001Motion to call the meeting to order. >> Motion second. >> Kathy Tom. Uh meeting is called to order. We are No, we need a vote. Sorry, I always forgot that. A vote. Okay, we are now in session. Ask everyone to please rise for the pledge. Okay, thank you everyone for attending. It's uh almost the beginning of the school year. A couple of days left. I hope we get to enjoy them. I'm going to turn over correspondence quickly for to Kelly. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, we received a thank you note from Summer O'Brien addressed to the Coach Mack Memorial Scholarship Committee thanking um the committee for the scholarship. So, that was a wonderful um thank you note full of a lot of information that we will send around for everyone to read. Um, we also
002received a letter regarding the district-wide safety plan which we have plans to discuss later. And then we received a letter from a parent regarding uh specific transportation. And that's it. um we decided um that we are going to try through correspondence to let people know what were asked. Um as long as they are received in a timely manner, we will continue to do so. So, we appreciate the emails and questions in advance. All right, Dr. Ferris, turning over to the superintendent of schools. >> All right. Uh good afternoon everyone and welcome back. I hope you're uh having a wonderful summer and we're really excited for the upcoming school year. Um we're looking forward to a great year. Everyone here in Sville has been working hard to get ready for school and I want to take
003a moment to thank our entire central office team, our buildings and grounds team, the special ed department, and our principles and summer clerical staff. Uh, everyone's been working really hard to make sure that students are uh ready to go when we get to school. The buildings look amazing and uh and we'll be completely ready uh come the opening day on September 5th. Um, so I just want to kind of say that there is an update related to the pilot. Um, as many of you know, uh, the Bristol is a, uh, building in the town that paid a payment in lie of taxes and we were notified in late February that they would no longer be doing that. So, we negotiated with the town and we were very happy with the negotiations to be restored those
004payments and I just wanted to turn it over to Mr. Bartell's who has to explain just how that works and how they make the payment and then how that affects the tax base and everything else. >> Okay. Thank you. So with this revised Bristol payment um agreement which we settled in June um it does make the schools whole for the 2425 school year in terms of uh how much money we were going to get in pilot payments. Uh however for 2526 we are not going to be expecting any pilot payments uh due to the fact that um in the in the process of making us whole they deferred a credit to um to the Bristol which they're going to get in 2526. So we had budgeted uh a little over $400,000 for um pilot payments
005for 2526. We are not going to be getting those. So, uh, that change required the district to revise its tax cap calculation to adjust for the pilot revenue reduction, which in turn increased our tax levy cap so that the budget can be balanced for the 2526 school year. And what that means is the tax levy will increase by 2.8% which is higher than the levy increase of 2.2% 2% that was projected during our budget discussions uh for the 25 to 26 budget development process. Uh however, it's still less than the tax levy cap because we're able to change that due to the loss of the pilot revenue. So, um that's going to be the tax levy that's on the agenda for tonight is the 2.8% increase. >> Any questions about that from the board? Yeah.
006So can you put that Robert in like layman's terms? So in you know just so the people that listening at home and and you know you give us in depth we we get from you but not everybody gets it. So so we did not get what we anticipated last year from the Bristol pilot. >> Correct. >> And that put us in a tail spin as far as budgeting. >> Right. Yes. >> We then set got an agreement with the town of Icelip where we were then receiving that money back. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Correct. >> So now that's the part where you're going to lose everybody where our tax cap and the tax rate then both go up. >> Right. >> So when do they give us that money? Why is some deferred? And
007what do we do with it? >> So we got we were made whole for 2425. So we're getting all that revenue so our revenue stream for 2425 uh doesn't lose any of that pilot revenue but >> meaning we're not starting 2526 with a deficit >> correct from from pilot payments. >> Um however in doing so they created a credit that's going to go back in 2526 to the Bristol which is going to negate any pilot revenues that we were going to get in 2526. So instead of having a smaller revenue in 2425 and a smaller revenue in 2526, we got all the money for 2425, but now we're not projecting to get anything for 2526. >> So just as an example, if we were notified of the Bristol changes the year in advance, as you're
008supposed to be, then what would happen is we would not have the pilot in our tax calculation. That $450,000 disappears in revenue for us. but then it goes into the tax base side. So then that increases the tax cap. Um so basically what we're doing is we're adjusting it the way it would have been if they had notified us to begin with. >> Correct. >> All right. >> Robert, can I also ask you a question too? Um so pilot stands for payment in lie of taxes. So and now that's done correct moving forward. So where does that leave us further down the road like 26 27 27 28 like are they just going to be part of the tax roles now? Well, this is part of what we still didn't understand from the town as
009exactly when the Bristol will be back on the tax roles. >> Okay. >> So, there's still, I guess, the possibility that they could continue with a renewed pilot or revised pilot agreement. Uh, but then they would have to provide the district with that new revenue stream what those projections would be so we could include it in in those tax cap calculations. Um, you would think it should be simple where it would just go right back on the tax roles, but according to the town, it's it's not such a simple process and it may take a year or two to go back on the tax roles. So, I'm not sure what's going to happen in in that interimm time period, but uh if they did not continue that, it should go yes back on the tax
010roles and then they would pick up their portion of the taxes through the tax roles. >> Thank you. >> But in the But in the interim of them figuring out when they're going on, so let's say they decide that it takes them a year or two to put them back on the tax role in that year or two, where is where is that money? Like, will they then have to pay that when like when they finally put them back on there, they'll have to pay that, right? It's not like that's a lost year where we're losing revenue and they're not paying anything. >> That's really up to the town. That's not up to us as a school district. That's part of the assessment process for the town. I mean, but I can grieve my taxes,
011but while I'm grieving them, I still have to pay them. >> Right. >> Yeah. >> So, I I >> it's something that we have to be on top of as a district. Right. >> And they might have to give us a a pilot. >> Hopefully, they they would give us a pilot until they're back on the tax rules. >> Okay. >> All right. >> But the best course is not to plan for it because we're hoping to go back on the tax rules, right? >> So, we will not budget until we know 100%. >> Correct. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I want to uh give a shout out to the Bayport Blueoint Boy Scouts who are here. Any Boy Scouts here tonight [Applause] >> and the Savville. Okay. >> Both of them together. Okay. And um
012you know, they're here for one of their projects. I guess they get badges for coming to public meetings. So, we love to have you. And if you have any questions, you please feel free later to come up and ask them. Um okay. Um, as many of you know, the high school and middle school sent out reminders this week regarding our new cell phone policy. The policy is a direct result of the new state education law 2803 mandating that all public schools restrict the use of personal electronic devices during the school day. The rationale behind this move is to have a distraction-free schools whereby students are focused on learning. While we must comply with the new law, we also heard concerns from families related to coordinating with children uh for example with sporting events, schedule changes
013and game cancellations. So after reviewing this with the secondary administration and our director of athletics, I wanted to just make it an announcement that we are going to be using the app for athletics called SportsU. And that app is going to allow coaches to communicate directly with parents and students. The app will be downloaded on student Chromebooks. So, if there's a game change or a scheduling change or some kind of change, they will get an alert. And there's a feature in the app where a child and a parent can instant message each other uh for the purpose of um you know, making arrangements for a pickup after school or something of that nature. And we're hoping that addresses that concern. Um >> excuse me, Mark. >> Yeah, >> I didn't mean to interrupt. Did you
014have more about that? >> I'm just going to finish. Yeah. >> Uh so, all students will have the app loaded on their Chromebooks and they can close the loop regarding after school off-campus. um arrangements. Uh and and the basic gist is um we we don't want to take away from the concept of a distraction-free school zone. You know, we want our kids focused on class. We want our kids focused on school work. We want them to engage in face-to-face conversation with each other. We want them to use the technology they have on the Chromebooks to engage with each other and to do project work and all that kind of stuff. But we don't want to turn the Chromebook into a cell phone and thus circumvent the whole concept of um a distraction-free zone. So, but
015we also want to compromise and hear from our families that, you know, when we're going off-site to other locations or we're going to and games are canceled or moved, there's a need to, you know, communicate. And so, this app would provide for that. >> So, what I wanted to clarify is that even though it's the Sports U app, it will be provided to every student, not just students who play sports. So the sport youu app will be downloaded onto every single uh six sorry 7 through 12 or 6 through 12 Chromebook but it'll be used for the um the sporting teams as of right now. What our administration feels is that again those students have a circumstance where they may be changing things multiple times over and over again but that other students don't need
016to communicate um you know for for um for other events because they're on campus and they have their phones at the end of the day to make those calls. So, the concern was the off-campus uh outofd district events that we were kind of trying to deal with. And again, the the administration felt that we didn't want to um undermine the the uh the spirit of the of the law. >> So, I if I remember correctly, that was not our only concern. It was not just for sporting parents. I know my personal uh example was for sports, but I know there were other parents, certainly other parents in the district that had concerns for other reasons. And I think that all it's my opinion I don't we can discuss it but that all students should have
017access to that not just the sports kids. >> Well it wasn't about sports kids or not for us it was more about kids who have to go off campus and have to make arrangements after school at night. >> Yeah. But just to interrupt um >> my daughter is in uh orchestra. She leaves often. She's in STEM. She leaves often. She's a Brook Haven. She those are not sporting events where she's off campus. And I know other kids have the same situation. >> If the Sports U app is going to be put on every computer, then how is it limited to just sports kids being able to use it to speak to their parent? >> So each in the app, you're set up by your team. So, if you're on a team, like you're on the
018baseball team or the lacrosse team or soccer team, your coach has the ability to email you and your parents on the app uh or not email, but message the people in the app and then the people in the app can message each other to make arrangements for pickups. So, that's the way that the SportsU app is designed. >> I I'm I I propose that we revisit that. I think we need to make a different kind of team. Maybe it be the seventh grade team, the eighth grade team, the ninth grade team, whatever team has to be made to include all kids. I think we need to revisit that. >> Just want to hear what other board members have to say about >> I mean I just we we just hired a brand new tech director,
019right? And and we haven't really heard from him yet as far as like what capabilities these things have and and how far we can go with it. Like Kelly's raising it's it's constantly Kelly, right, who's bringing up all these like a ideas and and b potential solutions and things like that, but we don't even know, right? like if like like none of us can answer her questions really if if if we have that capability. So um >> what are you asking? Go ahead. >> Oh I know I can answer this. >> Yeah like why can't that why can't if they are uploaded on every computer and we are we obviously then have that ability then why like she said why can't aren't we going to team based teaching in the middle school? So why can't
020you create a team based on >> on the academic team? >> You can do anything you want within the app. Also, parent square is in a beta phase of having a messaging system within the app because obviously this is coming up across districts everywhere. >> Um, >> we also we feel strongly that >> the purpose of we're not trying to create an environment where parents can just communicate with their kids all day long. That's not the intent. The intent is to make sure that nobody feels that they can't get to their kid or or um or communicate, you know, where they're going to be at at an event. And when we talked as a team at the high school and the middle school level, uh we we didn't want to create a system where kids
021are just texting their parents all day through the app. So, uh it and we don't want to create an environment where every student is messaging parents, you know, at will throughout the day. The goal would be if you're an athlete and you have an off-site event and it gets cancelled or changed, then you can message your family and say, "Okay, we'll meet you at the X location." It wasn't to open it up to just say, "Hey, message your kids whenever you want during the day." And school was never intended to be a place where kids were doing that kind of communication with their families. They want to be independent, especially in the high school level. They want to be um working, you know, with their teachers and with their their their fellow students. And then
022at the end of the day, they open their phone and they can call and contact and communicate anything they need to about and it's only two o'clock when the end of the day comes. Uh they can communicate freely with their families or a family could call the high school or the middle school say, "I'd like to speak to my child." and um they would get them on the phone for them or or make or send them a note that they have to you know have a doctor's appointment or a thing they have to meet their kid as we have done for decades in schools. Uh but we don't want to we're trying to get away from the environment where kids are constantly distracted by talking to people other than the people in front of them.
023>> Do we have any date because the emails were just shut down this year. So do we have any data from last year to however many years back that we've always been able to email our kids? any data that shows that is harmful. If a if a parent or a child emails their parent to say whatever reason, I don't feel good. I'm going home. You have a doctor appointment. Whatever reason that you can think of, is there data that shows that's harmful? I I just feel like we're completely disregarding the parents that have concerns about this. >> Okay. Um what I've been told and we and we have spoken to the tech director. We have spoken to the tech department. I have spoken to other districts around our cluster and in Suffach County. Uh it's
024not a good practice to open student email to the public or to the outside of >> I know but that's what the Sports U was supposed to alleviate >> and SportsUs does allow for that. So that self-contained system for for those people who are going off campus. Um, >> I I don't I don't I don't see how we can create a system for some parents to be able to contact their kids during the day because they do something specific that's different than other students. I like don't see how we can split that hair. So, um I think that if we're putting the sports UU in and that was to alleviate the fact that I do understand that there's laws and rules about giving student emails or access to students from outside email and and that
025law is very clear. It's kind of a pain in the neck, but it's clear then >> valid. It's it's it's valid that we can't use the email system. So the discussion I thought we had is that we were going to find an alternative and knowing that parent square is going to eventually allow for this sports you I thought was the band-aid between now and then to be able to do that and and the hope is is that is the students don't have their phones in their hands and they aren't able to have their face in their phone all day the the need and the correspondence even with their parents will drop off tremendously. But I I don't know how we can tell parents that they can't have access to their kids when they've had unfettered
026access for the last 13 years since the invention of the iPhone. >> I also think that the issue with the with the phones are that they're not really just texting. Kids are not just texting their parents. They're like surfing the web and doing everything. Now you're you're scaling that down tremendously so that they actually have to hold this Chromebook and go on an app and send a message to only their parent, which is I'm assuming what you're talking about as far as the chat option. So it's not like we're giving them this crazy access that's going to be distracting to them because they're texting their parent all day. You're taking the whole internet away from them with the phones, which I'm fine with that. Again, that's not my concern. My concern is that we cannot
027just allow like you just said only some kids to be able to to contact their parents and and give it a you know a specific thing like if there's an off campus event like we're not monitoring these these communications. We we don't know is is the is Bobby on the basketball team texting his mom that he forgot his shorts or is he texting her that he you know I don't know wants to go to a movie. I I don't know. But we're not like we're not monitoring what they're talking about. So I to say that they're only for sports kids and only to talk about off-campus events is I think that can't happen. We're not doing that. That's not >> I question Kathy. You first. >> Um so this app is it available for parents
028and kids all day or just after a coach puts >> No, it's on there all day. It's it's on it would be on the Chromebook and they could go check it whenever they wanted to check it. It's like a um it's like parent square but it's for sports. >> I think the question to me seems simple like what is the negative >> right? Like what what is the negative of of letting giving everybody access that and and then you take you take whatever the negatives are because obviously there's a negative or we would have we would easily do it. So why don't what what are the negatives of putting it on everyone's Chromebook and giving everyone the same access on a SportsU app? and then we discuss the value or the worth of it because
029if we don't know the negatives so what are >> I think the negative in general is that the more access you give the more people are going to use like the the chat feature to chat for multiple reasons >> negative I'm just spitballing here because as a coach you know we use final forms for all the medical clearance and everything like that and you have your roster and you can email whatever the coach has the responsibility to let the parents and the kids know what's going on if there is a change, right? So, if they sent out that message in Sports You or whatever app you're using, like I think the easiest thing to do would be, "All right, I messaged this to you, there's a comment section, and then that's gone in two or
030three hours, you know, like if you wanted to limit it, like I think that would be the way to do And like to your point, have have one for orchestra, have one for drama club, have one for whatever extracurricular thing that you're doing, you know, like there there has to be a way to the coaches notifying information. You immediately get that information, not even from your child, and then there's like a comment of of we can do that. You know, it's kind of like parent square where you you post something and then parents can comment you back and and you can kind of delineate from there. But your your students and and you can hash it out for rides and stuff like that like you were saying. >> But what about if they don't have
031the ability to make the chat section disappear after two hours or something? Is that what you said? Like uh expire? >> Yeah. I mean if you like you know whatever 24 hours something you know this way it's just not open free rain whatever but it does give us a window of opportunity. And I don't even know if that's that's >> the ability to do that. The chat is a chat feature that lets anyone on the team chat, but it should be for the parent and the child. The issue is our administration and our teachers feel strongly I feel uh that um they don't want kids just constantly communicating with each other and their parents and or other people outside of the school day or during the school day uh when possible. And the purpose of
032the law and the intent of the law was to stop that and then we're creating all these systems to unstop that I guess. Well, to read to you, it's distractionfree school. It's not just phones. So, it requires all K through2 public schools to ban the use of internet enabled personal devices, including smartphones and smartwatches, from the start to the end of a school day. >> Correct. >> So, >> well, I guess that's internet enabled personal devices >> and the chrome but the Chromebooks are the Chromebooks are issued, but they are um they're in a controlled environment. They can search for school-based purposes to do projects and things of that nature. They're not doing social media on it. They're not doing, you know, um open-ended YouTube searches and stuff. >> Did were we able to look
033into um adding the ability for parents to be CCD on emails? >> Yeah, we can't do that unless we open the student emails. So, the the factor is when you open the student emails >> because then they could CC anybody is what you're saying. Like outside of the domain, it >> it's access from the outside to the student that the law protects. So whitelisting a whole bunch of parents gives them access to all of the kids. You know, maybe they will maybe they will not use it, but that's what the law is protected because emails to teachers are still allowed. >> Right. So one of the things they're saying is the best practice is to have just address a contained student email for the internal student email. Got it. But if you're going to email
034a coach outside of the district or a a trainer or a college, you should use your private email. And then if you want to email a teacher and CC your parent, you can use your private email and CC your parent. Um or the they could give their parent access to their email. So the parent could look at their kids email to the teacher. >> Yeah, I remember Tom had said something like that about a shared account. >> A lot of options in that regard. But the the issue is in in in addition if we if we get a computer virus through our email system through a student which are more likely to open up spam emails and or filter fishing emails uh then the insurance companies may not cover us in terms of recouping for
035the damages that u because we wouldn't have had a closed system. So in the middle school and high school, will they receive their be able to take their phones back out at the end so that they can use them during 10th and 11th period? >> Yes, I believe so. Is that correct? Yes. >> Is 10th teacher >> 10th is the extra help and 11th