Okay, we're not ready. Yeah, your audio is up. You're good. Great. Thank you. Welcome to the Thursday, October 9th um 2005 uh meeting of the school committee. We were would like to call the meeting to order. Um can we start with the pledge of
allegiance? I pledge algiance 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.
All right, great. We are going to start tonight with um a presentation about the calendar and finish our listening tour for the public calendar. Um, are we saying that Mr. Masters is on Zoom?
He's in Zoom. Great. Welcome, Mr. Masters. Um, so we're bringing up our presentation. That's Mr. Masters. Jim, can we have the Apple TV? Just a moment while we bring up our
presentation for a listening session before we start listening session. Perfect. Thank you. All right. School committee listening session on the school calendar for October 9th, 2025. We had done one session that was totally on um Zoom and this one um we are inviting people who
are here in um the HCAM studios to speak. But before I'm gonna go through a few different slides to center us having a little technical difficulty with that. Okay. To center us. This is our vision um for how we um talk about
the calendar that we're a gross and um a growing and increasingly diverse district and we our school model has been all means all and our calendar has reflected that. And so in Massachusetts, give a little
background, public schools are required by state law to close on certain legal holidays. Um, and these are the legal holidays that are present that Massachusetts schools must be closed for. We cannot open um for teachers or
students on any of those days. Go ahead. And to give more background, the Hopington um teachers association contract also lists a few um specifications to ours that teachers report to school the Monday before Labor
Day. And then school starts for grades 1 through 12 on the Wednesday before Labor Day and Friday before Labor Day is a day off from school. And uh we just ratified that teacher contract and it is effective for three years. Also of note,
the YMCA um of Metro West offers is our contractor for out of school time care in at the Hopington Public Schools. And they do offer for holidays and snow days at the rate of $76 per day. You don't need to be a client for the regular out
of school time program to take advantage of those. Um, and this gives you a little idea of when our last days of school are for next year. Our last day of school will be the 16th. Um, without snow days and
with snow days built in, it could go up to the 28th. And you can see also here what it's going to look like with 2027 being one of the later days. Um, it all depends on when the holidays fall. they fall on weekends, um it means we don't
lose that day of school and if they um fall during the week. So, it depends on the calendar and how things run. You can also see some of our neighboring districts and when their last days of school are. Um Milford and Upton are our outliers. they have um only federal
holidays that they um observe um where the other communities that border us have a similar calendar to ours. And so these are norms for the listening session. Um the people who are here in HCAM Studios can indicate that they'd
like to come speak and we're going to ask them to come and sit next to Miss Schneider and um we uh we'd like you to give your name and your address and then the school committee mails will not respond to comments. We are just going to keep track of the comments and we
have a date on our calendar already to um talk about when we will um vote on the calendar which is not tonight. So, we will not be making a vote tonight. So, at this time, I'd like to invite anybody who's here at at HCAM to come and speak.
Hello. You're welcome to join us. Hello. Good evening. Um, thank you for having me. My name is Asima Silva. Address is 38 Stony Brook Road. Um, I'm relatively new to Hopkin, but I'm not new to school committee. Um, I served on
what you said school committee for nine years and I participated in the education subcommittee and I also chaired the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee. In 2022, Hopkin added Edel Fther as a school holiday and was considering adding Lunar New Year that year. But this was one of the
reasons that we as my family were excited to attend school here because of the diversity inclusion seemed to be a top priority at the school. And there are many Muslim families in this town. They were absolutely excited to get Edel Fther off. The kids were finally feeling
heard and respected. They didn't have to struggle with missing ass instruction time versus spending time with their family celebrating. In the past, schools have put a policy that allowed students to hand in assignments later due to religious holidays. But let's be honest, that's a band-aid. It's not inclusive.
It's asking the student not only to keep up the current workload, but also to do double duty to make up the work that they may have missed. Instead of enjoying the holiday, many students feel guilty or overwhelmed by the amount of effort they have to put in to catch up. For Muslims, there are two major
holidays, only two out of the year. Eidal Fther, that marks the end of Ramadan, which is also known as the end of the month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Then Eidal Adha, that commemorates God's test of Abraham and his son. Unfortunately, this past school year, graduation for the class of 2025
was held on Adha. the same night. To help you understand the significance of this best metaphor I can give you is like asking students and families to attend graduation on Christmas or Rashashana. This is completely unacceptable. There were several Muslim
students graduating last May including my son and all of their families again including mine had to cut our holiday celebrity se celebrations to attend the evening and should have that should have been held on its own day for celebration on its own day to honor the graduates
not compete with the major religious holiday. And we all told ourselves that since this was relatively a new policy that the holiday may have been overlooked and that getting at least one of our holidays out of the two was a step in the right direction. To now find
out there there could be no representation of the second largest religion in the world or more importantly there will be no representation of the religion that is practiced by many members of the student body is giving preference to one religion over another. In the times when
Islamophobia and anti-semitism are on the rise, this is not the step in the right direction. So, as was discussed in 2022, either honor the holidays of the major religions, especially the religions that are practiced by the student body, or get rid of it all. I
prefer not to have the latter because as school committee which I know the goal is that you are responsible for educating and preparing the students for the rest of their lives and we live in a global economy and that means it's absolutely necessary to expose students
to other cultures faiths and practices so as to promote understanding and respect preparing them for the future. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Do we have anybody else who'd like to speak about the calendar? I'll hold your hand. Okay.
Um, hi, my name is Aia Silva and I also live at 38 Sony Brook Road. Um, I'm a junior at HHS and I'm the president of the Muslim Student Association and I am alarmed by the possible removal of Edel Fther from our holiday calendar. Muslim students already feel unheard
experiencing so much Islamophobia and microaggressions. Speaking on behalf of myself and the members of our club, we feel underrepresented at our school, especially since there are no Muslim staff who fund who have fundamentally have the same views. As a district, we pride ourselves in being extremely
inclusive and diverse. But the Muslim holidays have been pushed aside for years. For the past few years, only fther marked which marks the end of Ramadan has been given off. But eidal adha has been disregarded. Muslim students felt the repercussions of this with Adha falling on their last day of finals in 2024. And as was mentioned
earlier on graduation on 2025, some of the students who were graduating had brought up the graduation date to Mr. Bishop, but he could not make any changes due to the already established calendar. Muslim students are forced to choose between their religious obligations and their education. For me, even if I were able to have an excused
absence, I'm not sure I would be able to enjoy my holiday due to the anxiety of my missed learning experience. Especially in my AP classes, even missing one day of work can create a domino effect of more missing work. I understand that we are a very diverse town with many religions and that we
cannot satisfy every person's ask. And that is why I propose a new idea. Each major religion in Hopington, whether the religions are identified by population or by religious institutions inside Hopington itself, each institution should choose a maximum of two holidays to get off. I have talked to other
students from various surrounding districts who envy that we get either fifth either fther off. I'm sure that many of you know that Hawkington is used as an example and removing Edel Fther from our holiday calendar would be a step in the wrong direction. Thank you. Thank you.
Um could you repeat your your uh suggestion? Yeah. So, I suggest that um each major religion, whether it's based off of the student body or based off of religious institutions inside of Hopington, we should have each ma major religion
choose maximum of two holidays that they can get off to make it equally represented. Thank you. Thank you. Have you thought about who who you might might propose to make those it would would it be the students or would it be
um adults in the community? I think we should ask the religious institutions if there is not one inside of Hawkington. We could ask um a nearby institution. Okay. Um hi um my name is Hika Choan. I live
at for Redwood Path. Um so recently when Dvali and Luna New Year and Eidal Fther when they were um when Dvali especially was added to the calendar. Um me and like all of my friends, all of my neighbors, we were like really happy
because normally we'd have to hold off our celebrations to like an inconvenient date or um we'd have a bunch of tests or quizzes the next day and we wouldn't be able to um go to the temple or like
if you don't know Dvali is the celebration of light. So um we do a lot of cooking. We invite a lot of people over and it's a huge thing. So getting that day off really meant a lot. Um but when I first heard that Eid Lunar New Year and the Voli were the three holidays that had pressure to be taken
off the calendar. Um I was really confused because I noticed that the holidays on our school calendar and I just saw the federal calendar um they mostly reflect certain cultural traditions um that aren't really
representative of the student body as a whole. Um, and I didn't I was also surprised that this wasn't a bigger issue within our student body. I only knew about it because my friend had told me about it. And I was a bit surprised that um there wasn't a vote taken by the
students or there wasn't a survey given out um as to if we did want these holidays taken off of the calendar. Um, Diwali is one of the many holidays celebrated by the Hindu um Hindu
culture. Um and it is one of the biggest. We just recently had a nine-day festival called Nvatri. Um that's another huge one. We stay out. Um we go to garbas um which are kind of like
um there's a lot of dance, there's a lot of food, um praying everything. Um and so despite there being a lot of um Hindu representation in Hopkin and many many Hindu holidays um there weren't more
Hindu um holidays given off on the school calendar but I did think that Dvali being getting the Volvi off was a huge step. Um but so I was really confused when Diwali was getting pressured to to be taken off because I
know a lot of Hindus there are a lot of Hindus and a lot of Indians in um our student body and so I didn't think it was fair at all that um Christmas should be kept on. Um I love Christmas. My family we celebrate Christmas even
though we're we're not Christian. We love to spend time with family. Um um so Dvali is equal to Christmas as us and so having to go to school on Dvali when um we get a lot of time off for Christmas
and it is a federal holiday having to go to school on Dvali um I think would be really frustrating for not just us but it would be an inconvenience to our parents, our families, um temples, everything. So yes, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Don't believe we have anybody else speaking about the calendar this evening. So, we're going to open it up for general public comment. Hi, folks. Hi.
Me again. So, good evening. I'm Jeff Roland speaking tonight on behalf of the sustainable green committee. The SGC reviewed the HVAC recommendations made by CMTA and agrees with their assessment on the best options for Hopington being the uh better recommended geothermal
configurations. This is a fantastic opportunity for a climate and financial win-win with strategic timing identified by CMTA to maximize the available incentives and utilize incoming rebates from our other capital projects. The plan meets the needs of replacing aging
equipment and adding cooling to allow a healthy and undisrupted learning environment in a warming climate and will allow for more usage of the buildings during summer months. This is the right time to proceed to get ahead of costly equipment failures for the systems at the end of their useful life.
For HHS, the geothermal water-to-water heat pump option has a $300,000 cheaper net cost than inind replacement, as well as will save Hopkin taxpayers over $1.7 million operational costs over 20 years. For HMS, the geothermal hybrid option is
only $50,000 more than inind replacement, 11 million versus 11.05, but will save Hopkinson taxpayers over 2.2 million in operational costs over 20 years. These highly efficient geothermal options also open us up to potential
$500,000 green communities and 1 million plus climate leaders grants that would not be available for incline replacement. So besides the clear financial benefits, the geothermal choices will align with other recent decisions by the schools and put us on a path to achieve the town's net zero goals.
This is a win-win. The most financially smart choice is also the greenest. So on behalf of the SGC, thanks for your time and consideration. Thank you. Thank you. Wonderful. So, we're moving into recognitions. I'd like to say we have
the pledge of allegiance tonight. Um that was uh started by um Ryan Cook and Ellis Schneider. Um we're hoping to have other um Hopington students come and lead our pledge as we move along. Any
other recognitions? Okay, you guys are on. Cool. Um, hi. If you don't know me, I'm Ella Snider. I'm a student rep. I'm gonna first start off with an athletics update from the high school. Um, on October 6th, um, girls volleyball had
their dig pink night. Super fun. Um, October 8th, yesterday, was the girls field hockey senior night, which is great to recognize the seniors on the team. Um, October 15th is the unified basketball senior night. October 22nd is the volleyball senior night and October
24th is the football senior night. And currently the football team is playing in Holl right now. Uh, what's going on? It's me, Ryan Click. Um, we have uh spirit week uh starting tomorrow, October 10th, and it goes all
the way to October 17th. Tomorrow is PJ day. We don't have school Monday, so then comes over to Tuesday. We have blackout. The 15th uh or Wednesday is USA. 16th or Thursday is twins and the 17th is Hiller Day, orange and green for
the Hillers. Um then also talking about the 17th, we have the pep rally. Uh it's a half day and it's, you know, an hour and uh I'm very very excited for it myself because I was lucky enough to be uh nominated for uh MCing the pep rally.
So, me and my friend Callie, we will be announcing uh all the names and all the events. So, you know, it's a fun time. Everyone's looking forward to it, especially as seniors. I'll be in the tug-of-war. Um October 17th is also senior
transition day, which is super helpful. um as college applications come close. So we workshop related college applications with counselors um get support on writing college essays from English teachers and do workshops on careers, resumes and interviews. Um
seniors have the option between those three kind of seminar based um workshops um and are able to work on their future and seniors have their senior seminars during flex block next week. Uh something that a lot of us upper
classmen are looking forward to, especially as seniors at the end of the month, is uh homecoming. I believe it's the 24th if I'm not mistaken. Uh you know, homecoming is very exciting. Uh you know me, I always get out on the dance floor and give them my all. So, um
if the place burns down for my fire moves, then you know who it was. Um and then we also are looking forward to senior Halloween on October 31st. Uh I know I have a great costume. I'm sure uh so we're all very excited for that. You know, we all go into the to the
gymnasium and we all wear our costumes with our groups. So, we're all really excited and uh you know, we'll give you more information on those next meeting. Yeah. And then lastly, I want to address um the issue of the school calendar next year. Um, I work to survey a variety of
students, different ages, um, different social circles, and from what Ryan and I have collected, um, we believe the majority of students would like to observe a diverse number of holidays than prioritize getting out of school earlier in June. Um, and we agree this
represents the student body. Thank you. Can I just I'm not sure if I heard correctly. So you looking at the majority looking to celebrate the diverse thing over the getting out early over early getting out early. That's what I thought you meant but I heard it as both and I was like for those how does that work?
Yeah. And that represents both students who observe the holidays directly and those who do not. Okay. That's thank you for doing that. Appreciate it. It was interesting. All right. Moving on to construction update. Thank you.
We're going to need the Apple TV again as well. We don't lose Chris, did we? I haven't seen him. It's hard because both I'm here. I'm here. Oh, hi Chris. Hi, Chris. Good evening, Chris. Hi, everyone. I've been I've been on
since the start of the call or start of the meeting. I just want to make sure we didn't bump you off with the both the TVs are showing the presentation. Oh, no. I'm still here. Thank you. Where in the world is Chris Matthews tonight?
I'm in South Carolina. Oh, bet it's warmer there. It's warmer. Humid. It's very comfortable. It's cold here.
Sorry about that. Okay. So going through the um construction update, we'll start with Hopkins. Uh the big thing to pay attention to on this slide is the final completion. As we know, we've been doing
a lot of work um during the summer and the substantial completion is August of 26, August 18th. Final completion ready for students on August 21st. Um, no quality issues at this point. And in the
issues, the the yellow, this is where um just working around some logistics uh where Commodore was was showing a later schedule, but um that has been worked out and we're still hitting the target
moving forward. uh the construction site, which we have all seen, the yellow being the existing school, the green being the new addition. Um the orange is the playground area that is under construction.
Looking at some of the construction um pictures, this is an overview of the west elevation and the installation of the curtain wall. Uh we the construction site has changed several times and during the summer we
had to reconfigure the layown area to give the students more room to play. So this was a reconfigured uh temper recess area for both pictures there. Um, this is a view of the sidewalks and
the lom and striping in the north parking lot and the signage and the bases for the EV charges charging stations that will be part of the final placement
on the connector from the existing building into the new addition. the installation of wall tile. You can see the view of the new gym. Um the divider curtains and all the work that's going on in there.
The sinks, new sinks, and these are in the existing bathrooms. So these this is an upgrade to our existing building. Um the ceiling grids in progress in the new addition. So in terms of the schedule as as we
said teacher and students returned to school on schedule uh returned the temp certificate of occupancy in August. There was a lot of furniture moves for the um construction and renovation that took place in the existing building and
that was all successfully put back in place. LOM and seating took place where things were disturbed in for instance the um parking lots and uh uh sidewalk installations.
The gym and the multi-purpose room uh continue that with the work in there. the MEP uh installation and the above ceiling work, layout of the new playground and seating area, which was in that orange um picture that we showed
earlier, the roof edge, metal and gutters and drainage, and continue to uh export our excess soil. Next month, more flooring and wall tile, the installation of the specialty equipment in the gym,
the footings for the um outdoor seating areas around the playground, more of the startup of the HVAC system, and continued installation of the security system.
Uh change order update. The change order that has been approved for this month totals 83,000. So the current and pending estimating change orders are at 34%. From a budget update, the architect's
expenditures to date is 74%, the OPM is at 54% and construction billings less the retainage is at 52%. And that's uh Hopkins moving into Charleswood
which is really very new but at the same time is an extremely active site. So you can see where we're looking at the schedule and um contract substantial completion is October of 27 and that is
shown as being on schedule. The commitments on the budget to date is 75%. And there was a little bit of a holdup uh on the foundation work just trying to get the proper permits in place, but that is behind us. The permits have been
um awarded. This view is way too busy to explain, but it's pretty. But as you can imagine, this means there's a lot of changes, a lot of activity going on. So looking at the
site uh you can see the large boulders there's separation between what will be kept and what will be exported off off site the foundation formwork for the sistern more of the foundation base uh in the
retaining wall subbase uh going through and processing the lom what will again what will stay what will go uh footing installations you can see the stockpile of of dirt that will be moved around. Um, more
foundation. And again, you can see the how large the site is and the amount of activity that's going on just by some of these more aerial views. So again, in terms of the schedule, uh, the residence
at 147 Hayden Row was taken down. The roadway improvement contractor has been awarded uh with that to begin next summer. Uh Lman Boulders stripping complete sediment basin installation,
temp roadway installation from both Hayden Row and from Marathon. Foundation excavation and footings, retaining walls, the underground utility structures uh have been delivered. Next month, more of the foundation, the
underground utility installation, foundation waterproof installation, uh get rid of some of that soil, installation of an irrigation well, uh lom stockpile for future use, the retaining wall, the construction fencing
for safety, sediment basins, uh swale installations, and ongoing temp roadway installation. In terms of change orders, so far to date, most has been around the invasive
species, which was added very early on. Um, total of $33,000 and again, that's 1%. What's the invasive species? These are plants that exist on site. Okay. And there's a a protocol as to how
you handle and stuff like that. Either eradicate them, take them out, whatever. Okay. Um the plan calls for Okay. Yeah. So in terms of the budget, architect expenditures to date is 68%, the OPM at
27% and construction billing at 4%. Um one of the uh things that has come forward is the third party peerreview amendment. Uh Ty and Bond will provide construction observation services. Um,
they'll attend the pre-construction meetings with the contractor and representatives of the town. They'll perform 20 site visits and a field report. And they'll perform this scope of work noted for a not to exceed fee of 21,500.
And that has been brought to uh the ESBC. And that is the construction update. If there are any questions, Susan, um, you talking about lom and boulders. Do we like
sell that off? So, part of the contract is to take off some. So, what the contractor does to it or with it is up to them. Oh, okay. So, we retain the ones that we want to
use for the site. All right. And I will add that we had a meeting today to talk a little bit about a groundbreaking ceremony for uh that is the date has not been officially selected yet. It'll probably be sometime in November. So we will keep everybody
posted. So um try to get as much exciting. Yes, it is exciting to get Have you ordered the golden shuffles? Not yet. You trying to pick a date first, not the show. Will we be invited? Yes. Yep. Well, I don't know. Hope for warm weather. Wonderful. Thank
you. There's no other questions. We'll move on to superintendent report. Great. Okay. This is the superintendent report for Thursday, October 9th, which is happens to be the 41st school day of the year. Uh so, as they say, time flies when you're having fun, right?
You're getting closer to that 100th. Yes. I'd like to start with some highlights across the district. First, our unified basketball team, which I know Ryan is a part of, uh, which already has two wins on the young season. This team is pictured here on the left. Our unified program continues to bring students of all abilities
together to compete and connect and celebrate what school spirit is all about. Also, a big shout out to Mr. Chip Collins, a high school special education teacher and unified coach, who was recently named the recipient of the 2024 2025 MIA coach of the year award for unified track and field, which actually
takes place in the spring, but he coaches basketball and track and field for unified. And the awards banquet will be held on Monday, December 8th. So, congratulations to Mr. Collins. That's exciting. Next up, a welldeserved recognition for our custodial team. In honor of National Custodians Day celebrated last week,
Miss Altavilla's students at Elmwood decided to surprise our head custodian, Mr. uh Basta Arc, which they call him Mr. Jim, pictured on the right. Uh they wrote him a poem uh and even crowned him with a handmade crown, which as you can see he's wearing proudly. Uh and this
was just one of the many efforts around our district to capture how much our custodians mean to our schools and our students. U we all know that things don't run without them, and it's great to see our students recognizing that, too. And I actually have a copy of the poem if you'd like. Take a look. It's really, really nice.
And lastly on this slide, October is National Principal Month. And at Hopkins, our students found a great way to show their appreciation uh pictured on the bottom right. They created a big colorful sign at the front entrance to celebrate their principal, Mr. Carter. Uh it's always nice to see that kind of studentled gratitude and a reminder that
leadership and kindness do not go unnoticed. So, a big thank you to all of our principles for their incredible work uh that they do to make our schools a positive and welcoming place. Shifting gears to some exciting news more from the academic standpoint. Last
week, uh Mr. Lrod and I attended uh the MCCAST accountability event in Arlington where Hopington was recognized as one of just 63 communities and districts in the state whose grades three to eight math MCCAST scores not only return to prepandemic levels but surpassed them.
Uh and to take it one step further, Hockington actually had the highest percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectation in math across grades 3 to 8 of any public school district in Massachusetts. Wow. Yes. which is an incredible achievement and really speaks to the collective effort of our students, our families,
and especially our K to8 math teachers, specialists, and instructional leaders. Uh Mr. Lebr will be presenting the whole MCCAST picture and results next meeting. Uh but I'm sure this will be one of the many highlights that he'll bring forward. And pictured on the left is the commissioner of education, Pedro Martinez, delivering the keynote speech
that day. And Secretary Ker. Yep. In the back. Yep, that's it. Uh from a building perspective, we have a lot going on this month at our buildings between now and our next school school committee meeting. Our school councils are kicking off across the district. As you can see, Marathon
has theirs tomorrow. Elmwood next week, and then Hopkins in the high school later on this week. Middle schools having theirs in early November. Uh school councils are made up of parents, staff, administrators, and students in some cases depending on the level. Uh, and this group really comes together to
essentially execute and plan the school improvement plans. So, I know that we're all excited to get those meetings underway. At the middle school, the seventh grade students have their fall fest coming up on October 16th from 6:00 to 8. This is the second annual fall fest and intended to help build community with fun activities and events
for everyone. Also at the middle school, we have our first unified botchi jamberee on October 30th after school in the Brown Gym where we'll be competing against another few other communities. So, we're really excited about that opportunity as well. Also, on the 16th at the high school, our counseling staff
is hosting the financial aid night at 6:30. Uh, helping families navigate the postsecary planning process. Not nearly as exciting as Fall Fest, but definitely as important. Uh, and finally, as Ryan and Ella mentioned, spirit week starts tomorrow through the 17th. It's always a
very uh energetic and exciting time at the high school, capped off with pep rally. You're all invited to a pimp pep rally if you'd like. Uh, it's one of the favorite Hopington High School traditions. Uh, and it's a great reminder that school pride is alive and well here in Huffington. What time is Pepper Rally at? Pepper Rally. It's going to be half days
at 11 o'clock this year. Yep. 11 to 12. It's a quiet event typically. Very quiet. I was going to say, do ear mops get past that or we do have some Yeah, we can provide that for you. Yeah. Uh, next, some professional development highlights. Our elementary educators have been engaging in professional learning with Janet McNeel to deepen
their understanding of the district's science priorities. uh together they are exploring strategies to strengthen inquiry based instruction, promote scientific thinking and align classroom experiences. This collaborative work is helping to ensure consistency and rigor and science instruction across our elementary levels. And pictured here are
some shots from today's PD at Elmwood School. Also from a district perspective, I wanted to share that several of our staff members across all five buildings will be attending a workshop focused on strengthening our multi-tered system of supports for students. I know Mr. Labrad is helping to put that together. Uh this
session titled components of MTSS, the role the student success teams play in the effective use of district curriculum accommodation plans looks on how all three of these structures work together to promote inclusive teaching and learning opportunities. Uh we're all excited for our team to deepen their understanding of MTSS and bring back
some of the strategies that they learn on the 16th and uh that will hopefully align with our ongoing focus of equity, consistency, and supporting every learner. Next, uh just an update on the listening tour. As part of my entry plan, I've been continuing my listening tour, meeting with staff, students, families,
and community groups. Uh so far this month, I've met with the high school staff and a group of high school students that Ryan was part of. Uh the marathon staff as well, uh in addition to the boosters club that I met with earlier this week. Tomorrow, I'll be meeting with the middle school students bright and early at 8:00. Uh as well as
the HPTO over at the library. Uh and next week, I'll be connecting with both CPAC and ELPAC groups. Uh, I've also got sessions planned with Elmwood, Hopkins, and Middle School staffs uh in late October and early November, and I'll be working with the senior center to schedule a date with some of our uh older community members.
That's great. Yep. What kind of insights are you garnering from? I'm asking questions such as what's working well? Um what are areas that need more attention? Uh maybe what are some things that get in the way? What are some roadblocks of us making progress? And where do we want to see ourselves in the next five or 10 years?
And there's a community survey that is open right now. Yep. The community survey is open. Yep. We have quite a few and I'll send another email next week um to families. And then we also have an all parent community listening session via Zoom uh so anyone can join it. It's going to be on October 30th at 5:00 pm right before
our school community meeting. Uh so again, it's open to everybody and they can enjoy it from the comfort of their own home. That's it. And finally, I want to end on a high note with some staff shoutouts. Uh, two of our educators will be honored at the Chris Walsh C Center's 5th anniversary
celebration later this month at Firmingham State University. Kristen Murphy on the left is a high school science teacher who will receive the Lift Every Learner Award in recognition of her deep commitment to helping every student thrive. Over her 12 years in Hopington, she was a student as well
here. Uh, Miss Murphy has inspired a genuine love of science in her students while ensuring that all learners, regardless of their background or need, feel valued, supported, and capable of success. Through her leadership in the science department, as well as the science fair, uh, and other schoolwide initiatives like being a class adviser,
she continually expands access and opportunity and models both innovation and care and all she does. So, congratulations to Miss Murphy. And Carrie Quella, uh, one of our school adjustment counselors at the high school, will receive the Defy Gravity Award for her work supporting students and families and her leadership with the unified track program. She's also very
involved in our unified sports. Uh, Miss Quella's efforts have strengthened belonging and connection across the high school, helping students see themselves as valued members of our community. So, both Kristen and Carrie truly represent the heart of what makes our school such a special place uh, to learn and to work. So, congratulations to them. We're
very lucky to have them and they are two rock star rockstars for sure. So that is my superintendent report for you. Wonderful. Thank you very much. Question. Yeah. On the the so unified botchi jambburye is jambburye just what you call in botchi like a tournament or something.
Yeah. So so it's a jamberee is we're going to bring some other communities together. We're still working on kind of finalizing what groups are going to be coming or what schools but each team will play each other for a little bit. It won't be a full botchi match, but they'll each get an opportunity to play a little bit against each one of the communities that are coming.
Very cool. Do we have botchi courtes? We have the material. Yes, we have all we need for them. We do it in the brown gym. Oh, okay. But we have it all set up for Yeah. Yeah. It'll be after school that day. Is there um
a calendar schedule you can see for all the different unified things? Yep. It's on our athletic website, but um Okay. Yeah. Yep. So, all of the dates and games are on there. And then Jamberee was just actually on my way here. I was talking with Mr. Lefab at the middle school and he mentioned that they were going to be something we
just were able to schedule. So that's kind of hot hot hot news off the press. So great comments. Wonderful. All right. School committee chair report payroll warrants S260006
S2606B S260007. Uh and then warrants number 2638s, 26039s, 260 41s have been approved and warrants included in your folder.
Uh training dates for the superintendent evaluation training. They brought up the week. I said January because I know November and December are kind of gonna get away from us with the start of bud budgeting and
everything. Um, so they proposed the week of uh January 5th. We do have a school committee meeting that Thursday. I don't know if people might be available on a Tuesday or Wednesday possibly.
I I did suggest we do it in the evening and they are okay with that. How long is it? I don't know. I don't imagine too long. I don't have a I would prefer not Monday.
I cannot do Monday either myself. So, does anybody have a preference for Tuesday or Wednesday? I have no problem with any of them. Yeah. Mr. Masters, are you have availability on the 6th or 7th of January?
Sixth or seventh? Sorry. Is that That's a You guys are talking about a Monday or Tuesday? It's a Tuesday or a Wednesday in January. Yeah, I I'm sure neither are a problem. Okay, I will look into those two dates with them if everybody seems okay with
that and let you all know. Thanks. All right, liaison reports. You walked right into the 67. He really did. I don't know if you know what that was on purpose, just so you know.
Um, I don't have any leaves on report. Although, we had our sustainable green committee come up to express their support of the HVAC. Anyone else? All right, Chris, do you have a laser
report? No. Uh, no, not since the last uh school committee meeting. Nothing to add. Any drone pictures? Thank you. Well, we saw some pictures. Oh, okay. Those Yeah, the buildings. All right. Intent to travel, Mr. Bishop.
Great. Uh, so we have a few requests from the high school for your cons consideration. I thought I would uh would you prefer me to go one at a time or you want me to go all four and then you can vote on that? I think you could do all four at once. I know it says in the motion. Great. So I'll I'll I'll go through them each. Uh first we have a request for the Business
Professionals of America or BPA uh the state leadership conference that we send our students to each year uh which will take place in Southbridge uh from March 6th through March 8th of this school year. Next our BPA students have earned the opportunity to attend the National Invent Convention in Dearborn, Michigan
from June 3rd to June 5th. Uh this event highlights innovation and entrepreneurship allowing students to showcase creative solutions and innovations on a national stage which is exciting. We also have a request for our robotics team at the high school to attend the VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri from
April 20th to the 25th. Uh this is another opportunity for our students to compete against top teams from around the world and demonstrate their engineering and problem solving skills. Uh and finally, another group of BPA students has qualified for the National Leadership uh conference in Nashville,
Tennessee on May 6th through the 10th. Uh this conference is a a culmination of the BPA competition season and provide students with national recognition, networking, and career uh readiness experiences. So, uh I'm looking for a motion to approve the travel of the Hopkins High School BPA and robotics
clubs as listed. I move that we approve the travel plans for the BPA and robotics and the robotics. Thank you. We have a second. Second. Wonderful. All in favor?
Wait, we have to do a roll call. Oh yeah. All right. Miss Richardson. Yes. Yes. Miss Rona. Yes. And Mr. Masters. Yes. And I'm a yes. It is approved. Thank you very much.
All right. Trans transportation contract extension. Thank you. So, the three-year uh contract um currently we have a three-year contract plus two one-year extensions with Michael Connelly. Uh the three-year term ends with this current
fiscal year, FY26. So, the two extension years would be for FY27 and FY28. The increase rates for FY27 would go to 498 for two-tier and 483 for one tier,
which is an increase of $29 from the current rate for FY26. And for FY28, the increase would be $31. Um, when we put our transportation out to bid, we only receive a single bid
from Connelly. So, putting it out to bid is not going to garner additional competition. Uh, the the contract itself for an increase of $29 is favorable. So, I'm looking to see if the committee
would honor and agree to the two one-year extensions for both 27 and 28. One simple little question. What's a one tier and a two-tier bus? So, uh, one tier means that they're only doing either a high school middle school
run or an elementary run. Okay. Two tier means they're doing both. Like, we don't. Sorry. Go. What are you saying, Chris? I just I'm curious. Connelly is the only one who provided a bid. How many other
potential Connelly like companies are there that did not bid? Is this a crowded field of vendors? Is there four companies? Two, three. So, there probably are five, and I I
don't hold me to this number because I'm not that familiar with with the western part of the state, but there may be five other vendors. Um, this is typical of what happens in every school district. So, there's not there's not a district
that gets a comp different that gets more than one bid. It's a known It's a known thing. The state is aware of it. Um, you think they're colluding to everyone
gets their piece of the pie and no one steps on each other's toes? That would be the appearance. Okay, got it. Thank you. Want to make a motion? I move to
exercise the two one-year transportation contract extensions with Michael J. Connelly and Sons for FY2027 and FY 2028. Second. All right. Is Michael? Yes. Miss Stevenson.
Yes. Miss Richard. Mr. Masters. Yes. And I'm a yes. It is approved. All right. gymnastics co-op proposal. Yes. Uh so I'd like to share an update from our athletic department regarding
our gymnastics co-op for the upcoming winter season. Um the co-op team originally approved by school committee with Medway as the host district has experienced a little bit of a hiccup. Uh Medway informed us recently that unfortunately they need to withdraw from the agreement due to having no
participating athletes. Uh given that Hopington now has the majority of the interested student athletes, it's 80% of the team. In fact, uh it makes more sense for us to assume the role of of host district. Uh we currently have nine, excuse me, seven rising nth
graders and five additional high school students expressing interest in participating. Uh the co-op will continue to include Hollist and Milis uh and will benefit from the existing coach and training facility uh minimizing startup costs and challenges. Uh so when
it comes to costs u taking on the host responsibilities from facility rental officials stipens etc it's approximately $14,889 so just shy of 15,000 and then the funding sources which I know is important uh the facility rental and
official fees will be paid from our uh existing contracted services account. Uh coaching stipens will be funded through the athletic revolving account. Uh and obviously costs will also be partially offset by part uh participation fees from Hollist and Milis. So even though
they have fewer kids, they still will participate as much financially. So um the cost will be covered and this proposal will not only allow us to support the growing interest in gymnastics with our students, but uh expand our winter athletic opportunities for some of our female students uh all while trying to
manage it financially modest if pos. Do the um participants have to pay any fee? Yeah, they have a a fee as well. Yep. Okay. And this is not a pilot. This is like an ongoing. This is an ongoing what I thought my memory gets. Yeah. So we had a co-op with Westboro for a number of years. Yeah. Y
I think it's really exciting. So looking Yeah. approval to be the host. Do we carry um given gymnastics can be a a pretty seriously dangerous sport,
do we have liability involved there? Yeah. With all of our athletics? Yep. Okay. Yep. Yep. Anybody like to make a motion? I would like to move to approve Hopkin as the host for the gymnastics program. Second. Oh,
great. Miss R. Yes. Miss Stevenson, yes. Miss Richard, yes. Mr. Masters, yes. And I'm a yes. It is approved. All right. On to policies. Okay. We have uh first readings of two
policies related to civil rights and title 9 compliance tonight. Uh specifically, we're reviewing policy AC uh the non-discrimination including harassment and retaliation uh policy and policy ACAB uh sexual harassment uh in Title 9. Our Title 9 policy has been
aligned with the 2024 regulations. Uh we updated that uh a year or so ago, a year and a half ago. Uh but since those have since been ruled unlawful and our legal council has advised us that we need to revert back to the 2020 regulations uh which remain in effect at this time. Uh
the revised policies before you tonight reflect those corrections and suggestions from our legal council uh and include updated grievance procedures to ensure that both staff and families have clear transparent processes for addressing any concerns related to discrimination or harassment. Uh so
again, tonight is just the first reading, so no vote is required. Uh and we can bring these policies back at a future meeting for formal approval. But I wanted to talk through this if you had any questions about it. There's a double hoping painting. Looks like it got highlighted though.
Yeah. Okay. We'll we'll be able to clean that up. Yeah. But again, this is language coming from our legal council. Okay. They the ones who did all the audits, correct? Yes. Really excited about that. Thank you. Good. No questions.
All right. Moving on to the other policies. Oh, it was the same story for both. It is. Yeah. Oh, it's the both. Oh, okay. So, I updated for the current legal Okay. Language. Yep. Thank you. All right. We don't have to do anything.
We'll move on to capital plan. Okay. Okay. So, this is the FY27 capital plan. It has been updated first presented on September 25th and has been updated for tonight's meeting.
uh to run through again looking at the 10-year capital plan, you can see um from years fiscal year 27 out through 31 and the different uh allocations for each of the buckets and then from 32 to
37 representing the full 10 years. looking at it from a detail standpoint. Uh HVAC districtwide uh we will determine an approach the committee and from equipment classroom furniture and FY27 will be desks and
chairs for the middle school and 28 will be whiteboards, wardrobes and shelving for also for the middle school in building and grounds equipment and vehicles. FY27 is student services van. FY28 tractor. FY30 student services
minivan. FY31 maintenance truck and a tractor. FY34 maintenance truck utility vehicle. 35 the athletics van maintenance truck and 36 tractor in flooring. FY28 the middle school
hallways. FY30, high school athletic track. Um, a athletic center track. Apologize. Roof replacements in FY29. Both the middle school and high school sections of the roof. The cafeteria
kitchen and servery. In FY28, we'll be looking to add a dishwasher and replacement of a steamer. In FY30, a dishwasher for the middle school security, fire protection, and the generator. FY36 will be looking at the
fire alarm and security system for the middle school and 37 a generator for the high school parking lot and campus paving in FY34 both the middle school high school parking lots will be evaluated tennis court and basketball
court surfacing FY30 will be looking at the tennis courts and 32 the basketball courts the track and field for FY33 looking at both the track and field three and for technology in 27 we'll be
looking for projectors security upgrades and radios 28 cameras switches cell repeater radios 29 core switches cameras and radios 30 the wireless access points
cameras and radios and 31 uh the WAP security upgrades and radios. So again focusing on the 27 requests the end of life replacement is the vehicle
for 95,000 technology for 150,000 HVAC which we'll discuss more later and the classroom equipment at 217,000. So the vehicle, this is a van for the student services. Uh it is a handicap
van and it's used to take students to vocational activities. For technology, again the requests are to replacement of the projector in the high school athletic center, security upgrades for the video archiver and
building camera replacements, as well as radio replacements throughout the building. And again, these are end of life and for increased security. Classroom equipment. This is to replace desks and chairs in 25 middle school
classrooms. Over time, the classrooms have been put together with random furniture to meet the increasing enrollment. This leads to furniture of different shapes, sizes, some are broken, have missing pieces, and some students do not fit in these one-piece
desk chair units. And you can see from the different levels, it makes collaboration challenging. Do we sell off like the ones that we're going to get rid of? We put them on uh surplus and we offer them out uh online to any district. Uh
so you see that frequently, which is actually where we have gotten some of the desks uh over time as enrollment has increased and we didn't budget for that. So yes. Okay. And then moving into the HVAC
district-wide planning. Um so the HVAC options that were presented at the last meeting and this is from the ESCO audit uh leaves a couple of choices. Replacing in kind with added cooling, air source heat pumps, geothermal watertowater heat
pumps or geothermal distributed heat pumps. And the second piece of that is fiscal year timing. So we looked at the high school options. Um so you can see that the net cost for
traditional replacement that's inind plus cooling is 11.5 million. The air source heat pump is 13.3 million. The geothermal water to water is 11.2 million. and geothermal distributed heat
pumps is 14.15 million. So CMTA, the vendor that presented last week, talked through a lot of um what needed to happen in the infrastructure within the building. Um so focusing on
what seemed to be the committee's uh choice which was the geothermal water to water. You can see where the net cost is less than the traditional uh inind replacement and it also does have
baseline energy um savings. So those are the operational savings that will happen um within the budget. Looking at the middle school again, replacing in kind is 11 million, the air source heat pump at 10.37,
the hybrid geothermal at 11.05 and geothermal distributed at 10.68. And again, it seemed the committee was leaning a little towards that that middle option, the hybrid geothermal. And again looking at the baseline energy
savings and adjusted for um the cooling these are budget impacts uh that are positive. So 111,000 um adjusted savings in terms of energy in the in the budget.
So, what I want to also bring to your attention is where we stand uh for Charleswood because of course a community concern is uh debt. So, when we look at the biggest project that's out there right now, um this is
Charleswood. When you look at that last column, this is the available column, meaning that it has not been committed or spent as of this time. The big numbers that have driven that available
is the construction contract is 22 million under budget and contingency there's uh 9.4 million of contingency. So at this time the available is 38
million under budget. However the project is very early on. There will be change orders. 38 million will not be the number but to give you an idea of the magnitude of where we stand at this point in time.
So when you look at some of the different options again using those examples those middle examples and where we fall in terms of our projects um both the investment the debt and the um
credits that can come forward. So in fiscal year 27 uh for the Hopkins project which will be completed in the fall of 26 the mass save um uh incentive would be 513,000 that would be coming
back to the town in the fall of 26 for fiscal year 28. Looking at Charleswood again, the project coming under budget, using 20 million as a conservative number, not the 38 million that is right
now under budget, but lowering that to 20 million. looking at the high school the geothermal water to water as as an example and this would be looking at the May of 27 town meeting the budget cost
was $18,900,000 again with Hopkins uh project the mass save in the investment tax credit in uh summer of 27 would be 1.8 8 million coming back and Charleswood the mass
save at com at at completion would be 1.9 million coming back. So for fiscal year 27 and 28 you could see a decrease of debt or basically being able to cover the high school project in a decrease of
debt potentially of 4.8 8 million moving into fiscal. Excuse me. Sorry. Can I can I ask a question? Yeah. Are are we allow Let's just say we end up So essentially you're saying take 20
million from existing projects that we're going to save and use that 20 million to pay for the cooling at um at the two schools. Are we able to take those funds or does that need to be voted on or how does
that process work? It would still need to be voted voted on. So the by the town by the town this would still go to town meeting. So it would go to the town meeting in in May of 27, but it would be posed as this isn't
kind of new debt sort of. It's we save 20 million on these projects, but we need the 20 million to fix the middle school and the high school. Well, this would just be for the high school. Just for the high school. It's tw Sorry, I'm on my um reading that on my phone.
It's I thought it was about 11 million for each. Is that You're saying it's 20 million just to redo the system at the high school. So, it's $18.9 million for the high school. 18.9 million. That's before the credits.
Before all the credits. Yes. That's the budget cost. Budget cost. And sorry. the the um the the credits come back. I know it's like a year later from the last meeting, but what were those credits coming back? So for for Hopkins, you would be getting
513,000 and an additional 1.8 million and for Charles you would be getting 1.9 million. Okay. Okay. Got it. Thanks. Mhm.
So then if you move into fiscal year 29, um the high school project, you would begin to get some of those incentives. So the mass save would come in uh as a credit of 1.3 million. And this is where
you could be looking to do the middle school um hybrid geothermal at a budget cost of 15,300,000. Charleswood investment tax credit would come in at 4.3 million and the high
school investment tax credit would come in at 6.4 million. So this would be an increase of debt of 3 million at the end of 29. And then in the fiscal year 2030, you
would receive those incentives for the middle school project mass save at 750,000 and the investment tax credit at 3.5 million. So in 2030 you would be reducing your debt again by 4.2 million.
So taking all those uh scenarios, potential scenarios together, you looking at fiscal year 2728, the investment would be 18.9 million, but you would receive back 23 million in
credits and being under budget for Charleswood. So at the end of the year, you're under 4.8 million. in fiscal year 29 which would be the investment for the middle school at 15.3 million with
credits coming back of 12.3 million. So that would be a cost of 3 million and then in fiscal year 30 you would receive more credits for the middle school at 4.2 million. Um so at the end of the
three years 28 29 and 30 with an investment of 34.2 2 million but credits and bud projects coming in under budget at 40 million. You would be addressing the middle school and high school um but
still be under by 6 million. We'd be ahead by 6 million. Yeah. So that is a potential scenario um for the committee to think about. The focus for tonight is to vote the 27.
Mhm. what you're looking at. If you're thinking uh that this is a favorable timeline, if you will, we'll add it to the 10-year capital plan so the town is a aware of it. But for the high school
at least, if you give um kind of a a direction, then I can move CMTA to further develop that option. So, two things. So, we're putting to forward for 27 the beginning of the high
school project. No, no, nothing for 27. Okay. It's 28. And sorry, what's the what's the timeline on actualizing
the underbudget 20 million? I know it's 38 million, but let's say we're conservative with 20 million. But if things go sideways, what's the timeline of saying, "Okay, that 20 million in savings and debt that we're saving at Charleswood in essence can now be
transferred over to the high school." What what what's the timeline on saying that is confirmed? We're saving the money before spending the money. So that would be a year from now. So a year from now would be when you're looking at doing your um 2028 capital
plan. that would be voted at the May of 27 town meeting. But he's asking when will we really know if how much savings we're going to have on the Charleswood project. Well, as the Charleswood would that will
be a year into the construction. So you you'll have a better idea. You'll have a very good idea by by this time next year. Um, and again that it's showing 38 million, but there will be change orders. So that's why
we're going down to 20 million to be very conservative, but still could be 30. It still could be higher. It could be higher. Yeah. But just for clarity though, it's not transferring over. It's separate votes at town meeting that we're hoping that people will see the logic of that
we've saved the money here which frees the town up to be able to spend really really the rationale is to be able to accomplish these projects without putting more of a debt uh impact
um tax impact to the community. So we're we're trying to time this out to have little to no impact on the community. Yes, it's a huge concern of the community about the debt and there are increasing taxes.
Um but we also have to do something about these boilers in the next five years at the high school. And this option provides significant savings and green energy over the life of these systems.
Correct. So there's I mean the fact that we could even have see savings at the end of this is just tremendous where if we went straight with just replacing the boilers, we'd be out 11
something million and and increased cost and increased cost for energy. Is this the plan where um it looked like all the geothermal wells were under the football field? It's the baseball and practice field.
Okay. That's was some assurances that they might be able to do that in the winter when they're not playing baseball, right? Yeah. It's field one and two. Y really like geothermal. I think that the that the geothermal wealth makes the most sense both from a
budget standpoint and from trying to meet um you know the green initiatives standpoint, the net zero. I think the biggest thing is is timing on the debt. And I like the idea of being able to to to do it in FY28 rather
than FY27. But on the flip side of that, how much liability if if if we have issues with the boilers at the high school, is there short-term repair or are they looking at an emergency like
uh complete replacement on the spot? Right. So, keep in mind there's five boilers. So, one going down will not mean that the building is not heated. And we're pretty assured that they have a good few more years left on them.
Yeah. So, you know, this is where when you're doing a building project, everything is installed at the same time. So, being strategic on your replacement is really important because you wouldn't want to replace all five boilers at the
same time, but yet their life is over. Um, so coming up with a plan is very important. So, if I understand this correctly, we're just voting to move this forward so that it goes to the town vote in May. Correct.
You'll move you're voting the what is on the docket for 2027 that that is what will go to town meeting in May, which is the vehicle, the technology, the and the classroom equipment.
Got it. Did you want to invite appropriations up to Sure. Do you have feedback? Thank you. Thank you for being here. No, absolutely. Thank you. Um,
that was really very helpful because there's also there's already a lot of buzz about 22 million and 10 whatever. So, um I think this is this lays it out really very well. I I want to make sure I'm really clear on um the cadence of
everything. So, at the FY well at the May town meeting in 2026, all you're doing is reducing the borrowing from the Charleswood school. Not yet. Not yet.
No. So all we're doing in the May 26 town meeting are these three items. The vehicle, technology, and classroom equipment. That's it. So all of the conversation around this HVAC is happening at the May 2028
town meeting 27 year. Yes. Thank you. Okay. And so at that point, the expectation is you're going to have a firmer number on how you how much of the Charleswood borrowing you can essentially repurpose
eliminate. I mean, you can't really repurpose it. You can extinguish. Yep. And then the next article is how much you're going to borrow for the HVAC. Correct. Um, and in terms of the
borrowing, you're borrowing the cost of the full project and then you get the reimbursements. You're not subtracting that, right? Just clear borrow for gross, which is the same of what we did for Charleswood. Okay. And so I see mass save savings.
Excellent. Feel confident about that. How confident do you feel about the federal reimbursement? So I don't think anyone knows, right? um which is another good reason why you wait another year till another year. Okay. Um and so there'll be a different plan if there's
a different expectation about the federal correct reimbursement at that point. Okay. So just in summary in the long term this is the better option in terms of reduction of your energy costs in your
operating budget once all of this is in place. Correct. Assuming all of these credits go through, this is the lower cost option. What's the timeline for the project? So,
if this is voted in um May of 27 town meeting, they could begin doing the geothermal wells, whatever timing makes the most sense for that field. Um they could begin immediately. But does it
take like six months, a year, three months? I don't know. Didn't they say nine months? Yeah, I I don't recall. I believe they said nine months. You have to go back to the presentation for We're not talking about like the long-term type of building construction schedule.
Oh, no. It was short. And all of this, this is probably a really obvious question. This all connects to the current internal infrastructure of the heating systems, right? Yeah. All right. Well, that's extremely
helpful. I would, even though this isn't coming up in the FY27 budget, I would expect that there will be questions about this in um the appropriations process this year. So, I think it's really helpful to get out in front of it
um like this. And um I think this isn't a you job, but at some point if the town's able to start to estimate tax impact, I guess my final question is then because you have to do the borrowing for the full amount. I don't
know the timing for the reimbursements if the if the full amount tax impact is actually going to ever hit a tax bill or reimbursements will come prior to because there's always that lag in the borrowing.
So at town meeting they authorize the full amount, right? But they'll borrow based on the cash flow. So, as as the project continues to potentially be under budget, they won't borrow, you know, the the full amount.
They'll only borrow based on the cash flow. So, the tax impact will be the actual borrowing. So, as this project continues to stay under budget, the tax impact will be less. So, that's already taking place for
Charleswood. Yes. When you borrow the money for the HVAC, do the rebates come early enough in the construction and borrowing process that it will reduce
the tax impact like the first tax impact for that project. Yeah. So that's where you have to look at the timing of all these. So mass save is at completion um but then some is after a year. So that's why you have to look at how the incentives come in
on a year year-over-year basis. Yeah. So basically overall there's good news about that scary chart that we all just looked at on Tuesday, right? Because already you're not borrowing as much as anticipated under
what was authorized for the Charleswood school. So okay well that's that clears up a lot for me. That was a really helpful presentation. If the appropriations committee needs us to Yeah, I think um I saw it in the packet, but if there's a way you can send me
just that separately, I will share that with um the committee, too. So that and I'm sure Kyla has it, but um I think that it's definitely a topic of concern and I think that that answers a lot of questions and as you said um you have to replace the boilers, right?
So that's not ne that part's not negotiable. can't operate a school without any heat. No, for sure. And so I think um this is a tremendous amount of work and thought and I think that seems like the optimal solution at this point, but I'm just one girl so
that's not a blessing. Um okay, that's great. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. I hate Sus. All right. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Go ahead. Question. Um, do we have a know who the select board rep to our budget process is going to be?
Yes, Mr. Manan. Oh, okay. And he and I have already started talking. We are have we're in the process of trying to schedule a meeting. Fabulous. and and I'm assuming the town has seen but
it was not disclosed on Tuesday but the town has had the opportunity to they will they will see this when you vote it. Yes. Thank you. All right. Do we want to make a motion
to I move to approve the FY27 capital plan. Second. Great. Mr. Masters. Yes. Miss. Yes. Yes. Stevenson. Yes.
And I'm a yes. We're moving that forward. Thank you. Appreciate all of your excellent depths of thought and how far out you go with it. Yes. I also appreciate we didn't there was a time when we didn't look at 10
years at a time and that's a really nice piece to we've always looked at 10 years so but I've only presented five to you um because it's a lot to digest you know I do but the 10 years has always been
submitted to the town I hope it can get out in the news for the community to watch these presentations because the headlines that come out do not fully encapsulate all the information that we present here.
And I think even the select board wasn't aware of all the information we have on our capital plan. I think I'm sorry. I think it would be exceptional if the newspaper would do a feature on
you and you Well, no, not let's roll that back. But I'd like to be quoted. Terrence, you explaining this stuff. Yeah. And because I mean, I can't even imagine
what things look like in your mind cuz I I don't like numbers, but when you explain it, it makes so much sense. I think we might want to also, you know, it as we're moving towards next year to do some maybe community forums where we
do explain this kind of like we did for the building projects. Maybe we could have the um Susan Rothermitch television show. There we go. Susan explains the budget. That's good. So, I will say at the last after the
last meeting, there was an article in the paper and um Jeff Roland actually responded to several comments um and very well just to make corrections. So, that was very helpful. Yes.
Can along the lines of keeping things um accessible for the public, can we um request that the budget documents for including the capital as well as the operational and the timeline be put up on the website um under the FY27 budget.
That'd be great. That would be great. and then each each presentation as they come along um when we get into the operational but that's helpful for people sure that have questions to be able to point them to to that great I'll make note of that now
great okay okay policy policy and I'll just really quickly echo all of your statements about we're very lucky to have Miss Rothermick in the position she's in she is tremendous uh we're all um you know this there's so many things
that she is in charge of and that she works on uh above and beyond what I think a lot of people in her role and other districts do and so um you know I know at my brand new in this role I couldn't ask for a better um director of of finance assistant superintendent I know Jeff feels the same way so thank
you for appreciate and we'll watch that uh TV show that you Oh yeah all right um conversations with watch TV the TV show all right so uh we're going to go to our Second reading of policy
GBEBC. Uh this is the policy that outlines expectations around the giving and receiving of gifts between employees and school committee members. Uh the revisions come from the MASC suggested updates to ensure clarity and consistency with state ethic guidelines. I know we've had a we've taken an
opportunity to look at this as a group. Uh so again, this is the second reading. So if there's any questions or concerns, we can talk about them. Um, but maybe we can try to get a motion to approve this revised policy as presented tonight as well. I I don't think this has any huge merit
on whether or not we approve it tonight, but was it distributed to the community for any questions or anything in the Geette sometimes will send them out? Yes, that's I I would have to uh check with her. I I'm not sure if that went
out to the community. Okay. Yeah. I mean, if that's something that she's typically done, I would imagine she probably did, but I want to make sure about that. So, it goes out to the community within our board within our Yeah. But usually usually it's highlighted um that the policy goes out
to for people to be able to because everybody doesn't read our packet. That's unfortunate. Be able I know it's shocking to I would think it would be must reading. Um, sometimes they go out with the first reading though, so it could be that I I
missed. Do we want to hold it? I don't think this particular policy has merit to hold for that reason alone, but just thinking in general, it's good practice to be able to get the community aware of the
policies. Okay. anything from the policy committee on it? It was um there's actually there's like one typo actually that I would want us to fix in the one two third paragraph.
Um but other than that, I don't think that we really changed much. Yeah. So, Georgia just let us know it did go up. It did. Fabulous. Oh, great. All right. She's great with getting all the Thank you. Thank God. and she's not feeling well.
So, I Well, maybe we're soothing to watch for people who aren't feeling well. Putting them to sleep. All right. Uh uh Jamie, did you want to make an edit? Oh, I see it on the third
paragraph. Yes. Okay. Um, so I would move to approve the revised policy GB EBC with that um fix to the typo. It's a mouthful to say. Yeah, say that.
Uh, I'd second that. All right, Miss Rank. Yes. Miss Stevenson. Yes. Richard. Mr. Masters. Yes. And I'm a yes. Great. items by consensus.
Yes. Uh I recommend that the school committee approve the items by consensus as listed in your packet. So moved. Seconded. All right. Miss Richard. Yes. Yes. Stevenson. Yes. Mr. Masters. Yes.
I'm a yes where it passes and I move to adjourn the meeting. I second it. Great. Miss. Yes. Yes. Yes, everybody's very enthusiastic. Good night. Thank you everyone.
Thank you. Good night everyone.