by on uh Thursday here. I know we have a break. >> Um every time we were trying to schedule this, we always had a reason like, "Oh, we better move it back and move it back." And so I looked at Darcy and Darcy goes, "We're just going to do it."
And so thank you uh for coming. Um otherwise I was afraid if we did another week and another week and another week it'd be June by the time you met. So, um but it did give us a little bit extra time to kind of go over the task force recommendation. Um so, with the help of
old um Paul and I, we just kind of took everything over all our last meetings. um we relooked at um surveys and we did those community meetings and so um
we tried to put it all together and then we had an if you remember our last meeting we kind of came down there was kind of three scenarios that started to pop out and so tonight is just a night to recheck do we all agree that this
this is what we think we heard So do we agree kind of this is what we heard and then uh we'll talk about next steps going forward to the city. >> Is there a clicker? >> Yes. Sorry. >> Okay. So if you remember we established
a task force um to look at the op uh facilities and operational co costs align with current and future educational needs. Um, we analyze key data, provide a recommendation to the district administration regarding the most
effective and efficient use of our school building. Um, at the end of this, we want to set a community informed recommendations to guide facility planning for the next decade, ensuring that district buildings uh effectively support teaching and
learning while maintaining long-term financial stability. So, task force, we did listening sessions. Um, we had Work with us. Um, and then Paul and I actually met with special education and transportation,
too. We kind of went over a little bit of this to get their input. Um, and then, um, Albertly Bus is here tonight. Um, also, and then our timelines and next steps. So, we'll go over how the
board will provide us direction um and then we'll execute the plan for next year. So, here's kind of the consensus that we heard. Um acknowledge the need to utilize space
as efficient as possible. Uh reduce and limit the overall disruption as much as possible. By disruption I mean like don't just start moving things around to move things around like try to
do this in a sequential step order. Um and then limit as much as disruption to the overall district as possible. Uh reducing a site possibly an elementary site given population makes sense. Uh this plan will consist of a m
multipleyear plan where stages or steps are accomplished as enrollment determines the need for changes and then limit impacts to academic and co-curricular programming as much as possible and if possible look for ways to expand programming and the
efficiencies sound all right. Okay. The majority believe Albertly High School should absorb seventh grade becoming a 712 building. Okay, >> that's the majority of this group or the majority.
>> It's about 5050 when you look. So when you start to look at surveys and stuff, so you'll see right down below it, we believe this is an appropriate recommendation. It utilizes the comprehensive high school's full potential for all students and future
students. There is a strong voice for believing eth graders developmentally don't fit well at Elbertly High School. We also believe this is an appropriate statement. It identifies that eighth grade students need a middle school philosophy and shouldn't be viewed as
high school students. >> So I think we hear >> a little bit a little bit two things can be true at once. >> Yeah. It's like the two things come true at once. Um, so Albertly High School without eighth grade is well under capacity
and Albertly High School with seventh and eighth grade is at Target. Um, so this came from some of the work that we did here. the outcome, three routes moving
forward, all encompassed 712 model at Elbert. So we started to put everything up around the room. We started to see a lot of people had seven um alternative um options simply intensified the identified problem and
capacity budget and ili utilizing the space as intended and the community built the comprehensiveness. So priorities maintain age appropriate curriculum and ensure clear separation between 78 and 912.
Right? So you still have those two you have those two conflicting ideas. Um so then what I said you got a little bit of me in there. You'd have to do a school within a school model then you'd have to run a 78 bell schedule lunch and
electives and you'd have to run a 912 bell schedule lunches and electives if that's what you were yearbook dances student council probably separate use spaces. um embrace opportunities and educational
benefits, more electives and resources. 712 is more connection to activities. There's other districts that do this. Two of them that I know Delano's done it for a while because I had to find like size similar to our size. Redwing just
voted to to change to bring seventh and eighth grade into their so that community is looking at that change for next year. um ideas seen as costly or over overly disruptive at this time. Central offices
to change location. So that would be lack of other current appropriate infrastructure space and uh potential remodel costs. So, if you take all those offices and move them to any of the other school buildings, we're going to have to remodel and change those rooms and buildings, which would
include the high school, uh, daycare and/or early learning, change location, the disruption of programming. Currently, they work together and share administration, so daycare to preschool. And then many of the daycare kids use the early learning
option. So, a lot of our daycare kids that are in daycare use the preschool. And there's a number that come from outside daycarees or home to our preschool also. Um a prek or early learning center space
issues and daycare issues. So we could we could probably design a prek kindergarten but then the daycare would have to be offsite. So that's kind of the issue. Plus the rooms. there's specific needs for
preschool and kindergarten rooms that would be hard to put like you'd have to redesign a school. Um, other banded grade configurations, capacity issues arise when moving different configurations around. Um, some seem to move just to move.
So, it seemed like sometimes if we were moving certain grades, we were just moving them to move them places to see what happened. And that was just some of those models that we saw. Um four day school week week. The question we always
came back was school age child care issues for family. It's a lot of communities that do it. They can figure it out. Right now that's the number one thing. If I ask people about a 4-day school week, they always come back with where's the daycare for the one day?
That's what people always ask me. So, three plans derived from community input, derived from task force input, meet the priorities that we generated through consensus. So, today please double check our
understanding and give input into this. We want to hear the input. So, we'll review the three options. We'll consider pros and cons and then at the end we can narrow how this goes to the school board or direction or There's one plan that we believe is um like good, better, best.
So which is the best, which is better, which is good. So the first plan that seemed to come out of this group that I recognized right away was an elementary site,
three remaining elementary schools, grades K to four. Really southwest becomes an intermediate building. The high school again moves to a 712 as long as you run a 78 middle school
model within a 912 high school. Potential to close another site in the future and go down to two K3s, shift four to the intermediate. Um, and that becomes a 46. And I'll show you how that kind of works when we get down the road here. So again, you got a K4, a K4, a
K4, 56, and a seven. So if you look at the numbers, we did plus or minus 30 students for capacities here. Um you can see kind of how the numbers in the K4s change. So you go
from a 303 to 364 to 290 to a 320. From two uh 2028 you go from 453 to 393. And then the 712 goes from about 1,500 to 1378. >> Can I expand on a little bit deep?
>> Yeah. >> So there's no way to pinpoint exactly how many we put at each site if we haven't identified sites or boxes. Right. So this is a rough um you know mathematically we took the ADM for K4 split it by three. >> Yeah.
>> And then we just did a plus or minus 30 students give or take uh to give us a range. Um and and then we can assess those ranges over the capacities of those buildings. >> It'd be unlikely they'd all be perfectly ste perfectly identical
>> and year to year 74, right? But the 56 712 one site for those we could just do the straight ADM projections for see similar on the other models too. When you look at this number as compared to this number, doesn't seem that much
different. But when you start to get to 400 or under 400, you could bring 200 from here. So that fourth grade class into the mix here if you wanted to create a two inter complete intermediate and use this site.
So that is possible. And that's how you can kind of get down to what do you do if the enrollment keeps declining? If the kindergarten classes stay under 200 um then y'all a little bit under that 290. >> You wouldn't that you couldn't do that
in the next several years though, right? >> No, it's going to take phase two. >> That that just depends. That would be phase two. Remember I said a five to 10 year plan. So you get six to seven years down. Then you're going to be looking at what does it. >> So Southwest and the high school are not
even at capacity even in 2028. The higher it occurs. Um the high school's pretty close to >> high school's pretty close. They're not maxing out though. And they would >> target. Yeah, there's the target and the max. Yep. Yep. So we thought not let's not
plan to be at the max max, right? >> Because that's assuming like high class sizes in every room all the time, right? >> I think it's important for everybody in the room too as we look at these. Um the reason we're laying them out is this is what we were hearing from the group as a potential model that would work and now
we're putting the numbers to it. Um I think we need to really think about that short-term long-term vision for each plan because we don't want to necessarily go down a route that um doesn't have that longterm thought built into it. Right? So all of these should
have a what happens if as we move forward, right? So we can pivot uh or continue to adjust as we >> I don't think we've said yet but between the last meeting and like kind of the creation of this presentation we did meet with um transportation right just
to talk through the ideas and like from a transportation perspective how do you think these would go what would be the pinch points what would work well and special services >> I think we will have a few highlights on each of the slides that >> so you can kind of see uh Really, if
you're going to get the Southwest school or Southwest campus to capacity, you kind of get you kind of have to skate along for four to five years >> and then add a third grade >> and then add that fourth grade in >> a third a third grade, but it would be
fourth >> if you're following. >> Okay. So, savings potential fixed cost of closing a building. So you're not running a building. Uh staffing efficiencies in grades 5 to
12 as each grade is banded together and not spread out over multiple campuses. Uh K4 still has three sites to divide students. So you might not be as efficient in that uh disruption and you're going to see
kind of this uh if you close a school site, you have new boundaries for some families. If you have new boundaries, you have new block zones and transportation adjustments. And then again, you always realign staffing. And that's not just teaching, that's custodial, administration, pair
of professionals, um, food service, all of them. Um, and then this option, if you look at the way the district currently sits, that's how I come to this conclusion.
you have K5s if they're K4s if fifth grade moves and seventh grade moves. In reality though, this is probably in in the three uh plans the least disruptive in students and staff
>> the most like what you're doing today. >> Yeah, it follows kind of the pattern of what we're in. When we talked with Albertly Bus, this was the preferred plan. And again, it relates to this lease disruptive, right? Like they still
have the routes. So most of the routes stay the same. Some slightly adjust because there's one less school, but then some slightly adjust based on going to the Southwest hub or whether they drop off at the high school first or last.
>> Can we introduce Ben? >> Sure. >> So Ben, raise your hands. Say hello. Hi guys. >> So we talked about probably a month ago that's accurate. So Ben had some time to chat a little bit with his team and some others in the field. Do you have any other perspective on this first plan
that you'd like to share? >> Besides it being the least disruptive, it's the least expensive to the district. So that's an important piece to consider. Um, if you start if if you go to other models, uh, you're
going to have to start looking at tiered routing to transport. You're if you close more buildings, let's put it this way, the more buildings you close, the more kids we're transporting to other buildings. >> And we're the more walk zones we're eliminating and now just busing to other
schools. um which adds uh stu students to a relatively fixed number of buses and drivers. You know, we we there's only so much we can kind of absorb without breaking things into segments and doing like elementary tier,
middle school tier, high school tier so that we can get everybody transported to where they need to be using the same amount of equipment. You know what I mean? Um so if you go to a tiered plan, you're looking and extended length in bus routes, probably waiting times for
rural kids at um at buildings. So re really with as expansive as our district is from Glennville to Hart, well the we go out of district 2, but um buses go as far as Glennville to Hartland to Emmens
to Maple Island and we can only really hit the country once. So, we have to bring all the rural students in and offload them at their schools before we do the tiers. And what do you do with the schools, the students whose schools don't start right away? You know, they they have to be supervised at a building
because they can't sit on the bus because there isn't room to then transport the kids that are in town. So, it gets expensive and it gets expensive and messy quick when you start looking at some of the other models. This is the least disruptive and the least expensive
the districts. >> So this model going forward is long-term the least expensive. Yeah, I would say it it it would transition well to the the 46 at Southwest model in
the future and keep keeping 712 at the high school and then going to I mean it gets more expensive the next year you go. Um but it's it's kind of a it's kind of a nice happy medium for a while.
I don't think if from what I know about the other models, I don't think you would be any worse off transitioning to that second step than than taking any of the other models. Now, I don't know if you know what I mean.
>> And we'll when we see those other models when we see >> So, we talked to special services. They also said this was the preferred plan. Again, probably because it's the least disruptive to students and staff because the way we have programming at
different schools still allows that programming to stay relatively at different schools. Um when we talk like level three programming for special ed um different programs like that. So um it's just adjusting, right? So instead
of um uh fifth grade, right, you're adjusting for fourth grade. So the elementary to southwest and seventh grade from southwest, right? So that's that's kind of what you're looking at. They just shift a year early.
And this is where again chime in. Uh again, it's the pros preferred plan for transportation and special services. initial disruption is minimal. What I would call the smaller step model, you're taking a step forward, moving
some stuff around. Um, you can probably evenly distribute the ADMs with the boundary withdraw. So, we can look at which building based on the building the school board would decide to close. We can then look at the numbers per
building and try to draw boundaries based on that based on the next five to six years to really take another look at it again. Um uses building capacities as efficiently as possible again that's
comprehensive high school and then match enrollments to building capacities. So that's what I mean by we have to look at what the three elementaryaries are match our enrollments to what those buildings will be. we can project that out at least through the kindergarten
class and the estimated uh incoming kindergarten class for the year to say that at least we know this is probably so as you talk about the cons on all of these the one that's not mentioned because we've already really addressed it is seventh grade of the high school
right it's a concession I think we're near concessions that in all these models is there and I think that we we know that that's um not really wanted by a lot Um, but it's in each of the plants. So, I think that would be something. It's
not listed, but it is a cond. >> Um, so we need to add that for the >> Well, I don't know. It's like a 5050. >> I mean, we're near both sides of that, right? >> So, >> if you added them just the way eighth grade is today, I think some people would view that as negative, right? But if it was more school within a school,
right? >> If you had the separate area for the seventh eighth grade function in their own um so potential for future disruption. So, we know if we still have declining
enrollment, they're going to have to shift again. And then, uh, this does have a significant savings, but the three K4s limit some because again, you're you're spreading
them out. Instead of four schools, just three schools. Okay. Proposed plan two. This one this one was fairly popular with this group. We also heard this through some of the community. um close one of the elementary school site, ban two of the
elementary buildings, and a lot of people talked about that K123. Um they kind of looks you kind of have to use Sibly Southwest becomes a 46 campus because we're always out there with one
of the grade levels hanging. So that's kind of that grade four. Um, and then, uh, Sibly kind of being recognized as the one that is kind of a little bit smaller of a built. That's kind of why I said that sibly. Um, and
then the 56 712. Um, and again, you you again have that potential shift where this building goes 456 here and then that's kind of how you can see eventually down the road there's
the potential closing of the second um kind of by the numbers again um estimated here, there there. So again, one real small building. You see the numbers again and
then that's how you can kind of figure out that >> number and probably absorb it by then. or really the year after. But you can see you get right down there. And then again, the numbers stay the same here at the I ever move too fast. Let me
All right. Uh again, we close the building. We'll have staff efficiencies in all grades K12 at because they're all single sites. Single grade sites, right? So's all at one site, one's all at one site, two's at one site, three's at one
site, four's at one site, five, six, just like that. So that's probably the most efficient for staffing. Um, we close a site, there's new boundaries, the walk zone, transportation, you realign staffing. Um, this is the
least preferred plan from the bus company. And again, if you think about this, you literally almost eliminate like you're going to have to really look at what schools have what grades to figure out where your walk zones are. You
almost from one of the elementaryaries, you almost eliminate a walk zone. Do you have K1 walking, right? So those are pretty little kids walking around. You don't want them walking too far. So whatever elementary you choose to, you're almost busting every kid to a K1
>> when every all kindergarters would go there, right? So only some fraction would live close enough to walk. >> So that that really limits those walk zones. Um just far enough. Ben, do you have any >> I would say if you have commissions of
putting four with five and six at Southwest, we should really consider doing a onem walk zone at Southwest, which would add a significant number of bus riders just because of that fourth and fifth grade, probably more than anything. >> Currently, >> two miles is current
>> for the Southwest. >> So that would increase cost for transportation, >> right? um for uh um special services. Um it is grade alike peers at every site and that really matches what um idea says. You
don't want the kids around grade alike peers. Uh the challenge with banded grade levels especially with special ed students and really this is all students is when you look every two years and then there's the one year they're constantly I'm at the school now I'm at
the next school I'm at the next school I'm at the next school the services probably need to follow those students especially um they have something unique right I so that would cause a lot of disruption staff years So a pro bans all grades very efficient
for teachers and students working together. Grade alike peers in one building together. General special services adm uh distributed by site and grade level disrupts everyone uh year one. So I mean
literally everybody moves right. You're just moving to move. uh you increase transportation costs, uh special services spread out by grade level increments. Um and again, elementary students move every other year.
>> There's one piece that we didn't really highlight here and that could be the use of Sibly for another need. Um you know, the smaller capacitor, smaller number of students there that will project into that building. Um, you know, we we've explored in this group some different
ideas. Um, one was a a special services program specific to that site or like a level four or an ALC move to that site and then as fourth grade leaves, they still have maybe a home there or another opportunity to use that site or it's
just a natural way for us to close that as we mentioned earlier, close that site at elementary down the road. So there's another pro there that in just that long-term planning it might ease some of those some of the disruption but I think sacrifices out of the gates everybody's
feeling the disruption and then also abandoned every couple years >> if you just have a single grade at fourth grade start right >> are you going to are you going to assign an administrator there or they going to
share it run back forth Oh, you'd have to have an administrator there. There's I just don't see there's >> We tried that experiment with the ALC this year and I had to hire an administrator for the second half of this year just because there's not enough not enough people to run around.
>> So, and that's where the idea of what other services could go in there. Uh for those that don't know with with special education, a lot of people say we'll just bring back the students that are at Austin for your level four. Well, a level four
with the state of Minnesota, you can sometimes get permission to have the ALC there, but in general, they cannot have their grade peers there. It has to function as its own school. But a lot of people in the community tell me it's a lot cheaper if we don't put the students
in Austin. But then I got to go rent another space for I can't put them in one of our buildings unless I can totally vacate the building, which could be five or six years from now. Like when I say we could go to we could uh eliminate a school or we could look
at other services in specific it could be conceived >> it could be a con in the sense that now you got to have an administrative staff >> grade building it's not it's noticient
>> right >> the other um piece to note there with the co-op is that we I mean what how many years was it Steve when we were looking at the like a 10 year financial commitment. >> Yeah, we're at least if not 10 or 12 years longer into the financial commitment because they did some
building and some upgrades and stuff. So, the district does have stake in that game. Um, so it's not as easy just to say I'm not coming next year as everybody >> and by in that scenario keeping sibly so
we still have to back. >> Yes. >> So whatever we do keeping sibly short of building like a tunnel to get over to Right.
>> Right. Or build another kitchen. Um, whichever is cheaper. Um, you always going to have that problem. Okay, plan three, if you remember, it kind of came out as as a combination.
Um, is you close at one elementary, two sites, go K3. Again, I just named it Sibly because I thought if you're going to have a single site somewhere, it's probably going to be sibly 46 712.
Um >> it's kind of a hybrid of option. It's kind of a cross between the two. >> Um again, um and we we tried the numbers just a little differently. So um 80 and plus or
minus 40 >> just because there would be more volume at each site. >> Yeah. Or more grade level >> doing K3 at two sites >> between two two boundaries versus three boundaries. >> So kind of looking at this. Here's your
two K3s. Here's your four. Again, it winds up following that same pattern here as the last one. and then the 712. Uh, again, you close it. You do you do
improve your staff efficiency a little bit because now you're just a K3 and a K3. So, you're 50/50. And then your 412, you're all at single banded sites. Um, but again, you close a site through
boundaries, you realign the staff. This from transportation is would be the second preferred plan between them. And it's it's only because now you have half the district going one place, half the district going another place, and then everybody else is banded in between.
>> Okay. >> Um, sorry, I got the second right there. There's a typo. Yeah, sorry. I apologize. Second. So, special services said the same thing. if you're going to do something then we we're at least K3 we're between two buildings we're not as
spread out um and then you have that again that challenge from the fourth and the seventh right so it just backs up a little bit um so second initial disruption a very
minimal smaller step model again um evenly distribute with the boundary redraw um Each building uh has designed a comprehensive high school with future move forward to the southwest school to become a 46. Uh enrollments help match
building capacities. Um potential for more future disruption and then the financial impact has significant savings. Again, you get a little more staff savings um um
but you still got the two K3s, right? So you're dividing out. So, do are you running an extra section somewhere just because um so plans one and three allow for future reductions and adjustments.
Um it considers some disruption now, potentially more additional disruption down the road. Allows for a more smaller step model focus on watching trends over the next four to six years. So if it keeps trending right, you can kind of shrink a little bit. Again, um plan two,
it maximized a lot more savings right now, not in transportation, but the staffing efficiencies and in that it does increase the transportation costs, times, and routes because you might have to run
depending on how you do it. A lot of school districts do an earlier elementary route and a later secondary route. Um and uh plan two has the students move every two years. >> So how significant is the increase in
transportation >> uh for like plan two? You're literally almost busting the entire district. >> That's not just sorry not just financial that's also start times right and school day. So we're we're talking a lot of
that second >> where some of the bus routes pick up everybody K12. You literally might do a K like a K2 K3 route, drop them all off at two schools and do the same route all again and then go to the upper level schools.
while the out of town kids the country kids waiting >> are waiting >> the uh the actual number is very hard to pinpoint until you kind of really get it routed and that takes a a significant amount of time. I'm I'm going to say the
the expenses is in the hundreds of thousands for increased I I'm guessing but I think it's substantial. Well, I was just saying like what I was thinking is so if you have that significant
increase but you have reductions and adjustments going forward potentially. >> Yeah. >> Where's checks and balances here? Like is it >> does it outpace the savings? >> Is it even worth considering to just in
the sense of transportation? I mean, >> how do you I don't know the school side, but you know, >> yeah, in this we're trying to honor what we heard from people. So, but yeah, when
you start to consider this cost and and it cost I think of the number of routes and and time that kids are sitting around waiting it cost, right? because you probably need to do the elementary route first because if there's high school or middle school age kids that are watching younger siblings, they need
to get them off to the bus. If you do it in reverse, now you got to have a parent sit at home and wait for a bus. So, I mean, there's there's a lot of different considerations and then on the reverse, you got to try to sneak in the high school and the the secondary kids out so
that they're home for the siblings to come. So, it gets tricky in all of this. of how that works. >> Steve, can I Yeah. >> Can I ask a question about 12 part? It's not pertinent. Let me know. I'll be fine
with that. I'm just thinking about, you know, your concept of well, we'll have two schools in school. >> So, we'll have this 712 or 78 junior high schools. Um, and then you're going to have a 912
part of it and they'll run separate bell schedules and try to limit you know the interaction because we realize that that was voiced that was very common >> no >> concern about you know >> this idea and I'm thinking
from my master schedule days but I I don't know how you would be able to separate them and be able to run it So Sean and I have been So after this started to coming out, I went to Sean and I said, "We're gonna have to do this
as a thought. How are we going to do?" So um currently there's a committee in the high school looking at bell schedules like what's what's best for the the schedule. A lot of staff go back to a 4x4 block. We're running an eight
period block right now with a supervisory and a prep for every teacher in that schedule. When you when you calc it all out, a fourth of the staff's on prep at a time, which is the exact same
as a 4x4. So, um there like Sean kind of sat down and went, "Wow, you're kidding me." We got away from the 4x4 because it's too expensive. And what we implemented was basically the 4x4s spread out in 41 42 minute classes.
Um, so when we did that and I said, you know, if you go 912 4x4, what I did in Delano is run the 78 on a sixth period day and then it's got a center meeting time, but then you can figure out where your lunch is. So on a six period day, you can run
a lunch slightly earlier or slightly later. You just got to figure out what works best with the kids and then you throw your advisory in there and it adjusts a little bit. Um, there's some other considerations. So, right now I can tell you they're working on it. Um,
and short of starting a rumor, um, you can take either, uh, um, E-wing first floor or E-wing second floor is enough building. So, what we, what I did at Delano was I had all the English, social
studies, and mathematics teachers in one area, 78. And the only reason the science were separate is because they needed labs. And labs are groups. So, um, so that's what they did. I can tell you that because I lived it. We designed
it. Um, here you can do the same thing. You can accomplish it by taking one either first floor or second floor e-wing. You can give that to all the seventh and the eighth grade teachers. Your science teachers again are on the side. And then you uh what we did is we
had like seven eighth grade band and PE let's say maybe in the morning and then the rest of the high school took the other twothirds of the day for band chorus uh orchestra or fire stuff like that. So those shared spaces. So you're able to do that because then you're
you're um uh your passing periods are different times. So the only only kind of one time that everybody ever really passed each other and then here since they do advisories you can adjust that a little bit. So you can almost make it so
there's really no passing periods in there. Um and I can tell you from experience the juniors and the seniors are not trying to date the eighth graders. So they just really don't want to um but not to say that brothers and sisters and friends and brothers and
sisters don't goof around off the but we just made it so it's much harder for kids to pass and and be in the locker room or be in those places at the same time. So it is possible. You just got to watch your time. Um
be interesting to see what Redwing does. Um I can tell you since then Delan went to um a trimester six period and put everybody on the same schedule but because they had built those separations in there they still function where the
78 still in one part the 912 still in another part they do they do have more potential to cross now but now it's the culture so that people don't think about it's probably been six n years Now it's probably their ninth
year of doing that. So, um, so I do know that's possible. Um, what it really does, and I had a conversation with a couple in the music department, um, your fine arts get a little stronger
because they have your high school teachers have more access to the seventh and eighth graders. But what it really does is it takes that intermediate and it pushes instrumental music down into the sixth and fifth grade. We don't have it in fifth grade right now. So you go fourth grade with the recorders, you can
start those inter instruments in fifth grade and it really builds the fine arts program up. It's one thing it does. Um, the other thing that it did in Delano was the STEM programming then stretched down into that fifth and sixth grade in
the intermediate because it freed up some of the STEM teachers to be either intermediate or high school. So, the STEM programming got a little stronger. Um, then the seventh and the eighth grade had access at the comprehensive high school to more of the C of the
early stages of CTE programming. I can tell you from working in St. James where it's a 612 the egg program stretched down into the sixth grade. So here you could I could realistically see the egg programming stretching down. But again it's about when you do that
the pre class has to be different on a different schedule than what um the 912 is. So that gets a little tricky. It's doable. I can tell you that. Um but you can do certain things like that. So that's just from that comprehensive
side, but it really when you start to do an intermediate where you get all the grades together, that makes it because now we start band or our orchestra and band sixth grade. And in the conversation I had, they all the instructors told me there's no way we
can get the four elementaryaries to start instrumental music in fifth grade. But if if you pull that up now, it's possible. seen a benefit. Yeah, they're seeing a benefit at self
um in that. But again, you have to are there cons to that? Yeah. Right. Because now you're at a 712 comprehensive. So now you have to be aware. So and right now the high school's functioning. Um so administratively
I was a 712 principal. I had a 912 assistant principal and I had a 78 assistant principal. A 78 counselor and I had two 912 counselors. And so we they we had that separation in there. So parents knew this is the
middle school philosophy part of it and this is the comprehensive 912 high school philosophy. So we're very careful how we delineated that out. And again people are going to go on faith. I tell you the faith is broken because when eighth grade came in they
were going to keep them separate. They didn't do that. >> So I can tell you right now people don't believe it. But um but there Sean has been working on it with his administrative staff and myself on that piece of it because
if and when we come out and say this is part of the recommendation, we have to have some of that lined out so people can see the summary questions. >> So, is there any way to try and mash
one and three together? You know, >> I feel like three is >> three kind of is is the mashup of one and two, right? It's kind of three K4s. >> If you look at plan one, >> the next potential we said was to go four through six at Southwest and K
through three at two buildings, which is >> you might end up at the same spot in the end. >> Right. >> Correct. >> Like one feels like a step to three. >> Does >> to me. >> And that that's how it's felt to me. Be all honest. And please tell me to be quiet and sit down if you want me to. Um
because I don't want this to be my show, but I'm just trying to get the information. Like I've lost so much sleep over thinking about this. Um because whatever we do, I have to do it as close to perfect as possible, right? Um
to to me the logical thing seems to do to this because it's the closest to what we have now. We don't like it that we're closing the vote. I don't like that because that means if you close it, you get rid of it, doesn't come back. Ramsey
didn't come back. Um, forget the one that was out on the lake >> north. >> North side, it doesn't come back. Right. So, um, as soon as we let go of one, and to me it's like I like to take a little
step and go, okay, now there's three because I know there's a business that has six looking in the next two years at a 60 to 80 job expansion. If that does, that means some other businesses might expand, which means if people can find housing, we can maybe
have a few more kids per grade level. But that's another step to go, okay, we're getting safer. Like we're taking a side step. Like that's good. Um, but what it does is it it kind of keeps this pattern for at least four to five years
before you have to make another decision. And it let you watch the pattern because then it seems like if you get here, you can get to this one. if you have to take a next step, >> right? So then >> you kind of don't have to do it right
away, >> right? You don't have to do it. You've got time to say, "Okay, if the if this crew goes here, what really happens to this building?" Right? So, I'll go for a what if what if
the school board says siblings gone? We're going to untie it from the middle school, figure out what to do with that property. That's the one we're going to close because we want the other three because we want the space, right? So, let's say this building is Lake View,
right? So, then when you move these over, if it keeps going down, okay, what do you do with Lake View? SMA come in and buy it. That's a that's a specialized co-op that a lot of the towns around us is, you know, is there
something else that can do? Are we to the point where we're done with Austin and we need to pull a group of people over from Austin and and start our own level four and stuff like that? You know, is that the right building then to have? I don't know. So what you're
saying is is if future plans go as they should with businesses growing uply then you could wind up >> you could maintain one. >> This is what Rich and I want
right we don't if we step down right then we don't want to move from this one because we want businesses to grow. Now let's say we have a big boom in 10 years people go you knucklehead now you got to build another elementary hey that's great right so and then it reverses
itself >> so this plan longterm financially as a district is stable >> could be could be because either we stay this size if we get smaller
I see this one being a hard one to do financially Um, I can tell you we have quite a few Austin parents in our community. Austin tried this deal.
Didn't work the best. That's why they're back at where they're at. Um, but if this is where our community wanted to go, I do my best to make it work because my job to do what the community wants.
Um but if you keep losing if we keep declining enrollment as the pattern goes over the next seven to eight years then this pattern >> they're always there for you. >> It's always there and it's again it's a
ne next logical step. You get a few here comm community schools. I don't know if it'd be north south or central south. Right. So you get a couple community schools and then you have two campuses.
>> Right? And then if you think 15 years from now and potentially one or both of these buildings need a lot of work because now they're close to a hundred years old. You could build on if you have four or six here, you could build a prek6. you could get out of all of them
and have two campuses, Southwest and high school. >> My brain just keeps going and going and going and going. >> But now that you say that, that I mean that makes a lot of sense. And how other counties around us? Hasn't other
counties taken one main building and built off of that and got rid of the rest of buildings >> slowly. Yeah. >> Well, but obviously it's working. So >> so >> in sense it should work if we had to go that route,
>> right? Yeah. You look at buildings lasting 80 to 100 years. We got a while to go on this maybe. So that's there. And I do I think with you're kind of getting my commentary, my personal inner thought. I think with the
46 you could build an extra wing out towards Sigly. You can almost connect the two in there by there. Everybody just goes to the cafeteria and that's where your prek your community at prek daycare 3 sits. So your prek6 campus and
you could easily get there without too much. I think in summary whatever plan we go with should have uh kind of the shortterm plan for our needs currently but also just the ability to continue
with productions if needed. I think in all of them, we're also thinking about if we need to pivot back or look at a long-term facility plan. So, I mean, a referendum to build a for a bond to build an elementary site or something
isn't out of the question, but I think we need the indicators to drive us there, right? So, let's get to capacities with step one. We're closer to targets and then step two is what as we move forward. So, we're just we're
setting ourselves up to keep adjusting and evolving as a school district. Um, >> what it sounds like is one and three are kind of the goto. >> Well, and you're here to tear it apart. >> A lot of the ideas about brainstorm were
variations on a theme of one and one, two, and three, right? You might have picked specific buildings, right? But they really it really boiled down to these concepts, right? So >> So if we talk buildings, just trying to throw ideas out, but
you know, you keep talking about age or we got one particular building that's next 10 years old. I mean, is a admin point which you know like
are going to survive the next 10 years. >> Yeah. The here here's the cool here's the coolest thing I think >> that I'm actually really glad about. It's hard for us to do is our buildings are in really good shape. Like really
good >> relative to their age. relative to their age compared to how other districts keep their I mean in my last superintendency I had to do a lot of corrections and spend a lot of money to get buildings back up to shape right we're not having
to do that because it's been done on the time schedule that it should be done so the hardest thing that the school board's going to have to figure out is which is that one >> so how do we >> well I don't think we're there Yeah. >> Yeah. I
>> That's down the road. >> Yeah, that's down the road. I think you have to look at the plan and then to be honest with you, we're going to have to take the numbers, give the school board all the numbers and say, "Okay, if this building closes, this is what it means for these three. If this building closes, this is what it means for these,
right?" like it's probably going to be a mathematical or kind of an assumption type of way. So the right now we know the one of the relatively oldest buildings sits in the best uh block zone neighborhoods, right?
So just is what it is. But that was the best place for a school. Why? Because that's where everybody was. So, it's the best place for >> Are we just gonna stay
kind of >> right now? It seemed to be really disruptive to try to move any part of Brookside out. >> It cost money to >> like I did the let's move let's let's go to this plan and let's move the district
office to city. Well, then I got to convert about four or five classrooms into office areas. And then, uh, you got to figure out how does district office traffic that comes and goes all day long separate from a school triangle point,
right? So, um, so that's kind of why I said, okay, well, let's do that. Well, what if we took Okay, what if we made a like a preschool daycare at Sibly? Well, now I got to put bathrooms a lot more bathrooms places
because there has to be so many bathrooms per kid and where they are. So, it it became a puzzle of Yeah. Like, >> okay, I can move them now. I move them to move them. Now, there's all these extra costs for what it cost.
>> Yeah. And it just it's hard >> and a little bit just moved the problem, right? So, then we have space here that's converted for offices and it's like will probably would have to be converted for somebody else's use, right? It's kind of like double renovation for whose whose benefit,
>> right? 13 user groups in Brookside right now and there's very unique spaces, the clinic, the rock wall, you've got offices, we have early learning modifications. Um, we did a little bit of maintenance update for the ALC last year. It's just
such a unique building with layer after layer after layer that anything that we pull out of there is going to either create more inefficiencies or more cost to so I think we'll look at it in three four years and say if we keep shrinking what are we going to do here because
it's going to be a building that will probably have some capacity we need to so it's probably going to be one of those topics of discussion they're going to look back and say why didn't we do anything with Brookside then right but I don't think right now we for the space. It's pretty complex.
>> The clinic is there too that's being used by county. >> Can we put an investment into that space? But I did, just so everybody knows, I did have the I like I I kind of shot the offshoot idea of could we put
everybody in Brookside Southwest a high school and move a couple of those other programs, the main office type programs into one of the elementaryaries and then just get rid of them all. But I think
the cost of reconverting all these rooms back into rooms just doesn't make it feasible. But I I want that I I want to look at like explore the idea because I know it was said here that day convert
Brookside back to I think they said the the junior high model or like uh six like a prek. >> Yeah, something like that where they had a bunch of the grades in there and it was just how do we like how do we do that but not spend a ton of money?
>> So do you have right now. It's fine. There's nothing that needs to move or be switched like you would not make any changes right now. >> Um there's some admin issues with our current budget cuts and some of the admin cuts. There are there are some
issues. Um and I'm going to talk with people about that in the next. So, all three of these models have 5, six at Southwest, 7 through 12 at the high school, and I've been a parent who has never
liked eighth grade at the high school, but I see the benefit in this because it's a cost saving. Do we need to present something to the board to show what 912 would look like so that we have
something for the community to show that this is the route that we're going to be able to save money. You know, if we only present three ideas and they're >> we could put the numbers together where this Oops. >> So,
>> just to be transparent and say if we do it the way that everybody wants to pull eighth grade out, it's not going to do us any good. >> There's a lot of empty space sitting there. Like quite a bit. Yeah. >> Well, you couldn't you couldn't have a 912 high school without adding
something. If your mantra is efficiency, something else will have to there whether it's the ALC or it's uh you know whatever just walk through Brookside and start picking. >> Yeah, the ALC actually wouldn't wouldn't
actually I mean even on this number the ALC would just make it 14, >> right? But if they if they all showed up I'm actually wonder those numbers might actually include our ALC. These were off
the ADM charts. So that's a 712 or 912 number. >> It's an important program but not a huge program. >> I think it might be caked into these numbers here. I I think that the opportunities there that if if we are making a change, we're doing it with educational practices in mind, right?
And I think this is the narrative we need to make sure that we're we're staying centered in when we put a seven eight program in there, what is the best practice for that model and how do we build it at the high school? What's that going to look like? to your point, Casey, how how do we articulate that to the board in the community?
>> Um, Steve, I know you've talked about listening sessions around the community about that. I think that would be a big part of it. Um, the other piece there too is we got to talk about other other benefits of having the seventh graders there and it might be um elective opportunities, uh, access to different
materials at the high school that they don't have at Southwest Middle School in our shop room. um the pool um activities um there there will be other benefits you can generate um and those should be highlighted too um when we look to shift
um but do I do not think it's appropriate for any of us in here to dismiss the concern that people have right I think we are hearing it from the community that they are concerned with seventh grade moving up we are just going to be forced into an option here at some point and so what we're kind of
gathering is We got to get capacity on park. That's our responsibility right now. So, how do we do it with those best practices? >> I would just add on Casey's point that that definitely is a message. I think this group has more data that helps us
understand the eighth grade issue a little bit better. If we can assure the community of some sort of separation between those grades. I mean I worked in the 80s now as a school teacher and counselor in system like that. We
physically had doors shut. So the seventh and eighth grade could physically be separate from the high school. Um and the kids kind of wanted that too because they thought high school kids or high hormonal seventh and eighth graders
and that seemed to work. The only time we had challenges was lunch where it was difficult to try to keep things separate. They sat separately but I think we can give the communities some assurance if we live through this model
instead of 12 will have their sense of community with teachers. I think we can make that work. >> So there's a current bubble. So about 27585
graduates this year, ALC and high school together senior class. Then seven uh 7 to 11 they average about 250 a class. And then kindergarten through six average about 208 class. When you get
next year's kindergartens actually making me nervous. It's sitting at about 265 right now. Um, and there's a there's a fair number of parents that haven't responded. Um, >> just 165, right?
>> Oh, yeah. 165. >> 165. Thank you. Sitting at 165. >> That wouldn't be terrible. >> 265 is what we want. Um, >> but in in third grade and fourth grade,
fourth grade is 233 and third grade is 22 one, but fifth grade are the kids that were 20 21 starting year in the in the COVID mass and six feet.
So there was a s every school district saw a fairly significant amount of kids sit back a year and then they saw even in preschools kids sit back. So that's that bubble in third and fourth grade. >> So >> there's really some fifth graders kind of in fourth grade you know.
>> Yeah. >> Um so that is when that bubble hits n I think third fourth. So that' be fourth,
fourth, fifth, fifth, sixth, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10. So when that bubble gets there, that's 250.
That's 233, 232, a 208, a 208. So you'd be a thousand kids. So right here you'd be so you're roughly about a th00and at the high school probably a,50 at the high school if you
if you take 78 out that would be your number. So then when you get to 33 one of them graduates 233. So then you'll be just under a thousand. You'll be like 980 and then
the next year you'll be roughly close to 900 to 850 in the in the high school. So your capacity then is about 55 56%. So here you're going to hover in the 70 right around 70 well if you take 78 out
you're probably around 70% capacity and here but there's it's because there's that anomaly of the boat. Sorry I look at these numbers all the time. That's all I do is dream numbers now. Steve, on the if you went to a K3
building, two K3 buildings, >> are those >> whatever ones they're going to be? >> Yeah. >> Are are they going to be physically big enough? I realize that your efficiencies are based on a square footage, >> right?
>> Um on a building that was built in the 1950s. >> Yep. >> And in the 1950s, they didn't have the same kind of needs that we have now. identify it. So you know there's going to be teen level three classrooms are
going to be you realize that there's going to be all of this extra stuff that we're going to need. >> Is that going to work? >> So like if you were to go to this next in two years, right?
You're going to you're you're going to be packed because you're going to be toward it's going to seem like you're at the upper number because of that problem. You have two buildings to run two set eight setting three. >> Well, the buildings can handle it. They're they big enough. It's
>> with the kind of >> classroom >> demands that we have to meet. >> Will there be sufficient space to meet that demand? >> You're going to feel like sardines. >> I think you're right. you and I both but I I don't I think we had to present it
because this did come some people were saying this could be viable. Um, >> but that demands >> a little bit comfortable in a >> little more cozy in plan or a little more comfort in plan. >> You're a little more comfortable. The plan >> cozier in plan three for sure because the upper number is similar. The upper
number in this plan is the lower number in >> Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And so Yeah. Exactly. So that's probably the best way to show it. >> Yeah. >> I missed that. Did you? >> It's probably because I work on this one and then I work on this one and I work on this one and I go back and look at
stuff. Yeah, I think for the toughest thing for me to grasp here is I I started teaching in Oberly in 1985. It was at the high school. It's middle of town. We had an open open lunch hour
and it was the Indy500 every day and thousands of kids >> in the back of the room for sure. I remember that one. and and it's vice versa, but whichever.
And there were, you know, there's 1500 kids in high school. And when I left in 98, it was 1,200. And when my kids went to school here, it was relatively close to that. Um,
Jenna's class was not pretty good size. wasn't real small, but smaller certainly than when I was here. And then, you know, then I left OT and OT is 450 and you know, I got a beautiful high school and they're not talking about 712 there
because life is different in Steel County than it is in Fre County. And so now we moved back here six years ago and now we're having to confront a 712 recognized school and I
And I think that's going to be really a common reaction because there's a lot of people look like me this about 65 or older and they're all remembering the glory years and it's going to be a slap
in the face to really acknowledge that we're just >> I've had lots of people say no I'm on this committee reach out to me and oh my god I heard that it's going to be 7 712 and everything and very very concerned and I've had lots of people coming in
that is one of the options that's not been finalized or anything just let them know but there had been quite a number coming to me that were quite concerned about that so you are going to have the people who are bucking it >> I think you're right it's a real manifestation of the like shrinking
right it's like a very visible >> sign yeah the the thing about going this step is it reverses really nice too.
Now granted you got rid of a building but it does it does if you have to figure out something different and all of a sudden we see a bunch of growth. You can actually reverse this a lot
cheaper than you can doing other stuff, >> right? Because because you still in this model, you've never monkey with Brookside, right? So you can you could always like could you move kindergarten to Brookside? Yeah, you could. How you
get a uh eight or nine kindergarten classrooms on the ground level with a restroom in all of them, I don't know. But you could. Um, or you could try to apply for I don't know if the state has a variance for
that or not. Um, but you could try to figure out something. I think it's for every four classrooms at that staircase. >> There's Yeah, there's a lot of rules about >> Yeah. So, kindergarten of seven on upper levels, but >> gets really hard to do. We could figure
that. So, there's there's always a savior of Brookside sitting there. um if you had to reverse and and all of a sudden you're seeing big classes come through and so all of a sudden five's going back into there and kindergarten's
got to come out and go to Brookside and and 78 goes back into Southwest and it becomes a 678 at Southwest or or something. It there's there's ways to reverse it if you take this one step here and go okay here's where we sit
>> and and there's still room at all tiers too, right? So some, you know, if you start growing, >> there's absorption capacity too, right? We're not maxing it out. >> Yeah. And that's >> think we're not, you know, every seat on the plane is not full immediately. Right. >> I think you could see a pause here for a
while, >> right? >> Yep. >> Right. And you could pause here indefinitely, >> right? Like you could pause here indefinitely stabiliz >> and say like if you stabilize and say well or now we're seeing growth in the preschool and stuff so now you do have
to build a district office or um something else somewhere else so you can fit more into Brookside. So there I mean it again it there's a savior of Brookside sitting there and there's a way to reverse this if you have to. It's
not taking such a dramatic step. >> Definitely looks like the best plan out of all of them >> to make the changes for the community as like a baby step kind of the change. It's not going to be as drastic. So,
it's not going to hit as hard and like you just said, can back it up if we need to take a step back. um which is a good thing to be able to explain to them be all about presentation and how we
present the positives of it because I've always been high school too but I can see how this is the right choice financially for our district but not everybody has been to these meetings and seen the same
things that we've all seen here. So, it's really presenting some of those things like we did before in lots of different settings with lots of different people and really highlighting the cost savings and the benefits to education and all those different things. So,
>> and and I I'll fully admit day one I walked into the elementary school was talking with a junior and senior and there was an eighth grader walking on the other side of us. I mean to to say that they are not intermixing at this point. You know, everybody says it
>> they shouldn't be there, right? But I think it's it's how you make the shift. And I can tell you I made the shift as a principal and I specifically kept them separate and we specifically worked with
the 78 middle school staff to maintain in the secondary building a middle school philosophy working with those kids and then we maintain the 912. We were very specific about how we do that. >> Right.
I think having um two grades in a middle school's uh arena and a separate arena for 912 in the same building will make it feel more middle school and high
school together instead of 8th grade and then the rest. >> I think it'll almost help the feel for that. >> And then when you get Then I had questions like this. So like when you get to this
electives um Delano was one yearbook. They do just the junior senior prom. 10th graders can get invited if they're there. But most of these schools, they
have specific middle school things. >> They have some specific that include the ninth grade like homecoming if you talk about dances, but then when you then they have some specific that are the senior junior senior level stuff too. So
they it you have to make sure that >> that's going to be the biggest thing for you guys is to work really hard to be able to prove and show the community that we've already got it figured out and like you said they aren't going to believe it because last time we were
promised that and >> I think if you're for the elementary teachers is kind of building and then you have three buildings left you know if you're not going by class numbers and you're going to fill them all up. Do you
anticipate cutting a lot of staff? Because right now we have four schools of elementary staff and so now we're at three buildings. Are we just filling up the rooms and then we're cutting how many teachers? Do we anticipate a whole
ton of more teachers losing jobs in the next because I mean that is a real worry that the elementary >> it's >> Yeah because you're you're almost down to two sections per building
>> right now. So if you move to three sites, can't go down to six sections because that you just take those numbers and divided by six, you're well into the 30s, right? So, you're going to have
you're potentially going to have like probably initially starting out at least at grades two, three, and four, you're going to have two of these that are each three sections and then your two sections. So, you're almost exactly right where you're at now. You're just
using the building capacity to your benefit. Um, >> Steve, can I just throw a note in there too? I think that this allows an opportunity to redraw some boundaries which will be effective for a couple of years, right? So, we can project how many students may be enrolled at each
facility based on those boundaries and that'll generate some efficiencies, but and and we're always going to build staffing around students, right? And so um right now the the challenge is we are forced to serve so many students in each building per grade level and that may
grow at some sites where you have smaller class class sizes, other sites larger class sizes. And so we're um I think the vision is try to gain some efficiencies. I I think to Steve's point right now is it's not necessarily going to be there right away with the the
three sites. It might be a challenge. You might still have some inefficiencies on staffing, but the redraw boundaries is where you might. >> So you're not going to have a site with 17 to 21 average and a site with 25 to
28 average. We're going to be able to redraw those boundaries so they're closer to 22s. And so it's it's going to be more, I think, equitable for school. That's a fair statement.
If the classes maintain that just under 200 because right now there's only there's next year's kindergarten, this year's kindergarten, second grade that's 188. There's only three right now that are the rest are
higher. So that's why they average to 208. So but as you go down that road then you might get to two sections, two sections, two section, right? So you are right then, right? If if you had three sections and there's two, then there is
going to be a loss of the job. But some of those >> student count is what's driving that at that point. >> Count what's driving it, not not just what's because you have all these buildings. You can't have a class size of 32. So you got to hire two teachers,
right? 17. So here you're less likely to run into a 32. You're probably >> So another thing with that is so I talked to somebody that had this happen in their district and one of the things that the teacher mentioned was to be
very thoughtful on when when you close say we closed silly those teachers then need to get reallocated to different buildings. And so she said what happened in their district was like some of their most tenure teachers that were at Sibi
got less choice in their position than a brand new teacher at Lake View Papa and Person would. And so she said to be very thoughtful on how you're redistributing teachers because theirs was kind of like a they went then they went in their
building by lot by seniority and she's like everybody was like fighting for the same priority jobs and it made a lot of tension the teachers. So that was just her advice was just be very very thoughtful. the district. >> That's right. Of assignments.
>> Yeah, we try we try to work with staff as much as or at least the princip you know principles. Um so obviously in the news if you followed or if you read Facebook um you know we've we've cut back a lot of staff
because be quite honestly the for the last four to five years the district's really ignored >> student number and just had people. So and we had a number of people that were in what I call pseudo administrative
positions. You know they're working with teachers and working with students, but a lot of those a lot of those tenure teachers are now going back into the classroom. So, what happens is your non-tenures come up, >> right? >> So, that's kind of in a nutshell what went on with a large number of the uh
cuts this time. Round two now, next month will be the administrative. >> I just have a question. I'm just thinking of kind of our community's climate with homeschooling and private schools growing in St. with this shift. How many families would
you anticipate that we lose to open enrollment other places if they're just not happy with that? >> It's you don't know. You don't know. We assume we'll lose some and we assume we might get some.
>> Um the the other piece that we're not talking about is we are um I've shifted online school to the high school instead of at the ALC for next year. the people that are running it so that there's more teachers in the hopper that can teach online and so
you'll see we may see more students go online but use these are program >> we get to keep that count >> yeah we get to keep that count the the thing we're seeing now is like this is completely uncharted territory because even though students say they're
going home school their home school might access m Minnesota virtual right so if we can get build our robust students might go homeschool but they might use our online programming so many so there's I mean there's just a lot of
different things that are happening >> yeah it's just really hard to say >> I mean I could we lose it >> I think it stands to reason that the the less less disruptive the plan probably the less risk there is of that right some of the other plans that really upset the upgard more people might but
we can't say none question to be less disruptive. Will you still have kindergarten at all four sites next year if we end up going with this? >> So, we explored that idea.
>> Say we did that and they have siblings, we probably got to offer the sibling move. It's just like a big domino effect. Then when we talked to Ben at the bus company, he's like, "Well, it could be possible, but my bus is still going to have to pick that kid up and still going to have to go to this school
and drop them off and now drive a kid over here." So it it it became like, "Oh, if I was that parent, I'd be like, "Yeah, you know what? I'll go to Alden for a year or two and until you figure what you're doing out." So, so my my
thought again, and Paul and I talked about this, you remember at the beginning of this, we said we're going to do all this so we can have a year to plan. That really wouldn't give too much of a year to plan, right? We'd have to do something quick. Um, and it really
didn't honor what we told the community. >> There were also challenges with transportation for that. Um, and also, I mean, if you do that, you're looking for efficiencies or savings, right? Cost savings. So you'd want to move a grade level or two to try to find like again
reduce that. We're already going through a large reduction. So that would just add to that plan if we tried to go down in grade level at a site. But even as we moved them, I didn't think we found a combination where those belly buttons land to reduce staff anymore. So it
didn't make any sense really to we wouldn't get much savings out of it. It cost more for transportation. We had a whole lot on. So we we analyzed it a little bit. We sat down with Ben, looked at the options. Um but I think at the end of the day, it's it's probably not a
wise move for just the short term. >> Yeah. And we ran into the option of say you took a kid, say it was a Hawthorne kindergarten class and you moved it or Halver said he moved it to Hawthorne and then say you redrew the lines the next year and then that that class went back
to Hawthorne, right? You know, if my car got a I'd understand why. So because a parent would look at me and go, "Wait, you just move my kid there to move them back." >> Right? So that didn't make sense. >> Or you'd lose them, >> right? Or they just leave.
>> These guys don't know what they're doing. >> And which would be catastrophic as well. >> Accommodate everybody. Well, I mean, you never >> the options available. >> Yeah. >> Never 100% happy on all terms, but it's
>> Yeah, it just it every time I tried to not do do something different with the high school 912, it became to I'm either wrecking permanently wrecking part of a great comprehensive high school that was built that the idea was built or I'm
going to in five years we're going to be around 55% capacity. We're just living with >> a question. Are you are we proposing this plan one just plan one or what are we proposing to or the board or
what is what's going on now? >> Well, so I'll take your your feedback on that. Um I guess in my idea because I've got a few things to add for um some of the um pros and cons um that I've heard.
Um this could almost go to the board like this with saying the task force said one seemed to be the most feasible with three being a potential step down
the road. Um, >> you probably have to explain the all of it though for it to be clear why this is done. >> And that's that's my thought is you kind of have to like if I did this as a community meeting, I may not spend as
much time going through each one to get to what then the recommendation is and then talk about go back to the recommendation and talk about it. But I I don't know that I can present just one to the board and have other
board members say, "Well, what else was there?" >> Yeah. >> Trust me, they want >> I want to be privately on that, right? It doesn't seem transparent. >> I also think that it's important that the voices that we are hearing from community sessions, task force, surveys
is still present in what we are putting together to so if somebody that did contribute in some capacity um sits in watches, follows, reads about a board meeting where this is presented and hope that we're at least hitting on
um the majority of the voices guiding these plans, right? So, I think we don't want to miss that. We don't want people to contribute say they didn't even listen to us. We we did, right? Um we brought all that forward. I think it's important to try to make sure it's
included um and discussed at the board level. >> So, how would you present? So like us sitting here understand this. I'll present it to whole room just filled with kindergarteners, you know, like you
you're going to have people that are like, wait a second, how did you get to, you know, you got to if I was walking in as a community member, I'm like, >> I don't understand any of that. So I do know hits on our website was
not in the last month and a half but when we were kind of going through it and people knew this was going on hits to the website were up in that area. So I do know people in the community have been looking at this and now bear in mind could be all the teachers right or
or or staff. We just don't know. It could be the same person going back to it 18 times a day. But um so I do know and I have emails from community members. Um, and I can tell you the majority of the emails I got from community members were trying to figure
out how to keep everything the same and just move people around, which doesn't really help the capacity issue. Um, that being said, I hear a lot of rumors too, right? Like I because I'm here, I'm at Walmart more
than I'm at IV. So, um, so I do hear stuff, you know, people talking about stuff. Not all the time. Um, I wish it was all the time. Then it' be like, "Hey, cool. We're doing something good, right? People are talking about it." But, um, I think it's
I think people have to see all three of these and have to understand why the conclusion came to the 712 to understand that. So there might have to be a slide or two more with numbers in it and the projections so people
understand like these are the numbers that are but it's hard I mean you guys saw them this is the first meeting we haven't had those projected numbers in so you saw them every meeting of how those work um some people see them for 30 seconds and then I expect them to
kind of know that but um I think it's how you explain that and then how you move forward more importantly of what everybody Everybody's saying it's if we're going to say a 712, the reason why I've been working on the high school with this so long is I'm
going to have to be able to show them if like say if we put the seven and eighth grade on a six period day, this is what that looks like and this is what a 4x4 or the current eight period looks like and here is how they stay separated and here's where those are.
>> I would also say um we certainly didn't do it because you all know it but almost have to do it at a board meeting. Kind of started at the beginning, right? Tell the whole story like we did at some of the community meetings that you Right. And I that kind of goes without saying, but we wouldn't have wasted your time. And I think your point to it is for the
712, you can't just talk about it because it physically fits. >> Right. >> Right. The rationale can't be only because it physically fits. Right. >> You can reverse it. You can say put all the elementary and use the elementary schools for the seven, right? 7 8 9 10 11 12, right? But
now you don't have all the stuff a comprehensive high school has, they have no shot, >> right? So, so I mean it just >> So then would you explain the transition and so if we got down the road where plan one now we got to transition into
plan three what that looks like for the K through fours >> cut >> well but when you explain that to us I don't know if I'm the only one but like you know that made smooth transition thought process of how you did that
>> generally That's the HVAC system since I've been in here. >> Okay. >> She just kicked in >> because I can hear it right there. But >> I don't see it on the >> uh So, you'd mentioned a couple of times
that uh what the school board choose, which elementary school the school board chooses to close. Are we making a recommendation or that's up to them? >> We're not I don't think Yeah, I don't think we're there. I think I think
>> No. And if you >> Well, I would I would say that or first of all, it needs to be said that the last meeting we had was the most robust discussion I think we had as a group looking at options. And I think these
proposals one through three have captured what we were talking about our last meeting. I don't think it's the school board necessarily choosing a building. I think we're going to we're going to expect Paul and you to come up with the data
and perhaps make a recommendation >> and a lot comes down to whether so one we're going to look at boundaries and banding versus not banding makes a huge difference. So what I think which model you choose start going down there the other part we got to look at is if you
can sell the sites or if you can lease the sites if there's community partner that's going to help. Um, so I think there's a lot more analysis before you start targeting that. Um, >> this step next, right? Yeah. >> Pick a direction. >> Then we can start being intelligent
about how we're going to select which one. And I think we might get a lot of that out of our listening sessions too over the next I don't know how many months that got planned for that scheme, but we need some more community input on those. No matter which one it goes is going to be disappointment somewhere.
>> It's going to be a challenge. I don't think it's going to be an easy decision, but I I think that's where the analysis will begin is when you identify the >> I think it's going to come down to numbers, projected numbers, how we can, right? I I don't want it to just be an
emotional thing. Oh, we perceive because everybody says it, we perceive Lake View as a million-doll property and then we're going to have all this money, right? The average school, the average school sells for a dollar, >> right? So I I think it's got to be
looked at and then realistic too. >> So u I don't know if the feeling is a consensus but I felt that as a task force this was going to be the conclusion of our meetings
>> but now after those statements I don't think so. Um so if these steps one of these plans goes to the board and then the analysis comes on the the elementary buildings will we still be involved in that
probably be direction of the board. So the board may say Steve go out and get the information come back with the information. the board will say, "We want you to take this information to the task force." Then he'll probably get an email from me saying, "Hey, the board's
asked or want you to have these wants information back from me because he studied it. Do you mind getting back together?" >> Because the data we had from the four elementaryaries being ridiculously close in value, it'd be a very tough decision to decide
which one's the best to close. Zoning, like you said, Paul probably contributing factor. Um, But then I don't recall at least our last meeting I had missed a few but I don't think we had a discussion on a potential of two buildings closing. So
that's pretty significant hearing that tonight. >> So >> I'm I'm down the road 10 12 years. >> Yeah. >> So David did I So I think going back to our objectives and goals of this group too. I don't think we ever set on the path to try and pinpoint
what specific we were going to analyze the data and talk about plans and recommendations provide to administration and school board but I I'm hoping for the group that we weren't trying and no one wants to wear that either right of like we
chose which building that's that's going to be a very unpopular thing and we don't want to put that on any of you right but I think what we are trying to do is come up with a goal to help us with our long-term plan right what recommendations can guide so we can evolve and serve our students the best
with the facilities we have. So I think we're close with our recommendations. Um and I think in a general sense and I think I can speak for Steve and our school board is we want to keep people involved in the voice of how to make that decision but at some point it's
just going to have to be administrative and all right so where when does it but I think as we go through and start thinking about these plans more analysis to it. We are going to be more >> when we get 10 12 years down the road we
might be in the position where our special ed services that we co-op with Austin and when I quote say close a building it might be that a building shifts because we can pull those services back or does the district does a district move to the
co-op model with the co-op and then the we offer the co-op a building to rent from us. those kind of things. So like what it could be a different story 10 to 12 years. >> Then my last question is uh with these
three proposals is there an amount estimated that each plan will save the district because uh the each elementary building was ballpark we close one down is $150,000 annually saved for the
district. 500 500 >> 625 is >> that what it was >> close to 600 >> you get it >> so that was based off of a generalization we didn't use a specific name of building or give specifics which one we use or which ones
>> but it would be closer to 550,000 600 generate um but I think that as we start coming up with ideas that's going to come in we can look specifically right get more specific >> these these three plans on in that lens are actually
pretty close in cost savings, right? Probably the bandit is more staff savings. Well, we heard about the transportation, right? But then the individual building you close will like lead to the exact savings, right? Especially from a transportation perspective.
Plan three seems a little rough for me for the fourth graders that are like eight, nine, just like randomly on their own and like the staffing that that would require with and different things and then they're just randomly on their own for a while and you got to move them again and
they're like this young little grade and most consistency is K3 and 712 and then in the middle it's just kind of chaos but those years like three feels weird to me. >> Yeah, >> we tried that one for a few years. We had all of our sixth graders at
Brookside and it was an isolated I think situation that wasn't a popular choice after a period of time and I think there's parts of it that are unidal. I agree with you. It's like
right now on paper it doesn't fit in a K4 and it would make Southwest slightly too full right now, but it might work five years from now. Right. But if there's an awkwardness of that kind of one grade doesn't hit an option be very
nice immediately. I I agree with you. It's not perfect. >> I think that's important to important to point out as well when you're going through this. I don't like that. >> That's a lot. I agree.
>> Seems almost like too >> Yeah. When you have this and you look at option three, it's like why would you do three if you >> when you could do right >> if you could do this and there's less >> like a little worse than you know. I think it'll be real important on any of
these plans to really show what you believe is going to happen to section size in the elementary because we already have significant competition
with other schools that are in either in the community or close to the community. And you know, I think if if I'm a parent, I've got in elementary. The last thing I want is my kid in class 28.
>> Even though that's how maybe that's what it's going to be, but I'd prefer not to. And if I've got an option to go somewhere where I can have my kid in class of 16, I might consider that. So, I I get that there'll be some savings
through efficiencies, but I think it'd be important to assure people, reassure people that we're not looking at 33 kids in third grade, your third grade section. >> There's right now that counted. They were at 30.
>> We were at 303. Sure. 22 would be better. But I guess you know a little bit more. >> That's what I'm saying. We want to show that so that take that off the table. >> I don't think you all realize how much
work that was. a lot of thought for us to sit down. There wasn't a lot of Paul and I um we'll just kind of think about what people said and we were able to go back and see what people said. We were able
to go back and see what you said. We go back and and do all that. So survey community, our conversations, every time we met, so this isn't easy to do, but it made it a lot easier by having all of your input.
So I can't thank you enough. >> Well, I think that community survey was also important. Unfortunately, the numbers were significantly low compared to our population. And the other unfortunate thing is that those who didn't get engaged throughout the community, they're the ones who are
going to piss about these significant changes. >> Um, and we don't know. We know that we need to do something. This might be the solution, but it might not be. But Do you know when the recommend when the
board presentation might be? >> Well, kind of what I what I gather from everybody probably. >> Yeah. Well, because I kind of want to get it going because I'm going to have to start. We're going to have to work with the board. We're going have to start talking to the community. Um,
>> since we are talking about a school, there's stuff with MDE that we have to start to do. It just doesn't happen. So, and that's also going to be the first press coverage we're able to have, too, >> which it's >> to get this out earlier. >> I've had the press here every time.
>> I was gutsy enough to invite her. >> I have a question. Um, as far as like the high school model, um, would it make it any more palatable or any difference at all if we, uh, looked at the middle
school models was like 7, 8, 9 and the high school 10, 11, 12 or I don't know exactly where the ninth grade is with >> Yeah. So >> that and and as far as like where their
um classes go towards for upper education as well. >> Yeah. Kind of when when Sean and I really started to map out like where could you put a group that kind of isolated and and we kind of went
to one of the the e-wings or e- houses or whatever call it. It works perfect for two grade levels. If you add a third it kind of >> now you kind of get So >> that just might be one question somebody have. No, it's a great question.
>> So, any of your thoughts, if you come up with pros and cons, any other stuff, please email me, let me know. Um, I can This only gets better with the more voices that are in it, the more questions that are asked, the more suggestions that are there. Um, if
anybody wants wants to be there and say anything about on the task force and love to have a couple of do talk um to the board at that point. Um I can run through it. I can work with one or two people. We can team it. Three of us can work through it however we want to do
that. Um or however you see best fit. Um but the invitation's there. Doesn't have to just be Steve doing it all. >> At six or at seven people is at five. >> I was going to say it's at five. Oh, is
it a work session? >> You're doing this on Monday. >> I 20th at 5:00. >> I emailed the PDF of the slides to everybody on the calendar invite today. So, it should have hit an email. And then I wanted to note that there's a typo on the upper bound of this 2030 and
2031. We will be fixing that before it goes to the board presentation. So, it should have been a 350 on the upper on those. >> I saw a couple typos in there building. >> All right. Thank you all. I really,
really appreciate it.