001meeting to order. Um, I need an authorization for U. Mr. Reagan to participate electronically. >> Motion for Mr. Rean to participate electronically. >> Second. >> Did we miss the roll call 1.01? >> Oops. Roll call. >> Uh, Miss Blackwell >> here. >> Dr. Chase >> here. >> Miss Davis >> here. >> Miss Finger Holds >> here. >> Miss Healey >> here. >> Mr. Mr. Keshi is absent. Miss Randall >> here. >> Mr. Regan >> here. >> Thank you. And Dr. Warner >> here. >> Madam Chair, you have a quorum. >> Thank you. Now I need a motion. We have a motion. And can we go ahead and >> cast cast your ballot? Cast your vote. Okay, this motion passes six to one. Mr. right to paid electronically. >> Uh motion to approve the agenda with
002the uh amendment of uh quick discussion at the end about uh possible dates for VSBA board training. >> Cast your vote. >> Mr. Reagan, do you agree? >> Yes, I agree. All >> this passes unanimously. Okay. Motion to approve the uh schoolboard FY27 local funding request. >> Second. >> Please cast your ballot. >> Wait a minute. >> Oh, now you want to discuss it. But it was so much fun to just say vote. Oh, >> any discussion? Um, I would uh like to say that I am pleased that uh the board was able to put additional funds towards salary and I'm extremely pleased that if we are moving towards a step increase of 2.15 that with this new um license scale adjusted everybody um gets there's only one group that is at 2.1 but everybody
003else is getting at least the 2.15. So, I am very pleased about that. >> I would also like to thank staff Chris and his team for um working on this salary scale. I really appreciated the fact that um as a board Oh, I forgot to ask for Can I Okay. um that we um really just emphasized how much we wanted to support our staff in our salary inc increases but also in um raising up the bottom of the staff so that we're not so far behind. Um, I really appreciated that staff was able to look at all the different salary scales that uh we put in question and then also given the uh direction that we gave them uh did a really good job of putting together uh the health insurance um and of course
004we still have months of work ahead of us uh to do. So um this is a good landing spot right now. So thank you Miss Huy. >> Well, I'm glad we could add to the salary scale, but I'm not um going to uh support the changes in the premium plan. I think we need to make those changes, but I think it is uh it's it's certainly not uh equitable to have a 47% increase for the employee with the um you know with the other ones and I I I appreciate the suggestion and I think it's good that we are looking at them independently but I I think we need to look at employee and family. Now, I know this is a benefit, but all of the health insurance is a benefit, and we're paying, you
005know, 93% of it, at least under the current uh status. But the employee and family, it looks like a significant increase by going up 22%. But in effect, it's still $350 a month less than the two employees would have paid for the family plan under here. So that's significant reduction while we're increasing the employee only by 47%. And I I know I think you told us there were about 160ome employees that were on that was you gave us >> 120. So it's not a huge number but in terms of equity I'm concerned about um you know proposing a 47% increase for employee only and then having what is essentially two employees together you know having you know hundreds of dollars in difference. It's just not not fair. Um I'm not sure about the other ones.
006Uh I know we don't match the county. I'm not trying to match the county, but I just I I I want to relook at these numbers. I think we need to do something. And I would like when we come back and and look at this um even if the board, you know, approves this um that we think about next year and the year after that because this is not a one-year only solution. This is a you know a start to addressing you know what has become a significant um financial um challenge. So thank you Mr. Rendle. That's a that's that's a great word for it. A significant financial challenge. I mean, looking at millions and millions, even double digit millions of dollars that we're having to put in here. So, um you know, I would
007like to see this addressed uh at some point um you know, as we go forward. I'm debating whether I'm going to vote, you know, in favor of the budget. If I don't, it's going to be because of this matter. But it's not it's not just these premiums. It's the whole idea of putting in so much money when we haven't put in a plan on how we're going to address this in the future. And apparently this is, you know, the third year that we've been faced with it. So thank goodness, you know, we're doing something now, but we need to look forward. So thank you. >> Mr. Ragan, would you like to go ahead and offer comment? Uh yeah. So I uh I really like where the budget is overall. I I do think we need
008to spend a little more time talking about uh the compensation verse insurance premiums. Um but I will be supporting the budget as it is today. >> Thank you Miss Fingervolt. >> It's all right. Close enough. Um I'm going to support the budget today as it is. um for our our numbers that we have listed out. I do also have um concerns about the health insurance premiums. Um of course I'm all for increasing salary as much as we can and doing what we can there. Um I would like to see us not increase the health insurance premiums to the degree that we have. We do have to do something. There has to be some stairstep plan. Um, I just don't think that we should do as much as we are are looking at currently. But overall,
009yes, definitely going to support the budget. >> Thank you, Miss Blackwell. >> Um, for the most part, with me being the last person, I don't want to be redundant. Um, but I do want to say thank you that we were able to um get that new number and there for the teachers conversation. And um also just want to thank the staff for being able to give us the breakdown when we had questions or when there were a lot of question they were actually um printed out and gave us the information that that a lot of people asked and shared with us. So maybe I didn't have the question but it was one of sometimes a question that I didn't have but somebody else had and thank you to the staff for giving a quick response.
010Thank you. I will support. >> Thank you Dr. Chase. I think I already did something. But I will also echo everybody um for thanking Dr. Smith and staff for um working with us on this budget. >> I also will be supporting this budget. I think we do have to take long-term steps in addressing the healthcare. We can't afford 20 to 28% increases on the employer side um which we've faced over the last three years and there's no real clear indication that health care costs are going to stabilize. Um, I do appreciate the effort that uh, Mr. Fulmer and his team and Dr. Smith have put into into helping us pull these numbers together. Um, and with that now, can we vote? Cast your vote. M. Mr. Reagan, >> I am a yes. >> Okay, the
011vote passes six to one. Miss Healey voted no. And the last part of this is we would like to discuss the VSBA training. Uh Mr. Reagan, could you check your calendar for April 6th? Monday, April 6th. Just can people make that date? >> Yes. >> And what are the hours? >> It's 9:30 to 2:30. >> And where will it be? Uh I the plan is hopefully to have it at North Stafford, but that still has to be I'm sure. Um >> and we'll get an agenda. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Who has the agenda now? >> Um we we we mailed it out when we mailed out the original dates, so it's in your inbox, but we can mail it again. >> Yeah, if you could. >> Dr. Warner, I am available April 6th. >>
012Thank you. All right. Everybody is available April 6th. >> I thought that was why we set the date because Mr. We just wanted to confirm. >> All right. >> Try to do second. >> So, uh, I have several dates for a possible second date, but I >> I I don't know whether May 27th works for people. May 27th. Mr. Reagan, >> give me one second to look up our school calendar. >> Yeah. And it's a Wednesday. May 27th is Yes, I'm available. May 27th. >> Um, Miss Randall, Miss Huey, >> we will look for another date. We will circle back. We'll circle back. Yep. >> So we have one date May April 6th and we will circle back. And with that >> this meeting is adjourned.