end with individual research. Again, just us getting us comfortable with the chart there. Uh the chart concludes there with individual research. And I just wanted to point out two things. Uh the first is on page six. Uh again in November there was some conversation about Dave Vanzant and his work with Newella. Just wanted to clarify that through our research and I had a conversation with a New Zealand that Dave Van Sance is not directly connected to Newella and Newella certainly has um more employees than one. Uh so there's

024there's a team of people that work for uh Zella. And then the last piece under that category, I think uh Jamie and Jackie received a question uh an example of the Bill of Rights from Newella. And so we linked two examples there. Nuzella Bill of Rights at Lexile of 1170 and then Nuzella uh Bill of Rights at alexile of 470 just for your reference. and then a transcription from the National Archives as a as a comparative piece. So with that, I turn it over to uh for discussion. Just hoping that the team can provide further direction uh tonight so we can move forward accordingly. Jula. >> So, first of all, um Jason and uh to the two media specialists at RMS and WHS, but truly thank you for putting this together, for doing the research

025on it to find a couple of comparables uh so that we could look at those and for all the work that went into this. I think I think it shows um purposefulness and um a true intent for us to be well prepared to talk about this tonight. I I am going to tell you that I still maintain serious questions about and I don't know if it's news ELA or Newsella, but we'll go with Newsella since that seems to be the popular one here. Um, I am not the one who made the assertion about Dave Vanzant, but I am the one that brought up the Bill of Rights. And so I looked at this again tonight um today um to see again the two these and for everybody that's looking at this from our school board

026when they talk about Lexile 1170 and Lexile 570, they're talking about a a basic reading level. All right. The complexity, the word choices, sentence structure, all of that is going into them. So, I looked at both of those and um they actually proved my point incredibly well. I'm reading from the one that is, you know, it's either it's either the first one or the second one. This is more egregious in my mind. So, so the bias in Newsella does not come in on the so much at the source of the article. The bias comes in when the team at Newella um works to make the article at a different reading level. They're re they're interpreting it and putting it into words and a structure that would be appropriate for a fifth grader or a 10th

027grader or a third grader. Okay. So that this is where this comes in and that's what I'm reading to you here on amendment one. Amendment one of the US Constitution, I'll just remind everybody, has both a free exercise clause and a um an establishment clause when it comes to religion. And this is their interpretation. Congress shall make no law setting up one national or state religion. Here's the egregious part. Or stopping anyone from being a part of a religion. That is not free exercise. Free exercise does not require that you are a part of a religion or that you join a religion. The other version that's linked to here actually uses the freedom to join a religion. That is not free exercise as intended by the founders in the first amendment. That is a bias

028and and that to me is a significant bias. So I also a lot of reference was made to media bias checker. So, I did what they suggested, which was to put Newella media bias in and um see what came up. And so, I'm look reading here from this on on the Newella media bias report. It says the sources are least biased. the sources, the New York Times, the Smithsonian and DAP and all of that. But when you get down to, and there's a segment here called analysis/bias, I'm I'm reading and quoting from media bias. Back check. In review, Newsella typically rewrites news stories from other sources with minimal bias presented. They boast over a 100 uh part content partners such as New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press. They also utilize pro-science sources such as

029uh Scientific American, Smithsonian, Atlas, Obscure, and reviewing their content partners all aligned with least biased left center or left. That's in the That's in the media bias fact check. We could not find an instance of a right-leaning source by our criteria. Now, admittedly, they have least biased, but they've also very clearly said it's left center or left. So, it's not in the sources, it's in the rewriting of them of the articles to make them on different reading levels. That's what I was trying to say in November that that's where the issue is. Now, there is admittedly no comparison on many levels amongst these three options. Okay. Um, Newella is much more robust in the number of articles it uses, in the reach that it has, in the number of, as far as I can tell,

030in the number of I think it does five different reading levels on each one of the um articles that it deals with. the money can come out of the um the one of the common common funds and whereas the the one in the middle which is um where's my where is it the one that's called second one a common lit according to u the folks that put this together that is a curriculum item so therefore it would have to come out of a curriculum budget so it wouldn't qualify for that The third one doesn't go into high school, which I think is and I think they're right when it only goes I think it goes K8. We're leaving out a huge segment of our population that can't access something like this or anything of value.

031But I'm I'm uncomfortable with this when the sources that they've been recommended to me to go check continue to show me that there's a bias there that um the first amendment one um to somebody like me that's that's rather staggering. I don't want any of our young people to walk away to think that the first amendment deals with joining a religion or being quote part of a religion. The free exercise of religion means I can be associated or not associated but if I have strong religious beliefs my religious beliefs I mean we just this is what mammud is in part about. Mimmud is about respecting the religious beliefs of people who are in our schools and we don't go to them and say are you part of a religion or have you joined a religion

032to be able to have your religious freedom. So, um I I don't know how much this can my comments contribute to the final decision here, but I did want to make sure that I shared that so that we knew how what's out there. >> Thank you, David. Any comments? >> Just uh along similar lines, I did some research on this as well, came up with a lot of the same things. My issue is with what she read at the end and the fact that if you and I look a lot at a lot of different outlets, not one for going out there looking conspiracy theories. I'm looking at the different national outlets and their outlets stop at a certain place and it's kind of one-sided toward that left or middle or whatever is. There are

033things that you get on some newscast or some information like that that's not given over here and you're saying well that's that happens. Yeah, that happens. It's amazing what is not said on some of the major outlets. It's what they don't report on that becomes the issue. And uh then you find out what's out what else is out there. It puts a different light on everything. It really does. Hope you understand what I'm saying >> completely. That's that's my my understanding. I think it's a great thing to use, but it is it is not balanced. >> Go ahead, Julen. >> I do have a question. One of the things that popped up, I'm sorry, I got mind boggled. It's 48 JP Cullen 48 page JP Colin. Um um there was a link in there. Uh

034let me see if it's in the chart. They had a link that indicated Oh, yes it is. It's on page five at the bottom under um other considerations, content control for administration. The glimmer of hope I have and I don't I don't have access to what that administrative control would look like, Jared. Okay. So obviously I don't know but it might be that there is enough room under under the control that administration has that they can set up some parameters for some safeguards and I because I don't have complete access I couldn't really tell. I saw the description um and and and just to make sure I do have a master's degree in administration and supervision and have spent a lot of my time in curriculum and in these kinds of things. So I do

035look at this with an educator's eye and also an administrative eye >> to try to you know >> right the I I would say one of the strongest pieces if you if you click on that link um is the bottom bullet under content restrictions does customize uh advisory messaging to communicate district expectations for for specific content right um and and and that is uh where you know we have the most control over our messaging with alignment to that content. Um the other things that we can do is we can you know set grade level restrictions of content you know so younger kids can't you know do middle-aged kids kind of content and that kind of stuff. Um but then um aligning through that admin tool uh like if I'm the teacher I can say well

036we're studying this right here's the only articles that you can look at through New Hella that complement what we're doing in in in school. Um, so that way, uh, the student just doesn't go everywhere, right? They they have a curated list that the teacher brought from, uh, news ELA to them, um, that they have reviewed, right? And so our assumption is is that they know the content, they review it, and they say this is good or not good, right? Um, and uh, that's where um, like I said, there are some controls in what our staff can do. So what you're telling me is that the feature is uh policing this content. >> What I'm saying is they have the tools to be able to do that. Right. Okay. If that also means um we need

037to do more special development and discussion around what that is and then also make sure that we're weaving in our other policies to remind them of our other policies and how this tool is being observed, right, and utilized. Um, that's that's also another discussion point that we could use those tools for. >> Lori Hopkins has been >> Lori. >> Hey, thank you for thank you for uh noticing my hand. Um, I'm I have to I have to say I am the person who said Dave Vanzant was the founder of Newella and I got my references transposed when I was looking at media bias versus trans Wii versus uh Newella and I apologize for that. Um I I still have um some uh serious concerns around Newella considering the um the the misinterpretation and rewriting of

038the Bill of Rights. uh and I just wanted to uh to make sure that people knew that I was the person who made the mistake and um you know not anyone else on the committee. Uh, also I keep hearing this we should trust the experts thing, right? Stay in your lane, school board. Back off. Let the experts handle it, right? Well, there's a reason that the school board has been appointed. There's a reason there are nine people on the school board because we have a wide variety of people with expertise that we can look at something, make suggestions, offer offer um resources. Um so this this you know trust the experts thing is really um not helpful in that a a robust discussion will will get you a better product >> and um that's that's

039all I have to say about that. >> Thank you. Go ahead Julene. >> Well I want to reiterate as as an educator I see the value in something like this. I see the flexibility that it gives and teachers. I see why they they like it and why especially when we're trying to increase literacy and you know put things on kids reading levels and encourage the reading and and give them this opportunity through the media centers to access this and I get that and and part of me just hates to say I just I'm just not comfortable with it. Because I love putting more tools in the hands of our teachers, but I would have to have that assurance, Jared, that we have that we have given our teachers um all the help they need to

040put in appropriate controls and to use this wisely. I also submitted another example and and I did give sources um firsthand sources of what uh concerns I had. I sent them to Jamie because she had specifically requested them. So I said I'm nerd. Um and and one I it was a rewrite and I just put I said from the beginning to the end this thing is just completely biased and that didn't show up here and it's because it was just so completely biased and um that's the kind of thing I just young people even they aren't equipped to go through and recognize the bias at depending on the age level and things like um I don't know how these lifestyles um translate, but Jared maybe you could help me. If it's at 570, what what

041grade level is that? >> Uh you know, it's it's going to be in your uh early reader like elementary stages. >> Okay, so there's a perfect example. They're reading there about the Bill of Rights and they're very the first thing, oh that's what it means. No, that's not what it means. And that's an example. So, so, um, I could I could vote to spend the $25,000 of the common school funds. I knew that if we had that assurance that from the administration would come the direction that it it needs to be you know Julian I this is this is my my discussion point for just um education in general right um as as we're moving towards a path of recognizing more and more even in our own lives where where media are coming from and

042doing things like factchecking, you know, which whichever tool you use, political whatever, you know, whatever, right? Um we're learning more and more uh as as you know, citizens of our country and citizens of our world, right? Um consumption and consumption matters, right? and and to learn those things. That's why cases like Mammud are coming forward, right? And and I I do have to say that has that has been something that has I've been watching in development for at least a decade. Um probably more like two decades of materials, just regular educational materials, uh having slant one way or another, right? and making sure that we're trying to talk to teachers about m making sure you have all of the angles of a topic uh is something that we continue to work on, right? Um and

043and that's why cases that are coming before us in the Supreme Court and decisions that are being made, right, are are giving schools and parents the tools to try to make sure that we keep pushing that to um the middle as best we can. And I don't mean middle as in political middle. I mean like understanding like if you're in the middle of a circle, you can see all around, right? But if you're on the outside of that circle, you can only see the corona that's before you. You don't get to see the other side of the circle, right? And so um we're doing that, right? Um and shining a light on this as a potential source um that does lean one direction over another. we can make sure that our staff are aware of

044that and that they take that into consideration and that they're watching what our students are consuming and they're curating what they're consuming in a way that we can pull it back the other direction. So, I mean that's the only solace I can give which is that's not just a water town thing. That's a evolving nature of us as humans thing right now. So what you're telling me the whole thing comes down to trust. Not no not trust. I I think it comes down to we're trusting our teachers. >> Well, if if that's you know I if if that's the way you have to to with that, right? I mean we we do that every day with our our students. I mean absolutely >> I understand that. Go ahead. I just have some questions about what

045the physical libraries look like in the buildings just because like there's been quite a bit of studies and research coming out that all the electronic learning are is not good for children. So I see within the next 5 to seven years a lot of schools are going to be moving away from digital technology and going back to books. So, would it be wiser to spend that $25,000 on physical books for the library? So, the children get a feel for having books in their hand and paging through things instead of the teacher finding the content, the child gets to employees. >> Yeah, I I would I would agree with you. Um especially when it comes to like books, novels, those kinds of things, right? Um, when it comes to news content, that shift to back to

046print, whether it's through magazines or newspapers, is going to be a lot slower than our response to be able to get there. Right? There's not enough resource and not enough uh dollars for us to have uh this much uh material curated for people um and and organized in a way um that is uh easy for teachers to uh go through read vet make curation if they want to and all that. our teachers don't have time to flip through uh magazines if they were available to make sure all that content was uh created um in the way we right in the breath and width of our our curriculum. So, I I do agree with you that there's going to be a shift more back to print, but I think in in this genre of news media,

047news outlet stuff, um uh a and that kind of content, it's going to take a lot longer, and I don't know if it's ever going to come back uh- because of the the the the 24-hour news cycle of things, right? Less than 24hour news cycle of things nowadays. So, >> well, the the goal is noble. The goal is Noble to have young people at all ages begin reading pieces of current events and stories, you know, feature stories and um news articles and all of that and being able to, you know, understand the content, deal with the thoughts. >> And we talked about those and we even approved some of those imprints that we we we talked about uh through through some of our last couple of months fillings, you know, we talked about those here

048at Fisk, the magazines that are coming into our elementary. >> Yeah. And and I I do think Tammy, unfortunately, I think Jared's right that I don't know that we're going to ever go back to where we see much of a newspaper or a magazine that, you know, a resurgence of those in in any other anything other than an online version. They're just >> Yes, I would agree with you, but is the is the program being utilized? so heavily that it's worth a $25,000 expense for the district. >> Well, and see, that's a good point because when they gave us the information about usage over the last few years, it wasn't staggeringly high. It it wasn't like, you know, there was just a mad rush and everybody, you know, from every grade was well represented and

049and they were doing I mean, here's what I will tell you. This is you're you're not doing anything that hasn't been an age-old question. You know, I I I told you guys I've been in administration for over 20 years, right? And and before that, I was a teacher. And I know when we were talking about things like uh you know, Time for Kids, which is a Time print magazine, right? Ranger Rick. Boy, we had some discussion about Ranger Rick and its political leadings, right? Uh and I mean, I'm serious. I'm not joking around. Th this has been an age-old question, right? And what we've always done is we've we've leaned into our educators knowing and understanding what our community expects of them and trying to curate that kind of an education for their children. And

050I I guess I don't know how to say it other than what you said, which is trust. We we we've got to trust that whatever material we allow them to to use with our students that they're going to do that because it's going to show up in every piece of material. We just have to make sure that when they're teaching the lesson, they're showing them to recognize that and understand that and and understand that there's another side to the story. >> And that's all I can share. >> At this point, we need to make a decision. Hope I don't have any qualms. >> Hang on. Lori's raising her hand before you make a decision. You might want to >> Lori, go ahead. >> Hi. Um, I don't think this is so much about trusting teachers

051as it is about uh providing them with a with a resource that's reliable. I mean, just just at first glance, Julene found that they had basically rewritten the Bill of Rights to mean something else. And she spent just, you know, a short time on this. What else is wrong with this? And you're putting this onus on teachers to now vet all of this stuff. Um, I I I don't think you're doing them any favors. Well, what what I am saying is that they are trained to vet these things. They're content specialists, right? And and that that's what I was saying, right? Um and and you're right. We we don't want to go blindly into every single material, >> right? Um but they are trained to vet material and to align lessons and to um seek

052the middle. And a matter of fact, our policies tell them they have to, right? And so that's all I want to put on the table. No matter what you give them, there will be slant one way or another. They're trained and they understand to bet that out. And they're also trained to make sure that students and parents understand where it is and bring alternative resources in. >> That was my other thought is that okay, this isn't a perfect thing, but it does have great utility to it, but can we add to it other things that bring it to a balance? and they they'll know where to go or where to find those things. You're saying it's possible, right? >> I'm I'm saying that's that's what we ask every teacher to do every day. >> Well,

053I'll be honest with you. I don't mind a teacher >> using this content. But here's the problem. If they do use it, I want them to give them what the left thinks and exactly what the right thinks. So then we're getting into teaching them politics. And I'm not really for that either. Well, >> I mean, we we can uh go downstairs and grab an old World Book Encyclopedia and see just how we think lean one way or another. >> Look, nothing's going to be without bias. We're looking for least bias. >> I know, right? That's >> I'm not looking for something that's far right. I'm looking for far left. I'm looking for something that is but but I I need it to be accurate. And when I see glaring examples like I see in this

054first amendment example that is within the right within New Zeal it it makes me say all right well that's just one. What else is up there? I certainly am not equipped in any way, shape or form timewise or any way else to go in and and explore 18,000 >> articles, you know. Um, so I would I would say that I would I would love to know or have I guess I don't need to know, but I if if the administrative controls allow for, let me rephrase that. If the administrative controls help bring us to the center, but the controls they put on, that would be very helpful. >> That would be more of a discussion for Jason. Um, he's had more uh time, efforts, and energy in the tool. Um I I just know um

055the the literature that you see here uh and um some inputs with it. So Jason, do you have any um thing to add to that conversation? >> Yes, thank you. Uh, I'm confident to say that the controls have not been utilized in the past. And if that's something that um we have interest in, then I would work directly with Jackie and directly with Jamie and directly with our new Zella rep to uh really dig deep and provide some professional learning for our professionals utilizing it to ensure that it's matching our expectations. So that would be I believe new learning for most and then I would be the facilitator to make sure that learning occurred to uh meet the targets that we we we established. >> I'm counting on you, Jason. >> I'm sorry. >> We're

056counting on you. Yeah, I appreciate the the the the trust that you put in me every day and I would uh work hard to achieve the marker that the board has set. >> Is that satisfactory? Go ahead. Um given the nature of the discussion so far, would it would it be of interest to the committee to seek out what that actually looks like in practice with with um with the administration so that those guard rails are assuredly there moving forward. >> Definitely. Well, so the one question I had at the meeting in November was we got an extension on the subscription and if I remember correctly, I think the G told us that the extension ended on November 30th and so I don't know what that means as far as if we start new subscriptions,

057if there's different pricing, if they have to go through a different, you know, a whole bunch of rigma roll to get because I agree with you, Craig. I would like to see what kinds of options are there that would increase I think all of our um comfort level with this. >> I can speak to the extension. Um, since I should have mentioned this earlier, so I apologize, but since November, I met with the representative and asked for one more extension and um, so we're extended through the end of December. I I don't know if they're going to do it again if we were in that position, which which we haven't had that discussion, but uh, so that's where we're at now. >> Thank you, Dan. you got anything to add >> since you're on the

058curriculum committee and >> uh not the curriculum committee, but uh No, I don't. >> Okay. >> I mean, it's it you it does boil down to trusting the teacher to do what they're hired to do. Um but when they close the door, you know, we don't know. >> And that's Jason. >> Yeah. Well, some good teachers uh will demonstrate bias in news articles and so forth and they'll look at it both ways. So, we're hoping that's what they're doing. I don't know any other way around it, Carl. >> Yeah. So, >> and then yeah, it's a good point because I've observed in places where they have actually done that, they've asked the the students, do you see bias in this? >> Well, that's what we want from right. >> Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's part

059of what we don't know is how newsella is being used. How much teacher involvement is in is being used when the assignment is is being given when the assignment is made. I don't know. I don't have any clue. Maybe they just say, "Okay, here's the thing. Write up a report." You know, uh which I can see happening. >> Well, and the teacher reads that report though, right? Well, yes, but the teacher may not be reading I I don't know. I I just don't know. So, I'm gonna defend there. >> Oh, yeah. Great. So on once the once the board votes on it, it's more approved, you know, and and that means that whatever stuff that might be factually incorrect or misinformation within Newsella is board approved moving forward. Are you comfortable with that? So, I

060mean, if if you're not, maybe newella is not for the district then at that point. I don't know. Those are just things to consider. >> Yeah. >> You don't have a lot of wants. >> Well, we can we can leave it up to the board, too, can't we? Sure. Can >> well, we'll have some further discussion on this matter, won't we? >> Or not. But yeah. So, well, I given the time frame on the extension, is it possible for us to get the information we need about the administrative controls in a way that would I'm not interested in another meeting after the 15th. Um, well, >> however, if we needed one, I I'd make it because that's what we've done is we push everything so we can be done and get everybody off to a

061good Christmas vacation, right? Um, I'm all for it. So, I just don't I'm trying to respect the the limit and the extension, but also get the information we need. I can say I do really appreciate the the healthy conversation, right, and the productive struggle that we're talking about about this because it could be any material, but what we're really getting at is how can we continue to look at ways to make sure that like like many of you said in your comments running for the board and everything else, you know, trying to get back to a place where we look at each and every um issue that we teach or aspect that we teach and say are we training our students to be you know really productive knowledgeable consumers of that information whether it's from

062the political right or left or an ideological uh uh one way or another or or just um you know thoughtful discussion that understands that we're all different people and we have a lot of different views, right? Um that continues to be loud and clear from this board, right? And I will tell you that continues to be a loud and clear message from the administration to the teaching staff. And so I do really that's one thing I value in this discussion. I really do value that. Well, if we vote to proceed, putting our trust in our superintendent, we're putting our trust in our teachers. >> Well, with the caveat that can we can we get in in a reasonable amount of time enough information about the administrative controls? >> I think Jason would be more than

063willing to do that. Jason, >> what are your thoughts on that? You know your timeline and you know your projects. Yeah, I can I can definitely reach out to um our New Zealand and ask for more details and up to and including what professional development would look like. And uh he's been very responsive. So I think I could have some literature at least um prepared for Monday or ready for Monday. >> Thank you, Jason. >> Yeah, >> appreciate that. Could I just say >> go ahead >> just so that people understand we are not the only school district in the United States that is wrestling with New Zealand. There are school districts already said no to it. There are school districts that have holding wholeheartedly embraced it. There are school districts I'm sure that are

064having very similar discussions right now. So it's not we are not an outlier here. We're just >> not right. >> Right. And like I said this isn't necessarily even about New Zella. It's an age-old discussion. with the $25,000 price tag. I realize it's not budgeted money. I I get that. But I'm disagreeing with you guys' thought processes to go through and and thoroughly. I'm sure I'm not I'm not saying that at all. But I am saying like I I love that we keep coming back to our core and our roots of uh what we're what we've been talking about, what's important to us as community, right? And so there's nothing wrong with that having that discussion thoroughly and continually. >> Just to be clear, Carl, so you understand where I am on this. >> I

065don't believe the other two options are viable. Okay. As a as a for how at least from what I could see here and what I saw when I dug into them a little bit, one doesn't go to high school, one isn't covered by the common school funds. Okay. Um, >> can I say thank you to that because I I don't see value in those either. >> I don't either. >> Like whoa. >> From a from an educational standpoint, they just they don't have what and what we what we would need for the district. >> But I got a big question mark still over new law. And so what Jason can give us by Monday I would find very >> I have one question. >> Go ahead, Linda. >> Jason, this is for you. Do you

066know any other districts in Wisconsin that are currently using it for at least two years? >> I I do not. I I'm guessing I I could pose that question to our newella rep and they could pull that data if they're willing to share and if that that helps the board make a decision, I I could certainly ask. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> I just want to echo Dr. Burke's sentiments. I I I truly appreciate the conversations and I think part of part of my role is to provide the board any information that they need to make great decisions. So that's how I see my my role here. So I I I truly appreciate the conversation. >> And so just for clarification here, I will work with our news rep on two on two

067fronts. one is just more literature around the specifics of the the admin control uh and uh some possible professional learning and then I'll also inquire as to Wisconsin school districts that have uh partnered with New Zella for uh multiple years and I'll bring that forward as uh my goal would be by Monday >> on quick search Linda says that boy racing and Plymouth for sure useella. It's very popular amongst >> Okay, Dad. Go ahead. >> Thank you. >> Um, teachers are aware of what's going on in the news. I mean, there's so many sources that they can tap into and as far as making it applicable to their edge level, that's what they do best. So if if they are tackling a specific, you know, item, I think they're the authorities there more so than

068these people at Misella. So I mean, if if if they have time in their class day to fit in some news, you know, they're going to fit it in the best way they can. So >> well don't forget if you go look at the numbers of the students that used it over the last two years it's not it's not a huge number not a huge number of people in general. >> Are you ready to put it up for a vote? >> Well may I ask what we're actually >> well we're gonna to move it to the board. Go ahead. Great. One one last comment. this this was a fiscal discussion and um I'm I'm kind of uh kind of curious um why if if there's this uh perspective that's ever that's been shared so far,

069you know, we have $25,000 to spend in our our media centers. Is this the best use of that $25,000 in the media center? >> That was a question we brought up at the last board meeting at the last fiscal meeting. >> Right. Okay. I I just don't know if that has been answered because it >> Yeah. I I mean I I think um the the librarians spoke to the needs, right? They they talked about their library plan and how this fits into that library plan and the goals of that library plan. Uh and I think they answered that pretty pretty solidly, but um we can always have have another review of that, but I think they was asked and answered, right? >> Go ahead, Lori. >> Hi. Um I would like to see um more

070about the library plans and how you know what plans we have to bring quality books to our libraries. >> Uh this is sort of off topic but um just a request for information >> because it seems like this is a lot of money to burn >> on something that's not well utilized. So, it sounds like a very good uh discussion point for a future agenda item for Pistol to talk about common school funds again uh and uh what what their uses are and how the library plan fits into those common school funds. >> Yes, thank you. Just real quickly, Jared, it's I think I recall hearing the number of somewhere north of $200,000 a year that we get from the common. >> Yes, Jason, do you have the exact number? If you don't, I I'd

071have to look it up. >> I don't uh It's It's between 260 and then depending if there's any carryover between like 260 and 300, I believe. I don't have the exact number. >> That's correct, Jason. We're pretty close to 300,000, I believe. >> Thank you, Stacy. >> Thank you. >> Well, I suggest we just take this to the board and that we approve it here and take it to the board and we'll discuss it a little further at the board. >> So, Carl, made it a little clearer. You you recommend sending it to the board for a discussion and a vote. >> Yes. >> Not approving it here. Okay. >> Right. >> Okay. Just needs to be >> kind of like tableing it. >> Yeah. We're we're >> shoving it off one more letter. >>

072Oh, yeah. Since Since we've had all this discussion here, let everybody on the board throw in their two cents. I think that's only fair. >> And by then, we'll have the information from Jason. >> Do we all approve that? >> More information. Yes, >> yes, >> it's a yes for you, >> David. >> Yes, >> Julane. >> Yes. >> Very good. I'm a yes, too. So, it's four zip. >> Sand. >> Sam, go ahead. >> Yeah, thanks guys. I was able to pop in for a moment and I just wanted to ask for clarification on what you're proposing there. Are you proposing bringing it to the full board meeting on the 15th for a strategic discussion? >> Sorry. >> Does that answer your question, Sam? >> I did not hear the answer. I'm sorry. >>

073The answer is yes. >> Well, then that does answer my question. Thank you, Carl. And uh whoever answered it, I'm sorry I didn't hear you. Thank you. >> Does that take care of that part of the uh agenda? It it does. >> Very good. >> So, um we're going to have uh Stacy be able to share her screen. So, Lynn, if you could help um assist her in that. Um she just wants to go over uh the clear gov we went through. um did the activities we needed to do with Sarah Kelly's help before she left and and uh Stacy's help uh to input all the budget measures and everything in that. And uh she's going to show you at first look kind of some of the that our um our public will be seeing.

074We're looking to go live in Januaryish uh with all this data on our website. So Stacy, when you're ready, we'll turn it over to you. I I believe I've shared my screen. Can everyone see it? >> Yeah. >> Okay. And everybody knows what clear gov is, right? I can't remember if anybody is new since Sherah Sarah shared this back in September. Everybody's aware what this is all about, >> I believe. So, yes. >> Okay. And so what we did is we sent to them our last five years of financial data. So back to 202021 through the most recent year 2024 25. So they now have five years of our data, financial data. Um they also pull a bunch of other stuff from DPI sources um like student information, employee information, test scores. Obviously that's not

075something I would send them. Um so we we have things populated out here. I'm just not sure what we want to happen next. Um, what I was thinking might be a good idea is I could email the link to the board members and you guys could spend some time looking at it. Um, I don't know. I don't >> um >> I don't maybe some of you maybe some of you are already familiar, you know, by poking around other districts. I don't know. But basically, I mean, you could spend hours, you know, looking through here. We can um customize, we can um include certain um pieces of the puzzle. We can parse out certain things. One thing that came to mind was we might want to consider removing all the COVID money that we received and

076spent because it does skew some of our year-to-year comparisons. Um, and that's one of the things we could do. I mean, it's it's I mean, I could literally spend an hour poking around here showing you stuff, but I think it's probably best if you just spend some time with it on your own, >> especially because we are getting >> I have a like a specific question. We might be able to like say, can we find that in there? >> What's that? Well, just looking at what you what you've shown us as you scroll there, Stacy, it looks really good. >> I I would love to have the link just to to learn more and then maybe be able to ask a question. Um, yeah, it looks great. >> I mean, literally, it's it's like taking,

077you know, all of our audits, putting them in one place in a tool that allows our community to sift through them. >> I think it's great. look at our expenditures, look at our revenues, uh see how much we spent on uh administration. No, I'm just picking out something, right? Uh you know, uh those kinds of things. But, um it's all right there. They don't have to try to dig in, you know, dig around in the DPI, try to get reports there or or ask us for records or whatever. It's just right there, right? and uh open transparent information uh by building uh or uh you know by function uh you know whatever it is um they can they can really look through >> love it's a really robust dashboard >> correct >> um yeah I

078I love this dashboard I think it's I think it's going to be a very useful tool for the public um I was just kind of curious does uh do members of the public happen to have um a way in which to seek out comparative data from other districts on this or do they have to go to each individual district to some of it? >> There is a spot in here where we can um name who our peer group is. And I thought I saw somewhere along the line that Clear Gov had kind of come up with their own idea of who our peers were. Um, and to be honest, I haven't poked around a whole ton in here. Um, because I'm really not a picture person. I'm more about spreadsheets and numbers. Um, there is

079ah I saw it earlier today. I'm just not remembering exactly where it was. But yeah, you can definitely um whatever districts you wanted to compare to, they would have to send their financial data as well. And I don't know how many districts around us are participating, but you could certainly when it comes to students, employees, test scores, I know you could you could compare to other districts because that all comes from DPI. >> I think we use the comparative analysis worksheets from DPI. DPI has a tool too that you can do that with, but it's so a little clunky. >> Okay. >> Um, but you know, I can certainly if you were to say, "Hey, Jared, here's our pure districts, you know, Beaver Dam, Fort Atinson, or whatever." Right? I'm just picking, you know, uh,

080ones that are our size in our region and, you know, similar sports and activities, right? We we could we could uh find some of that information. I don't know if we can if those are in here, but we could certainly uh talk to clear gov because I do believe they have the information through that uh comparative uh data from the DPI. Well, and and the reason for that is a lot of times people uh without context they jump to some particular conclusion that oh this particular area of our district is is you know really heavy compared to another school district and uh I would love to be able to show actually you know what >> it's not not necessarily the case. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, so, uh, that's what tonight's designed for, like asking those

081types of questions for Stacy and I then to dig deeper in, uh, and and to to ask of of Clear Gov and say, "Hey, uh, you know, our board said, "Hey, can we can we look at visuals like this, right?" And what I'd like you to do is to to play around with it between, you know, we'll make it the link available to you. Play around with it between now and um, January. And in January, we'll have another robust conversation about it and uh what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like us to to hone in on with our visuals. Uh and then um you know, complete that work and hopefully have it ready by the end of the end of January sometime to have available for everybody. Like to try to get

082it out there sooner than later, but I also want to make sure that what we're putting out is what you're what you're aiming to to have. Um and and and that you're knowledgeable about it because once we put it out there, people are gonna start asking questions for you. >> Yeah, >> I know. >> Or sorry, go ahead. >> I was just going to say one thing that we didn't talk about. There is the ability to turn on commentary. Um, my thought is we would probably not want to do that, but if we decided to turn on the commentary, it would go through um a process before it would actually be visible to other people >> and I don't know exactly >> I don't know exact but >> at this point in time uh the

083commentary tool probably is not something we want to engage in. Um, and that's because it's one of those things where if you're like on our Facebook page, if you're going to allow comments, right, you you allow comments, right? Um, and I want to make sure that when it's around our fiscal matters, right, we're in control of the content that's out there so that people can see it. Um, having other people maybe put misinformation or their understanding at least of the information. I'm not saying anybody's going to be nefarious. I'm just saying like they may inadvertently put the wrong information out or or think about it in a wrong context. I'd rather people uh if they have questions instead of putting it in the commentary, give us a call, engage us in that conversation, have have

084a good fruitful discussion. >> I agree. So, um, are I don't think that Berggo happens to have a a spot where we can kind of, uh, clarify some of the savings that we've had in certain areas of our, um, of our district based on decision making that has occurred in the last several years. Um, is that something that we would try to accompany this with our own on our own website or um how would we how would we >> go forward to convey that to our public? >> Yeah. Um, I think a good thing would be for us to come up with like some questions like that. >> Sure. and then have Melissa and I and Stacy, right, take a look at how do we get to the information? How can we take a graphical

085picture and then some explanations and and do some information using our Facebook page? I think that would be a good way to do stuff something like that. >> Okay? >> Right. And so that's that's a good alternate use of this that you know not just passive on our website but actually putting it out there and say you know and then drive them back to our website with that with that Facebook post right I think that'd be a really powerful use of that. So >> it's a good idea. >> And another thing to know too we can turn off any of these these sections here if we decided we didn't want to show you know employee data or whatever. We can we can mark any one of these not to be included on the website. Same

086with the time periods. If we only wanted to show three years instead of five, you know, there's we can custom customize it pretty much any way we want. So, as you're looking through it, if you see things that um you know, you're not so sure we want to include, just make notes and we can figure that out. Joy, >> is this a a static or dynamic dashboard? Meaning, if there are going to be changes to it, we have to hand enter them or is that data being constantly fed in there and and being updated like monthto monthth and so it's just it's dynamic? >> Well, yep, that's another thing that we'll have to decide. I was thinking that we would send our financial data after the audit each year simply because things are pretty fluid

087during the year like you know this time of the year I might have something coded to a grant and by the time May rolls around we decide to move it off the grant and put it somewhere else you know whatever it's it's pretty fluid until after the audit. >> So that was my thought but we can send it monthly. We can send it you know as frequently as we want. >> Yeah. And that's when um you when you were talking about static or dynamic I think annually the data set are uh static but how you uh interact with those static data sets in a dynamic way right it's is is different right >> um than just looking at this budget or this u uh audit book and this audit book, right? You're actually going to

088have the audited information in there and you're going to be able to um I don't like to use the word manipulate when we're talking about fiscal data, but um you'll be able to change it around. That sounds bad. You'll be able to look different ways. There you go. Go ahead. Great. One last question about this. Uh since you brought up audited information, uh are we do we then put unaudited a unodudited information in and then throw an asterisk up saying this is not hasn't been audited yet? Um so or are we just omitting all that information data al together? Stacey, what are what are we doing with this year's data set? Do you know what uh you or Sarah um did with this year's data set? >> By this year, you mean 2425 or the

089current year? >> The current year. Is do they have it or is it >> I have not sent them anything from this school year? >> Yeah. So, it would not be unuded. It'd be all audited information. >> So, 2425 is audited already. >> Correct. >> Got it. So, so when we read the numbers up there, 25 that's school year 24 25 >> correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. Well, what makes sense that his school years and overation, >> right? And that's what Stacy was saying. Yeah. Like if we were if we're using like because we could upload it more often monthly or whatever, but if we did and we coded something to a grant now and then later uh through conversations and discussions with the admin realized that they coded it incorrect and we needed to

090code it to some other fund, you know, um that would be dynamic information and I don't know that that would be you I I don't know that we would want to mix dynamic information with static information as Well, I suppose I suppose it would depend on um the feedback we receive once it goes live. >> Yeah. You know, >> and speaking of that, I did ask them today if we would have access >> there might be a lot of questions if you send it periodically throughout the year, especially if Stacy is saying that the funds change throughout the year, like she might have it coded in January as a grant and then things happen throughout the year and it's coded differently. That could confuse the public if you're sending them uh financials that are at

091that still have parts. >> Sure. >> So I tend to agree Sarah that yearly would be best. >> Yeah, I agree with that. >> Is there anything else on this matter? >> I did ask them today if they would be able to provide us with like a click count or any kind of traffic information and the person that I asked wasn't sure and he's going to get back to me. So, I will let you know. >> Yeah. Because I one of the things that I shared with Stacy is, you know, I'd like to see like because I think this is something that's going to be really popular, especially to start with, but I I wonder how often people will want to come back uh and and utilize this tool. Uh and um you know, we

092are spending really good money to have uh finger transparency for people. Um, and I want to make sure that we're we're utilizing that and um that that it is something that our community is going to utilize, right? Um, so that's that's why I thought maybe we could do a quick count on the page or something like that so that we know how often it's being utilized. >> Okay, we'll go to the monthly reports. Has everybody reviewed the six reports? Are there any questions? My questions have been answered by Jared and Kevin and Kevin. >> All right. And we'll go to uh >> or not >> future agenda planning. So Lori wanted to make sure that we added um common school funds um budget and how they're related to the common uh the library plan. Um,

093so that would be a future agenda. >> I just had a quick question about the about the budget. Um, we spent $8,000 on K through3 math. Um, is that for the whole year, >> Jason? >> Yes, thank you. It will get us through uh the end of June. So, we have a um a larger contract with EXL that all sun sets at the end of June. >> Okay. >> And we added that to that contract. >> I thought it was a fabulous deal. I was a little shocked. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> And any other future agenda planning items? Action items? Any action items? So, um I had uh in my listing of the action items that uh uh Jason was going to be working with Newella to uh bring in professional um

094uh PD professional development uh opportunities uh especially related to the admin features. um that um we were going to send you a link to clear gov uh and that you were going to work through uh clear gov uh to uh tell us what you like, what you don't like at um build questions or or other things about how we can use it better. Uh I have that uh Kevin Suko uh was going to uh work with me to forward uh a discussion around uh Cullen working on the summer building projects to the um full board. Uh and um that we were going to recognize the RMS school board donation at our next school board meeting. Okay, those are all I had. Thank you. Very good. Did I go too fast? No, you didn't go. Well,

095let's take them out. I got them. >> You got them all. Okay. I know what you're doing. So, I just wanted to check. All right. We will adjourn at uh 6 and uh I would say just take about a 3 to five minute recess while we reconfigure seats and then call order uh the special board meeting. >> It's you're sitting under the cold. >> Yeah, I know. It's freezing over there. Where am I located? I don't know, Carl. I didn't even >> I don't know, Carl. I'll look and see. >> This is Sam. I think you might be the sit next to Tim. >> Do I get that chair? Well, I hope it's >> I have a bad share right now, Carl. So, you should be staying in town for the evening. >> I got

096paper here. Pretty good there. >> How's it going with you? >> Living the dreaml. >> So that's why we have to have >> you reveal all that information. I did read quite a bit of look through the >> Did you Did you go wherever I need to find? email. >> Okay. >> Well, it was the highest response age demographic, but that doesn't mean that like we got a good >> secretary to not got one of our delivered to her house. >> She was like, "Yeah, we received the water school district survey." She's like, "I didn't take it or anything." >> You didn't get just turned 49. >> Maybe we did, but my husband filled it out. >> It's fine. >> Oh, I feel bad. on the back. Your church go you need to have someone

097go with you. Well, >> they learn more from them. >> I always have at least one of my interaction. by the hospital. >> Three hour surgery. >> I just know when it gets late, people get snackish. >> We're talking about referendum. That's important. Like I know they usually have like a gummy show at the beginning of the year >> and they do language different. >> They do. >> Well, yes, it does. But it is an opportunity to get that demograph. one person on the table. >> Yeah. tried to >> I know what he >> don't >> Yes. either whatever he's been think >> are those your favorites. I'm so hungry. >> I guess. >> All right. was smart enough to get over this assures me folks. We have uh >> Are we ready? >> Yes.

098>> All right. >> I call this uh special board meeting to order. Uh please join me in pledge of allegiance. to the flag of the stands one nation under indivisible with liberty and justice for all you follow please. >> Craig Wharton >> here >> Julene Anthony >> here. David Handyside >> here. Lorie Hoffman >> here. >> Linda Overbr here. Sam Owen. >> Carl Schwarzy >> here. >> Thank you. That brings us to our first opportunity for public actually the only opportunity in this particular circumstance public input. Um, the board of of education will be limiting public comment speakers to three minutes per person. Uh, we ask that district residents are allowed to speak first. The board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and importance of allowing members of the public to express

099themselves on district matters. The period of public comment that is allowed by the board is a privilege that the board extends to receive feedback during a business meeting of the board held in public. The board expects that the public that the public models civility and decorum at all times. This means that people who heckle, clap, or are disruptive to the proceedings of the board will be asked to leave the premises. The board reiterates that this is a business meeting of the board held in public. All participants shall direct the comments to the board, not to staff or other participants. Participants shall address only topics within the legitimate jurisdiction of the board. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. No person may address or question board members individually. The presiding officer may interrupt, warn,

100terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant. Um the board pres the presiding officer may request that any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decor. The board president may also request assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting. Please fill out the uh comment court card and state your name and address for the record. Is there anybody that wishes to comment? >> Our voice lane in Watertown. During the discussion about the survey results, Dr. Burke stated that depending on how deep the cuts would need to be made, he might have to come to the board and ask to change graduation requirements. So, let's examine that. WHS

101currently requires 25 credits for graduation including in our four credits in English, three math, three social studies, three science, one and a half PE, half health, half financial literacy, a half of humanities defined as art, music or world languages, a half of career and tech. Also, they must pass the civics test. Included in that is a half a credit post high school experience in one of the above categories such as AP, dual credit, transcripted or articulated. Now, let's compare that to current state requirements according to DGI. The state the state only specifically requires 15 and a half credits with an additional statement that says a superintendent shall encourage districts to include an additional eight and a half elective credits but not required. If districts follow a recommendation, they have a total of 24, one less

102than what we currently require. What other specific requirements according to the state? Four English, three in math, three science, three social studies, one and a half PE, a half of health, a half of personal finance literacy, and pass the civics test. So, no specific requirements for art, music, world languages, or career in technical education, which means that these classes are the most in danger of being cut. What could that mean? The University of Wisconsin Madison requires two credits of role languages to enter the university. So, if that is not available to our students, they could not enter flagship university in this state of which I'm a graduate. What other post-secary institutions downgrade our students when looking at their applications while comparing them to students in other districts that had a broader education? Would apprenticeship programs

103in the trades who often have more applicants than they can accept also discount our students that they have had no or very limited number of tech ed classes? Would parents increasingly decide to open enroll their students in nearby districts who have a broader range of course options? Would students whose interests and abilities are more closely aligned with art, music, career, and technical ed be more likely to be absent from school as their interests and abilities are not valued by the district. These are the questions this board should be asking and focusing on when making financial decisions. I urge this board to focus on educational goals of the district as a driver of your decisions. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Is there anybody online to comment? One more second time tonight 117 here in Watertown.

104uh Watertown Union Pine School District has educated astronauts, worldrenowned scientists, attorneys, and PhDs. We really need the board of education to come to consensus amongst its members to support our district. It allows our schools to continue to offer the quality education we are accustomed to for this district and continue to deliver highquality citizens to our society. This may take some marketing on board part certainly the unified support and passing any record. Whatever you guys decide you all got to agree that you're going to support 100%. Please water uni schoolers has a great track record on graduating our students. Part of that is as she mentioned in the last comment about diversity of classes that we have there. People can go the techad route. We'll go university route, have the background be able to take those

105classes. You know, improvements are possible in our reading on math skills, but we'll be much more challenged if we don't uh to improve on these skills. We're going to promote larger class sizes with less options for classes for students to reach their potential and provide a challenge to continue learning to balance their lives. I like hearing what Krauss said here last week, that 4.5 million, you know, we're at that 50% mark, 50, a little over 50%. And I really encourage the board to seek that 4.5 million level of funding. This is not a long-term solution, at least provides us wiggle room to get us a couple years down. You know, we're still going to need capital improvement referendum, I think, in the near future anyways. No matter what you guys do, just to keep our

106facilities up and keep them operating and not let them deteriorate. Thank you for conservation. Thank you. Was there anybody online? Anybody else that wish to comment? I want to thank uh the commenters tonight uh for being able to present a very uh civil uh perspective uh for the board's consideration. So we appreciate that. >> Next of business is the referendum discussion. Um there is some administrative content that uh Jared had put together also for consideration. I don't know if it's something you wanted to touch on. Yeah, I do. Um so I just want to explain the tables that I put together for you. Um in general, it just outlines uh three a uh three roads that um are being presented right now after after the survey. Uh we had more roads on this uh when

107we started and we had the the $7 million road uh that a year ago uh more than a year ago um we were looking at uh we had a $6 million road um that didn't get uh you know a lot of traction with our survey. So that's no longer on here. So the three uh three roads that we have left to us right now and they're they're not the only road. >> What directions? I have a great voice. I mean, it's one for radio along with my face radio. So, don't say anything related to Siri. >> I won't because mine might go off. Uh but uh you know I I I do want you to understand like you you don't have to box yourself into the three roads but just know that every road ends

108with where we started which is $7 million. Okay? Because $7 million is what it would have taken for us to continue running the school district with all of our programs, all of our staffing, and all of our buildings and everything that makes us in place. Knowing that 7 million didn't pass, we cut 1.2 million out of the budget, which is why we had a $6 million ask in our survey. Okay. Um, but I want you to know that uh we could have operated at $6 million basically operating at what we are today, right, into the future with a $6 million. What are available to us um now through the through the use of the survey and the information we got back from our community is anything that looks like it's 4.5 and under. And even

1094.5, I want to remind you, was within that margin of error uh that uh that statistical error that our survey had. Right? So that that tells you that that was pushing that upper limit of our community. Okay? So that being said, I I want to talk to you about uh when we have to make some budgetary considerations to operate with less than what we need continue to move forward. what that might look like for each of these rows. And so again, this is a blueprint. You'll see the word draft all over it. And I want to tell you that it really is only a blueprint. I don't even know what the state revenues will bring after next year because there's only a bianial budget. I don't know what the CPI for next year's raises are

110should you want to give next year's raises. So all of this information is going to be fluid and that's what happens when you get into budgetary projections but I do want to walk through this information with you as if we considered it all things static what that would mean for us in today's dollars and what's available are we clear with like the the ground rules by which I set this table up for you okay so if you look at the first uh road or avenue that we would be looking at as a possibility Um that would be either um not going for referendum, making the decision to say we're just not going to go to referendum. We're going to have to tighten our our our belts, right, and make some changes. Uh an unsuccessful referendum

111or an unsuccessful referendum with a try again because if it's a try again, we know that we're absolutely going to have to do the first year of these budgetary uh considerations. Okay. So, what that looks like in large block items 2627 would be another $2 million um uh budgetary restriction. Um that the actions that would go along with that um should the board pass those actions and and say yes, Jared, you've done some good thinking. Here's the avenues we would go down because you do still have choice. Um we we could trade uh any one of these for another budgetary impact. For instance, we know that about a 2% increase is just over a million dollars uh for salaries, right? You could say we're not going to do that for a year and then I

112would go back and I would uh take some other considerations into this. Right? So, you do still have choice. I'm just giving you recommendations from our administrative team as to some of the avenues we would have to go down. These are not set in stone, but these are things for you to take. Um, a $2 million cut would include the following actions as recommended by our administrative team. Um, the first action we would have to do is to shutter down uh Lincoln and LEAP as educational um assets uh at the start of the school year. That's SOI. Okay, start of school year. Um, number two, our middle school and high school staffing formula utilized uh to gradually increase class sizes. Right. Three, move the middle and high school to the semesterbased schedule with new graduation

113requirements. Okay. Four, reduction in middle and high school non-core offering. And five, in addition, reduce WSD budget by $750,000. How this maths out, so you can do this math on your own when you're looking at these, is you start with the $7 million for that year. You subtract the $1.2 million that we already cut out of the budget. Okay? Then you subtract the $2 million budget cut and the $750,000 budget cut. Okay? In this one, um, you would add in a re, uh, referendum revenue, which would be zero. Okay? And then what is left is what you have to take out of fund balance to balance our budget. Okay? So, if we do that exercise with this one, we start with 7 uh.2 or excuse me, 7 million, right? Uh, we subtract 2 million from

114that. We uh then subtract uh 750,000 from that. Uh then we add in zero, right? And then we subtract from 7 million. We have to take another 2.75 million out of our fund balance to make this happen. Okay. you will see that in 2027 2028 because this is this would be a three-year plan uh before we would go back out to the community for another ask. Um it or allows a three-year plan that allows us to get out there before we end up basically running out of fund balance or getting so close that uh we're we're in really big trouble. Okay. Um would be another $3 million cut in 2728. uh elementary school A would have to be shuttered for the uh start of the year. Grade seven and grade eight would be added to

115grade nine through 12 at the high school uh for the start of that school year. Grades three, four, and five would be added to grade six at the middle school for that start of year. Uh four, uh we would develop uh development of early learning uh buildings at the other elementary B and C that are our left. um those would be great uh early early learning through grade two buildings and in addition reduce the WSD budget by another $750,000. Okay. So, I'll I'll let you do the math to understand uh how much we would have to then take out of fund balance uh to get to uh where we would need to be. Uh and then uh 2829 uh our estimated goal budget reduction would be $1.5 million. We would look to shutter the ESC

116at the start of school year. Uh close full day 4K unless funding formula changes u because right now uh we pay for full day 4k but we only get reimbured for partial day u because that's the law. uh and in addition uh reduce WSD budget by $750,000 and prepare for operational referendum spring spring 2020. Okay. Any discussion points or or thoughts about what our budgetary outlook would be should we not pass a referendum? I will tell you that um also for the 29 uh 30 school year uh if we're out of money uh because we would run out of fund balance probably partway through that year um and we would have to then um look to the DPI to get a uh emergency loan out of the revolving state revolving loan fund uh and um

117then continue to try to go out to our public. Okay. So I think the one thing that our public needs to understand is that um public school is a right through our constitution and it's a taxable entity and we have to tax for it right uh and uh if if our local community can't support a school um we would have to look to consolidate but then whatever new school district came out of the consolidation all entities in that new school district would have to pay for the debts of either school district. uh in that model, right? So, it's not you don't get out of paying taxes to run a school. I just want to make sure that people understand that that that that dynamic. Yes. >> J, can I just ask for an interpretation? Underneath

118the the chart part, you have some um bullet points. You have approximately 3.5 million to 4.5 million from the fund balance. That's over those three years, right? Uh, no. >> You two were looking at >> Yes. Yes. Um, we we were estimating we were doing some estimating as to like how far we would be able to get out, you know, and um that that's what those were some more like I said kind of notes for administration. Um, and again, this is a highly draft document understand, >> but I I do want you to be aware and our community to be aware of like when you're making choices for which what you're going to put out for a resolution, >> understanding that that choice comes with >> alternate um, you know, opportunity costs that we need

119to to think about. >> I'm sorry. Can we just go through that formula one more time? Jared, you said you take 7 million, right? Start with >> start with seven million and then you subtract >> the the 1.2 million that we did for a budget cut this year >> that we did for that. That's not 26 and 27. That's like a different that is this school year. >> Okay. And then you take in that calculation you take another $750,000. Is that the deal? >> Yeah. >> And then that total >> and an estimated $2 million to do the rest of those actions. Okay. We're we're estimating that we'll get that amount of savings to do uh the uh the other actions there. >> The other actions will give us $2 million. >> We think that

120I mean there was like I said, we're estimating that. >> Go ahead, Lori. Hey, in all of these scenarios, you talk about increasing class sizes and one of the questions I repeatedly got um when uh when going out into the community on the survey was how much of an increase, what do the class sizes look like in this? Can you give me an estimate? I >> I can't give you an estimate right now. Um because what we've what we found like we went and we if you divide the total of elementary students up by uh nine sections, eight sections or seven sections, right? That would give you your seat count uh in those grade levels. That's the easy one. coming up with the avenues and the level of detail we need for which exact courses

121how we're going to put a schedule together uh for a combined 712 building. We're not to that level of detail yet. We are planning like on Monday we looked at six different bell schedules for a 712 building, right? And that was uh you know down from about 20 bell schedules that we uh started with. Okay. So we're in those planning processes. Lori, I don't have those finite numbers. But I will tell you by the time we hit the middle of January and we're and we're down to two uh basically uh options, which is the resolution or a non-pass. I can tell you when we're down to a resolution or not pass what those class sizes will will look like for those two options. Is that fair? >> Um it's it's fair but it it's not

122helpful. >> Well, I what I will do is I will try to do my best. >> I can calculate the elementary ones. It will be very difficult to do the middle and high school. The elementary ones would be helpful at very least. >> Calculations are pretty easy. >> Just take the number of projected students and divide by the sections, right? >> Yes. For the elementary, right, that's easy. >> Yeah. But when you start going into different periods of days and number of FTE teachers, right, and courses, all that stuff, when you get into the middle school and high school where there's a lot more travels, I'm going to tell you I have a spreadsheet you can look at and uh you can have a class from anywhere with uh six students in it to 60

123students in it, you know. Um, and so we we just have to um be careful also how we report class size at the high school. It's easier when the kids go to to gym together, to music together, to, you know, and they spend their whole day together. Um, those are easy class sizes to figure. >> Could you speak to core and non-core offerings? What is entail there? >> Yeah. So core offerings are you know reading, math, writing, science, social studies um and um anything that uh speaks towards that graduation requirement. Your non-core offerings are tend to be your elective music, art, foreign language, uh family, consumer ed, and all the other >> Yeah. >> Egg. >> I'm really sorry. Can we walk through your math example with 2627 a clear understanding of how that's calculated?

124>> Yeah, no problem. >> Perfect. Perfect. >> So, start with 7 million. >> Yep. Got it. >> Right. Subtract the approximated $2 million that's on the left. >> Okay. Perfect. Okay. Yeah. >> Also subtract the one line item that says another $750,000. >> Okay. add in any referendum funds that we might get in. In this, >> but in this scenario, it's zero. >> It's zero. >> Okay. >> In the other ones, it'll be 3 million or 4.5 million. >> Okay. Uh then, uh that will give you a number, right? Subtract that number from seven tells you how much more money we would have to have to out of fund balance to aim for for a budget for that year. >> So, what happened to the 2 million that you had just talked about? So >>

125they are budgetary reductions. >> So in this example then Jared I just want to make sure I'm calculating this correctly. >> Yeah. One second. So in 2526 for the fund balance if no referendum was passed we would have to pull 2 mill 2.75 million out of the fund balance to break even as a district. Okay. Okay. >> Yeah. And that um that pretty much jives with where we're at today because you know we're we're talking about $4.5 million out of fund balance, right? Um, we uh are going to do $2.75 million worth of reductions and we're going to use that two uh just over two uh for uh fund balance, right? Things are going to go up in costs. >> Yeah. >> Like salaries will go up in cost. So again, it it jives but

126you just have to have an understanding. These are just the the really big rocks we're talking about. >> Yeah. Like the preliminary numbers, >> right? Okay, you understood. >> Okay. So, um I just gonna want to follow that example then down through um what the big rocks would be with a $3 million uh referendum ask. These are the budgetary um considerations that we would have to make. Uh in 2627 uh we would look at an estimated 1.25 25 million um because our our our expenditure reduction can go down because more revenue is coming in, right? Uh so uh we would still look at sugaring Lincoln and LEAP uh at the start of the school year. Middle school and high school staffing formula will be utilized to gradually increase class sizes, not to the extent that

127we would have to with no referendum. So, um, our class sizes, uh, and our change to our schedule won't be as, uh, prominent, uh, in year one. Uh, in addition, uh, reduce the WSD budget by 350,000. Okay. Uh, 2728, middle and high school staffing formula would be utilized to gradually increase class sizes. Um, you know, looking at, um, more savings, but that means higher seat counts, fewer offerings. move middle and high school to semesterbased schedule uh with new graduation requirements. Um I want you to understand that in a moving to a semesterbased schedule, right? We're talking about what uh what efficiencies we might see. So, for instance, a middle and high school teacher may have to go from, I'm just using easy math examples, teaching four out of six classes to five out of six

128classes, right? Four out of six classes is, you know, one level of efficiency. Five out of six is a little bit more efficient. Now, I I realize using the word efficiency sounds dumb because our teachers are 100% efficient all the time. I mean, I I know they work their tails off, but what I'm talking about is how much we can utilize them in front of students. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. And so I I don't want anybody to think or or move away from this conversation uh that uh we think that teachers are sitting idle. Our teachers don't sit idle. They're excellent. Okay. Um so with that though, um in a budgetary model, having them in front of students more often brings more budgetary efficiency. Yeah, I just I guess I have I have an issue

129with with the with the terminology efficiency in that in that particular respect because it's >> No, you're you're squeezing more out of somebody >> except budgetary efficiency. >> That's a different That's the difference. >> It just makes me feel a little uncomfortable that >> all of these things make me feel uncomfortable. I'm not saying this >> to think of it from a an efficient uh somewhat some human resource perspective from a human uh inefficiency standpoint. I just don't >> Yes, I I I understand. That's why I was really trying hard to choose my words carefully, right? >> Uh and and and our teachers know how I feel about them. They're they're fantastic. And so we'll we'll move on. Um in uh number three uh that reduction in the middle of high school uh in and

130non-core offerings would continue uh and then in addition uh we would reduce WSD budget by 350. Okay. Um and so uh those efficiencies again much fewer and what we're doing is we're we're trying to lessen the dramatic impact on students uh and draw it out a little bit. So we would take another 500,000 uh from there. Um then in 2829 uh elementary school A would be shuttered. Um that's why you see such a a large uh number of reduction. It would be $2.25 million reduction. Grades seven and eight go up to the high school for the start of school year. Grades three, four, and five would go to the middle school along with the sixth grade. Uh we would develop early learn uh early learning buildings with elementary B and elementary C uh at uh

131and those would be grade uh early learning through grade two buildings. Uh in addition, we would reduce the WSD budget by another 350,000 in that year. Uh then uh we would have uh 202930 uh $500,000 uh reduction. Uh that would include middle and high school staffing formula utilized to continue to increase class sizes, middle uh school and high school program offering reductions, and in addition reduce the WSD budget by $350,000, and then uh in the last year of the five-year referendum uh 2030 2031, we would uh have the ESC shuttered uh for the start of school year. In addition, we would reduce WSD budget by uh 350,000 and we would prepare for an operational referendum for that spring of 31. Any questions about that one? Okay. And the last uh road or avenue we have

132um is $4.5 million reference. You can see in this one, there would not uh be um any uh one action that would lead us to a total cut of over $1 million in the action steps. But in addition to the 3.5 million or 3.5, excuse me, 350,000, excuse me, um some of them do just peak over that. Okay. And so um leap uh would be shuttered in 2627 uh for the start of school year. Notice I didn't say leak leap and lincoln. I said leap. Uh middle school and high school staffing formula would be utilized to gradually increase class size. In addition reduce WSD budget by 300,000. Uh in the next one, uh Lincoln shuttered, uh for the start of school year, middle school and high school staffing formula utilized to gradually increase class size.

133In addition, reduce WSD budget by 350,000. 2829. Um the estimated goal budget reduction would be 750,000. Uh that would consist of the middle and high school staffing formula being utilized to gradually increase class size. move middle and high school to semesterbased schedule uh with new graduation requirements. And when I whenever I say that, that's the year that those freshmen will start down that path. Okay? We we won't we don't talk to people who are already at the high school and say, "Uh, you were planning for one thing and now we're going to change it." We we just have to have a place where we start and we build it in. Okay. Um and then three, a reduction in middle and high school non-core offerings. Uh and then four, in addition, reduce WSD budget by $350,000.

1342930. Uh notice we say consider uh shuttering the ESC for start of school year. In addition, reduce WSD budget by $350,000. And then 2030 uh 2031 um again that that goal budget reduction is is to be uh determined. Um and uh we would be looking at considering adding uh the grade seven and grade 8 uh to the 912. Consider uh grade three, four or five be added to the six middle school. And consider shuttering of elementary A uh and having B and C be early learning through grade two buildings. Those are just considerations we'd have to make, but we would still have to prepare for an operational referendum spring 2031. >> Yes, sir. So, if I'm reading this correctly, so 2026 2027, there's an $850,000 reduction along with another $350 reduction, right? Yeah. So the

135800 the $850,000 reduction comes by shuttering leave and then making the changes to the high school staffing. >> Oh okay. >> Okay. And then we would have to take another 350. So this number over here on the left >> y >> that is the target that we think we can get at those actions >> not including the the line item for the additional budget reduction. So on the left column I'm if I'm looking at it I'm every year we're cutting $850,000 even with the $4 and a half million. >> That's correct. >> Remember I said we need 7 million. >> Yeah. >> Um we do get some efficiencies by cutting uh out buildings. Right. Right. >> Um and uh you know but those have to be figured into um increase costs yearover-year too. >> Right.

136Right. And so you know what you're only seeing the expenditure side. Uh you're you're you're also not seeing the revenue side. So I I'm also not figuring in uh year-over-year on this page like uh uh our enrollment reductions that we're forecasting, >> right? Which would be less revenue, right? So again, granted guys are seeing like I said at the top of the page the big big rocks, right? But I but it's important and instructive for you to understand the avenues we're going down and what we would have to look at. Um Oh, go ahead. So then Okay. So $450 million referendum, let's say 2026 2027, we're with a goal of reducing another $850,000. that gets us into a uh balanced budget for that fiscal year, >> that year. >> Okay. >> Then we take on

137the next year. >> Next year, >> the next year would have to >> in order for us to meet So, we're not spending down fund balance year overyear then with the $4.5 million referendum with these projected uh budget reductions at this point. Things can change. >> Things can change >> very drastically one way or another. But >> yes, th it this spends down our fund balance. 4.5 million in revenue spends our fund balance very we can get out, you know, probably six, seven years before we really have to ask. That's why I said, you know, I'm prepare for a spring ask. But um like our last ask we were at year seven now since the start of that ask right we were able to >> right >> make but we had to make some cuts

138along the way >> that's all I'm saying is with a 4.5 million >> and making cuts along the way >> we could get out hopefully a good six or seven years Julie >> I just want to clarify because I heard the explanation that you gave Greg but I'm not sure I understood it completely. I'm looking at the 4 and a.5 million referendum. >> Jared, I just use the example one or the first year 26 27 total budget reduction of 850. >> Item three says in addition reduce W USD budget by 350K. Do items one and two then give us 500,000? >> Is that what we're thinking? That that's 500,000 in reduction. >> Add it to the 350 to get to the 850 that's on the left. Is that what we're >> Yes, pretty much. Yes.

139Yep. It's about a half a million dollars. That's correct. >> So, it's not >> No, no, wait. No, excuse me. No, no, I misheard you. One and two would be approximately $850 of reduction. >> Oh, and then the additional >> and then an additional 350. >> So then it'd be over a million dollars we're looking at. >> Correct. >> Yes. And then 805 is because you're shuttering something. >> So if you wanted to look at like how that hits our fund balance, right? And we'll use this example of the 26 27 year, right? And 4.5 million of revenue coming in. Okay. So, we start with our formula again. Start with 7 million, right? And and I I I got my calculator right here. So, start with 7 million, subtract the 1.2 million off of it,

140right? It gives you 5.8. then subtract uh the 850,000 and uh the 350,000, right? So that's uh 1.15, right? Wait, did I have it right? So >> I have a little Excel sheet I can email to you if you want. Jared, >> did you do it? Did you put them all in? >> I did. >> Okay, then >> see if my see if my math gets correct. Right. Uh so that equals 4.65. add 4.5 million, right? We actually put um and oh, and then subtract seven, right? >> Subtract seven. >> Uh we we actually can uh build our fund balance a little bit in that discussion. We actually build >> well because we be 8.1 5 million minus 7. We put a million in. That's a good thing. >> Okay. >> And so what's happening,

141>> Lori? >> Okay. Lori. >> Okay. >> Go ahead, Lori. >> I'm comparing three the 3 million versus the 4.5 million referendum options. And in both of them, it looks like you're closing Leap, Lincoln, and School A. There's, you know, as far as keeping schools open, am I correct in in in uh reading this that there's no difference? >> timing gets to be uh a difference. Uh and um in the 4.5 million, we don't close that um that third elementary or what we're calling elementary A. >> It's share that with everyone. consider shuttering it. But that's that's assuming that um enrollment continues to decline over that period of time, >> right? U and that's that's again that's why I said these are the big rocks all things being equal, right? Um and our our enrollment

142doesn't drop terribly. uh the amount of money that we get from the state is at least equivalent if not better. We're hoping for better because prices increase, right? Um all of those things will still have to go in. And so, like I said, these are just really conceptual numbers. I don't want you or anybody in the public to hold anybody to these numbers. They're just conceptual uh uh ideas of what it would take for us to uh continue to remain solvent. Um in the first scenario of no referendum for three years, we're going to be out of money. Okay. for the other two, getting us out to that fiveyear mark and then talking about what our next ask might have to be. And in in order to keep buildings, we would have to have that

143$6 million a year. We we just have to um or we're going to go five years straight without uh raises uh and uh we would have to really think about how we could uh navigate other budgetary expenses, >> right? we we would we would have >> uh paying paying people nothing more having them do a lot more work because we'd have fewer of them. >> That's that's why we have to we would have to do that and I'm glad that we're in a place where we do that is one excess that we do have. We have space, right? We have space that we don't absolutely need. Uh and so that makes an easy budgetary reduction. And I know that that to me uh saying that just sounds absurd because I'm talking about somebody's school in

144their backyard, right? And some a place that has a culture, a place that uh has has developed a wonderful environment for families, right? Like that's not easy. But it sure is easier than going years of not having staff have increases and uh having them teach more more hours in a day uh and more students at that and with less help. >> Well, the reality of this is that um we have to be able to continue to attract talent. >> We have to we have to stay competitive in the market. So um if we if you go even a year probably without some kind of an increase I think the pool starts looking and going I'm just not sure I want to teach there and we may lose out on very very qualified people. >> But

145we also have I think a retention issue. Um, you may get those teachers that you hired in prior to all this that have only taught a couple years in the district and say, "Not not keep it in my my wagon. Hitch to the star." The it's a falling star, you know, and we may lose people that we already have cultivated. So, um, this and and I'm just going to remind people, I I was on the board when we closed Conquered and it was gut-wrenching, but it was the only thing that made sense. And I took an opportunity the other day I was out there entered by that and they have made that into a lovely community center in a little town hall and the building looks like it's well cared for and it's still I

146think the heart of the community and and I'm not saying that that is the answer to every situation that we have here. But um nobody goes into this we're happy about thinking about closing this. It's hard. This is very very hard. Anybody else? Go ahead. >> All right. You got 3 million 4.5. I think that's pretty much where we're at here. >> What's What's the mill rate on three? I heard it was 55 bucks a 100, right? >> That's correct. >> Right. >> What's it on 4.5? I believe >> 96. Yes. How come? Okay. All right. All right. All right. I'm just wondering how much it's going to cost me. Well, >> I think we all have to think about that, Carlo. When it comes to the voting and so do the taxpayers have to

147think about that >> and that's very important to them. >> What the hell can they afford? >> Exactly. Absolutely. >> They told us >> they're they're telling us that there's a survey. >> I I don't know. I did read any comment that said to that effect as much as you'd like to keep buildings open and I think Watertown has been successful in not think of the word consolidating more than other districts. They're way beyond that. Uh but it's going to come a time and this is the time and I can tell from reading the comments and what I hear from the outside if we don't close schools people are not going to be very most people are going to be unhappy with us and there will be some obviously that aren't. But that comment has

148come back many many times. Why haven't you done this before? And um so and I I agree what Julene said. I think we're going to lose good people >> if that looks like we're going downhill and not doing anything we should be doing to keep the people in the district. Uh talk about that a lot. I was in the classroom today of a very talented teacher and been with the district 15 I think maybe 18 years and um somebody I would hate to lose. And from what I can see I just stated publicly I'm ready to go. So I'm done with my part of the discussion here. >> Go ahead Lori. >> I'm sorry. >> If so we are we are obviously considering three 3 million versus the 4.5 million. And I'm trying to see

149what value you get over the 4.5 million because the the you know Jar's chart is great. It has a lot of detail, but it doesn't tell you in a positive way what you save at 4.5 million if you take the risk of, you know, of putting 4.5 million on the referendum. And I I'd really liked somebody to articulate what's the benefit of the 4.5 million because our our survey is split pretty much down the middle where we're not really sure we can do the 4.5 million, but I want to see what what the benefits are that we can be lay out to the public of this 4.5 million. And I don't see this clearly articulated and I'm hoping someone will help me out with that. >> So I come back and clearer articulation for you.

150Um when when you're looking at um the words on the paper, right, where it says middle and high school staffing formula used to gradually increase class sizes, right? It says that for all three of the options, but in option uh the the first option of of no referendum, we're going to have to severely change that formula and and not to the benefit of students, to the detriment of programming, um the to a higher uh class size or class count within each course, right? uh and uh looking at how we would uh change uh that throughout the programming gets more severe the less revenue we have gets a lot more flexible when we have 4.5 million versus 3 million. The other thing I want you to consider is um when you're looking at uh 2029 30

1512030 right those are talking about considering doing some budgetary uh restrictions not have to do those budgetary restrictions. Okay. Uh and so uh there's a lot there I think that uh when you when you look at it and you you digest what those words mean in the different levels of funding that are big deals for our students. >> There's in other words you're just kicking a can down the road. >> I do have a question about the numbers and I know they're projections Jared. Okay. But so when you look at the the $3 million referendum, and this is just going through 2029, that's all I did on my spreadsheet, okay? We're pulling the fund balance about 8.1 million to stay kosher. But if if we go to the 4.5 million, and please tell me if

152my calculations are wrong, we're actually earning 450,000. So I like we don't even need to go in the fund balance except for last year. >> Okay. So I I would say that in the last couple years we probably will because I want to remind you that I am saying this is ASIS without building in year-over-year increases for healthc care train. >> Right. But you're not building in the income the district brings in either. I don't know that we'll get more income. >> Well, you would get >> there are some years that the state pro with us. >> You get income from lunches or other avenues that the district may >> No, because the lunch program uh brings income in, but it goes right back to that. And again, remember that's a separate entity that that's

153in and out for itself. It doesn't help with operating costs. >> The and and also the state revenue model is also based on a a three-year rolling average when it comes to enrollments. I guess I am trying to because 4.5 isn't like the ask the district would prefer right like seven million is what we need year >> over six because we cut 1.2 right >> but in all these other charts you are heavily going into the fund balance and then 4.5 million you you're actually starting >> to rebuild fund balance if if possible. >> Yeah. But the community is saying how they don't want to cut any programs and we're only doing a we're doing a termed referendum. So you've already stated that we're going to have to go back to referendum because we're not

154going to be doing a forever referendum, right? Like it's unless some state funding changes. >> That's why I made the recommendation I did last year, right? Uh I don't I don't foresee the um how schools are funded changing and I don't see a huge population shift one that recovers from the uh negative enrollment pattern that we're in due to uh birth rate. Okay, it'll come back. We saw that in our demographic study, but it's not going to come back to the level that it went down. Uh and uh what that means for our state and and honestly our country is as our baby boomers retire and we have fewer taxable citizens growing up, we're going to have less revenue, right? So I don't see how this fixes itself. And Carl, I know it's kicking the

155can down the road, but unless someh changes within things we don't have control over, right, happen, yes, that's the model we're in, right? And there will be some self-correcting once the baby boomer generation goes through and we get some stabilization with um that that piece, right? Uh because when you have a large population that moves through any nation um they see these kinds of things happen, >> right? Uh because it's a it's an anomaly and we knew that was coming. I mean look look at the questions we have around social security and other things. >> Same discussion around kicking that can down the road as well. >> Okay. So, I heard um a lot of um concern from members of the public in in the recent past year talk about uh a major concern that

156uh if we went with a $3 million referendum, we would be forced to close more schools than potentially uh the future can sustain. If if growth happens in our community kind of takes that off the table a little bit and then all of a sudden if we if we are poised for growth, uh we we've got a bunch of buildings that we've closed and now now what? Um bringing a building back online becomes more of a challenge. Um, I think the $4.5 million referendum gives us the best chance to retain as many buildings as we can on in a responsible way. Uh, it's not perfect, but it still allows for the community to continue to grow. on a $3 million referendum of my field that that might be perceived a little bit more negative in

157a more negative light within the community when somebody is considering um to uh Watertown as a as a residence to raise a family. They want to see our community support public education here in in Watertown. I think that a $4.5 million referendum is um it it's going to be work. Yes, I agree. But I think that a $4.5 million referendum can pass here in Watertown. I do also believe that our community has uh supported public education and similar referendums in the past. This is considerably less than what we've asked last year per referendum and it doesn't have a reoccurring part of u component to it. So I really think I really think that those are all things that people are going to look at and say, "Hey, listen. We've listened to you. We really care

158about what's going on and we want to re we want to limit the amount of reductions as much as possible and and I think four and a half that >> I I I want to share one more thing that um is a big difference between the four and a half and three and a half around the fund balance right we've been we've been taking out of fund balance and and fund balance It it is not some obscure thing. It's our savings account. >> Right. We've been taking out of that quite heavily the last couple of years and um 3 million will take out of it he more heavily. Right. And you can't just keep taking out of it. For one thing, you'll run out of a savings account. You won't be able to do things

159that you might need to do that might come up. But the other thing is when your reserves go away and Carl can tell you this, our bond rating >> changes, >> our ability to borrow cash >> changes and we will be paying much more of a uh a um you know interest rate >> uh to borrow that same amount. It's not a good fiscal decision to keep taking that fund balance down and not finding a way to try to replenish it at time. Right. And so that's a big difference for us to talk to our community about about the difference between a 3 million and a 4.5 million ask. >> Cool. I think was >> Carl or let's just go down the road. We all three had their hands up. It's bad enough closing uh

160Lincoln and Lee over at Lebanon because I I'm afraid that if you close Lebanon, you're going to kill the community a little bit. And I don't like that idea. Number one, and number two, if we can keep school A open, I think that's a plus because of what is in plan for this community. if it is completed. >> Okay. So, I would say this is my concern with the $4.5 million referendum. Um, yes, staff and parents were in in support of a higher referendum on the survey, but our largest demographic in Watertown is the aging population. And based on the comments that I've read from that survey, they are extremely concerned about being able to afford that tax increase because a lot of them are in fixed income and everything around them is going up,

161>> right? >> And I don't want to not consider the fact that our largest demographic is largely saying they cannot afford a tax increase. Like even the $3 million would be a stretch for them because how tight their fixed incomes are. good news around that, right? Jefferson County's tax rate, city's tax rate, and ours are going down substantially this year. Just wanted to put that out there. >> A little offset. >> You know, I I don't want to do this every three years. And if we do the three million, we're going to be right back here asking just to break even. Um th this April will be different than last April. If you remember what the economy was like, there were a lot of question marks. Every month has been better. Recently talking to contractors,

162they're buying new trucks. They are they have more contracts. There's it's hard finding contractors in some cases because they are so busy. uh Black Friday sales, record sales. I mean, the arrows pointing up and I think by the time we get to April, people will be more comfortable and they would accept a 4.5. So, I I do think that um would you know that you know Tammy's concerns are not lost on me in the sense that uh >> Lori has her hand up your door. Yeah, that um that there there are a lot of people in this community that are frugal spenders and uh are also on fixed incomes and uh whenever taxes go up that's that's definitely something uh that affects them in a in a major way. Um, I think that in everything

163we see, we see like try try taking your car into the auto shop and getting away with a repair bill less than 500 bucks. Doesn't >> doesn't happen. >> Yes, it does. >> That's not cool there. >> It does. >> I I'm just Yeah, I do. >> But you're in it. >> Yeah, I do. But none nonetheless it, you know, there's what I'm trying to say is there's there's so many different things in this world that um recently have gone up and that that really affects everything, but it also affects the school district. Um well, the worst thing is national debt. That's the worst thing. I'll let you want to talk about economics. Let's talk about economics once. >> Let's talk about the uh what's happening in this country. We've seen what's happened and we

164got a president now that's trying to turn it around. Although I don't like the way he shoots his mouth off of he's trying to turn it around and it's going to end up in the courts. That's where it's going to get at the Supreme Court's going to make the decisions in reference to which way we're going to go. It's as simple as that. And let the rule of law stand. That's where I stand on that. I think I think the lar larger issue that I was trying to make was um that there's there's there's a number of different expenses that we're all all sorts of pressures that we all faced with and um we have a school district that is faced with those same pressures and we have to try to mitigate as much of

165a loss as we can and I think that that is the responsible action. the responsible action is to support the $4.5 million referendum. Um, and and I would be remiss to say that we have we we do have a crack at this. We do have a crack in November on referendum as well. I don't I don't think that it's the worst thing in the world to leave it in the uh in the voting public's hands on this to say, "Hey, we're going to ask you for 4.5 million dollar referendum this April. We hope it we hope it passes. We need it to pass. Yeah, if it doesn't, we do we do have an opportunity to come back in November, but um I think it makes the most sense because you can't go back up. You

166can't go back up from three and a half $3 million referendum to 4 and a.5 million. Just doesn't make sense. It just doesn't. You know, you you ask for what you need and and this is this is a a very strong compromise. We've already we're making all sorts of concessions here that that that we can't we can't sustain like making these kind of cuts year and year with a $3 million referendum much less a boring hand. I we have to do something different. >> Lori, did you have comment? >> I I did. Um, I I think that people need to see value in the 4.5 versus the 3 million. Uh, and I would be comfortable with voting for 4.5 if we had an actual plan to keep school A open at 5 years. If enrollment

167declines, that's one thing. But I think we need a plan to keep that third school open because otherwise you you don't have a lot of value in the 4.5 versus the 3 million >> Amazon budget. >> Oh, they'll just go to other stores. >> I I didn't want to say it. >> I want to remind you the the classroom budgets. I could cut all classroom budgets down to zero. It's not gonna make a dent. >> No. >> That mean $300,000. Yeah. 25,000 bucks a month times 12 is what? >> That's a start. >> I think the pennies the dollars come. >> Carl, I I understand that, right? But but what what I what I'm talking about >> I understand where you're coming from, >> right? We're talking about, and I keep saying that, we're talking

168about the big things that have to happen. >> There are a whole bunch of little things, and you guys know, it was work, but we cut $1.2 million out of the budget. You know, I'm fiscally minded, and you know, I'm fiscally conservative, right? We >> I understand. >> We're trying to do what we can do to make sure that we have really, you know, good programming. We're the the cuts that we're making. We're trying to use a scalpel, not a bludgeon, right? We're we're doing what we can, right? And um I don't know what else to say in that. I do know that we're in a funding formula that doesn't work and and ever since we decoupled it from CPI, it's given us nothing but ill. And it's not just schools, it's our municipalities, our

169cities, and our counties, right? Same Did you have anything else to to add, Lori? >> Um, it sounds like there's he's uh is is there a willingness to look at a plan to keep that that third school open unless enrollment drops, which if an enrollment drops, then obviously you have to look at that. But aside from enrollment, >> is is it possible to make a plan to keep that third school open at 4.5 million? >> Yeah. So Lori, the reason that um in the 4.5 million uh the the um 202930 23 20 303 31 has the words consider is I'm just not confident in what money might come from the state or our enrollment hitting a pattern that I can predict. this the only reason those words consider are in there because if either one

170of those uh reduces revenue dramatically, we need to have a plan for the future. I'm not anticipating that. I'm hoping that our enrollment uh starts to, you know, get more on to what the demographers said, right, and more predictable. Um, and I hope that our our state uh uh starts looking to uh put more money in the coffers of schools, right? Um, but another thing that I haven't even talked about is the is the impact of the voucher, right? We know that this year 27% of our mill rate is going to the voucher program. If that continues to ramp up, uh, you know, that that is going to affect the mill rate and and, um, people are going to go to the ballot boxes thinking that the public schools getting all this money, right? And

171they don't realize, they certainly don't realize that it's going to schools, which means all schools, right? Our private schools and our public schools. Um, and I just worry about that when they see that think it's just the public school. It's not right. And and you guys know I I don't disparage the private schools at all. I I they are our partners and I and I love uh that we have choice for for kids. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that that's a factor in um what our public sees when they go to the ballot box, right? And and I like I would love to have some transparency around that number so that people know and when when we ask they don't assume that we're getting all this money that we're not. >> So I

172realize that you're dealing with variables. Um, you know, I I just I just recently saw uh an initiative to decouple the the funding from the public schools and the uh and and the the choice program. Uh which I mean that would be wonderful for the district because then we wouldn't have to deal with the voucher problem. But um you know you have a lot of variables to deal with. But all things remaining equal, >> would we still be able to keep that third school open at 4.5 million? >> Our plan is to try to do that, right? Our where it says consider, I'm really hoping that I can say we we don't need to think about those things, >> right? That that that is our plan. That's why we put and the only reason I

173put consider there is there's too many variables, right? But our plan is to not have to do that in that $4.5 million ask. >> So all things remaining equal, our plan is not to close that third school in the $4.5 million ask. >> At this point, then yes, that's true. >> Well, not only that, if you do the three million, it looks like it's a sure thing in year three. whereas it's a possibility in year five. >> That's correct. >> On the 4.5 million. So, you're building in some time for things to change. >> Correct. >> So, um we still >> I'm Yeah, I hear you. But um >> I just want to say I think I like a number of people voted no in April and have really come to appreciate all the information

174that's been put forth to everyone here um plus the community survey. Reading those separate comments really convinces me that there is a number of people that really are looking to us to get behind in a unified way to be able to have the same messaging to support um a 4.5 this coming April that we are all on the same page all encouraging voters in that same direction. That's what I got out of a lot of the comments, but I feel there's much more clarity this time around. >> Thank you. Any other closing comments? Let's vote it. All right, I have a motion to vote on. Who wants to make a motion? >> I so move. >> Which one? Which one are you moving on? >> Oh, the 4.5. >> I second that. >> So, >>

175okay. So, moves to um move forward with a $4.5 million referendum for the April the April uh ballot. Lori seconds that motion. Any further discussion on the on the motion? >> Well, I have a question about the finality of it. If we take the vote now, do we readress it on Monday? >> Okay. So, what you're what you're voting on now >> is no is to direct me to get the resolution drafted and brought to you. Okay. Monday >> and then on Monday you'll have a final vote to pass that resolution. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Any other questions or discussion? Roll call vote, please. >> Craig Wartman, >> yes. >> Julain, >> yes. >> Cammy Horner, >> no. >> David Handyside, >> yes. >> Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Linda Oberunner, >> yes. Carl

176Schwaresy, >> yes. >> Dan Bolner, >> yes. And the motion carries. >> Okay. I will um get on the phone in the morning uh with Corals and Ready and Bear to make sure that we have the >> Okay. And uh we will we will continue our process and um because if I if I run into a hiccup, I'll tell Craig right away about what that looks like for Monday. uh and or um if we have to schedule another special meeting as soon as possible to um finalize that. But I I'm fairly certain that Corals and Brady will be able to turn it around. >> All right. >> Yes. >> Do I hear a motion to adjourn? >> Second or did somebody second? >> I think it was moved by Dan and seconded by Julene. All

177those in favor of the hospital in Is it on a chimp?