Uh, in accordance with the requirements of the open meeting law, please be advised that this meeting is being broadcast at a later date over the Lunberg public access channel and the link to the meeting is in the agenda. In addition to that, the link to the public access Facebook
page is also in the agenda. This meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local cable access channel and on the public access Facebook page and will be found on the Lunberg access YouTube channel within 24 hours of the meeting. This agenda lists all the
topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by the open meeting
law. So uh we do not have to do it anyway. >> I feel like it's kind of >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Pass it over. I pledge allegiance 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. So, um before we get started, I just want to give everybody a little bit of an update as to why we are here.
Um the final supposedly final trio board meeting is tomorrow night and we are planning on voting on the shape and size of the override and we are uh anticipating having all budgets submitted by then. I know that the
select board had a um a budget workshop last Monday. I think they're doing another one today. And so everybody should have everything done. The reason why we're doing things like that in terms of the calendar is
because the final date to submit warrants to the town clerk for the May annual town meeting is on the 11th of April, but the 11th of April is a Saturday, so it is the 10th of April. We only have one meeting in between now and
then. And we always want to have one meeting open in case there are issues at the last minute or in case there are calculations, mistakes. We have hopefully had that one taken care of. Get like one a year if we're on a bingo card. But we always have to have one
spare just in case. So the only time that we could get everybody together was tonight. And I am uh grateful that everybody was able to get word out. Thank you Dr. Fortuna for getting the word out. U and thank you Liz wherever she is for posting the agenda. So that
is why we're doing this tonight and I am grateful that we have attendance here uh in person and hopefully we'll have attendance. Oh thanks Liz over a zoom like >> she's usually sitting next to Chris. That's >> um let's go to uh public comment for
prior issues. I'm sure we have a lot of comments. >> Do we have to wave the 10 minute? We'll see when we get to 10 minutes. Oh, can I just make a motion to wave the 10-minute comment period? >> Yes. Uh, by the way, uh, do we have quorum? >> Yes. >> Okay.
>> We just need the three of you. >> Would anybody want to make a motion? >> So moved. >> Okay. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay. >> Just say second. >> Second. Whatever. I >> me. >> All right. Hi, Casey McDonald. 1024 Massav. Uh, I'm a teacher in the school
at uh Lunberg High School and I'm also the head football coach. Um, I'm gonna make this quick because I actually have to go back to uh some of the kids in the weight room. But, um, I want to be very clear. Um, as the football coach, I'm not here trying to protect my puppy. I
understand everybody needs to take some cuts and I'm in complete agreement with that. However, I strongly believe that a more creative avenue for further and further conversation needs to be had about the athletic transportation. Um, it's a liability nightmare waiting to
happen with what we're talking about by just making it completely cut. In my opinion, this fall I'm going to have 40 kids in the football program and I shudder at the idea that we are going to carpool and figure out rides to places like Gardener, Fitchburg, Worcester,
Leester, etc. There needs to be some sort of alternative option. I know Emily had talked about a one-way transportation last week. Um, I have even talked with other coaches in the area about other programs that have done the purchase of one or two vans or buses.
Um, I'm going to leave them anonymous, but direct quotes that I've gotten from other coaches, other athletic programs in the area. Any school that wants to save money finds a way to get a van or two to supplement their uh, travel. Another coach that told me, "It's absolutely worth it. I would recommend
every school having one. It paid for itself within two years. Whatever argument against whatever argument there is against it, whether it be insurance, whatever the case may be, I promise you it is less than any lawsuit or liability that could fall back on Miss Burns, the
coaches, myself. We can talk about if, you know, parents can be the ones that are responsible for bringing the kids to these games, but that's out of our control. And I don't want us to be on the other end of when a kid throws four other kids into his pickup truck, drives out to an away game that we told him to
go to, and something bad happens. It is a legal nightmare. There are liabilities there that weigh far more financially and emotionally than us just being able to figure it out. I have full confidence and faith in our extracurricular
community. I'm including band and music into this when I say this that we could come together and be able to raise funds and aid in the effort if needed. Like I said, it just requires more of a conversation and willingness to explore more creative options besides parents and families helping us to figure it out. So, thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Hi. Um I'm Nathaniel Als. Um I'm a student and I'm a student athlete here at Lunberg. Um, and I just had a couple comments on the busing. Um, all of us understand how expensive busing is, but cutting both sports and band
transportation from our budget would unfairly limit student access to essential extracurricular activities that build teamwork, discipline, and school pride. Many students rely on school provided transportation to participate. And without it, those who cannot drive or lack other options would be excluded, creating inequality among
the student body. Athletics and music programs are not just extras. They contribute to students physical health, creativity, and overall academic success. Removing transportation risks lower participation, weakening school culture, and taking away opportunities that help students grow beyond the
classroom. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hello, Chris Sullivan, 108 Highland Street. Uh, not jealous or envious of anything you guys had to do here. I got to admit >> it's not too bad. >> Thank you for everything you have done.
Um for sure. Um I'm going to jump around a little bit here. Um I think Lunberg needs to focus on uh we we talk about educ you know educating our students and our obligation to do that. Um our obligation should be
educate the entire student. Uh that involves extracurricular activities. uh classroom first and foremost obviously and it goes without saying um but I'm a firm believer that athletics and other extracurriculars here at Lunenburgg uh play a significant role in student development uh and the life experiences
extend far beyond the classroom. I have two students here at the high school sophomore and a senior. Um those extracurriculars directly impact their social and emotional well-being. Establishes long-term relationships and and friendly bonds. It builds their
college resumes. It helps them understand what it means to be part of something special, to be part of something more than just your individual self. Um, it pains me to see what, you know, to to kind of, you know, see what we're talking about. Uh, I obviously don't want to see any of what we're what we're
here to talk about tonight. Um, one of the things I question, I guess, is a little bit I haven't heard much in the way discussion of cutting middle school sports. Uh I'm not sure where we're at with middle school sports if they're completely off the table, but we're when I looked at the doc Dr. uh Fortuna's slide slides
that came out today, we're talking about 2,400 bucks for um ski team, $3,300 bucks for for uh golf, 4,100 bucks, 4,200 bucks for for girls lacrosse. That's $9,976. We're presently spending $14,415
on middle school sports. So, there's a $4,439 difference between the two. Um, not sure. I I would be a proponent of cutting middle school sports before I would anything to do with varsity sports. Um, cutting varsity sports can
directly impact, you know, have direct implications on kids college, you know, college opportunities. Um, not sure if you're aware, but our varsity lacrosse goalie is a D1 commit to Cal Berkeley next year. that opportunity goes away if we don't have opportunity here for for
girls to play lacrosse. Um, two of the sports that we're talking about, my son plays, so it hit me like a ton of bricks this morning when I got that email. >> He's a golf he's been on the golf team since he was a freshman. Um, sorry, he's been on the golf team since he was in
the eighth grade. Um, he's on the ski team now the last two years. Ski team is a um, what's the word? a uh multiple school um >> activity co-op. I'm not sure if we can look at other schools taking that on. Uh
one of the gentlemen from for ski is here. Uh he may talk about that as well. Golf, I don't know what the solutions are, but we're talking about impacting, you know, kids opportunities here to to to enjoy school, to be off screens, uh to not be going home directly after
school, uh to build these bonds. Um, and I think that's a a travesty that we're that we're here talking about that tonight. Um, I can speak my the athletic trainer thing is the last piece that I'll touch I'll touch base on. Um, I know we got to talk about the position,
not the person. You hear that? Um, and I don't care who the trainer is here. Um, Dave obviously has established a well, you know, a great relationship with students. Um, but whoever the trainer is, the fact that kids have somebody here full-time that they can rely on for
safety, for their health, and for um, you know, uh, emotional their emotional well-being um, is is huge. Someone that's not here full-time, that isn't here, and I can speak to it directly. my first track meet of the season this year. My daughter pulled her hands.
Came home distraught, totally upset. Senior year, down and out, not sure what to expect. She realized that Dave was up at the school at a basketball game. She immediately came up to the school that night, saw Dave, came home with a stim stem machine
for the weekend to start getting herself rehabbed, and then was able to get back to compete at states at the end of the season where they won the state title for the school. That impact that a trainer can have at a school on a full-time basis is huge. Not
having a trainer here full-time is is a massive detriment to to our program here at the school. Thank you. >> Thank you, Chris. Good evening. >> Hello. >> Um, my name is Jim Broden. Um, my wife
works for the uh staff here. >> Uh, I've been involved with the uh ski team for over 20 years. I think the last time I spoke with you uh didn't start off so hot, but uh at the end of the night, you said I had the best idea.
um $2,200 or $2,400 for the ski team. What I would propose that we could do is if we raised that money, would you keep the team? We've done that before. who are a completely self-funded team
and I believe that we could raise that money and if that wasn't an option the second thing that we could do is to go talk to Lminister High School and Littleton High School and ask if they want to be the host teams and we have I think only two years or
three years we had some transportation but besides that I think I'd say 18 of the 21 years we've provided our own transportation. No issues. Everyone has insurance.
Um we when I started the team we did look up in the Massachusetts law if a parent has over $100,000 of liability insurance they can drive. So we've never had any issues with that.
And I think if it's no cost, we should be able to keep it. So that's what I propose. And it's really no different than when all the kids are younger. Um we pay for all of their sports
and we believe that we could continue to do that. And I demonstrated it for 12 years. For the first 12 years that I was the coach, I had all of the funding. It was all reported to the athletic director at the end of each season and
we had no problems with it. So, >> hope you take that into consideration. >> Thank you. >> And I hope that I've given you a uh reasonable way to uh keep the activity going and you can save that $2,400 for
another team. >> Okay. >> Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, J. Lockwood is online. >> Okay. >> Do how do we want to do this first? I'll just >> I think we should do the in person at first.
Um, can you guys hear me? Okay. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Thank you, Anna. >> Thank you. >> Um, I just want to, um, first, um, thank Mr. Broden for his comments. Um, my, you know, my kids, my daughter did
the ski team when he was the coach and it was a self-funded sport. um we there was no cost to this to the school district at that point to have that team running and I think as a parent as
parents we can do that again and um and you know and I am I am looking for ways to support the school uh department and continue you know everything that's good about Wenberg. Um and you know I'd love to support any team including the golf
which my son played as well. Um so I think you know I made a comment um I I I earlier to a school committee member that you know we get it's not that we don't want to support the sports I think
we need to be be pragmatic about it and you know if sports have less than x number of kids you know department the school department will not provide um transportation might be a good rule to
go by so that we'll be funding sports that maximize the most benefit to the most kids. Um, and that's how the ski team did it at the time was, you know, we were small, we had co-op and we brought in our
money, you know, we supported the schools, uh, and children. Another thing that I'll mention is I was also very appreciative of the chair on that our last meeting where he said you know we
need to focus on education. Um you know as hard as it is to admit to this the outcome of any kid on on their educational journey is really has to do with social economics.
Um I think we need to focus on doing the basics and doing the basics very well during difficult times and provide good education for the children and the extra curriculum and the extra stuff that
benefits children but you know not as many I think we need to be frugal about it. So I do think I support the chair on his comments on focusing on education. Um, and I hope everything can stay. I
hope parents can step up and gosh, I can step up, too. But, um, but anyway, this is not easy. I don't envy you. Um, unfortunately, it seems to be a cycle that we go through every, you know, 10 years or so. Um, but thank you for your work and, um, thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Uh, Matt Snder, 985 Flat Hill Road. Um, agree with and appreciate everything everybody said to date. I would argue that unfortunately education first doesn't go without saying because I think that is one of the areas we cut
the most because we don't want to lose some of the uh extracurricular items and the things that make a potentially more well-rounded student. So, um I think it does need to be said over and over again that the education does have to come first and we might need to make some
difficult decisions in other areas. Um my kids happen to play sports. They're in the band. They're both very academically successful. We're going to be impacted no matter what we cut, right? It doesn't matter. So, I'm not here to make a plea for special, you know, my own self-interest or anything
like that. I'm really not even here to make a plea to you folks. I know this is a difficult and challenging decision. It's really a plea to the town. We we we keep going through this. Uh I know the previous speaker said we go through this every 10 years. We're going through this every year right now. It's not every 10 years. It's every year. And the problem
is that we either don't ask for enough money when we go for an override or we wait too long to ask for money when we go for an override. And so we make these uh death by a thousand paper cut type moves. We dwindle away what our school system offers and then eventually we
pass a band-aid fix that solves that year and the next year we're making the same conversation. Maybe a override gets us a couple years, but it's rare in my time in town that we're passing an override that significantly carries the town to the next. We need to help change
the mindset in town that if we're demonstrating a financial burden and a financial need, we need to fund that financial burden and financial need or we're going to lose programming and that there's you can't have all the programming you want without funding it. There's no way around it. Um, so we're
watching a slow fade turn into a rapid fade of services. Like it's just everything's falling off the edge right now. We're like lemmings. It's just everything's going right over the edge. Um, when we came to town, we had a shop shop program. We had all kinds of things. We built a brand new school and
didn't have a shop because we had to cut the shop. We now can't have a shop because we don't have a space to put it. Um, we the band has been under threat every year. Our son has played in a band of like six kids, right? We're finally seeing that return. Some of that was
COVID. A lot of that was funding. A lot of that was cuts in the lower levels. Uh a pri prior speaker talked about cutting middle school sports. Yeah, that's an option, but those are feeder programs that feed into your high school sports. So, you start cutting the lower level sports, your feeder programs go away.
Sure, there's town sports. Sure, there's programs that people can put their own kids into programs, but if it's not run through the public schools, it's the people who can't afford it who can't do it. So, it's the halves and have nots. Um, so that becomes a challenge. Uh, I
graduated from one of the smallest public high schools in all of Massachusetts. I think it was. It probably still is. We had one honors class. We had one AP class. We did still have a shop program. I don't know how, but
basically you had two offerings maybe of each subject at each grade level throughout. Um, in as far as sports, we had a single sport per season per gender, right? We had a boy soccer, girls soccer, we had boys baseball,
girls softball. We we had very few extracurricular offerings there. When I went off to college, I was woefully unprepared in my exposure and background. I managed to be a successful student. I don't I'm not going to say it was in spite of my education. I think I
would have succeeded just aptitude, but my high school did not prepare me for college. Bloomberg is definitely heading down the path of not preparing its kids for college if we keep cutting programs, cutting programs, cutting programs. And it's not it's not sports. It's not band.
It's not education. It's all of it. So, it's not a message to you folks. You're doing what you can to fit a square peg in a round bowl. It's what the town needs to step up and take care of our community because we're a community. Like, our kids, our school is a critical
part of our community. And if it starts to go downhill, the rest of the community is going to follow. >> Thank you, M. Thank you. Woods, 165 Gilchrist Street. You know, I'm normally up there and trust me, I
fully agree. I There are many times I probably wouldn't have come to school if it wasn't for my extracurricular activities. I hate when I get a doctor's appointment that's scheduled the same day I have jazz band because then I'm not allowed to go to jazz band. But
I would like to justify what I said the other day too about education coming first and why I made the comment up there about, hey, why are we cutting teachers when we aren't cutting athletic transportation? I work at a summer camp. For our kids
from prek to first grade, our ratio is 1:7. And I mean, mind you, we're being paid minimum wage and are hardly trained, but still >> one of us to seven of them. The idea of it being one of us to 30 of them, I don't know how anyone could do that.
It's hard enough as it is. I don't see how a primary school teacher can manage a classroom of 30 kids on their own, especially when some of those kids have special needs, can't learn the same way as the other students, and yet we'll get
our football team to Martha's Vineyard. It doesn't make sense. And no one likes to come up here and advocate for the loss of extracurricular activities. It affects me too. I've done
sports, not here in a while, but I have done sports through Lunenburgg. It just you can't run successful sports programs when your lowest level of students aren't being educated.
How is your first grader ever going to be able to play a sport if they can hardly spell their name? Which is what we're looking at when your first grade students are shoved 30 in a room. So, I would just like to justify what I
said before for those who were like, why would she say that? Because I did get a few questions in school about why I would suggest cutting athletic transportation. But thank you. Thank you, Karen. >> Do we have more online lists?
>> Can I I'm >> now there is >> Oh, >> Laura Bushian. >> Good evening. >> Hello. >> So, thank you so much. I um Laurian 39 Road. Um, I was at the marathon meeting
on Wednesday night and saddened to see that today's presentation had even more cuts than were um, you know, being discussed on Wednesday. And I think it's just a testament to the fact that to make a balanced budget, it has to come
from somewhere. Um, I want to remind the public and all of the parents and the last 117 people that are on on this Zoom right now. I don't know how many in the room, but May 2nd is town meeting day
and May 16th is voting day. 117 votes puts through an override that avoids these cuts. Parents and taxpayers, this is a balanced budget is a one-year fix. We
will be back in this room and back on the Zoom this time next year. And there won't be an athletic transportation. There won't be a music transportation cut. There won't be a point to music teacher at the fifth grade. There won't be there'll be all academic cuts.
There'll be the the support services for the special needs kids. There'll be teachers. The cuts will be even more drastic. And this will just be on we are in a vicious circle over and over again. We have to do something to stop this. 117 voices plus those in the room and
those that we can talk to in your neighbors and your other maybe your family. Um that's what needs to happen. We can avoid this. We have we there's one thing that we can control. There's one thing that we can do in a world
where we can't is to make your voice heard and to stop this from happening and stop I will say the board school committee from having to put this forward. They have to put this forward but this is this is up to us. I will also say the president of music gators
we have our biggest sixth grade band right now because the fifth grade band last year I think I'm going to get this right. Mr. Ballister will correct me if I don't, but I think it was 90% of the kids that started with grade band last year finished with grade band.
And that's what's got our biggest band program now. And the musicators will stick out. We will step in where we need to. We've already communicated that to the school committee. We will fill the gap if we haven't filled the gap, but we will be asking our parents to fund that. We will be asking for financial support
to do that. But I just remind folks, this is in our control. May 2nd you have to be at town meeting and May 16th you have to be voting. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Um we got feedback and I have asked if I
could share them. Uh these are two uh letters that were emails or letters that were sent to me from uh the one was from the first grade team, one was from the second grade team. I wanted to go through and highlight some of those issues. I feel like these are public comments.
>> Yep. >> Dear members of the Lunberg School Committee, the first grade team is writing to express serious concern about the proposed change from five first grade classrooms of approximately 23 students each to four classrooms of 30
students or more each. We want to begin by acknowledging and appreciating the difficult decisions you are facing and working within what we understand to be an extremely challenging and at times seemingly impossible budget. We recognize the care and thought that goes into balancing financial constraints
with the needs of students, staff, and the broader community, and we are grateful for your continued commitment to our schools. At the same time, we feel strongly that this proposed change will have a significant impact on our youngest learners. First grade is a foundational year for literacy
development. It is during this critical period that our students not only learn to read, but build their foundation for future learning and shape their entire academic trajectory. Increasing class sizes to 30 students significantly limits a teacher's ability
to provide the instruction that early literacy demands. In smaller classes, we can more effectively deliver mandatory curriculum, identify gaps, and tailor instruction to meet diverse needs. With 30 students, that level of attention becomes extremely difficult, if not
impossible. As classroom teachers with little to no support already, we feel confident that our struggling learners will not receive the individualized instruction and intervention they deserve and require. This poses tremendous long-term academic qu
consequences. Re research has consistently shown that early grade size matters most. Investing in smaller classes in first grade is not simply beneficial. It is essential. We are deeply concerned about changing the class size particular particularly as
the number and intensity of student behavior challenges continues to increase each year. We are already supporting students with a wide range of social, emotional, and behavioral needs, often without staffing or resources for us to do so effectively. Many of our
young students are arriving in our classroom needing support in managing big emotions, dealing with trauma, following rules and routines, and maintaining focus. Addressing these needs takes substantial time, and often disrupts instruction, reduce learn reducing learning opportunities for all
students. While larger class sizes may seem like a practical response to budget or staffing challenges, they often lead to unintended consequences for teacher morale, effectiveness, and retention. As class sizes grow without additional support, we have less capacity to
provide individualized instruction and are forced to focus on more classroom management than meaningful learning. This shift will increase stress, make student needs harder to meet, and will lead to burnout, frustration, and a diminished sense of effectiveness in our
classrooms. We respectfully urge the committee to carefully reconsider this proposal and prioritize maintaining small class sizes in first grade, smaller class sizes in first grade. Supporting our youngest learners at this critical stage is one of the most important investments we can make in
their future. Thank you for your time, your service, and your consideration. Sincerely, Christa Pal uh Christa Palma, Jacqueline Favro, Cara Slatterie, Patricia Kill Cummings, and Michael Cordar. That was the first grade, second grade.
Um this is from Nicole Ben. On behalf of the second grade team, they have all cosigned. Um dear Mr. Scholy, Miss Bzoski, Miss Gilman, and Mrs. Young. We are sending this to you today as a team of professional educators with a collective
71 years of teaching and practical experience at the Lunberg Primary School to express both our unwavering commitment for to what is best for our second grade students and also our concern for those students due to potential staffing changes in the coming year. To begin, we want to thank you for
the time for taking the time to hear our concerns and for your advocacy on our schools and students for our for your advocacy of our schools and students during this challenging fiscal time. We are aware of and understand the budget constraints all too well as we have been
experiencing this difficult environment for some time. We appreciate the difficult situation you face balancing priorities and resources. We would like to emphasize and make you aware that any staff cuts resulting in class sizes of 30 or more students at the primary level
will lessen our ability to educate students of Lunberg effectively. The result of this studenttoteer ratio will negatively impact our students, their safety and their academic, social and emotional progress. Currently we are struggling Currently we are facing
Currently the struggles we are facing in our classroom include substantial and growing number of students with social emotional dysregulation major unsafe physical and verbal behaviors and a lack of staff to support these everinccreasing needs. The current
staffing shortage has already made it very challenging to adequately meet academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students at the primary school. Staffing reductions would only make that situation worse. We believe drawing on our extensive experience as educators that at those
levels of student to teachers, it is it would become impossible to give our second grade students the focused instruction they require without even meeting the basic requirement for adequate space to safely educate our students. Our student without even the
basic requirement for adequate space to safely educate our students being met. We are facing a current reality in education where every year our students come to us with more and more needs, specifically social, emotional, and behavioral needs. We need to acknowledge
this reality and be proactive in supporting our student needs. Reducing staff at the Lunberg Primary School will make an already difficult situation impossible. Our school is staffed by dedicated, experienced, and compassionate educators who consistently go above and beyond to ensure our
students receive the support they need. We all agree our students deserve a robust and effective public education. We need and appreciate your support and advocacy in order to continue to drive what to deliver what our students need to be successful. For all of these
reasons, we are asking you not to cut classroom educator positions at the primary school. We have one more critical area of concern. Given the challenges, the significant challenges we are facing in our school year, our assistant principal has been vital in supporting us. He consistently goes
above and beyond to support staff and students. Our school would be less safe and less functional without a full-time assistant principal. Please also consider not cutting this full-time essential position. Our Lunberg Primary School mission statement states, "Our
mission, we prepare our students for lifelong learning and responsible community membership. Our vision, the Lunberg Primary School is a child- centered school devoted to providing highquality early childhood education for all students. We're a community of teachers, students, and parents working
together to create a safe and respectable, respectful learning environment. Our know our current knowledge of child development guides the school's beliefs and practices and provides the foundation for student learning. Please help us and advocate for what our
students deserve in order to learn at the Lunberg Primary School and help us live up to our mission statement. Respectfully, Nicole Bienvanu, Michelle Bourgeoa, Britney Gibbons, Julie Hudson, Sarah Kenny, Laura Oh jeez. >> Refugeary.
>> Refugeary. Thank you. and Karen Curley. Phone a friend on that one. All right. >> Can I just say I want to thank our educators for their thoughtful comments and feedback >> and the whole team sent that. >> Yeah. Both the first grade and the
second grade team. >> Yeah. you know, felt the need because I know it's difficult sometimes for teachers to feel like they can speak up given the politics of everything. But I I really appreciate them doing that. >> Can I do a public comment?
>> Sure. Public comments from the committee. >> Um, first of all, everything that people said tonight, thank you. You also need to be saying it to the select board and the tri board meeting is tomorrow night. It needs to be said there, too.
Um because we know we know that these cuts are painful. There's nothing that doesn't hurt. Um so send emails to people, advocate outside of just here, please. This is
good, too. And um I I love when our students come and talk as well. I think that's says something nice about Lunberg. Um, this weekend I did what I think many of you also been doing. I spun out a little. Um, I'm a school committee member, but I'm also a mom and
I need my kids to get a decent education. Um, I went to open houses. I looked at the rich towns that I can't afford to live to, the ones with the that I can't afford to move to, the ones with the really nice fancy schools. Uh,
and then I talked to people um to the teacher from Boxboro and Grten and and people in Westford and Chelmsford and a lot of really nice towns. Arlington, a lot of very expensive places to live with very good schools. Um, and the good
news and the bad news, uh, it's not just Lunberg. It's like this everywhere. This is a statewide issue. It is horrifying as a school committee member to see it coming and know that it's about to crash down on Massachusetts and to see the
state legislature doing very very little. This is awful. Um it's like screaming avalanche and nobody's listening. Uh homeowners, taxpayers across the state are bearing the increasing burden of education without
it the state helping. Massachusetts is failing its students. Lunberg is unfortunately uniquely poised to be closer to the edge of this cliff. We are too rich for state aid. We're too poor to fund this entirely ourselves. We're
too small to be a gateway city. We're too big to be rural. It's really hard. We are a very fiscally responsible community that keeps a close eye on our budgets. The schools have been running very lean for a long time.
I've been saying it for three years. It has not stopped being true. What we're seeing is the result of the leanness. I don't think it's so much that it comes in cycles is that the economy comes in cycles, but by the time it gets to the next cycle, we haven't built up from
where we were before and now it's every year. What we're seeing is the result of the leanness. I'm watching what other districts are cutting first. I'm when they as they hit this fiscal wall and it's usually things that Lunberg either
never had or trimmed years and years ago. We're cutting to the bone now because that's all that's left. The awful truth is it's a state issue, but we do not have time to wait for the state to fix it. I don't know if they ever will. We have to do for ourselves and take care
of our own. But the good news is that doing for ourselves is a very Lunberg thing to do. We are a community. We dig in our help our neighbor. So I need everybody listening to step in and help. An override is not a casual
undertaking. It is not something that I want to be asking for year after year. It is a hard sell to ask people to pay more. We all have kids. So it makes sense to parents sometimes when you say pay a little bit more for your kids'
education, but it is a hard cell to ask people without kids in the system who don't have much money to also dig a little deeper. Part of why I like Lunberg so much is our economic diversity, but that also comes with a responsibility to maintain a town that's affordable.
But this is necessary. This is what it's going to take to avoid the cuts we're talking about tonight. the cuts we talked about last week and to give our schools what they need. Not more than they need, not extra, but enough to
properly educate the kids of Lunberg. I think we're up to the challenge. The history of this town is rooted in self-reliance and community connections. I've seen how we've respond to disasters. I've seen how we've responded when our neighbors house catches on fire or people need help. That's what we do.
The state is not going to come fix this this year. I don't think they're going to fix it anytime soon. Uh we are a tiny demographic compared to the cities, but we have to do this. I'm not going to do it. The three of us
are not able. It's it can't be just us. So this is the time if you are upset about the cuts, if you are upset about the future of Lunberg schools, this is the time that you have to put in the effort and make a positive change in this community. So May 2nd town meeting,
you have to go. Do not expect other people to go. Don't go and then be frustrated when it didn't pass because that is your fault. That's on you. Don't wait for someone else to do the work for you. You have to go to town meeting May 2nd and then you have to vote May 16th, which is the town election. Override has
to pass at town meeting and then it has to pass at the town election. So May 2nd and May 16th, they're Saturdays. You got to put them in your calendar and you have to go. And also, we need someone to run for school committee. It's really fun. Um, that's a lie. Uh, but we do we
have two people running for three seats. There are other boards and committees in town that have empty seats. No one is running for them. There are boards and committees. Right now, I don't think there's a single contested election where the citizens of Lunberg get an option in who to vote for. That doesn't
make for a good democracy. Thursday is your last day to pull papers. To get on the ballot, you need to collect 50 signatures and hand it in by Saturday. It's not impossible. You can email. We'll we'll help you figure it out. >> If you are sitting here frustrated because you have the answers and we're
not seeing them, then you need to step up and run, please. And we we need to work together on this override. This is going to be a team effort. Thank you. Um, Manny Gilman, I just want to say two
years ago, I did a lot of screaming and yelling of this previous version of this board. Million uh lots and lots of people told me that we could not pass an override in this town. And we did. We passed a million-doll override. We won by over 90 votes. And
we can do it. But that means that every single person listening to this call needs to talk to bring someone with them because we can win with 800 votes and that's all I'm saying. So we you know we can get there and I I do not accept that
this is what our kids deserve. I just won't accept it. So I just hope each person listening understands how little I'm sleeping, how little I think Dr. Fortuna is sleeping. How little we are all how
much we care about this. And that's it. But we can do this. And and I I don't want to hear people saying we can't do it because that Tony, >> I'm not saying that >> is the worst way to be because we can do this. There are enough people that live in this town that believe in this
community. I was born here. I was raised here. I love this place. Okay, let's go on to what we have to do. >> All right. >> Also, I have a child at home who's sick. So, I'm here as a quorum, but if I have to leave, it's because I have a child with the stomach bug. So, I don't want
anyone here to think that I am sherking my duties. Um, apparently Mrs. Squire said practically the whole school has a stomach bug. So, it's uh it's going around if your child has not gotten it yet. I'm not sitting that close to Laura
for that reason. Before we go, I just want to make four quick points. Number one, this has been an especially unusual form of torture. Making people who care a lot about education
being legally compelled to disassemble the school district they send their children to is terrible. Um the balance budget that we put forward on Wednesday and the revised balance budget that we put forward tonight are mandated by the
town charter. This is not something that anyone would choose to do or want to do. We met with the booster parents for athletics. We're going to meet with the booster parents for other extracurricular activities. Our hope is that the only time we talk about this
balanced budget is when we are obligated to and that's it. It reminds me of the process of watching my grandfather die. My dad's dad, he was named Meyer. He was born in uh Italy and he came here when he was a young man and he had very
serious diabetes. And I lived in Ohio and they lived in in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And we would visit, you know, every three months. And each time I would go, I would see him getting sicker and sicker. I would see, you know, a toe get taken by the doctor and then a foot. And it just kept getting
worse and worse and worse. And I think that what we need to understand is that there is a point of no return for the school district. And we are rapidly approaching the point of no return. It is a mathematical certainty at a certain point that this
will not continue to work because funding from the state government is largely premised on the number of students. If we have a reason for some students to leave that would reduce funding and then that would in turn cause more students to leave. We need to
be very careful as a community to avoid the death spiral and we are very close to being at that point. >> Yes. Second thing I want to say is the removal of fire. You know, I thought it was a negative. I still think that it was not great, but Anna Lockwood called
me on Sunday and she gave me a pep talk. I am really grateful for the pep talk. Her pitch was this. A smaller override is more likely to pass. And I think that she is right. Um Anna is a unique person. I've never met
anybody like her. I'm very glad that I can call her my friend. And I am very glad that on a Sunday afternoon when it should not be snowing, she can call and tell me, "Look at this differently. You may have been wrong." And I think she was right. The second thing is, as we sit here and talk about all the things
that we would have to cut under a balanced budget, I am reminded of what our last great president said when people were booing. He said, "Don't boo, vote." So if we're complaining, go vote. If we are advocating to the school committee,
go vote. If you need somebody to sponsor you to speak at town meeting, I will make sure that happens. But anybody who is agitated needs to be motivated. And the final thing is we have got to stop the process of doing this year in and
year out. We need to engage in true long-term planning. That was the way I was sold the trio meeting. Unfortunately, for a whole host of reasons, we didn't get to the point where we were engaging in long-term planning because the crises in front of us became too big. But we do need to go
back to that model. I think the idea of bringing back things like vocational programs to the school, even if it means that we'd have to disentangle ourselves from Monty Tech, that that is something that has real long-term value. I think that looking at how we utilize school
property has real long-term value. I think that you know one of the things that we could try to do is find other places where there is synergy such as if we have a if we have an athletic trainer could that person also provide some sort of basic calisthetic services at Eagle
House. All of these things are things that we need to do and we need to do not just from February until May, but we need to do them all the time year round and we need to have long-term planning. You know that I look at when we go to
Fitsburg for track meets, they took out a huge, you know, a huge amount of money and a huge amount of effort and they got the the solar canopy built for their parking lots. We need to start thinking about things like that. All of those things, all of those little things
planned out over 10 years will work. And the reason I know that is because when I started my law firm, I had a very nice job at a boutique firm and I decided that I was going to do it by myself with my one of my very good friends and we we planned and we saved and we went without
a salary for almost a year to make it work. If if we can if I can do that and I am not a great financial wizard, I know that we as a town can make this happen. We need to engage in long-term planning and stop crisis management. It is not a crisis if it happens every
year. It's just what is expected. So, we've got to do better. All right, let's get on to the slideshow. >> That's a tough act to follow. Honey, >> I don't I don't know if we can do question and answers. You can stay if
you want to do public comment. you have an open comment. >> You could at the end there's a public comment. We'll we'll try to make it quick. >> We will I'm actually not going to go through this full slideshow um because I
believe the community made the arguments that are included in here. Uh I want to look at this slide. This slide for me is in here very purposefully.
What we are doing with this budget is a drastic injustice. There is a human cost to every budget cut and not just the budget cuts that we're making in the schools. The town is also making budget cuts. We are a little ahead where you
heard our teachers talk about the lack of support staff that they have. We've already come for the support staff. We've already done that. We have nowhere else to go but the classroom teachers. It's apparent to me to think of a class
of 30 students in an elementary school. That's grades 1 through five. I It's abhorrent. It It actually makes me feel a little nauseous. Our classrooms will be overwhelmed. Our teachers will not be able to pull
off the miracles that somehow they pulled off year after year with less and less. It will not be possible. At the same time, there is nowhere else in our budget to get the money but by cutting
teachers, our inaccessible extracurriculars. We are losing opportunity and engagement for our students in this budget. We know it. Our fear is students going to other districts because we can't provide them
what they want or need here. Mr. Sullivan, I heard about your family and an administrator meeting this morning and realized we're hitting all the sports that your children play. Um, and that that really struck me that struck
me as that's just the example from one family. One family. If you are upset about this, we are eliminating already supports. Our vulnerable students are abandoned and
we've decimated our literacy goals. We It means unattainable futures for our students. We will see scores continue to plummet. It won't be 47% of a class that's reading below grade level. It'll
be 80% of a class that's reading below grade level. and through no fault of our magnificent teachers, but because of the deck of cards we're hand handing them are meeting legal service requirements. We are really right now looking at
compliance over care. There are certain things that we have to do for compliance and we'll talk about those um in the slideshow that I hope you all received. The tradeoff we are making is meeting legal minimums at the expense of student
success and well-being. That's the trade-off we're making. The town is also making tradeoffs. Pay attention to what is happening with the town budget. Not being able to staff ambulances, having to close the police station at 3 p.m.
Those are not things that are healthy for our community. And yet, I know we're better than this. I believe in this community. I looked at a house here this weekend. I want to be part of this community, but we also need to realize
that things need to change. There are some necessary additions to our budget. Even as in the face of all of these cuts, we need an English language teacher for the district. It's critical
for bridging the academic gaps that our students have. It unlocks academic success for our non-native speakers. And really, the reason that this is here is because it ensures strict compliance with state and federal mandates,
mitigating legal risk. That's why this is here. If I am being totally honest, it's not that I don't believe in it. I believe that we need this position desperately. We have 71 students. We have two teachers spread across four schools,
three campuses. But this is here. This is one of the positions we are adding because we're doing compliance over care. That is the level that we are at right now. The assistant business manager, you all
experienced the budget last year. This is not adding another position to central office. This is rearranging our deck chairs and providing a increase for a person that would take on in um increased
responsibilities. This is not us adding to our administrative layer at all. Last year, people are well aware that we gave $500,000 back to the town that we had on our books. That can never happen again. We
can never be that irresponsible with the gift that the town is giving us. And this is a step to ensure that that doesn't happen. We have hired a very competent and capable business manager and Mr. McNamera who is my right hand.
But Mr. McNamera needs help. He cannot continue to do this alone. when I reach out to him at six o'clock on a Sunday night, he answers me immediately. That's not healthy. That's not healthy for him. So, we need to get
him some support. The other position we're looking to restore is the assistant principal at Primary in Turkey Hill. This would actually um mean a return to a full-time assistant principal at primary and a full-time
principal at Tur assistant principal at Turkey Hill. If we are raising our class sizes to 28 to 30 without enough support staff and we know that our students are coming with behavioral and social
emotional needs that are interrupting the learning of other students as well as interrupting their own learning. We it would be irresponsible of us to not have this position. we need to have
a full-time assistant principal. This was after a lot of thought and consideration by the leadership team that this is the position that we needed to restore from the cuts that you saw last week. >> Yeah, Dr. Fortuna, I hate to interrupt you, but I had a few questions about
this. So, can we just make sure? So last week, one of the proposals was to cut the assistant principal position uh between the primary and the elementary and we we would go forward with one. >> Uh last week if anyone watched that epic
meeting, >> we um the school committee went back to Dr. Fortuna and said we would like you to reconsider a few things and then this is the leadership team's re suggestion. So, if you looked at the the paperwork that she sent out, it's a
little bit she and I talked about this. It's a little confusing because it says we cut this position and now we're restoring it, but that was due to the feedback we got last week. Um, and the feedback the leadership team got last week. >> Another position that somehow fell off
its slide unless I skipped it is a special education teacher for the primary school. the the numbers that we're seeing of students that are on individual educ individualized educational plans are increasing dramatically at the primary school.
>> We need a Zoom sound. Sorry, >> Zoom guy. >> I just got three text messages. >> Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. we will be out of compliance legally and ethically if we do not provide services
for these students. So that is why I don't know where it fell off on the slides but another special educator is necessary at the primary school. So these are the critical additions. When you add something to an already stretched budget, you need to cut things
from that already stretched budget. I just wanted to go back to these. These are not new cuts. These are cuts that we talked about before, but they are so detrimental to the learning of the
children of Lunberg. Our children do not have a voice in the voting booth. We need you to talk to your friends. Tell them what's happening. make sure that they know that we are looking at class sizes of 30 to 31 in our elementary
grades >> and even if it's not your child think about >> you know the parents of the older kids right I think about that >> absolutely think about if it was your child >> I mean I think about if it was your child exactly you know but
back on this list because we had to make cuts somewhere is the point to music teacher at Turkey Hill. That will result in the loss of fifth grade band, which as we heard tonight is a wonderful feeder program for our middle school
band, which is very robust. However, we are shaking the couch cushions. We are looking under the couch cushions to find pennies. Some of these cuts are so small, but they add up.
This is um a certified occupational therapy assistant. This again is a position that will meet legally required and mandated services for our students. We are cutting our curriculum adoption.
We were slated to adopt a curriculum in middle um elementary school science next year. We are opting not to do that in order to save $40,000 to get to a balanced
budget. For me, a curriculum is at the heart of what we do. It's giving our teachers the tools to do what they need. However, if they have 30 kids in a class, it's going to be difficult for them to teach science in addition to literacy and math. So, we made the
difficult decision that this would be a cut that we would be making. Operational impacts. Shaking those couch cushions, we found another $50,23 in technology that we could cut. This is
probably the least impactful of the cuts that we have here. It's stretching out replacement cycles. It'll impact our ability to maintain and repair um computer technology efficiently, but
this is probably the least impactful of all the cuts that we're making, though Jordan would probably disagree with me. We are cutting um a custodian. Um we have had a custodian resign recently.
This will be we will not be refilling that position. This will lead to we've been complimented lately on how clean classrooms are and how clean certain sections of the building are. I do shouts every week in my newsletter and
custodial staff is getting shout outs. This is going to impact that. It's going to impact the cleanliness and the safety, the overall safety of our buildings. Last week, we had a state reporting secretary in the budget. That is gone.
Um that is something that we didn't feel was essential necessary but not essential um to our operations. We cut supp custodial supplies again. I think we are up to approximately 30,000
Chris that we've cut from custodial supplies. >> 35,000 that we've cut from custodial supplies. again affecting the cleanliness of our building and not giving our custodial staff the tools that they need.
Before we talk about extracurricular impacts and we talk about um band and sports, I want to clarify something for the community. I think we didn't publicize this enough that even with an
override, we will be cutting middle school sports. Um that is a cut that we are taking to get the override number down to a reasonable number. It's something that we discussed. Um but our
meetings are marathon meetings and not catching everything is completely understandable. But I want to be clear with the community even with an override we will not have middle school sports. This cut I know is devastating to our
athletic community and our community as a whole. Part of it is the person that is in the role. We are really lucky and we have a worldclass athletic trainer. But most of it is the concern for our student athletes and their safety.
But in order again to get to a balanced budget, we have to cut half of this position, half of this FTE. So we will have an athletic trainer 0.5 of the schedule that he's currently working.
This means that practices um may be left unattended. Some games may be left unattended. Um and definitely some of the inschool things that he's able to do with a full-time schedule will not get done.
These are the difficult cuts. And you may be asking why these sports. We simply picked our three lowest enrolled sports. So currently right now, girls lacrosse has 12 girls that are playing.
Um the this is just the cost for the coach is $4,170 that is coming out of our um general fund under the athletic coaches line. Boys golf has 15 students enrolled in um
currently and again it's the same thing with lacrosse. It's one of our three lowest enrolled sports. Everyone's passionate about the ski team. I saw how fiercely people advocated for this last year. We
currently only have four Ludenberg skiers on the team. And so this is the salary line item for that. the school committee under your direction, you really wanted to see some
savings um and athletic transportation cut. This is all of our athletic transportation. This will sever access for students, especially our low-income families. It's going to shift the financial and logistical burden onto
parents and it's going to create liability and chaos in scheduling. I in your folders you have um I forwarded you an email from our attorney regarding the liability piece which Mr. Broden knows
very well um the amount of insurance that a parent needs to have in order to be able to do this. Parents would have to sign a waiver for every competition >> in order for this to work.
>> Ban transportation in the in full transparency. I didn't feel that it was okay to limit transportation for our student athletes and not do the same for our band
students. Um, and in order to get that balanced budget, we needed this $5,000. This is going to really hurt our music programs because they're not just inschool programs. It's not just the great concerts that you see. They are
competitors. They go to festivals, they go to community events, they go to competitions. This will limit their ability to do that, which is greatly going to impact our band, which is starting to grow. It's greatly going to
impact the morale and competitive edge that our student musicians have, and it's going to lower student engagement and community pride. But these are the tradeoffs that we have to make given where we are now. We have cut everything
else. Now we're coming for the bone and the heart of who we are as a district. Raising athletic fees by $75 given our current participation, which I fully
expect to lag. This will generate an increase of approximately $120,000 to bridge our budget gap, preserving most athletic programs without garnering academic funds to preserve programs.
What we would do is if this was the number realized in order to balance the budget, we are taking about a little over half of that 65,100. It's around 65,000
in order to offset the coaching line in that are currently in our budget. And again, I'm returning to this slide. None of this is right. All of this is a drastic injustice. It's an injustice to our town. The our town is at the
precipice right now. We as a district, I don't know what I'm going to cut next year if we do not have a level service budget. Can't cut any more teachers. We can't have 60 elementary students in a class.
Are we going to stop offering all electives at the high school? They're already seriously impacted and reduced by the cuts that the high school has taken. This is not me being facitious. This is not me saying the sky is falling. There
is no pot of money that is coming to rescue us unless revenue increases. This is where we are. I've looked at this budget 10 ways to Sunday and this is where we find
ourselves right now. And I don't like it. I hate it. I hate to sit here and talk about these things. But this is where we are. And this is my community, too. May not live here yet,
but this is my community, too. >> She loved homecoming, though. >> I did love homecoming. And I'm so excited for the senior traditions. But I need you to understand. I need the people listening. How many people do we have
online, Liz? >> 114. >> We have 114 people online. I need you to listen and to have faith in us. I know we shook people's faith last year with what happened. I need
people to have faith in us that we have looked at this. We have tried every combination of things that we could think of. And this is where we find ourselves right now. And I don't like it. And I don't like it for our kids.
And I'm scared if we have to go for a balance if we have to have a balanced budget next year. I'm frightened. And again, our teachers have been doing it for so long that I think we've come to take them for granted. >> And our administrators have come up to
the plate so many times that I think as a community we have come and just come to take it for granted. Our teachers will do it. Next year, our teachers won't be able to do it. It's impossible. It's a herculean task that we're asking
of anybody. So that is my budget presentation for this evening. >> Thank you. >> Welcome. >> Thank you. The only the only thing I would I would one other thing one small pot of money I
do think and I'm happy to put this to a vote but if we would um no longer participate in MASC to save I believe it's $6,500 right is that right out of our budget. >> For those of you who don't know MASC is the Mass Association of School
Committees. It's our alleged lobbying group that I don't know. We're not a huge fan of aren't doing anything to help us. >> I I I feel like if if if everybody's taking a haircut, then that has to include the school board.
>> Yeah, sure. I'll make a motion to not pay MASC their $6,500 this year. >> Did we pay? >> We paid for this year. Yeah. For next year. >> Next year. >> Next year. >> I'll make a motion. We'll cut ours. >> All in favor? I I All right. Right.
>> So, we found $6,500. Um, I just want to say thank you to Dr. Fortuna and every and the team that went back and looked at stuff. None of this is fun. I don't like any of this, but I I was one of the people who strongly pushed on the athletic transportation.
It appears we were able to save a few positions at the primary school because of that. And that that is just that is why that is why I did that. Um, I get that it sucks, but I just I I cannot I could not leave the primary school with the budget
that they had. Um, it just it just doesn't because the transportation is one thing. We could actually just cut the sports. See, this is this is the thing like we, you know, we I mean that's sort of the option. >> Yeah. So, that that's why I'm going after the transportation. It's not because I don't believe in it. It's
because it's either that or the coaching um in my book. So, um, are we going to accept this budget? Are we do >> again? >> I mean, I'm I'm ready to accept it if that's if we might have more public comment as well.
>> Can we afterwards? >> Did we talk about the world language part of it? >> We did not. >> We should let the public know about the world language part. Yeah. So in the what we're calling the core budget, there is a world
>> the override number that we are requesting the select board put on the override number and that is the number that the school committee has supported and we've gotten preliminary okays from the select board but it's going to be decided tomorrow. >> Correct. >> Thank you Mandy. >> Sorry. >> No, that's okay. >> There's a lot of people listening that probably have not heard any of this
before they should understand. There is a world language teacher for the middle school high school that is in that budget. If we do not get that budget, it's going to mean changes to the eighth
grade delivery of world language. We are not exactly sure what that's going to look like because we're in unprecedented times and the high school team is working on ways to minimize harm, but
harm will be done. Um, we could be phasing out Latin um by restricting the Latin option for students in grade eight. We could by restricting the Latin offerings, our current Latin teacher
will be able to pick up maybe a section of Spanish. >> We are looking at classes of 3031 at multi levels. Again, we're looking at classes of 3031 of multi levels at our
elementary school >> and at the high school >> and at the high school as well. We are looking at perhaps we will have to do an enrollment cap for the number of students that can enroll in Spanish and we won't be able to meet the needs
of every student that's requested. So >> So they have to take French. >> Yeah. And then in order to accommodate all this there will be staffing and section constraints. the eighth grade may need to adopt one more section of the high
school schedule >> in order for all of this to work and to gel together. >> We haven't, like I said, settled on a final model, but we want the community to be aware of this is what we're facing
without the override budget and the addition of a world language teacher to the high school. So to be clear, if we go for the override, the core budget would be our tier one. >> So if we get tier one, would we that would include
>> I don't know how the town is going to label the tiers. >> If we get the lower if we get the higher tier. >> Yes. >> No, the lower tier. >> Yeah, because core budget is lower >> lower than our full restoration budget. No, I tried to think of that. The core
budget is our lowest override number that we are committing to the town. >> So when it says cuts from core budget, the world language has been cut from the core budget >> to get down to the >> to get down to the balance the balance budget. So it's in the core budget. It
was cut from the core budget to get to the balanced budget. Okay, >> good. Okay. I'm sorry. I wasn't >> No, it's fine. So the >> you're number person. >> Okay. The French thing screw me. >> It did. I saw your video. The core budget is the budget we are requesting with the override. Correct. Tomorrow
night there may be some discussion for those on the in the public of another number which is a higher number. >> The tiered overrides >> the select board feels strong. Well, I don't want to speak for the select board, but there's been some discussion that that they may want to offer two
options to the voters of override amounts. The school committee has committed to our lowest number. We are going for an override. which is $1.6 million. >> It's actually under that now. >> It's a little under that. Okay. Well, what's it's very close. >> Yes.
>> So, um >> what? >> Yeah, it's 1.6. Yeah. Yeah, we want 1. >> That's why we have >> 1.6. Um the other number may be higher. It would be higher in our opinion as a school committee. I think we voted on
that if we go for a second tier. >> Yes. >> The reason being I've gotten a lot of questions from folks. Is this a one-year fix? Right. The school committee has been very clear that we did not want the override number just to fill the exact hole of this current year. We are going
to the polls. We are motivating people to vote. I mean, I felt very strongly that we needed to ask for enough money to preserve a get a few more positions back that we cut last year and also kind of help us limp forward for the next few years. the way it's been working this
year, >> right? >> We've seen the result of the cuts from last year and it's not working, >> which was 16 FTEEs or 15.7 FTEEs. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Uh which was I think 22 positions. Um
it's not working. We need some of that back. the superintendent in conjunction with the principles, they worked very hard to identify what the basic >> core core we need we need to put these back because this isn't working this
year and if it's not working this year with more cuts it's not going to work next year. Um okay so cuts from core budget is to get us to balanced additional cuts to balanced what are we cutting that from under on the table? Those are current
positions. >> Okay. So that's from now we would cut that to get down to balanced. Okay. >> Including this other >> additional proposed cuts. What are we cutting that from? >> From that is to get the green. The red is to get us to the green. Right. >> Correct.
>> Okay. That was I I like the color there. Okay. I hate this. I think that um we talk about the things that kids need in school to get them in the door to make them passionate or at least willing to
go to school, the things that matter. Um cutting >> Okay. >> Um to me, things like the world languages is the sign of we've fallen really far. We're not able to give our
kids what we need. This is just I can't believe I have to vote >> for this budget. >> for this budget. It hurts. I know you you people came and I know people are upset about things. I just every single one of these hurts. >> Every single one of these affects our
students. Okay. So, now that I get that, I think >> Do we just vote on it? >> Yes. >> Are we all muted again? I just got a text. Yes, I muted everyone. >> Oh, >> sorry. Sorry. I know that's not easy. Liz,
>> are we unmuted now? >> Hold on. >> All right. >> No, no. Keep it going above and beyond. Liz is not getting paid for being here tonight and doing this. >> She is doing this because she's Liz
and we have so many people like Liz. Well, no, we don't have anybody else quite like Liz, but we have so many people that go above and beyond. And I just wanted to publicly thank Liz for >> We told you that when we when you got hired, right?
>> You did. >> Liz was >> Your respect of Liz was a big reason. Why? >> Um, okay. So, we can make a motion to accept this budget. That's terrible and the chairman once referred to as the shoot your favorite. >> No, don't say this. Don't say this. I
get so much trouble. I don't want to do that again. >> But I mean >> I mean it is I I make a motion to accept it. >> People haven't spoken up for >> I I would second the motion. >> Now you got to say all in favor. >> All in favor?
>> I >> I >> Yes. >> What's the opposite of we accept this with gratitude? >> I'm the donation. >> I said I wasn't going to swear tonight. >> Okay. Um, so this budget only happens if
there is no override and that depends on you and everybody else watching this showing up to vote. >> Next item on the agenda is public comment about this meeting.
>> I mean feel free but I >> presentation to the this morning. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> And >> Coach McDonald, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. >> The green light means it's already on, right?
>> Please identify yourself for the record. >> I'm going to in case anyone doesn't know you. >> Mary Foil, 985 Flat Hill Road. I actually was not going to speak. Um then I realized I'm as often in life right now double booked tomorrow night, so I probably won't be at the tribe board. So this comment is a little bit for that,
too. And I did see people um come into the room afterwards. Um and I know the select board is meeting right now, so hopefully they'll be watching this back too. Um as someone who's worked in this district almost 25 years, um as someone who's lived in this town almost 16
years, I think that's what it is. Um and who wears a few different hats. I do get feedback um from a number of people, sometimes unsolicited uh as much as you guys get from a number of people. And I do want to point out um we have been in
this position before uh I think data probably shows statewide that when we went through our first cuts in 2008 that some of us lived through I think we didn't get back to 2008 numbers till co hit because there was co money in there.
So education is often first to be cut and one of the last to come back. But I will also say speaking generally just about public funds in general, I I have students in the school system. I represent teachers across the school system. So I I feel I I can understand
the many stakes that are involved in there. But I'm also a person who lives in the town and I really have to be cognizant of the fact that you know police will be looking at cuts in this like other places are looking at cuts without an override. So even if some people think, well, the school hasn't
done this, the school hasn't done that. I know we keep talking about last year's cuts, but I sat in a department that took cuts in FY25 as well. So the cuts go beyond just last year and and the impacts we're feeling go beyond just cuts from last year. And those cuts are
only going to continue if we don't pass an override. I was talking to someone and I forgot. This is why I'm making public comment. I wrote a little sticky note for myself. We this does somewhat give us a a short-term solution. If we
don't do an override, and I know this was spoken about at the last meeting, and this just doesn't mean for schools, it will cost the town more >> to not do an override than it will cost to do an override. That cost won't just be financial. That cost will be the
courses students may not take. That cost will be a life that's not saved because an EMT cannot show up soon enough. That cost will be uh a car accident or or a robbery or you fell for a scam and the police just simply cannot be responding
to it. So those costs will hit in a variety of ways. In this town we have even if we look at the buildings this nonwithstanding we keep making short-term decisions because we don't want to spend the money right now. But I think we can come up with a laundry list. I know Mr. Skellen, you said one
the other night, uh, with the air conditioning in the other building. I think we can come up with a laundry list of times we try to save money across the town and you end up paying for it far more down the road. So, I would encourage people that are on the fence, come give me your unsolicited
unsolicited comments. I will say things back as well, like I'll put myself out there, but it will I will guarantee you if the override does not go through, it will cost the town more. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mary. >> Thank you. >> Um, Grisilla 108 Island Street.
>> Sorry. >> It's fine. >> Um, I know we don't want to be here. I know we don't want to do this. Um, so I'll I'll plead and say, um, show up May 2nd. Show up on the 16th. show up in November.
>> Yes. >> The people we elect have left us out to dry. >> Yes. >> And yet continually year after year in this state, we show up and we elect the same damn people again and again.
Um and this is the impact. Um I I get the you know where you have to be and the decisions you have to make. Um you know the low numbers is one I guess point of logic. If this goes through as it is, the golf team, just to point it out, they're the
midwatch C league champs the last two years. >> Yeah. >> So, we're Yes. small program, but historically lately >> successful program for the school. >> Um,
it I speak because of what I like when I come to these meetings and I speak I'm speaking solely based on my personal experience of my kids. Um, I I can't begin to understand, you know, what other families might need to deal with with their kids and in
their classrooms and so forth. I can speak to what we've dealt with in this town. Um, we've had great teachers. Um, we've had amazing aids in our classrooms. you know, to this point now, I still get, you know, we get a text from an aid when my daughter's doing a
presentation to see what's going on in the classroom, you know, or, you know, something my son does or what, you know, um, we've had the fortunate experience in our family, a lot of what we've experienced in town at the high school level with our buddies. So, that's where I speak to. Um,
we uh, we've had amazing coaches and yes, we've had an amazing trainer. Um, and I can personally say his impact that mean my daughter's going to school next year to be a trainer.
>> Sorry. You know, I mean, that's >> Yeah, >> that's far beyond sitting on a bench. >> Yeah. >> You know, getting STEM therapy. That's like she's I I toured college with her this summer with no idea what she wanted to do or at least not much of it. did
and we got through the fall and she she got into the fall and continued to work with Dave through soccer and then get and and made some decisions with where she wanted to go academically >> and now she's accepted into M's programs to become an athletic trainer. Uh that's
the impact that things can have at this school. Um so people need to show up now May and November. >> Thank you Chris. >> Thank you. Uh Matt Snider, 985 Plateau wrote, uh
just a closing statement, too. Um 16 years ago, as my wife said, when we moved to town, we did so proudly. We did so because we knew what a great school system we had and we were excited that our kids would go through it. today. The
only reason I would recommend that somebody move to town for our school is because of the staff we have, not for what we offer, not for how the town supports the schools, not for how we're funding the schools. So, unless we get our act together, I'm going to tell people not to come to Lunenburgg for the
schools because we're failing the town with how we're funding our schools. So, 16 years, totally different perspective. Our son, it's too late. He's a senior next year. our daughter. Maybe we'll make different decisions.
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Uh Griffin Case, 305 Wayland Road. I'm a custodian at the high school. >> Mhm. >> Uh my family, my wife and I moved here in August. So it's funny that you said that >> because um I grew up in Brooklyn, New
York, and my wife grew up in New Hampshire. two very different places and uh this place is amazing. I have to say it is fantastic. I don't know anywhere else in the country. You got farmland 5 minutes away, city 5 minutes away,
community rail to Boston. It's like literally everything that we both wanted in one place. And we moved in August. I have a four-year-old and a one-year-old packing up the house at night after they go to
bed, listing the house, selling the house, coming here at 3 in the morning for an inspection, doing all that. It was took years off my life, but it was totally worth it. And I don't know what an override is, but I'm for it.
And >> we've got >> I think it's uh I think it's a uh increase in your taxes. >> It is sadly >> based on Google AI. There's 5,000 houses in Lunberg taxable. $1.6 million. It's 350 bucks.
And if you got a leaking toilet or a sink or something, I'll come fix it for you. There's mine. You got it. So you say hello to me at market faster. But I I think this is uh you know the
budgets it's been a little scary. It is scary but this place is amazing. I'm so happy we moved here and uh my wife's also a teacher here. She's the new art teacher >> in so we're all in and our kids are
going to school. Well we'll be going to school here. Welcome to >> And uh in Brooklyn, I had lots of classes with 30 kids. I took Spanish one five times because of budget cuts. I don't know any Spanish. >> You're not really selling the 30 kids, >> which is good, which is a good thing.
>> And we came, >> please come to town meeting. >> We came from a place that was farther along than this school and they had high school students in chemistry class. in that class was the kids on their laptops trying to teach themselves chemistry
laughing. And I'm sure that your kids, whether they're in school, whether they're not, you know, whatever, they feel it. They're probably in bad moods. Maybe they're angsty angsty because of this. And uh maybe you don't have kids, but
I've met more people here of every generation. They've all been so helpful and welcoming. So, I think that whether you have kids in school or not, you uh can vote for the override. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Your hands. >> Uh Jim Broden, 24 road. Um before I get into my questions, I've been here since 1993. Um my oldest daughter graduated from
here, went to UMass, is now a certified public accountant. My son went to Uain oro and uh my daughter uh went to UPEN out of this school.
uh got accepted into a doctorate program. Uh the nursing school when she graduated was voted number one in the world. She uh just this year accepted a job at Boston College as a nursing profession
professor. And I say that because the street I live on has got 15 houses. >> Yeah. One of our neighbors went to Harvard, I think a year ahead of my daughter. The
other one went to MIT and that's and so you had MIT and two Ivy League schools and that's how good the school has been. >> Um,
so I I love living in the town. I think it's great. I've done lots of things here uh to participate in public uh things. >> Uh but I do have a couple of questions and one of the things I wonder about is
the business revenue that we bring in is is that an issue just as much as the >> from what if from the town side >> the town growing business? I mean we could have had a Dunkin Donuts. I mean, >> I mean, we can talk about the Dunkin
Donuts if you want, but >> I just have this I have a perception >> that we want a quiet little town. >> Yes. >> That has no business, >> which doesn't make anything easier for the school system. >> That is I would 100% agree with you. >> Okay.
>> That there's three ways uh communities like ours bring in more money. Number one, for property taxes. We can only go up two and a half% every year. >> Number two, state revenue. Number three, >> business taxes. business taxes and growth, right? Um so
>> the >> it's definitely an issue. >> The uh override um where was that guy was just up here before? >> He said, was he joking when he said $350? I think >> we don't have an amount yet. There's
going to be a townside too. So, but if it's our part would would roughly be that we're going to have a there's going to be a calculator. Uh the town manager is going to put a a calculator to calculate once we know the amount, but we don't know the amount yet because we know what we're asking, but we don't know what the town is.
>> Do you think it would be less than 5%? Uh >> so if it's $3 million total, which I don't know that it's going to be, but the schools have asked for 1.6. >> Okay. >> Um if we go $3 million total for the average household in Lunenburgg, it'll be about $600 a year.
>> Okay. >> A little over $600 a year. >> Less than two bucks a day. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Okay. Um, if the uh override hap has to come and uh it's implemented, the plan that you suggested,
this gets down to my um ski team. Uh I uh if if we came up with we we already offered that we don't need any money. If we come up with a plan that we can still function as a team with our other two
co-op ts, can we submit something to say we would like to uh continue to operate? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Are you guys on wellwater or city water
in your neighborhood? >> Well, well water used to be their neighborhood. Will you sell bottles of it? >> Any questions or comments online? Liz, >> not that I'm seeing now. >> All right. >> You want to give people a second to >> Sure.
>> Just sometimes. All right. That's fine. >> Thank you everybody. Thank you, Principal Squire. Thank you, Principal Santry. >> Yes. Thank you. Principal Avon was on and thank you to our staff because even this past year, as difficult as it has
been, >> you guys make a good team. Uh, and your focus is always on our students and I I really appreciate that. I really appreciate our staff. I appreciate every I'm afraid to like start naming off positions because I don't want to
forget one, but just >> I think our strength is our people. So, thank you. This is >> Oh, >> oh, they did. >> Thank you. >> And yeah,
>> thank you. >> So, motion to adjurnn. >> I'll Anybody want to make a motion to adjurnn? >> Yeah, I'll make tojourn. I'll second. >> All right. All in favor? I I at uh at 7:40 uh 7:39 we are adjourned.