[snorts] Great. Welcome to Thursday, January 8th, 2026. Our meeting, a joint meeting of the school committee and the select board. I'd like to call to order the meeting of the school committee. >> Would you like to call your >> um do I need to call to order if we don't have quorum?
>> Oh, maybe not. We don't have a quorum. >> Yeah. Can we check Zoom? >> Okay. >> Hold just for a moment. >> I think we're pulling up Zoom as Y. I know Bill was going to try to do Zoom. Zoom. >> Do you need to call your meeting to order?
>> If Bill If Bill's on Zoom. >> Bill's on. >> No quorum. >> No quorums. Okay, we're good. Let's stand for the pledge to pledge of allegiance. I can't even talk tonight. [laughter] >> To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it
stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Great. like >> if Bill's there then he should call our meeting to order. >> Is Bill there? >> I thought they said no one >> member of
>> Oh, there is. Have a Can you hear me? >> Right. >> Oh, there is Bill. Hi, Bill. >> Hello. >> Would you like to call the meeting to order? >> Yes, we will call appropriation committee meeting to order in sign language. >> All right. >> Can you hear me?
>> Not barely. Yeah, we'll call our meeting to order. Right. >> Great. Thank you. We're so glad to have the appropriations committee and the select board with us this evening to talk about um our fiscal 27 budget. Um
I'm seeing no one for public comment. There's no one online for public comment. Great. We will move forward. I'm [snorts] going to call for school committee recognitions. Oh, well, first of all, I'd like to recognize the school committee for
supporting me the past few months. Um, and I understand that there are some community members have voiced concerns over several absences in my attendance virtually. To bait those concerns, I am sharing
publicly that I have been undergoing treatment for two types of cancer since late summer, early fall. >> [snorts] >> I want to publicly thank my fellow committee members and the district's leadership for maintaining the confidentiality I asked of them when I
shared my condition. That speaks volumes about their personal and professional values. Wednesday, my oncologist, Dana Farber, shared the good news that my PET scan revealed that both the esophageal and lung cancers are virtually gone. I'm not
quite out of the woods yet because I may still have to undergo an esophagectomy which could mean my need to resign from the committee since it appears to be such a gruesome surgery. So that hopefully will explain to the
concerned citizens of Hopington why I have not been here um in person for the past few months. We thank you very much, Susan, and are so overjoyed that you have gotten great results and should let everybody know
that we value every single member on the on the school committee. We all bring unique um perspectives to the school committee. Um that helps with our deliberation. We I especially value Susan's um former um experience as a classroom teacher. that brings a great
perspective to the school committee and would love to let people know that throughout her illness, Susan has been in direct contact with me, including texting me from the hospital um during certain times and has been attending committee meetings that are not in
public view. Is there any other recognitions that we'd like this evening? >> I would like to offer a recognition of Susan. I I think that this has obviously been a difficult time in your life personally. I and I appreciated that I I think I don't think to my knowledge
there was a meeting that you missed that you were on virtually. I know there was one where there was difficulty with audio, but the fact that you were going through um all of this personally and still putting forward contributing things both here at the table as well as things behind the scenes that you do is
a liaison I think really speaks volume to your um your work ethic and I appreciate that. Um, I also want to make sure that people in the public are aware that if they have concerns about any of the five of us that certainly um, we are open to
hearing from people directly. Uh, people can reach us our website through the district website. They can reach the entire school committee by finding the email there or or certainly email any one of us individually. Um, so not that you should have to feel
compelled to give out personal information, but certainly if people had person or people I don't I don't know who the person or people are, but had had some concern certainly they could have been allayed. So thank you for your continued hard work.
Any other comments? Great. [clears throat] We are now going to open Oh, exactly. It's 7:05. I love this. Um, public hearing. Um, does anybody want to make a motion? >> Um, I move to open the public hearing regarding the FY27 budget. >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> I I >> Great. I don't see anybody from the public that has come to speak. So, I think we'll go forward with the presentation. >> Okay. Great. Excellent. So, let's just
pull it up here on the screen. Uh, good evening everyone and happy new year. It's nice to see you all. Uh I appreciate the opportunity to walk through the uh recommended FY27 budget once again tonight. Uh this is a slightly paired down version of the presentation that we gave on December
18th. And as I shared last time, this budget reflects a great deal of of careful planning uh in collaboration. It's grounded in data. It's shaped by my entry plan and listening tours and align with the town's broader financial expectations and realities. I want to thank our principles who are tremendous,
our directors, our central office team, especially Miss Rothermick and Mr. Leo, school committee members and our town partners. Uh this was certainly a team effort to get us to this point. And as we walk through the budget again tonight, um my hope is that the community continues to see the the plan and the vision uh that we're putting
together that helps protect what makes Hopkins special. Uh responds to the realities of what we're seeing in our classrooms, in our schools, and the and positions us responsibly for what's ahead. So I'll briefly uh revisit the process once again. Uh the development began back in late summer and early fall
alongside uh capital planning and early uh coordination with the town. From there we moved into enrollment projections uh capital requests through CIC uh and [snorts] a detailed presentation from each principal and department leader to the school committee uh over the months of November
and December. uh each step included time for questions uh refinement discussion uh not just internally but but publicly and so tonight represents just another checkpoint in our process. Uh our next meeting on January 22nd as you see up on the screen the school committee will be voting on the budget and then of course
our meeting [snorts] is in May. And the purpose of showing this timeline once again is just to reinforce that this budget has been built thoughtfully trying to be as transparent as possible uh and with the opportunities for input along the way. So before looking ahead, I think it's important to zoom out a moment. This
slide shows our annual percentage increases of the school operating budget going back to FY20. Uh over the past seven years, the average annual increase has been about 5.84% with some natural variation yeartoyear. One important context point that I know we've mentioned a number of times as we
discussed the FY27 budget uh is historically our operating budget did not include the special education reserve nor certain financial uh software costs that are now required to sit in the school's uh operating budget. Uh and these two items alone roughly add up to about 1.7%
uh to the bottom line before we even begin building the FY27 budget. So which is just an important lens of information for people to have as we start comparing year after-year numbers. May I ask a question? >> Sure. >> Does that mean previously you didn't
have to include the money from the reserve and the cost of the financial software? >> It just wasn't in the school's operating budget. It was in the town's budget. >> Got it. Oh, it's part of [clears throat] Okay. >> Yeah. Just shifting into our >> You're referring to like the payroll software the town moved to. Yep. And the schools are staying in that. That's like
the long-term plan. [snorts] >> We're staying with Mus. I don't know Susan if you want. We're >> staying there. We're staying. Yeah. Okay, moving on to the next slide. Uh numbers are also important is is it helps us ground our conversation in some reality. So at the at the close of our uh 2425 school year, when it comes to
enrollment, uh our prek to 12 enrollment stood at 4,237 students. Uh the projection for June of 26, the end of this school year is 4377 students. And for June of 27, it's up to 4532
students. Uh we are currently tracking about a 100 students below the June 26 projection. Uh which is typical at this point of the year given expected moveins and transfers uh throughout the district. These figures come from Dr. Wagman's 2023 projections. Uh which has
historically been within about 60 to 100 students of actuals. So making it a pretty reliable uh planning tool for us. From a staffing perspective, we employ approximately 602 educators, including 370 teachers. Uh we serve a growing and increased diverse population with 46
languages spoken across our district. In nearly [snorts] a quarter of our students come from homes where English is not the primary language. Important to note, next year the middle school will bring together our three largest cohorts, uh resulting in the highest middle school enrollment that we've seen in a while. Uh but despite
all this growth, Hopkin continues to maintain a strong uh student teacher ratio and I know we we hang our hat on this. We spend well below the state average on per pupil expenditures as well while still achieving really strong academic outcomes. As with any school budget, several key
drivers shape the overall picture. First is enrollment, like we just talked about and meeting our student needs. That's always the starting point and most important. Uh second uh special education costs and services. Uh student needs continue to increase and compliance is not optional. Uh third is transportation and essential service
with rising costs largely outside of the district's control. Uh and finally our contractual obligations or like we call it the people who make our schools function every day. Uh these drivers create the baseline reality that every budget must respond to. But in addition to that, um my entry plan and listening
tour surfaced some consistent themes that have helped build this budget as well. We're seeing consistent behavioral complexities across our grades uh with discipline referrals up 20 to 30% or more in some schools. There are clear needs around our elementary literacy alignment uh and ESOL services at the
lower levels. Uh certain cohortdriven class sizes like we just talked about at the middle school are becoming difficult to sustain without intervention. uh student mental health and well-being continues to require intentional support uh and facility expansion uh particularly uh with the addition at
Hopkins uh and Charleswood on the horizon uh requires thoughtful staffing adjustments on our end. So these findings help shape our overall uh FY27 budget proposals. What I'm referring to is our focused investments.
All new investments in this budget align to four priority areas. special education, instructional costs tied to enrollment growth, instructional program enhancements, and core operations. And this slide brings together all of the new investments uh which I walked
through previously. Uh so I won't go back uh step by step. I'll focused on the why rather than the line by line detail. Uh in total, we're proposing um 535,762 in new targeted investments. Every new personnel request on this slide falls
into one of those four priority areas. Positions like the intensive teacher at Hopkins, uh the pair of professionals at the Marathon School and the middle school, uh the reading interventionist at the middle school, the part-time Esau position uh in support at Marathon are all about meeting students where they
are uh and doing so early, appropriately, and in district whenever possible. Uh from a program and staffing perspective, we are protecting the quality of core experiences, whether that's keeping related arts classes a little bit lower in the middle school, preserving athletic opportunities through co-ops at the high school, or
ensuring our schools have leadership capacity needed to support student staff and school climate at the high school. Uh and operationally, the custodian investment acknowledges that schools don't just run on instruction alone. Clean uh well-maintained buildings and sustainable workloads really matter. uh
and addressing those needs proactively at Elmwood and ultimately as as Charleswood comes on board is more responsible than reacting later at the potential higher cost. So taken all together uh these focus investments allow us to stabilize our systems to protect programs uh and their quality
and position our school district well for the future uh while maintaining mindful of the obligations of the broader town financial picture. Uh so with that I'm going to turn now over to Miss Rothermick to go through the numbers. >> Um >> yes, >> Mr. question. Um, special education, are we
finding that um, [clears throat] new members of that cohort are new arrivals in the district? Are we finding like diagnosing as as they get through the classroom further up?
>> Yeah, I would say it's a little bit of both. >> Okay. >> Yeah, it's tough to put a percentage on that, but [snorts] we we've certainly have had some moveins that are students on IEPs. Um we've come a few times recently and talk a little bit about adding some pair of professional supports for students that are coming in on IEPs. Uh but other times that students that we have worked with go
through the testing process and and are >> thanks. >> Yep. You got it. >> Okay. So moving uh again into the numbers. Um the FY26 general fund operating budget was 66 million uh.7. the special education
reserve was a million 94. Both of those lines, while they were separate on the sources and uses um document, both of those lines represented expenditures of the 26 budget. So that's why you see them um
added together for the 26 base operating budget of 67,869,000. The FY27 salary increase of 3.6 million of 5.4 4% increase and the expense increase of 297,000 which is a44%
increase. So the total increase for FY27 is the 3.9 million at 5.84 for a net operating budget of 71,836,488. So there was a question um trying to follow along with what's on my screen
here too. So there was a question last time in terms of confusion around the numbers. So I just want to remind everyone that in 2026 the school's budget basically was represented on two lines. What was in
the general fund operating budget and then the special education reserve. even though it was two lines, both of those lines represented existing expenses of the operating budget. Now, in FY27,
both of those lines will just be on one line. So, if you're comparing lineto line from the sources and uses, it's a 7.6%. However, that's not an applesto apples um comparison. So you really do need to
look at both lines in total which is the 5.84%. So hopefully that makes it a little more clear for everyone. Again looking at the operating offsets
um the decrease uh use for FY27 it is a decrease of 628,000. Looking at just the salaries, contractual obligations represent 3.1 million increase in the staff requests that you heard from Mr. Bishop a minute
ago of 535,000. [clears throat] So the total salary increase again is 3.6 million. So when you break that out again into those buckets that we spoke about a minute ago, special education increase
for salary is 150,000 that is three uh FTEES instructional cost and enrollment growth of 88,000 which is the one FTE instructional program enhancements of 115,000
1.5 FTE and support of 181,000 which two FTEES. Moving into the expenses, again, adding in the expenses from 26 that were housed in that line of the reserve, the
increase for 27 is 297,000. Breaking those down into those same uh buckets, contractual inflation and current services, the increase is 383,000. Student services has a decrease of 216,000.
Instructional cost, enrollment growth, and replacement cycles, an increase of 130,000. Going into those buckets a little further for contractual inflation and current services, transportation contract uh as well as regular
transportation and athletic transportation increases 198,000. technology which represents software, special education, software, course offerings and inflation the increase is 132,000
regular education which are supplies inflation and textbooks at 13,000 and miscellaneous others at 38,000. >> I'm sorry. >> Yep. The last time we had talked about this, we had discussed that textbooks
were more of a capital expense. We had a lengthy conversation about the fact that we don't buy paper textbooks anymore. I'm surprised to see this as an inclusion in the operational budget given the conversation we had last year and the rather compelling point that you made that they could not be considered as such.
>> So these are what would be considered the trade books that are within classrooms. So, they're small oneoffs, you know, like five books of or five uh copies of one reading book. And I
>> Jeff would come Mr. Lebr would come up with a better uh so these are smaller oneoff as opposed to a wholesale textbook replacement which is different and you and you are correct. That is the [clears throat] conversation we had. >> I appreciate it. I wanted to make sure I was remembering correctly and that makes
sense to me. Thank you. So moving into student student services, I apologize again. It's a decrease of 216,000. And I want to reiterate to the community, this is not a reduction in services. It is a transfer of some of
the offsets into the student services account. So transportation increased 3601,000. However, tuitions decreased 560,000 and that is a result of increasing the
an increased offset from circuit breaker of 415,000 and a reallocation of grant um the [clears throat] idea grant of 223,000. technology. Again, we transferred 20,000
of uh software for student services into the technology budget. That was part of their increase. And then just some other small decreases. And then instructional costs again uh curriculum 70,000 small amount in
textbooks but also in Esau curriculum building and grounds 52,000 which represents equipment replacements mostly and vocational education which is your Norfolk agricultural um enrollment.
So when we put together both the increases for salary and expense into those same buckets, contractual inflation and current services, the increase amount is 3.5 million which is 5.18%.
Special education again is a decrease of 66,000.1%. Instructional costs and enrollment growth 219,000.32%. Instructional program enhancements 115,000.17%. Administration support and facility
enhancements 181,000.27% for a total increase of 5.84. All right. So, that wraps up kind of the the numbers portion. This is just the last slide before uh we open it uh up for questions. And I certainly won't read it all, but I think it's an important uh slide for us to take a look at. And I just want to reiterate that we
built this budget with [snorts] with a lot of focus, care, and restraint. Um what you what we haven't talked about tonight but we did on the 8th of December is how many asks were brought to the table in our conversations before coming to all of you that we had to cut uh that didn't make it to this this this
this presentation uh a lot of things that would have been useful right but we were trying to make sure that we were mindful of the town's guidance of the financial picture and try to make sure that we focus on what we felt was the most important things to add uh and so you know we feel strongly that this this budget protects what's working well in Hopington responds directly with what
we're seeing and our schools and and prepares us thoughtfully for for what's ahead. And um you know we we we use that line at the bottom. It's not just a budget. It's a commitment to every child here in the Hopington public school. So >> I really like that. >> So happy to answer any questions anybody
has. >> Any questions? Appropriations. >> Um do you guys have a view on like next year capital projects like the request? I know you guys cut some things, but you know, I think as we all know the town financial situation, um I'd love to just spend a minute on
kind of a quick snapshot of those things. I know kind of left out in >> fiveyear preview. >> Yeah. >> Of what's coming for the next >> couple of years will pull it up. >> She's very good. [laughter] >> We're prepared.
One of the other uh while she's pulling this up that we have discussed is the HVAC concerns at the middle and the high school particularly the middle school being as it's >> for next year the big one right >> um so that that involves a lot of
consideration and thought in how we're doing. The good news is we've been um under budget on our school building projects. >> So hoping to remain >> they're not done yet. [laughter] I'm not done yet, but
positive thoughts. >> Would you like me to put this up? >> Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you. >> Can we take the teleprompter off and do an Apple TV? >> We'd love our partners, H, [clears throat] that are so willing to pivot on a moment's notice.
[snorts] and bring us cookies. >> I can bring us I was going to mention that, but the people watching at home might be a little sad. >> Brown butter or something? >> Yes. Brown butter, chocolate chip cookies. We all got >> if you would come to the meeting. [laughter] [snorts]
>> Is that the latest thing you're cooking is browning your butter? >> Yeah. >> All right. Here is our capital plan. >> All right. So, this shows um the next five years, and you'll see the the big line that is highlighted in yellow,
which is the HVAC districtwide. We had a vendor come in and do an energy study for the high school, the middle school, and touched on um Marathon as well. So, we are looking at that energy study,
which I'll bring you to in a minute. Um, so you can see what is in the capital request for 27 28. Um, so the classroom furniture, let me see if I can get to a
this breaks it down kind of by um, uh, bucket if you will. So, the equipment in 27 and 28 is getting after what is in the middle school, desks, chairs, the whiteboards, and really trying to get a
refresh of that building. Um, that'll be somewhat of a a building that has not been touched in a long time. >> Do you happen to know the last time it was really kind of touched up or anything? Uh in terms of desks and chairs, it we
have actually taken desks and chairs from other schools that are getting rid of their. So when other schools declare surplus, we have actually gone in and grabbed their things, which is why the classrooms look like a yard sale because
they are. >> And by other schools, you mean out of our district? >> Correct. Correct. >> Yeah. It's not like Elwood's death, the middle school. That was they'd be a little small. >> I wanted to make sure people at home knew that. >> Yeah. >> The school committee had the um privilege of sitting in some desks
Monday night at the high school and can verify that they are quite old. >> Yes. [laughter] >> Well, some of the desks that are in our middle school are from are dated from when that building was a high school. That gives you a little bit >> which was >> pre 1998. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah.
>> Yeah. When the high school was built in 01, I believe. >> High school. Yeah. 01. I think the first year was Yeah, I think >> 01 Hopkins open. >> So that's what you see in the next two
years in terms of trying to address um the the [clears throat] middle school um refresh building and grounds. These are tractors. Some of some are their um uh the work trucks. So that that's a couple of years. roof replacements in 2029.
Um, the middle school and high school have solar panels on there. Their installation was 2009. So, the 20-year term of the PPA is 2029. The way the PPA reads is they will come
and remove those panels. We don't want to be responsible for those panels. When they remove them, we need to fix the roofs. Those are panels that were installed with penetrations. That's different than installation that
happens currently. The installations that happen now are weighted um panels as opposed to screwing into the roof and causing penetrations. So when we remove those panels, you'll need to replace the
roofs. So that's the big thing for 2029. Other than the high school, I recall being one of the ones with the pennet. Is there anywhere else that has them? >> And middle school. Middle school. >> Yep. So, it's it's partial on high school, partial on middle school. We
have new solar installations. It happened in 23 that added more to the high [clears throat] school and to the middle school. But again, those are weighted installations. So, it's different. And you'll have another 20-year term on those. So
>> Susan, do we buy or lease the building and grounds equipment? >> We buy >> we buy it. >> We buy it. >> And that's all replacement cost or is that maintenance fixing old machines? >> These are replacement costs.
>> Replacement. >> Yep. >> When you get into uh 2028, um Whoops. Sorry. This is awesome. >> Uh the cafeteria, kitchen and servery uh things to be discussed in 28 and 30 is
moving towards putting a dishwashing um system within the middle school and the high school. The high school would be first. Uh half of that project can be funded through the school lunch revolving account and half would be looked to um be part of a an article of
some type. Putting in the dishwashing equipment then would remove all of the disposable trays that we currently do in those two schools. They will be the last two schools that use disposable trays. Marathon has a dishwasher. Hopkins will
have a dishwasher and uh Charleswood is being planned for a dishwasher. So these will be the last two schools that are fully functioning on disposable trays. Uh so that would be those future. The flooring uh the first one in 2028 is
looking at flooring again in the middle school. So if you walk through the middle school, both classrooms and hallways, the flooring is cracked. Um, some of the classrooms where we need to replace uh the furniture,
they are built-ins that are over asbestous tile. >> Oh. >> So, when we pull the those built-ins, we will need to do remediation and replace that flooring. So, um that's part of that project. And the one in 2030 is
looking at your athletic center um indoor track which is in okay shape mostly on the track where the starting blocks are is getting torn up which is just a matter of years of use.
So those are really the biggest ones to look at in the next [clears throat] five years to give you an idea. Happy to answer any [clears throat] questions on those. Um I can take you into the HVAC energy study if you would like.
>> Um I mean first like just you know thank you. I think is you know as I look ahead to like town meeting this spring and stuff. I think having this you know cuz you know I'd love to think that most of the residents like listen to our meetings as we go over the budget stuff
that's not so many are huge. Yeah. [laughter] >> Um, but I think, you know, we do know like the turnout at town meeting has the biggest impact on the town. And I think sharing things like this during town meetings so that we can uh whether it's upfront or, you know, as we go through
what 50some articles typically on a given year, um, it's good to have perspective on, hey, like there's things that, you know, the schools need, the rest of the town need over the next couple of years. I think we lose track of that sometimes. So, I appreciate you bringing this up and just highlighting
that for everyone. Yeah. And I know that um it has been presented to the CIC and possibly the select board using a different software system. So it may have looked a little different than what I'm showing you. >> Yeah.
>> This is how it was presented to the school committee. >> Yeah. And I think this is a great way to present it. Especially again I'm thinking more about town meeting than like our own individual meetings and how we can get this to the most people that are essentially going to vote on some of these capital projects over the next couple of years. Yep.
>> So, thank you. >> Excel is always swell. You never need to apologize for that. [laughter] >> It's interesting. I I was talking to a friend of mine who um [snorts] lives in a different uh place and he was talking about their school committee that chose
to ignore roof problems and now they're looking at millions and millions and millions of dollars. And it's like it you the little things eventually add up to way big when you ignore them. like in
your homes and stuff. >> Hback I think >> example of that >> if we have problems with the HVAC we're going to have big problem >> especially like coming later and later in the year >> I had I had one other question as well
if I could indulge at your discretion here. >> So you I really appreciate that you broke out the salary increases being contractual versus non-contractual. I've only been in this role for six months and I'm very quickly learning that much of my frustration is beyond the pale of consideration because they are
contracts. And so I put my hand up and acknowledge what I do want to ask and I'm asking following where Cher Clark was going about just the actual financial deficit. Thank you F1. The financial deficit coming to the town. So we know as of right now there's about a 15 to20 million budget shortfall for
next year. Schools don't own that. The town owns that. But it's safe to say some amount of it is going to end up proportionally spread across all of us unless we come up with a wildly creative solution. And boy, do I hope we do so that I don't have to ask the next question. I want to
at least ask about what I'm seeing is an expansion of headcount. I started with the contractual in the union for a reason. Contractual in the union is hard to wind down if we find ourselves in a position of needing to make hard decisions and discussions next year. So with no challenge to what you've put
before us and understanding the diligence has gone into it, I just want to ask are those discussions or plans at least potentially underway from your perspective about how we might approach needing to not necessarily reduce headcount because I can't tell you what to do and I will not dain to do so, but
what it looks like to try and manage the reality of our situation next year given that you are expanding potentially irreovable financials. So there so there's a lot there's a lot to it. Um we're looking to really only
target expansion where it is absolutely needed. Um so you can see by the requests for this year. Um special education really was the the biggest piece of it. >> I was trying to put the slide back up.
Um we need to hold on. there. Takes a little while. Apologize. Um, so if we go to when you look at our requests, [laughter] >> sorry dizzy. >> Yep. I know.
So when you when you look at these requests, the 150,000 in in special education again is very targeted. It's addressing students that are here today that that we need to address um as well
as the um reading intervention at the middle school. So, [snorts] these are current existing um students that are here today that that we are supporting um with these increases. So, we're being
very mindful of and careful of what we're adding. >> Okay. >> Yeah, >> we're being mindful that we still have services to provide for today and [snorts] we're going to deal with the problem tomorrow. Tomorrow. >> Yep. >> I also want to take this opportunity. I I know I made this comment at I think
our last um December meeting that this is one of the I I think the first and only year I can recall where we came in under what the guidance was. I know that it you know you when we all met together we talked about 7 and a half% which seemed like at the time you know we
always had this oh my gosh can we do it can't we but because we built from the ground up and because um we have such a talented team um putting it together when working with so many people that we don't even see here this came together this year in a better position so it's you know I think we
always build from the ground up and we'll see what happens next year But I always when I think about headcount, I always I I get a little bit nervous because I worry about I don't want to see class sizes increase. >> Y and I want to be so clear. I'm offering zero suggestions or commentary [laughter]
about how it happens. You are the empowered and elected >> officials here. >> We have a lot of requirements, legal requirements in special education services and >> class size and services. >> Last last thought here quickly and thank you so much for sharing. You you
mentioned 20 to 30% discipline referral. That really caught me and surprised me and I know that's independent from the budget. Maybe it's a topic, Kyla, for you and our broader boards to talk about. I would love to know how we can be partnering with you on that because that's not simply owned by the schools. That that's the community. Some of that,
yes, is the environment and the circumstances they're going to encounter there. Some of that's home and some of that's the town that we are also in charge of helping you lead. So, I really do want to be a partner and a resource there. If we can help influence that without spending money with a little bit of community leadership, I think that's important for us to acknowledge.
>> Yep. And I appreciate that and I think there's a lot of conversations around that I'm having with principles and assistant principles or usually the folks who kind of deal with that kind of behavior on the on the ground floor. Um, you know, we'd have a SEAL task force. I know we talk a lot about social emotional learning. Uh, and some people might roll their eyes because they hear
that term so much, but so it is so important that we put a lot of investment into that and work with our students uh, and our staff. Uh and so we have a task force working right now to kind of come up with what are some things that we can do next year uh that's not going to add to the budget but just to try to uh you know really approach this in a way that we can try
to bring those numbers down whether it's restorative practices uh which all of our administrators and a lot of our staff are trained on. There's a lot of things behind the scenes that we're we're trying to put in place but it is a concerning number for us as well. Thank you. Would that be something that would be um
kind of good to to to share it at a a committee meeting and kind of >> break down for us what the kinds of things are going on because I'm sure there are a lot of parents who have no concept of >> the kinds of things that are happening
are disruptive. >> Absolutely. Great point. Thank you. Something that I noticed um when we were doing the search to replace Abby Hanscom, who was wonderful uh and we hired Jessica Bey, who also seems amazing, was that um Mrs. Bey spoke a
lot about the value of maximizing our ability to educate our students in district whenever possible. >> And that's super important from a universal design for learning perspective. It's important from a kids learn best when they're with their peers. It's a best practice when we talk
about our typical learners being with their peers who need support. And it's a huge cost-saving measure when we're able to provide services in district. And not to say that when students need out of district, it's somehow a burden. Um,
when it's necessary, it's necessary. >> But something I really appreciated when we were doing the interviews was how Mrs. BD spoke so eloquently about how important it is to her to be able to support children in their home district whenever possible. Um, >> we've seen some changes already that
have spoken right to that and she's been able to do that. the way she's restructured the special education department and added programs in in district. >> And even the simple cost of the transportation, >> like the specialized transportation from a home to a school that's
>> 5 6 7 8 9 10 is astronomical. and being able to keep those children in their home district on the same schedule as their siblings. >> It supports so much good >> in our district as well as our budget. >> It also says a lot to our families in
the community that are putting their faith in us to be educate their children in district. >> Okay. >> Mike. >> Yeah. I just want to first of all thank you for I showing this slides again. So
now I have a better idea and thank you Miss Rothermitch for putting that clarifying slide with the special education reserve that makes things a lot clearer. Um that that 7.5% you know we're appropriations committee looking at the big picture for the whole town and uh and it's still good news I
believe. I don't think it has changed. I haven't heard anything if our the town's numbers have changed about the the gap, but it seemed like we're pretty close in December and I'm hoping we're still pretty close now, but that is a good sign and uh but I'm hoping we can move forward and uh make this work out. That
would be great. >> Great. Thank you. >> I just want to make sure we check with Bill in case he had any questions. >> Yes. Bill, do you have any questions? >> Yes. Um I just want to make sure Jean, you're okay. Uh do you have a question? No, I don't. Thank you. I just we I don't want to forget you.
>> The appropriate Thank you. very tight. [laughter] >> I I I do have a couple questions, I think, for Mr. Bishop. Just to back up, you mentioned our current enrollments about a hundred under the projection for the end of the year. So, we're at roughly 4,366.
Is that a ballpark of >> It's a ballpark. Yep. Yep. >> Okay. And I know there's always been confusion because I've been involved in a lot of different the school committees here where uh whether Mr. Wegman's includes [clears throat] prek or not. Can you kind of clarify that for me?
>> We do. Yeah. It it um the numbers are prek to 12. Yep. >> So our numbers are are his numbers including prek as well. >> Yes. >> Sorry. Okay. Thank you. Um, and the other question I have for you, it looked like on that slide that the ratio of
teachers to pair professionals is about 3:1. And I'm curious, is that roughly is that similar to other school districts? That 3:1 ratio. Um, let me pull that up. Hold on one second. You're talking about the slide where we
talk about having 30 70 classroom teachers. Um the other group is also it's paraprofessionals, it's counselors, it's it's it's the whole picture of teachers related arts. So it's not just paraprofessionals, but um I you know I don't know if I can go and say I know the exact percentage, but
I would say that's probably roughly close to a percentage 3 to one when it comes to teachers and paraprofessionals. [snorts] >> Okay. I I'm just asking that what we would find in most other districts that 3:1 ratio. >> Yes, I would think so. Okay. And then my last question had to do with the the capital projects. And I
I may have misunderstood, but the 4.4 million that we're looking for in a couple of years replacing a roof. Is that solely because of the damage that will be will have happened or occurred when they take the solar panels off or is there some end of life issues there?
>> So, it is end of life as well. Those solar panels have been on there or will have been on there for 20 years. So, it will be a combination. [clears throat] >> How old was the Do you know how old the roof was when they put the solar panels? >> That I'd have to check. I I don't know.
>> I know. Sorry. >> Well, you said it was 09. >> They were placed in 09. >> We already >> Yeah, I guess that's part of my my 01 to09. You >> probably have an extra 10 years on that roof to begin with. >> Yep.
>> Okay, that's all I had. Thank you. Great. >> What? >> Oh, capital improvement. Do you have any comments? >> No, you're good. You could have also joined us. [snorts] [laughter]
>> Sorry. Okay. Having no other comments, anybody want to make a motion to close the public hearing? >> I move to close the public hearing. >> Second. >> No. All in favor? >> I. >> Great. Our public hearing on budget is closed. >> And we welcome our select board and
appropriations and capital improvement friends to stay with us. But if you would like to leave, we will not feel [laughter] you had a very busy meeting. >> I think you're going to watch from home. >> Right. >> Told us we needed to come along. So it was in my head. I wanted to come in. >> I think I heard. >> There you go. See us in person. We owe
you the same person all the time. Take care of yourself. >> And you as well. >> Thank you for coming. It's good to see you all. >> Kudos to you for fighting. It is real hard up here. That's the part we don't talk enough about. >> Exactly. >> I can see you don't need that advice from me. >> Thank you. >> I didn't lose much air today. Happy New
Year. >> Thank you, too. Happy New Year. >> All right. Moving into the superintendent's report. >> All right. Uh, if we can get the teleprompter back to the beginning of the slideshow for me. >> Oh, I have the ability to do that. [laughter]
Never mind. We're all good. All right, this is the superintendent report for January 8th. Um, this week we are settling back in and and reestablishing our routines, but at the same time pushing forward with some important work at every level in the district. And as we head into 2026,
there's a lot of positive momentum and and things happening across our district that I wanted to highlight. So, we will start at Marathon uh and some really important opportunities to strengthen our partnership with families. Uh preschool parent teacher conferences are coming up later this month and those early conversations are foundational uh
and they set the tone for communication, trust and shared understanding around student growth and trust within the district. Also at Marathon they are hosting a parent workshop on January 21st [snorts] at 6:30 uh with adjustment counselor Mr. Justin Low Water who's pictured up there
on the screen. Uh the presentation is going to be focused on supporting uh children's social emotional development. This is the second year that we are doing that. Uh we feel that these opportunities are really important in supporting families beyond the school day to remind them uh that learning and well-being are a shared effort in the community. Uh child care will be
available. Yes. >> What um kind of participation do you get in those? >> Um LA when I talked to Mr. Lowwater about this the other day I was over at Marathon. I think he was uh expecting around 50 or so. >> Yeah. >> 50% or >> 50 participants. It' be great if it's
50% but I think it's 50. >> Okay. Mhm. >> Uh and like I said, there's child care available with our uh high school students as part of the Hiller mentoring program. And and speaking of that program, there's a picture here on the right. Uh we sent our high school students down, 75 of them, for the third time so far this year as part of that
program. I was I was able to be there and see it in action. Uh and it was uh just it's one of those programs that that the benefits go far beyond academics. And as a student here helping uh some some of our youngsters get ready to go outside for for recess in a cold on a cold day. So helping with the
jackets and the hats and the mittens. So, it's great. >> Adorable. >> It's great >> that the teachers have that support. >> It's been a big Yeah, it's been a big hit. Um, going into our other uh elementary schools at Hopkins, uh, students and staff are gearing up for their winter concert later this month, also on January 21st, uh, which is
always a highlight of the winter season. Uh, and at Elmwood, our PBS work continues with another student assembly focused on expectations and positive behavior. Uh, and what I appreciate about that work is it's it's proactive. It's about building skills, sharing language, uh, and and promoting a
positive school culture. Moving along to the middle school, there's been a lot happening both inside and outside the classroom. I always enjoy seeing our staff lean into uh, moments of fun and connection. That was uh, PJ Day on the left side. You see Mr. Lefave and a number of our staff members. Always strengthens the school
culture. Uh they are also at the middle school hosting their second annual international night a week from tonight on the 15th at 6 p.m. Um this like I said is the second annual uh and there will be music, food, presentations and it's an effort to um work with our students as we continue to grow and
reflect our diverse community [clears throat] and and the rich richness of our community. And tomorrow eighth grade students will hear a presentation from Wes Woodson uh who's also hosting a parent presentation as we speak right now in the middle school auditorium. Uh Wes is a nationally recognized youth mental health speaker,
author, and founder of the Wes Woodson Company. He's known for his work helping uh young students, particularly Gen Z's, uh navigate anxiety, build confidence, and develop self-love. Wes shares his personal story of transformation in his own anxiety. Uh and he will be working
with uh eighth grade students tomorrow. He'll be meeting with each team individually. Uh so I'll be able to report back on that next time we meet. Thank you to the HPTO for sponsoring Westwood Woodson as well. And at the high school, uh we have a VEX robotics tournament this weekend. Uh if you've
never been to a robotics tournament before, I would encourage you to give it uh give it a shot. Uh the tournament begins at 10 a.m. in the high school athletic center. It's exciting to see the students engage in such high level problem solving, collaboration, and hands-on learning. Uh and it's event that's just a great example of all of that work in action. And big shout out
to Mr. Scott who puts this all together. Also want to congratulate our varsity girls basketball team on winning the Mary Corby Holiday Tournament. Uh it's a tournament with Milford Elgangquin in Medfield. Uh and they came in first. They won that tournament as well as our boys varsity hockey who uh won the Island Creek tournament uh beating
Barnstable in Dubbury on the way to winning that title. So great ways to start off our seasons at the high school. From a district perspective, January also marks the time for many of our school councils to meet across the district. Uh, school councils bring together student, staff, parents, and community members uh to serve as a
collaborative sounding board for the principal. Uh, school councils are critical because they give everyone a voice and make our school stronger, more transparent, and more responsive to student needs. They play an important role also in developing our school improvement plans. You can see the meeting dates up on the right. The middle school had theirs today. Uh,
Hopkins has theirs next Thursday and the high school has theirs next Tuesday. So, I just want to take a second um while I have this opportunity just to thank all the parents, community members, staff, and students who volunteer their time to be part of those school councils.
And the next uh district update uh is the slideshow that captures the topping off ceremony. Thanks to Mr. Masters for one of his photos here for the aerial footage. Uh we had the topping off ceremony that took place on December 22nd on a very cold afternoon. I know it's extremely cold when he was was
there. >> Uh as part of the ceremony, our muddy. >> Yeah, it was. It was. Yeah. Mr. Lead and Miss Rothermish was there as well. >> Uh our construction partners placed a sign beam um on the structure with signatures from Marathon students and staff along with a tree and an American flag, which is a long-standing tradition
with the topping off ceremonies. Uh and while this ceremony was symbolic, it's also deeply personal and meaningful, especially knowing that the names of our students and staff uh are now quite literally part of the building, which is which is pretty neat. >> Can we I got a number of questions. Which students signed?
>> Students at Marathon School. >> Students at Marathon. >> Yeah, those students that >> they will eventually eventually. >> Okay. Because I >> Go ahead. >> And we signed ahead, >> Susan. Did you sign big Susan sign?
Susan sign with a money sign. [laughter] And [snorts] then the top of the hill spotlight. That was Jeff's idea, I should say. Um is is speaking of construction, I just want to take a opportunity to spotlight our Hopkins school community. Uh leading up to break, over break, and since we've returned, the student staff and
construction partners accomplished a major transition as part of the addition into some newly completed spaces. uh and as they transition into new spaces, the main office, the nurses wing, music classrooms, as well as the old gym and cafeteria are now full construction sites. So, there's a lot of moving parts
uh and moves like that are complex and require flexibility, patience, and tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work. So, special thanks to Mr. Carter and his administrative team and their leadership, Mr. Persons and his team, as well as Mr. Go from the technology side and his team. And I'm especially grateful for the students and staff for
their positive attitude and business as usual approach. I popped over there on Monday, our first day back, and there was a lot happening and the staff and the students had smiles on their face. They were positive and they were excited to be there. So, it was great. So, well, that is the superintendent report for January 8th.
>> Question. Uh, thinking about all the construction that's shifting around over break. Where is the is the entrance still in the >> the entrance is still Yeah, the entrance is still the same, but when you take a look to the left where there usually was the check-in booth, it is completely blocked off right now. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, they've kind of moved
into that conference room to the right. You turn to the right. >> And the pictures there you see on the left is the multi-purpose space uh that they're using as the cafeteria and the kids are doing a great job in there. Uh and [snorts] that's the new gym in and one of our wellness classes happening. So, yeah, it's great.
>> I think the multi-purpose room is where the after school YMCA is happening. >> Oh, it might be. Yes. Yeah. Y [laughter] >> I haven't personally seen it, but my husband picked up my daughter there. >> Oh, great. And the workers are there very early. It happened to be running at 6:30 in the
morning on Monday and they were already started and making a lot of noise. >> Are they allowed to do that that early? >> What >> are they allowed to do [clears throat] that that early? >> I am. Yeah, >> there are some neighbors. Okay. School
committee chair report. Payroll S2611, S26012, S2612B, S1612C have been approved. Warrants number 2608
S. Number 266S, 2607S, 26071 71S, 26072S, 2673S, 24 se uh 074S,
26075S, 26076s, and 267S have all been approved. The warrants are included in your folder. Annual town report. I have gotten as far as reviewing over what was written last
year and we'll work on it for our next meeting so that we have something hopefully to approve at that point. Um, I should also mention we had a very productive and engaging workshop on Monday night um done by um the Mass
Association of School Committees on how to evaluate superintendent and we are now feeling confident about our ability to do [laughter] >> a learned a lot. >> Fabulous. We learned a lot. We sat in desk at the high school which will need to be replaced someday. Um,
>> you can only enter from one side [laughter] >> because we had a little trouble with technology in the library, but [clears throat] >> the uh >> Yeah, >> there was a uh athletics person on site that tried to help.
>> That was very nice. When [snorts] I just when I said I didn't need you all, we did need you all. That was okay. We we improvised. All right, liaison reports. You have one. >> Yeah, CPAP. We had a really um pretty
effective meeting the other day. A lot of things were discussed. What else will you that I >> um seems like there was a plan for something. >> There's a plan for something. >> Oh, there's a workshop coming up. Um >> there is a workshop coming up on from a
neur neurosychologist. >> Looks really interesting. It does look very they are asking people um to indicate whether they might be attending either virtually or in person. It's going to be done both ways um so that they can get an idea of how many people
might be attending that. >> It's on Wednesday, January 28th at 6:30 at the public library. >> Great. It seems to be very exciting. Um, Miss Holidayiday is going to be doing some presentations to teachers at the
schools um on her experience as um a parent of special education student. Um, that sounds actually very um >> Have you seen her presentation? >> I haven't. I need to get you on. It's >> Yeah,
>> it it was the most um >> I don't think I've ever been hit by a presentation quite so much of of really getting a personal feel for what >> it's like to have a student who needs
special needs. >> Yeah. And that's happening on our early release on January 23rd. >> Really, really good. That is excellent. I think that was all that >> Yeah. >> was included. Oh, there was some
discussion about um >> IEPs and reading them and did I say the right word? We call them APS. >> Yep. >> Um and uh understanding them sometimes and how the pro the process of signing and being able to um say I'm not
particularly clear with this part of it. And I think that I think um they talked about doing a little bit more education on this. >> I I think there's [clears throat] definitely a process that needs to happen. We're experiencing the electronic and it's
>> not smooth. >> I did share some of the comments I had heard from people about electronic reports. Um electronic signing. Um also summer program was starting to be discussed and I think there's going to be further information coming out about the summer program.
>> Yep. ESY program. Yes, they will. >> Great. >> Yeah. So, I think that there's tend to be some good changes to that, I think, in terms of >> budgetary requirements, too. >> Mhm. It's great. All right. New
business. Okay. >> There was nothing else, right? >> Just making sure. >> No, that was good. >> Green is quiet right now. >> Okay. Um, the Hopkins school gift account. >> Sure. So, we have a uh gift and then a [snorts] grant and then uh Mr. Lebr is
going to talk us through a uh policy. So, uh first on behalf of Mr. Carter at Hopkins School, I'm requesting approval to accept the check for uh the amount of $8,39125 from Fundraising Products, Inc. uh from the Hopkins Meadow Farms Fundraiser,
which is a an annual fundraiser that the school does, which helps fund field day activities, field trips, uh and other student activities throughout the year. So, I'm looking for a motion to accept that check. >> I move that we accept the um money from the Hopkins Meadow Farms
fundraiser. Is that correct? >> Correct. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. >> Great. >> Okay. >> We're always excited to get funding. >> Thank you very much. We appreciate the support there. And then the the the grant is the visual arts department uh puts on a district art show >> [snorts]
>> uh for one week each May uh run by Miss Jino, our visual arts SML. Uh and in an effort to serve our students as we prepare artwork to display and present to the community, the the department submitted a grant proposal uh to the Hopkins Cultural Council seeking funding for more display equipment and display
case replacements. And we are happy to report that the HCC uh has awarded us $1,600 to cover the cost of two custommade display cases. >> That's looking Yeah. Which is wonderful. We appreciate that. So we're looking to for a motion to move to accept the
$1,600. I move to accept the $1,600 [snorts] grant from the Hopington Cultural Arts Council. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Great. >> And then we have a new >> Mr. Lead policy. >> All right. So, uh, tonight is the first
reading of policy I H AIA, which is a new uh policy for the Hopkin School Committee as well as for school committee across the state of Massachusetts. Um this policy is a response to a new state regulation and desi mandate that came about last year.
It's aimed at creating um awareness of uh career and technical education pathways for students. Um I can happily say that everything in the policy and the procedure that accompanies it all save for I think two points are simply
um codifications of things we already do which is a really nice place for us to be. Um, so the the regulation that came out is one about creating awareness, but it's paired with for our CTE school partners uh a requirement that they addressed their equity and admissions.
And so they our CTE schools had to do that. Our job is to make sure that we're creating opportunities to create awareness for our students uh to know about what their opportunities are for 9th grade and beyond. So again, everything we're doing uh everything that's that's memorialized in the
procedure is what we do except for a new mandate that October 15th be a deadline for uh dissemination of information. Um while we were likely hitting around that mark, uh that is a a date that the state has issued that we are happy to uh be able to honor. Um and the two schools
that really uh that connect to us here are Keith Tech and Framingham and Norfick Aggie and Walpole. Um the policy is is there and then the linked procedure gives a little bit more of how we operationalize that policy. >> Ask a question. Do we provide
information on Norfolk Aggie to our eighth grade students? I don't >> we do we do not do it in the wholesale way that we do it with uh for KEF tech. So our KEFE tech students as has been our practice uh students will all attend
uh an open house during the school day. uh Norfick Aggie is more based on uh student interest, family interest and counselor uh coaching and recommendation >> because if I recall correctly, students are only eligible to go to Norfick Aggie for or any other vocational tech school
other than KEFET if the other school offers something that Keith Tech does not that they want. Is that still the case? >> So like for KE for Norffor Agie, I know there are students who go for animal science degree and stuff like that which Keith Tech doesn't offer. >> Right. and and Norfick Aggie is a
statewide they their their catch basin is the state whereas Keith Tech is limited to the communities that feed into it. Hopington being one of them. Yeah. But yes, they do offer different programs. >> Great. Do we think we need more consideration
of this or >> I think we could go ahead and approve it. I I think we we'll do a second reading so people in the community can um read it and see if there any questions and then were we maybe having >> we're going to have so we talked in our policy subgroup about this that we wanted to um there's been also when we
talk about KEFE tech there's been some changes in their admissions process uh that I think is important for our community to know so we have reached out so we have two Hopington parents that are part of the ke tech school committee each the community in that group has two parents uh and I think Firmingham might have a little bit more than two just
because of the numbers of students Uh and so we've reached out to them and they're hoping to come to our meeting on January 22nd to give us an update on the emissions process. Oh, >> great. >> Yep. Which will be the same day we'll do the second reading. So, >> great. Wonderful. >> Items by cons.
>> Items by consensus. >> Uh I recommend that the school committee approve the items by consensus as listed in your packet. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Great. Passes. I move to adjourn the
meeting. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. >> Wonderful. And we are joured for tonight.