Okay, we're live. I'd like to call this meeting of the Narroans Regional School District School Committee to order. If you would all please rise for the pledge. 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. >> Thank you everyone. As a reminder, this meeting is being livereamed and recorded and it's available to watch on YouTube.
Um, as an additional reminder for those folks who just joined us, um, the camera is right there in the center of the room. Um, it does pick up on noise. So, anyone who is near the camera, just, um, definitely think about, um, the chatter
because it will be on live on YouTube. It will hear your conversation. Um so what I was going to do is um to my school committee members um we have a lot of a lot of folks here um to hear from us and to share with us and so I
wanted to propose changing around the agenda um because the agenda is something that was voted on by school committee and we're going to change anything on change are addressed on the agenda. We just have to agree to it. Um, and so what I was going to propose is
that we move move some things around. I was going to propose that we move up the budget update um so that we can go through FY26 and FY27 budget updates first. I was going to propose that we put public
input in between the FY27 budget update and the FY27 budget vote. And the reason that I am proposing this is because I have heard feedback on the last several times that we've had a lot of folks here for public comment that they really wish that their public comment could have
been heard um in between school committee having a conversation about the budget and voting on the budget. And so um once we would complete those pieces of business then we would go back through the agenda from the start proceeding with regular fixings. Does
anyone have any um any reservations about making those changes or are we good to move forward with the tips? >> Excellent. All right. Um and then before we get started, I will also let folks know that if you do intend to participate in public comment, there is
a signup sheet down here at the front. Um to let everyone know, um I I posted this online, but I'm not sure if you saw it. Um the way that public comment is structured is that each person will have three minutes. Technically the length of
public comment is restricted to I can't remember if it's 12 or 15 minutes but I am going to suspend that total limit. However to out of respect to make sure that everyone has a chance to be heard I am going to limit the individual votes
to 3 minutes each. Okay. All right. So let's proceed. So we're starting with FY26 budget update. So Ann Marie, um any updates about FY26? >> Just winding down so we are making sure all those are in and dates ready to
start closing out. >> Okay, beautiful. So FY27 budget update. Um so I know um that we have a presentation put together so that we can offer some context and some detail around uh discussions for this evening.
>> Madam Chair, take this off. I'll defer Uh so what we've decided to do is we've received quite a bit of um feedback uh and golden tried to do is really address
some of the um the points that really were addressed the most quite frankly and I and we know that through either through the questioning or just through the general discussion a lot of the other items um will will you know come
forward. So in any event, you know, some of the questions that we've been asked um is, you know, what factors are associated with increased costs, you know, to the FY20 setting on RSD budget. We've talked a lot about that in general
over the three or four or five uh budget meetings that we've had. But if you remember or if you if you don't, you know, when we had uh probably the I cannot think of a time that the fixed
costs were this high um for a particular district of this size. So, we we we've talked about this at length. It $1.5 million uh in general with hard cost, but spat on district tuition um was a
was a was a pretty big increase. Our insurance rates like like everyone I think um have gone up quite a bit. Um that was a major uh driver in this um retirement. Um you know again we talked about the health insurance charter you
know school choice tuition out and charter school tuition out are were were slight increases but they but they didn't factor uh too much in to the the total amount but obviously sped transportation out of district transportation and our um employee
health insurance were some of the major drivers. So we started like a lot of places um you know $1.5 million in not in the whole but certainly in the red when it comes to those drivers. So the
other question that uh we try to answer here today is how does the district prepare for determining cuts where there's a large gap between what is needed and what could be funded. That's a great question. Uh it's and it's certainly not easy. um not always an
exact science but in order to really start that conversation you have to look to who does block for lack of a better word. So, you know, when we start talking about the budget roles, um, because we
received a lot of questions in terms of simpler just folks coming out and asking, you know, why did the school committee do this or why did you do that or how do you do that? It's important to understand that there's school committee has the governance over the district
budget and the school district administration etc. takes care of operations. I know that that may it seems almost like the same and in a good relationship it is when we start talking about this because we do a lot of
collaboration because it is a collaborative effort. But when we start looking at what the school committee looks, they set the visions, priorities and budgets um of of what what we what are we going to do and what we go what is what is our goal at the end of the either the 5 year or 2 year whatever it
is they set the goals um where the district is moving. It ensures alignment with policy equity goals legal requirements etc. That is a major factor into what the school committee's cur is. um it approves the final budget and monitors overall fiscal health. I think
that's important. So when you see you know uh this school committee certify the budget they are in fact approved. So they are looking at the drafts and they when they finally vote or when they do
vote um they are approving it. A lot of work goes in before that which we'll talk a bit. Um monthly finance subcommittees happen. monthly chair meetings with member towns. Those are some of the things that we've that we do in order to uh you know increase our communication about the budget, make
sure we're keeping an eye on things. Um lots can change. We had a terrible winter, for example, ice, you know, snow removal, you know, we we start looking, you know, folks are getting sick. We've got sunlines going into the So we talk a lot about what's going on, you know,
right in the moment. And of course, we always try to look to the future. So what do we do? what is the what are the op you know what is the administration uh the operation side well we developed a detailed budget proposal um I think that I think that is probably one of the
areas that folks get confused on the most is that in the end and I create you take all this information from the administrative team of course we are we are guided by the goals and uh what the school
committee sets forth in terms of where we want to be in x amount of years etc. And we take that and we develop a detailed budget proposal. That's our job. That's what we do. We allocate uh resources across the schools and staffing as it says. We implement the
approved budget dayto day. We monitor spending, adjust operations, report programs, weekly administrative meetings, etc. And in essence, we really do create the budget, right? So we create with a lot of help
and a lot of time um goes into actually doing them. Um I know that certainly we received you know I don't know if it's criticism feedback whatever you want to call it is that why haven't folks gone line by line we have gone line by line
that's what we do the collective we do that and then we of course present the budget as is um if so the question would ultimately be well then who really decides what the budget is Again, it's
it's a relationship. We can we can create a budget and we do and we might there might be a disagreement of course there'd be discussion or whatever the case may be. The school committee has to vote the budget in order for it to happen. We create the budget and once
the budget is voted then we then we maintain it. I I say that and I think some people go well yeah that's obvious. I don't think it's obvious to to many because it's different either in other either in this valley or maybe other I don't know other district setups but
that in general is how this work. So I want to make sure everyone knows where the buck stops. So when we start talking about pucks and we will who did that? Was it just an Marie and I? No. It was a collection of a lot of conversations,
hours and hours of conversations over what what could happen, what should happen, what could be reduced, what can't be reduced, and that all comes into the decision-m process. >> Thank you. So, the ongoing communications and the data sharing is
obvious. We do that every month here. Clear roles committee what and why the district is how and we actually execute the budget. That's what we do. Shared accountability for student outcomes and fiscal responsibility. Well, we all shared it. We hold each other accountable for that. Um, someone asked
me the other day, again, it's all kind of mel together is that, well, who's qualified to do that? Um, not for nothing, we're pretty good. Um, and Marie and I have been around a long
time. Um we both you know are licensed business administrators. Uh and we we have been again we absolutely are the ones who in the end are responsible for the budget in terms of it's the creation
that we then deliver for vote for the school committee. The buck ends here good, bad or indifferent. um or it's and when things go wrong there's only really everybody seems to kind of fade away and it's just Emory and I cuz in the end we're the one who creates the budget um
and and off we go. I want to make sure I say that because I think there was some type of illusion that the budget was not being properly created or vetted because it didn't look like um how others had seen the budget created. We have done the same thing. I
can absolutely say to you for the last 10 budgets. Um and and beyond that I I can't speak for Meridans, but certainly in my previous role in another district, that's that's how um the budget is created. So with that said, and I'm sure
that there might be questions about it, but I'll be happy to answer those. At any one time, we're dealing with three budgets depending on the month. we're dealing with last year's budget, right? Because we're closing it out um and we uh we're getting it certified with the
Department of Ed. Um so that would be FY25 in this example. FY26 is in motion. So we're constantly moving that forward um as as we speak. And then we're looking to the future FY27 budget development. I put a few of the things
that we do up here in terms of you know FY27 and FY25 but you know those those are the things that um are happening honestly on a daily basis now once we finish the end of year report and by we I have to tell you folks that's Ann Marie she does the
end of year report with Jessie um I'd like to take credit for it I would launch u but once that once that closes um then then we're not we're not beholden to FY25 any longer unless there seems seems to be an issue and department of debt contacts us and they
have gone just a little later and then we we go about the business of the current and uh future budget. Um one question said well who somebody usually always when things don't go exactly right um call for a um forensic
audit. We'd love them. Angry if you ask Amory and I please. We would love forensic. One, we think you're going to find they're not going to find anything wrong. Uh cuz again, we're pretty good.
Um and two, we get audited every single year. I don't know if other I don't know if towns or cities get audited every year. We do. Uh we're not going to pay for that, though. Let me just be honest with you. When we spoke with our auditors, we asked how much does a
forensic audit cost and it costs >> I want to say well our regular one is close to $30,000. So it's like close to 50. He >> just was asking why I would want that. >> Right. And generally a forensic audit needs a what they call a string. So what
happened somewhere? And so forensically they need to go back in time to find exactly keep pulling the string right on the sweater. And that is the example that that they use. And so forensically they go into they're pulling you know receipts. They're looking at uh credit
card statements. They're looking at gas cards. They're looking they're they're digging into something to try to in most cases to find some type of malfeasants. Um we have never been identified for needing one. We are audited every year. I just say that because that kind of
came out a lot um I think in the beginning. Um because you know when when budgets don't go well I think it's a natural reaction to say that it's been mismanaged. It is not being mismanaged period. And if you don't have to believe say me or us you can believe the
auditors who I think we had the last seven audits up on the website in our in our finance page if you'd like some light reading. Um so beyond all that you want to talk about how we actually reduce the budget. This is hard.
Let me just say right off the bat, where do we start? We start with how much do I have to cut? The number matters. Okay? So, if we're talking about $30,000 versus 2.6 million, those decisions are different.
Education, schools, districts are staff intensive. We have more people than anything else. They have yet to figure out AI to do what we do. Will they? No. Um but I that's my personal opinion although you won't do it as well but the
fact of the matter is that our that's why most budgets are 80 82 83% salary. We are staff intensive. We have more human beings than generally anything else. Okay. So, when you're looking at cutting X or Y, whatever the number might be,
you have all of these teachers and we we don't joke, but sometimes they have little dollar signs all over their heads, right? And we're like, well, you just can't cut 2.6. We don't have $2.6 million in general of teachers that you can possibly cut, as an example. So, we have to look at stuff. We have to look
at maintenance. Where can we reduce? Where do we do this? Where can we do that? So, the priorities are always student safety. If you notice, you did not see any cuts to uh the the SR roll, for example. Um
you did not see any cuts to um school adjustment competency, um school sites, special education guidance. You didn't see that. For us, that's our safety team, right? Those are our safety teams. Um legal mandates. Well, special
education comes up to the front. We have to look at what legal mandates we have. You just can't cut across the board um in education because there are federal and legal uh ramifications to doing that. There are c you know special education teachers can only have x
amount of kids and IEP. It's a whole I'm just using that as one example. um compliance, physicians, needs, special education, core academics, programs, and of course, uh district uh you know, priorities all come into play because we still have to hit our
priorities. Things just don't go well. I guess we're just going to have a bad year. That's not that's not going to it's not going to work, especially um you know, if it's going to affect your children. Now look if you cut so many people out of out of the operation it's going to affect somehow but we have to
kind of look at you know student facing um staff and who are then become the priority. We have to spending we review by function code. I think that sometimes get confusing um we had I had a conversation today about that exactly
we break it down by function code. Um, when you see, you know, the 1,000 line, 2,000 line, 3,000 line, 4,000, you get it. It's in the PowerPoint online. That's the chart of accounts that the uh that Department of Ed sets up for spending. Okay. So, yeah, it's it might
say administration, which is um number one, it's just not like administration. and it has legal in it. It has and there's a lot to these layers and I think we need to do a better job explaining what each of those layers are. But we have to review by function code because because that is is how we
do our business. Um we have to distinguish fixed cost versus flexible costs, right? So we talked about the fixed cost. I just can't cut insurance. You know there's a little law that said you have to at least provide health insurance. And so it's not like we can just cut it because that would be great
because that would be a big savings. Be all very happy. Not really. Not if you need health insurance, but you understand what I'm what I'm trying to say here. We have to analyze student needs. That's the hardest thing that we do because we're going to talk about the elementary in a minute. And people aren't happy about that. Lord, I know.
Trust me when I tell you. But when we start looking at these some of these decisions, it it becomes, you know, almost educational triage. And we have to see was whose needs are going to be affected, how, where, and why, and who can handle them. That's hard. That's hard. Um, we'll get to that. but
evaluate programs or items effectiveness and utilization. we're always looking at programs. um be which you know I think that many people were more upset depending um about the the programs that were cut because they generally
represent services to a larger group of kids right uh athletics uh thrive right those are programs that we set up here because we didn't set up athletics uh but those are programs like that that we set up to absolutely assist students
um need uh they need experiences, they need different things. Those those are the kind of things that we have to look at when the number gets so big. When we start developing a reducing reduction scenarios, again kind of is it almost goes with priorities, but you can develop multiple scenarios outlining
this gets a little crazy because you create so many scenarios that it becomes so confusing and it just and it just kind of almost warps into it. So we really did not do a lot of scenario work this time. there wasn't a lot of time to do scenario work. Um because look, the
town of Templeton and I sat through three of those meetings. I don't know how many hours. It may have been more than 20. I I it has to be more than 20. I they went line by line. That was a really kind of a fantastic thing to watch. It was mind-numbing. But it was kind of a fantastic way to do those type
of things. But you know, we when when we do something like that, that is a good way to to to get to the bottom line. But we have already done those type of that work um ahead of time and we don't have as many line items. We don't have as many departments to be quite frank. Collective bargain agreements are huge,
right? We know that they are they they require a uh if you're going to open up a bargain agreement, a contract for that matter, it takes two to enter into that conversation. I need to ask permission or say, "Hey, would you like to do that?" Um and would you like to open
contract to discuss that? Has Cam done? Yes. Have I received a response? No, because I only sent the letter on Monday. We talked about the scenarios. Again, I was going off on that is we didn't learn about the uh about being funded uh level funded until Thursday
night. No shade. It just went when when that information came up. And so then we quickly worked that next Friday. Of course, Friday we had to get the scenarios out, talk to people because they're going to be affected potentially or otherwise. And then then the letter went out to the unions and you know,
that's that's how it's going. Um we try to engage as many variety of stakeholders as off obviously I write a lot of letters you know or maybe not enough depending on who you are I don't know but we try to put out letters and and information out as much as possible all the building principles do a
fantastic job with that uh with their school-based you know push out emails etc. um unions, principles, directors, chair meetings, all these people are part of the conversation and we have a lot of administrative meetings uh a lot and we generally talk about budget.
Well, we do um almost every single time. So, if you're you know, if you want a quick scenario is that we're looking at kids first, but not but then I have to look at the number to see how big um the cut has to be and then we have to look
at where there is some opportunity. tough word to use in this situation where cuts can be made without absolutely say shutting down a trade or or some type of opportunity um so to speak. So
forget no these are the two scenarios that we put out. One um is a 2.5 increased over the last year. The other is level funded.
level funded, you can find it, but obviously you'll be receiving the same amount of money um that you know say next are you do this year um in a way um and I'm going to take just a moment to really disappointed um
well I'm generally always disappointed in the state but but I will say that some of our reps I don't our area reps did not do us a service um and I'm and I am going to bring it up to them when I see them um Senator, pardon me,
Representative Zelatnik, who sat before the select board and um advisory committee at least twice um waxed philosophical and poetic um and then voted um against the you know to increase our rule a um indep uh
representative who um I know is the Philipsson picks up philson and her she also voted against that um there might be a really good answer for that. They might be I don't know they haven't had a chance but they represent quite a few
rural districts and that is money that we can use for one time fixes that we don't have to put onto the towns necessarily. Right. Right. We did a lot of drainage work through the money that we over and over again. I'm very disappointed in that. And I think that
when we talked about to them to uh Senator um Durant and Representative um Solotnik, we talked about chapter 70 that being broken. How they fund schools is absolutely broken. This system is is
built to to pit schools and towns against each other because the increases that we are receiving across the board everybody by the way and what some of the mandates that we have to do absolutely sets up a scenario where you
have to be it becomes almost an adversary relationship. I personally don't think I liked any of their answers. Um, when they gave their answers, it sound very political to me, but basically what they told us is we don't generally out in this area have enough bandwidth, nor do we have enough
representation to move the needle. That's what I heard. That's what I Okay. Maybe others heard differently. I don't know. That's a shame because I think our kids count as much as someone who's in 495. Um, absolutely. And I I'm not saying that they don't care about our
kids. They just don't have the numbers to move the needle. So until the the beautiful people start facing financial issues that affect them, we probably won't see a change if you ask me. That is my personal opinion. And that's a shame because that means west to east
districts are going to slowly die until someone who actually has the representation of the voice is going to make that difference. That is absolutely ridiculous and someone we need to absolutely rail against that because it's happening. It's happening every
day. So what you have before you are I I know people have seen this Lord knows is on our website it's well you have it it's outside it lists cuts so I just want to go just just a little bit about the cuts about why
2.6 6 from 2.3. I have to tell you folks, it might just be a billion dollars, right? They're almost exactly the same. When you talk about this much money, it absolutely is this insanity to try to find a way around to make the this number, right? To get to this number without literally expecting
everything. And so, so, so of course in almost in one one voice, people were like, why athletics thrive um MVP almost all at the same time? because those programs cost us a lot of money. And if
I cut them, please do not take this any other way. I'm affecting less than if I were to say, I'm looking at first grade, I close the first grade. It's not going to happen. Our job is education, but I can but we had to cut almost two
teachers in the first grade because their numbers happen to be a little lower than the places, at least in this scenario. So, athletics cost us roughly four close to $500,000 overall. It comes from many, many different sources, right? Yeah. Um, let's face it, uh, I a
middle school principal and vice principal of many, many years. Um, what I know is that kids come to school not because of they if they want to, because they come to school because they they are getting something here that they enjoy. So, so in other words, sports, extracurriculars, whatever it may be or
need. Um, so athletics became when I say easy, it it became the obvious choice. 447,000 give or take. Okay. Um, what's going to happen if I uh if we don't have athletics? By the way, this isn't I'm
not grandstanding. It's absolutely it was in the district that this actually happened where it it got close. You you're going to you're going to see a mass exodus in school choice. We're already getting book cost. >> We're already getting full cost. So they mass exit us out from school choice and say, "Well, Chris, that's not so bad.
You told me you got $15,000 per kid." And you know, it only cost $5,500 bucks, you know, to pay that out, right? That's not bad. You got to keep roughly 10 grand. 40 50 kids add up, folks. It's in a district this size. And that is a payout. That is not like you can tap
into the school choice in Right. It's it's it's different. It's different. It's different roads. If you do that, if that happens, that is is going to really negatively affect the district. Many many people that I talked to said, "I
think you're doing that as bait." Um, I'm going to tell you that if I wanted to use athletics as bait, I would have done it six years ago. No one should use uh and yes, I understand that there may or may not have been a scenario in this district many years ago where someone may have dangled this and not really
meant it and it created some type of I don't know. I was not here. So like I'm glad to say that not if that if that indeed if that in fact happened then that is that's dirty dirty. I have never brought up I've never mentioned athletics. I've never even whispered athletics ever. But when I have to cut
$2.6 $6 million. It's almost a no-brainer if you understand what I'm saying about being a no-brainer. I'm going to take [clears throat] some water because I want because um NVP becomes very confusing.
Why would we cut NVP when and that the confusion was that there's a grant that covered MVP? Um and that's true for the teacher. For the teacher, it's a one-year grant. Yes, we haven't received the grant. We're hopeful to get the
grant, but we're confident I guess that we would receive it. >> The problem is, and I'm going to let explain the the money part of it, is that we are held harmless this year. What is held harmless? Held harmless is
when the state pays you, in essence, it's they level fund you from the year before, which took less kids than the year before. So, let's say I we had 2,000 kids last year. And this year, let's say we have, I don't know, 1,900
bits, right? We dropped 100. Let's just pretend. They are not going to give me a dime more. Although they end up doing giving us a little bit, but they do not fund us like they did when our kids were going up because our our system is built on kids in seats, right? Kids in
district. Okay. So, what they say is that we're not going to reduce your money because that wouldn't be fair because they they I guess rightfully should do take 1,800 and you know, you do the math. They don't do that. They'll give you the same amount of money um through chapter 70 as the year before.
Um but they're not going to they're not going to make any increases. Well, Chapter 74 is the fund that funds vocational services when you are held harmless.
You do not, although it's listed there, you do not receive them. It's baked into the total number. So, we're not So, you next thing you know, you don't have the monies that you would that would normally have sitting outside of what you would think is chapter 7. Okay? Just
in general, just again, I'll it gets a little confusing. So, I'm going to let Amarie kind of explain how the money's worth in agreements or just in general about 18 kids. And >> so, the grant that you've heard us talk
about several times, you've seen it, you've heard about it. Um, it covers the teacher, but it's an implementation grant. So, when you add a new program like plumbing, which is planned for next year, we qualify to apply for the grant.
So that grant will cover the teacher for next year, but Monty Tech actually sends us an invoice for the cost of educating the kids we send to those programs for the vocational piece because we do not
actually receive any extra funds from chapter 70 for the vocational money. That's money taking out of our regular budget that would normally go to something else. So, we had anticipated
that there's going to be 18 kids in the plumbing, carpentry, and electrical programs for next year. When I called Monty Tech to find out what is this year's vocational piece, we keep the academic because we are teaching those
kids academically here. Um, she gave me the number and it's like $5,600 a kid. So, I had budgeted for 100, but they bill us for last year's kids. So, I will
only receive a bill this year in FY27 for the 12 kids that were in the program last year. But if we had 18 kids, I can expect in FY28, I'm going to get a bill for well over $100,000 for those kids.
So anywhere where you decide to eliminate the program, I am still paying for the kids that were in a program last year. >> I know it's it's confusing because you would think if you just stop something be like, "Oh, I don't have to pay." But when you're paying again, the rears, as
we talked about, it it there's still an expense, which we're still going to have to pay. But also, you know, and we we have to guard against the possibility that if if it were to, you know, go sideways and FY28 somehow went into it,
we'd have to owe more money. Do you see what I'm saying? So, we have to be careful about how far we bring we bring this along. So, um, so what did we do? Well, we took we took everyone's feedback. Now, I
don't mean to laugh, but you got to know, folks, we received a lot of feedback. Um, and it was it was some a lot of it was very constructive. Some of it was mean, okay? But it's all right. We get it. We get it because people are passionate and talking about the most important thing in in people's lives,
your kids. We've got that. So, what we tried to do because things had changed once we once we looked at what a level service budget was is. Okay. And I have to say uh you know primarily due to two
uh administrators resigning and and being gainfully employed in other districts. It started to re help us rethink about what we could do with that, right? Because though when we first did but that didn't that wasn't the case, [snorts] right? The two
administrators had yet to um declare that they were you know resigning and moving on. We didn't we didn't we yeah you know we just didn't have >> something we could nothing we could say. Yes. >> So and some other things. So what we did is we started to look at the priorities
and go okay what does it look like not only with that but bringing back what folks and of course the administrative team um weighs into this what what priorities. So >> touches.
All right. >> Yes. Um, so essentially, um, for those of you who have been watching the school committee meetings, thank you. For those of you, um, who are getting up to speed, I completely understand, um, as a parent who used to not be on school committee.
Um, but one of the scenarios we've been looking, so there's a budget that we passed, which was essentially what's called a level service budget. What a level service budget means is that we try to maintain as many services as possible. Although we did have about $300,000 in cuts um with positions that
we just hadn't been able to fill over an elongated period of time and they were you know it would have been financially irresponsible for us to continue funding those positions. Okay. Um so that is the budget that school committee passed but at the same time in our collaborative
efforts with um with Templeton etc um we had started to look at what would it look like if we cut $1.3 million from the budget and that's the scenario that Dr. C is referencing because at the time
that we put that scenario together um Dr. Y of course was having conversations with his administrators but you know due to employee privacy um could not actually talk about those as a possibility of what cuts. So we had and
and at that time we didn't know we didn't know whether they were going to stay or whether they were going to choose to go to these new positions. Um and so we had to act as though those were not a possibility. However, now that those um two folks, though we were
very sad to lose them both, um are have decided to move into new positions um that it it became necessary for us to reook at that $1.3 million cut scenario um and to see what that would look like
now considering that those two administrators are leaving. Um and so I am going to I hope that was enough of a break. I am going to hand it back um so that you can go through the budget scenario um and to better understand you
know what does that budget scenario how is that budget scenario shifted and changed um with those two administrators um now >> yeah so I need to say right off that thank you for the time out um that this
the balance the the the budget doesn't balance so in Just because two administrators moved on uh doesn't mean that everything is saved and we still hit the the number of either 2.6 or 2.3. That is I happen to
say that right out loud. What this did what we the task was how does it change things and how could we what would we bring back through our priorities right um and what would it cost us? Okay. So, when we did this exercise before, we we
couldn't do much of this even with the 1.3 that it says here up here. But with the administrators, as we've just talked about, it gave us more opportunity. So, ultimately, if you see a red line through something,
um it's something that we would, again, through this I'll use the word exercise. Um it it it takes it off the cut list. Okay. So, what were the priorities? Priorities were elementary school, Thrive, which I didn't do enough talking
about. I apologize. Thrive. Um, uh, remember behavioral pieces that we talked about, athletics, and again, thrives in a couple different programs depending on areas. If you, you know, if you use the names, you'll see
that there's a couple lines because we we split it up differently. >> [snorts] >> Um, and of course what comes off of if you don't lay someone off, you don't have to pay the, you know, the health insurance, the u, pardon me, the u unemployment. Thank
you. Um, you know, so what this means, cuz I was I was asked, we were asked a lot. I was asked again, not not a ton, but like what would it be to bring back these stakes? Well, this is what it would be,
right? So, it would mean that the district's budget would be would be 1.3 million. Um, >> less than level service. >> Less than level service. Level level
service. >> Level service. >> Level service. Level. Thank you. Yeah. Level service. >> We're here to help. >> Thank you. Um, so that's what it would mean. Uh the again we kind of went over the
rules of who who does what. Um it you know we have crunched the numbers here. We have done that. We've done the line by line. We've done all those you know all those things that you know people were asking. Um and so before you is an
answer of how these things come back. Um, and I really do guess at this point. So, >> so I will open it up first to the school
committee for comments or questions and then we'll proceed to public. >> Yes. Sean, >> um, so I'm looking over the draft of the salaries from 26 to 27. Can you speak I'm sure some of it's contractual and
some of it's Can you speak to what I'm saying? increases are so high. >> 6 say what was halfway >> uh the percent increases from 26 to 27. >> Okay. Thank you. Cuz that would have come up soon as we post. So remember what we you know the in general uh going
go back several conversations several meetings is that um the district follows a rule in terms of wherever the so if the teachers unit as an example is going to receive a 4%
increase next year then again it's not always this way because we have two units right two bargaining units Okay. But generally everyone doesn't receive anything more than that, but they in general receive that. So in other words, you're not going to see
someone receive a 7%, somebody receive a four. So So okay, I want to say that out loud. So you're going to see a lot of four points X or or Y's or whatever it is. >> In the contracts, there are things like longevity.
Okay? So, if you've been here 10 years, I want to make it up, you get 500 bucks, you know, whatever whatever it is, depending on what you So, you will see that they're not they're not ideally they're not perfect 4.0 all the way down
when this is posted, folks. You don't you don't have it yet cuz they haven't haven't seen it. Um there's steps. Teachers have steps. Paris um professionals have steps, right? They have master lanes, bachelor lanes, masters plus 50, masses plus 30, masses
plus 45. Okay. Right. So all of that factors in. So when someone gives a 3% increase, right? They that's what they negotiate. That's that's that 3% is negotiated on the base. Right? 3% across the board. Now if you're if you're
someone of like fifth year masters, you go up to six. I don't know what percentage what that is there, but that would probably be that would definitely be more than just the four. Um I I want to say is that something that's unique to naranset? No. No. All I don't want to
say all I don't have every contract, but contracts have steps. That's what they do. And contracts have longevity. That's what they do. that um >> and as someone who said sat through several negotiations with the NDEA and
with the UFCW um what I can additionally add is that we are very actively looking at the recent contracts from surrounding towns um and you know both to identify you know what are what are new ideas of you
know ways that we can engage um productively and positively with our unions um but also how do we remain competitive in that job market because at the end of the day it's those contracts that decide you know are you going if you have a
need for a new teacher X Y or Z are you going to be able to afford how much that teacher costs um when you are competing with Gardner with um with Barry with all these surrounding towns and so you know it's it's a very critical piece of the
negotiation process to both look at how do we yeah how do we maintain being competitive along with, you know, how is it that we create these stepped increases to incentivize all of our teachers to go through continuing education and continue to become, you
know, even better teachers for our students. >> Um, so you might see a line like say par profofessions are just going to, you know, tees par profofessions. You might see that the, you know, percentage increase is is really high. Well, that's
because we've probably had to hire two pair professionals, three par I don't know how many has some IEP needs. Okay, because you know that factors again into those things. So, it's a great question. I get that question quite a bit um when
especially people are looking at the hard number and I will say the way we did the draft just so the school committee understands is that we the percentage increase is is based on the level serves. I did we did not we did not have time to refigure after we made
the cuts. So in other words, you'll in our as you can see you see the cuts to the to the right depending on which one. We did not re refigure what the percentage increase or decrease would be. We just did not have the top we're
we're moving pretty quick here. Okay. But in in order for transparency, we left that there because we want folks to see under what it would have been under a level service budget. Okay. So, it's the case that I
>> Yeah. No, thank you. That's fine. Some of that I figured some of that was good to hear. >> Questions? >> We did receive one question. I don't know if it was a question or comment but um
I don't I do not remember the department which folks were referencing but there was the um the conversation was about that over a period of time and I don't remember what the period of time was that the
department had received a lot of zeros or ones okay and so I I don't I just remember this because this was this was interesting to me just because it it kind of added context to some things. And so we went back to FY10
just to see and and we for the teachers and so since FY10 cuz this matters um when you're in negotiations but in FY10 they received a 1% FY11 they received a 2% FY12 was a 2.5
FY13 I think was a.5 FY14 was a zero FY15 was a.5 FY16 was a one FY17 was a one, FY18 was a zero, FY19 a1, FY201, they received their first 2% increase in
FY21 since FY11. Um and then in 221 then 4 2 3 43 we clearly this um I would say this criticism landed squarely on my shoulders in terms
of negotiations which is fine you know but um everything is everything is good until you need something. So right now we're facing the largest teacher shortage in at least in Massachusetts um
for x amount of years after we got a co I know that that everybody was trying to increase salaries etc because we're have we couldn't hire anybody if everybody remembers that whole thing and so that factors into the conversation obviously
um I I I nor apologize for that um but I have to be competitive where does narrogance sit um out of the 10 districts that I presented earlier this year, we do this every two years. We do a salary survey. I presented um out of
12 two years or three years ago, we were nine. We're ninth out of 12. Um we're now I think five or six depending if it was a master schedule. So [clears throat] we're in the middle now which makes us more competitive. But I we are fighting
for teachers. I like my superintendent friends very much, but I literally will run them over for Matthew. [laughter] Um, no, I mean it. I will run them over. Um, Marko from Gardener knows I I will
run him over for Matthew or SP. We just might actually have to, you know, more. The fact is that we have to stay independent. I have to fill I have to fill this position. Um, so I I say that out loud because I just want to make sure that I, you know, because it was
asked of me or it's actually was told me. Um, and teachers have not, you know, have been overly, you know, compensated in terms of percentage um, and will that change moving forward. Uh, I think the financial landscape will be will be
problematic moving forward um, in terms of negotiations, etc. because we have to keep those um, things in sight as well. Um, but I just wanted to make sure I I said that again out loud in terms of of setups. >> Um, so I'll ask a couple line item
questions. Um, both things that I've heard from the public as well as um things that I know that you needed to talk about. Um, but can you talk a little bit more about um copers? Um, so do we really need all the copers we have
across the buildings? And I'm seeing shock from every teacher out there because and I have teacher friends and I know there is always a line at every copier and everyone is trying to get to their classes on time. So do we need
every copier? >> Yes. And probably some we have 15 across the district. Two of those are colored and one of the colored is in the central office where this building here comes down. This is it. And the other one is
in the office at the elementary school. So of the 15, two were color. Yeah. >> Um, elementary school lights. >> Oh, okay. >> So going to ch this down. I did not have
time to do that do this before the meeting. I planning to. We have heard that the lights are on, quote, all night at TDS. So, the nice gentleman I spoke with today whose wife
is in this um audience, I said, "How late is that?" Because custodians work until 11:00. So, are they is it past 11? And I will tell you, and only the way that this gentleman can say it, he goes,
"I don't know. I'm in bed by 9:30." So, And that's it's absolutely true. So anyway, so um we we I just need to check the camera. I don't know when people or what
are saying we are having some we are having some issues with the um the automatic shut off, but the custodians manually shut the lights off every night when they leave at 11:00. if they're on longer than I I haven't been able to
confirm that as of yet. Um, all I do is need to do is look at a camera and I will and I'll know. I just did not have a chance prior. We are looking into that and we'll we'll sus that out. >> Well, and I know you have the added extra benefit of the amount of travel I have to do for work and the number of
times I drive past the building at an ungodly hour in the morning and they are off. It is only the safety lights on at that time. Uh so so I am sure that there have been occasions like we we talked about today where you know there's been no school for a day and those lights
automatically come on and maybe you know because other people are also on vacation and they're up later or whatever there may be instances that that's being observed. Um what we did further talk about is I know that Jared is um trying to talk with folks to get
that corrected um but also trying to get a grant to get some of this corrected because it could be it it has potential to be tremendously expensive. So um please know that a lot of the times when we get asked whether or not we're doing something
if I ask Dr. Cavan and I do we are um so another line item I wanted to talk about is um there is an increase on school committee line and I'd be happy to start with that one
since it is for school committee. Um so school committee uses a program called board ducks um to post our meetings to post our policies um to um align to open meeting law to
you know do do governance in general and unfortunately um board docs was bought out um by a new company called Diligent and last year Diligent so kindly showed up at our door said knock guess Guess what? You know,
we can move over all of your historical materials because we are legally obligated to maintain those. Um uh but guess what? You get to pay us $11,000 now instead of $5,000. And we said um no thank you. We would have asked that you
honor our contract for another year so we can go out and do all the research. And so then our district operations team did all the research. They met they went m I know Danielle said on multiple calls with multiple businesses to try to find
um an alternative um to diligent that would save us money but still help us ensure compliance and um ultimately were there cheaper options out there? There were but none of them offered the compliance protections that Diligent
did. And since we do live in a town that holds both the board as selectmen and the school committee highly accountable for following open meeting law, we determined that that was a priority and not only on school committee side but
central office uh gave me multiple phone calls to say please we will give up we will give up the technology we wanted in central office for you to maintain this. So yes, you see an increase there. It's
for a reason and it's for one that we felt was necessary. Um it was not enough to save jobs or to save programs. Let's be clear on that. Um but yes, there is that line item increase. Um one of the other ones that I know a lot of folks
asked about was technology and technology increases in general. do you want? And so I I'm I am neutral as to who speaks to that, but why do we need to, you know, I know that there are also a lot of cuts to the technology line item, but why do we why do we need
technology? >> Oh, I'm answering your question. Why do we need technology? >> That's a big question. Well, um, one thing I I will say is, um, we were able to mitigate some of that cost of board docs convention by cutting the webinars.
license. So, I don't know if that's what you were referring to. >> Yes, it was. >> But we're always looking for places that we can cut technology costs without impacting teaching and learning. Um, and there were there were several this year and I I just I have my list here that
I'll just go down the list. Um, so some of the things so so I do a three-year techn actually do a fiveyear technology budget. the changes year it's a working budget and um I had some things on the
list for that would move the district forward in terms of security um that we're not going to be able to do um but in terms of cuts uh the cuts that we were able to make were uh some Lexius software from for um being special ed
technology go teacher which gives us analytics on how the kids are using technology um we were able to move all of our fax lines uh absolutely virtual fax lines uh for front and and surprisingly fax lines are actually
still used quite a bit in in health offices front offices central office registars uh I'm probably missing some other offices bed office um and that is built into our zoom licenses so we were able to save about $2,500 just in virtual
licenses um we were um We had to cut we had to downgrade our firewall licenses that um um to work with it's it's complicated but there's a there's an NDR team who manages looks for looks for breaches in
your network. Um we downgrade that license because we could not afford that this year. Um we were not able to do and this one this one was the most heartbreaking. Um, when I came 5 years ago, we got into an equipment replacement plan for our for our kids.
Um, so that our kids could get new devices at certain grades and so that we could eventually get all of our all of our Chromebooks under warranty. So, we we didn't have to charge families for breakages. Um, and next year would have been the first year we would have had
all of our devices under warranty. We weren't able to do we weren't able to afford our our leases uh for next year. So, um, uh, lease costs are around between between iPad for prek and sped and Chromebooks. That's about 45 sorry,
$45,000. Um, so those are the cuts that'll be made um going into Flex 27. Did that answer your question? >> It does. Thank you. >> Very cool. Um, so the reason I bring that up is because they are looking at the line items and
any line item whom you have a question about, if you call central office, they can answer it. I'll be honest, I can't always answer it because I'm not living and breathing in the school system every day. I am not Jess Smith. Um but you
know please do call central office and ask when you have those questions because they will be able to answer you. With that I am going to open it up for public comment. Um and so as a reminder we're
going to do 3 minutes. Um and we're going to um I have extended I'm not putting on the 12minute limit. So, as many people who want to speak, absolutely can speak. Uh, are you going to go? Thank you.
>> Yeah. And so, Bill Bill is my timekeeper, so he's going to he just said he would raise his hand when um when you have about 30 seconds left and then we'll call it at the full at 3 minutes. Um, so the first person on the list is list to.
And so, and as you come up, um, if you can just say your name, um, and your town of residence. Um, and folks, if anyone is here who does school choice into the district, you are welcome to speak. That is allowed. Um, just say your name and your title.
>> I I don't know where I'm supposed to be standing. >> Right there is great. Thank you. >> Let's I'll make this as quick as I can. So on Easter Sunday, a slide was shared in social media showing plan cuts if the if NRSD's demand of an almost 25% increase
in school funding was not satisfied. While it may not have been the intent, and I'm saying this, may not have been the intent, right? It felt like coercion, especially given the first round of uh first round of proposed cuts hurting the young student population
most. Study after study proves worse long-term student outcomes leads to any reasonable person questioning the motives. NRSD has been prioritizing collegebound instead of the MB MVP trade
uh program. There needs to be more budgetary transparency. I appreciate very much the the adjusted budget presented tonight and the explanations. It helped a lot. It provided some transparency. Philipston last night, I've been told I I haven't been able to
confirm this, voted a two 2.5% in increase, which still leaves a 10% gap between what was recently presented here. Tleton is currently at a level fund override. Um, unless the override passes, again, that would also represent
a 10% gap. Um, there aren't any easy answers. I appreciate the work everybody's doing. Uh but I I also want to make one final comment about the 2019. In 2019 when Pelton Elementary School was opened, there was an issue
around the auto shut off the lights and here we're sitting at 2016 and we still have that issue. So thank you very much again. Thank you for your work. Please, you know, transparency I think is the biggest thing. Thanks. We're restarting and Tim dismissed.
>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Many of you know me, Tim Donald Templeton. I wear multiple hats. Tonight, I'm speaking as a private citizen. I'm taking off my select board member hat. Dr. C, thank you for calling out. I I believe our
count was seven formal meetings and Lord knows how many hours we were behind the scenes. Um I raised a question and uh chairman I found on the school's website there's an 11page document. It's a draft form and what I was asking for was to go
through this with a little more diligence to see where we ended up with. That's what I was actually looking for but never really got to it. Uh this was one of our idiations out of those seven meetings. A lot of information in here,
but part of my question and what I've yet to able to find. I'm looking for actual some of the source and revenue. I appreciate the information shared tonight. I still can't find and I've yet to hear and I do appreciate and I understand you get the bills you what's
coming in my corporate work and where I work and my part-time job. We're going through the same thing. vendors are coming to us, you know, here's where we are. We're building our budgets. We're looking at the next year coming up. So, Purple Star Campus, yay, brah. Yeah, we
do a lot of stuff. We were recognized for that. That's a great thing. NRSD did well. So, a question I have, federal impact dollars. Does anybody on this committee know what that means? Dr. C might. It's a program put in place by the
Department of Defense. Federal impact dollars come to us for and there you have to apply for them annually. It impacts all active duty service members. Also full-time garden reserves who are activated on title 10 and title 32
orders. It's not only a federal program but it falls under Mass General law chapter 71 subsections 68AB and subsections 99A. all military connected students. I know very well
about this. My youngest stepdaughter when she was in kindergarten here fell under this. We had a little bit of a challenge because of when a birthday fell and NRSD knows all about this because I was on active duty on the other side of the country. NRSD almost
got sued by the Department of Defense and I guarantee they were not going to win. [snorts] So we we know very much about this. That that's water over the dam. However, it's there. Another question I have, I just looked it up before we started. 239 school districts
currently in old harmless. That's a scary number. Has the superintendence group or if any of the school committees challenged Desi and what is being done at the state level to get any of us out of there to work on all these formulas
that we know have failed? I know we've been pushing really hard. Senator Durant is in our court. He went to the state house to fight with us, >> but uh we're not getting anywhere. Dr. C, thank you for eloquently stating that. Yes, we're upset with our reps as
well. Thank you for your time. Thank you for hearing me. But yeah, we're paying attention as well. We really are. >> Holly Piles. Hopefully I said that last name right. It's on the side. This is the speaking sheet where she like to speak.
[laughter] Excuse you if you change your mind later. Raise your hand. >> Um, James, >> do >> I'm going to pass, but thank you very much for all your work. I really appreciate it.
>> Oh, boy. I gotta All right, I need a teacher. >> Right there. Oh boy. Andrew, what? >> How did you get that? [laughter] >> What's that?
>> Um, you you signed. It's a signature. >> Okay. Rick, [laughter] >> I'm going to say Smith. Rich Smith. >> Come up there. >> Yes, please. >> Sorry, Danny. Can I yield my back to Tim? [laughter]
I'm sure he wasn't done yet. But no, I just have an observation. I saw tonight honestly um ex-military I know it's cost out there ex-military and we pride ourselves on taking care of them um I'm a very
passionate person but um looking around the room tonight all the administrators out here everybody working see one man taking notes Mr. your face over here. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Um I don't think you're doing any jobs if you're not taking notes right now. How can you take care of our kids if
you're not taking notes? You're not engaged. Get engaged. >> All right. $3 million. Mr. Cosb about playing with his computer right there. All right. Um >> I'm actually taking notes. >> Okay. Thank you. Cuz I don't see you typing. I just see you doing this. >> I'm sponsoring.
>> Um $3 million. It's a lot of money. Can't fix it in one year. I get it. But what I heard tonight was we don't have enough time. We took a week only had a week to get a a union thing out or we didn't have enough time to get you this answer. We don't have enough
time to get that. When did this whole process start? Cuz at least 10 times tonight. Take back the recording. I heard we don't have enough time. That's all I got to say. You got you got you got a lot more time. You need to figure out what to do for the kids.
Um, think Heidi Smith. Thank you. He's >> okay. >> Sally Ericson. >> Good. >> Kathy Kenny. Hopefully I got It's C A N E Y.
>> I found one of them. I sent a letter and I was going to speak tonight. >> Okay. Um, we are intending to I will read the letter still. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, Aaron Harding. >> Do I have to come down there? >> Um, you don't have to. If you would prefer to stay there, just make sure you project.
>> That will be a problem. [laughter] >> Good evening, members of the school committee, administrators, and parents. My name is Aaron Hardy. I'm from Templeton, and I'm here tonight to advocate on behalf of my son. Oh, this is going to be bad. Caleb Chappelle, a current sophomore at Naragansa, as well as the many other
students who are part of or hope to be part of the MDP program. Caleb was selected as one of the sophomores for the inaugural plumbing class this coming September. And I cannot overstate what the opportunity means to him. Since the sixth grade, he has once become a plumber. When he
received his acceptance letter on April 16th, the excitement in our home was overwhelming. It was a moment of pride, motivation, and hope for his future. This excitement is not unique to our family. I spoke with another parent whose son, also a sophomore, was accepted into the MVP program and chose
electrical after being weightlisted for two years at Monty Tech. For these students, MVP is not just an option. It's an opportunity that might not otherwise exist. I stand before you tonight not just as a parent, but as an advocate for all students who benefit
from hands-on career focused education. Research consistently shows that students who complete vocational programs are more likely to be employed immediately after high school. These programs increase engagement, improve graduation rates, and provide students with real practical skills that prepare
them for life beyond the classroom. The MVP program does exactly that. It gives students meaningful hands-on experience in the skilled trade. It equips them with industry specific knowledge, builds confidence, and opens doors to both employment and future educ further education.
and is a pathway to success for students who thrive in applied learning environments like my son. I remember when MVP program was first introduced to our district. There was so much excitement around the opportunities that it would bring and it has delivered on that promise and has helped expand the
access to vocational education and reduce barriers for students who might otherwise be left waiting or without options. Programs like MVP don't just teach skills, they shape futures. They give students direction, purpose, and a head start in building meaningful careers. I respectfully urge the school
committee and will urge the town to continue to support the MBB program not to cut it. Doing so would deprive our students of a valuable opportunity and one that can truly change the course of their lives. Thank you for your time. Thank you.
>> John Valentine. >> Hi everyone. >> John Valentine Templeton. I've moved here four years ago. I love it and I care about the town and you guys do incredibly high job. Uh but on the same token, you know, we need to
somehow cut out the minutiae and make real hard decisions so we could save services and think outside the box. You know, maybe there's more you you raise fee income by
the services that you use. I I I don't know the ins and outs. Is everyone in Tampa get get school bus no matter where they live? Um, does everyone get busy even if they live half mile down the road?
>> We can speak. We It isn't It isn't a >> It's just a comment thing. >> Yeah, just a comment and then we will we will I've written down a question. Okay. >> So, um, anyhow, the long story, it looks to me, and I'm It looks to me that the school's looking for a $2 million
increase over last year for 23%. Based off this information from the town, that seems excessive to me. Um, there's only so much money that the town has. Yes, they have an override vote,
but at the end of the day, it's not endless whether it works this time or doesn't. We have to control the expenses. And yes, there's contracts with teachers and everything else like that. We want a fair wage for everyone, but there's also
a limit to what people could pay. So, I see in this illustration that you were cutting 2.6 six and because two administrators left now I could only cut 1.3. So, two people cost
1.3 million. That's what it looks like to me. I may I may be naive about that, but that's what it looks like. That seems excessive. More about the kids. Do the best you can. Keep an eye on the dollar. Maybe a
little less minutia will save everyone money. In terms of the lights going on, I I've driven by that school. Every single light is on. Okay. If a custodian's work, this is just a small little example, but there's probably hundreds or thousands. Every light is on
school. You don't have a custodian every every room. >> Um, so just bringing that up. I care about the community. We need to do stuff for the kids, but also you need to worry about the tax pay. And at the end of the
day, if we have money over here, yes, life increases, but we all face that situation in our own ends. We can't get what we don't have. So, choices need to be made. Wise choices for everyone
though. Thank you. Uh, >> next is Daniel D. Uh, good evening. So, I'm going to speak to you. Um, my wife and I cut a photo letter together. Um, I had great conversations with Dr. Cassaman Colby
and I have a great working relationship. Same with Marcy. So, um, good evening. Uh, my name my name is Daniel Dean. Uh, my wife is Julie. We're from Baldenville. My son is the other one that she was talking about. So, uh,
we're here tonight, uh, as parents who are deeply concerned about the loss of an educational potential educational loss opportunity for our students, especially my son, uh, Daniel who's a sophomore here. Uh, we know how much
we know much of the conversation has focused on cuts to athletics. And while those are important, we're here to speak about uh something just as critical, access to meaningful uh educational pathways like the MEP program. Um for
some students, including my son, this program is not just an extra thing. It's a pathway to keep him engaged, uh motivated, hopeful about his future. Uh my son has been, uh working incredibly hard to get where he is today. He has
faced significant medical challenges um including having multiple surgeries uh at Shriner's hospitals for children, having both of his legs broken uh and then having to get reset and being in a wheelchair. So um just to be able to
walk correctly. So uh despite that he's been able to push forward, always have a positive attitude for the most part. Uh he's an active member in scouts, serves as a junior firefighter with the Templeton fire department uh in our explorer post. Uh participates in
student leadership, is an uh avid participant in the robotics program. Uh and most recently, and something that my wife and I are both very proud of, is was just inducted in the National Honor Society. Um he shown resilience, determination, and commitment every part
of his life. Um like many of his classmates, Daniel's applied to Monty Tech and have been weight listed multiple times. Um he's but he still hasn't given up. Uh he applied through the MVP program, went through competitive a competitive application
and interview process, waited anxiously on that decision which he was finally given on April 16th. I will say prior to that uh I started noticing quite depression in my son until that letter came. So um that moment meant everything
to him, validated his hard work that he's had uh and it showed a clear direction to his future. Then just days later through Facebook uh we found that that program may be cut through Facebook
is how we found out. Um as a parent I can full we can fully put into words how discouraging that felt. Um these students have already experienced constant changes switching schools in their earlier years due to construction adapting through co uh and watching
opportunity disappeared year after year. The marching band was cut just as their class became eligible despite the strong participation. Now once again something meaningful is being taken away from them. So um I just thank you and I urge
you to reconsider if that's what the avenue is. So thank you. Thank you. >> I do, if the school committee is fine with it, we also have a few letters that I was going to read as part of public input since they're very relevant to this discussion. Does anyone opposed to
that? But before I do that, is there anyone who would like to sign up to speak? Seeing none. All right. So, bear with me. Oh, >> he he's changed his mind. >> Oh, and he'll respond. Can I please
>> just as a reminder say your name since we didn't um >> Absolutely. My name is Justin Piles. I'm a resident Tuffton. I actually have a daughter that's in the school system here in middle school and a son that's freshman year at Monty Tech. So, wanted
to um thank you all for inviting us all this evening to speak our minds and be heard as well. I haven't been to one of these meetings in a very long time, but just from the general conversation I've heard tonight already, I've taken out a few notes. So, I do have some concerns
and I just would like to express them. Um Dr. See, you mentioned that the political council reps from the state were not voting um with in our favor. I'm kind of curious to find out if there's any other areas that are also
receiving that same treatment from those reps as well. And as you mentioned, this could be a political two-step jargon that you're receiving. So, could this be related to how our town has turned out in its voting for
2024? >> Right. We most of us voted red in this town. Also in Philips, I looked up the stats while we were all sitting and listening, but most of the blue states or blue towns were in the large metro areas. So,
did they receive their funding in increases while the others did not? Just a question. Now, one of the beauty things about contracts and I appreciate you guys actually bringing up the state of contract for securing our
information. You actually mentioned that you reached out to them to extend the contract amended. Now, you also mentioned that the teachers are under contract. That means there's guidelines that also can be set and could they be amended. I also
appreciate the fact that you gave a specific background of the teacher increases or salary increases. Never did I hear anything above 4% or up to 4% until this year. Everything was 2 1/2%
or lower going back all the way to 2010. So, could we revisit the contract and ask them to bear with us as we go through this financial crisis? It's a question. All we can do is ask. I do appreciate your time. Thank you
very much for letting me speak. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry. It might just be a clerical error, but I was taking a look at the uh cuts. I'm sorry. Uh the cuts the level fund
impact. You're you have the PE teacher down for almost $100,000 in salary alone. Is that individual or for a M type? >> Individual. That's an individual salary for $100,000
and teachers are getting a third less than that. >> Well, you have down here that the third fourth grade third grade and first grade teachers are under $60,000 but a PE teacher saying we're seeing almost 100. >> Well, we we won't engage in back and
forth right now. But but >> question what? Yeah, I've written that down and we will make sure I've written down different questions that came up right now and we'll make sure that we go through all of them. >> Thank you. >> I'll be short. I promise. >> All right. Just make sure you say your name and very clear.
>> Got that. Just >> My name is Crystal Law. I'm from Templeton. Dressing the lights. Just saying. There's a lot of other people that use the gym and we're there till 9:00. Some some people are there till 10:00. Our
athletics use the gym. I know that I'm a coach for the school. Our teams are there sometimes until 8:00 at night. So, the gym is being used. The lights are on because we can't really do what we do in the dark. Just saying that. Uh good evening members of the school committee,
faculty, parents, community members. My name is Crystal Ecow and I'm here to speak about the proposed decision by the Narro Gancer Regional School District PZ. I want to be very clear. This isn't just about sports. This is about students. Athleta athletics are not an extra. They
are an extension of the classroom. On the field and in the gym or on a track, students learn discipline, teamwork, accountability, and resilience. These are not abstract ideas. These are life skills that carry into adulthood, careers, and relationships. For many students, athletics are the reason they
come to school. They provide structure, motivation, and sense of belonging. When you take that away, you're not just removing games, you're removing critical support systems. We also have to consider the broader impact. Athletics keeps students engaged, connected into their community. They build school
pride. They foster mentorships between coaches and students. And for some, they open doors to college opportunities that might not otherwise exist. Cutting athletics is a risk and risks increased absenteeism, decreased student engagement, and fewer
opportunities for stu students to grow into confident, well-rounded individuals. If the concern is financial, then the conversation should be about solutions, not elimination. There are they are are alternatives, partnerships, fundraising, restructuring programs, but not removing
athletics entirely. We are shaping the environment our students grow up in. The question we have to ask is what do we want that environment to look like? Do we want a system that only focuses on academics in isolation or one that recognizes that
students success is built through a balance of intellectual, physical, and social development? Athletics are a part of a balance. I would like to thank you guys for your time. And I also want to just explain to you that my two daughters,
they were very like socially set back. They didn't find their people until they were involved in these sports. And there's a lot of kids like that. And for a lot of kids, this is their safe space. Thank you. M one last call for anyone and thank you
to all of you who spoke. I I [clears throat] know it's hard. It's like it it is really really hard to stand in front of a room of people and speak and I do it on TV all the time. It's hard. All right, so bear with me. I'm going to um read the letters
[clears throat] if I mess up anybody's words. Uh Mr. Dean, I did get the email from your wife. Is it okay if I skip over that one because I was checking and seeing that it was the same letter that you just read? Yes. Thank you. All right. This is from Michelle
O'Donnell. Um she wrote to say, "Good afternoon. I am writing to Oh, and actually, can you tag me while I'm writing you just for equity um and to make sure that I don't go past the three minutes? So again, Michelle O'Donnell Lind
Linderson. Good afternoon. I am writing today to plead with the school committee to remove the MVP Academy from the budget cuts. My son Bo has already lost soccer, his lifelong passion, and I'm not sure what we will do if he loses this program as well. Soccer was his
life, and he was incredibly talented. I saw a part of him die the day the boy soccer was cancelled. He went into his room, removed everything soccer related there. There was a loft, and threw it in a box in the basement where it remains today. He hasn't been the same since. We noticed a huge decline in his
self-confidence, and he became depressed. He had lost his identity. All of that changed when he found out he had been selected for the MVP Academy. We saw that spark slowly start to return. His self-confidence began to be restored, and he stopped isolating
himself. Since beginning at MVP, we have seen such an improvement in his mental health, confidence, and his drive to succeed. He is finally excited to go to school. If you look at his transcripts, you will see that our child, who is averaging around a C, is now getting all
A's and is making the principal's list. This program has been the best thing to happen to Buzz. A child who always said he wanted to grow up to be a professional soccer player is now saying he wants to be an electrician. He now has realistic and attainable goals. He has a new identity and it's been amazing
to watch him develop. I'm not sure how to proceed at this point. I'm not sure what a world without MVP would look like for Bow, but I know it won't be good. I pray that the school will get the funding it needs, and I will do everything I can as a registered voter to see that it does. Regardless, I pray
that the school committee can see how crucial it is to keep this program in our district. This program can change lives. This next letter is from Kathy Kenny. Dear school committee members Oh, did I give you enough time? All right. I am writing to urge you to support the
school district's proposed budget. The proposed budget increase is modest considering the needs of the district. The district already operates with limited limited resources resulting in a minimum curriculum, limited support services, and limited extracurricular resources as well as outdated
facilities. I will vote to approve the tax override to generate additional revenue needed to support our schools. Last year's final school district budget resulted in devastating reductions that included elimination of staff, reduction of buses, and implementation of family
paid user fees for student participation and extracurricular activities. I am willing to continue to pay user fees to allow students to have a well-rounded education with participation in activities that provide students opportunities. The elimination of the late bus meant students who needed to
stay after school for academic support or other reasons could not do so unless a family member was available in mid-after afternoon to pick them up. This does not support student success. Investing in our schools means investing in our community and our children's futures. A strong public school system is the cornerstone of a thriving
community. If staff positions and programs such as athletics are eliminated, there will be families that will pursue school choice, costing the district and therefore adding to the budget expenditures. The quality and reputation of our schools is a major factor for families making the decision to reside in our towns. It is essential
to invest in our schools. I urge you to make decisions that prioritize our students and invest in our community. Please provide our schools with the necessary resources to foster our children's development in the future. This next letter is from Daniel Sanchez.
I am writing as a parent within the Naragans at Regional School District community to express my concern regarding the potential elimination of sports programs and the MVP program. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge and and thank you for the work you do in supporting our students in maintaining the quality of education
in the district. I understand that difficult decisions are sometimes necessary and I genuinely respect the challenges you are facing. That said, the programs currently under consideration for reduction or removal are extremely important not only to my children but to many families in this
community. Athletics provide far more than physical activity. They teach discipline, teamwork, accountability, and resilience, skills that carry far beyond the classroom. For many students, sports are also a key factor in staying engaged, motivated, and connected to
school. Equally important is the MVP program in partnership with the Montre Regional Vocational Technical School. This program offers students a unique and valuable opportunity to explore trade skills while still participating in a traditional public high school environment. Given the extensive weight
list at Monte, the MVP program serves as a critical pathway for students who might otherwise not have access to vocational training. These programs are not extras. They are essential components of a well-rounded education and play a significant role in preparing students for real world access. I want
to be transparent and respectful in saying that if these programs are eliminated, it will significantly impact my family's ability to remain in the district. While I deeply deeply value the school community, I would have to seriously consider moving my children to another district that offers these opportunities. My hope is that the
district can find alternative solutions that preserve these vital programs for our students and community. Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued commitment to our children. This next letter is from Amanda Adams. First, I just want to say thank you so
much for all you do. You are an amazing human. Oh, sorry. This was actually um I will caveat this was meant for Jess Smith. [laughter] I started at the beginning and I forwarded that piece of the letter to her and then she went into her dear school committee members letter. Let me
start over on that one. >> And she is an amazing person. We agree. >> Um, dear members of the school committee, my name is Amanda Adams and I am the mother of Alexander, a junior at Narro Gates at Regional High School. Alex has been part of this district
since first grade and I wanted to share our family's experience as you consider the proposed cuts and the override vote. My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 5 years old and school has never come easily to him. Over the years he has faced significant challenges including the disruption of CO and the loss of a
sibling. Yet he has continued to push forward and make it to his junior year of high school. That did not happen by accident. I'm sorry. I read the loss of a sibling. Um that did not happen by accident. It happened because of the support systems this district has worked hard to provide.
One of the biggest reasons Alex has been able to succeed is because of the academic coaching and educational support available to him through our schools. Programs like these are not extras for students like my son. They are essential. They are the difference between students falling behind and students believing they are capable of
succeeding. When I look at the proposed cuts, I do not see just numbers on a page. I see real students, real families, and real futures being impacted. I see teachers, paraprofessionals, behavioral support staff, extracurriculars, athletics, and academic programs that children rely on
every single day. A strong school system benefits the entire community, not just the students currently enrolled. Good schools strengthen property values, attract families, and help a strong help create a stronger town for everyone. Investing in education is investing in the future of our community. I
understand budgets are difficult and these decisions are not made lightly, but I urge the committee and the community to consider the long-term impact these cuts will have on students who are already working hard to succeed. Our children deserve more than simply getting by. They deserve opportunities, support, and a school system that gives
them every chance to succeed. Thank you for your time and for everything you do for our students and families. This next letter is from K. Smith. I am ready to voice my concerns over the announced budget cuts for our school district. I believe that the two most
important functions of a town government are to ensure the safety of its residents, police, fire, etc., and to provide the best possible education for our future generations. We have moved forward with a new elementary school to replace our old schools. This school is very impressive with many advanced
teaching aids and it is intended to be staffed to optimal class sizes, thus ensuring adequate time to work with each student. The first few years of a child's school experience has a direct effect on their future as not only a student but also as an adult. Considering all of the planning, good
intention, and money that has been provided to create this environment, this is not the time to pull the plug and cut staff. The school doesn't educate the student, the teachers do. Cutting teachers will ensure that our class sizes are high. This is one thing that that at higher levels of education,
but at the elementary level, this is detrimental to not only the future of those children, but also to our town. One of the larger contributors to a town's value is their schools, is their school district. If the schools fail, the town will not be far behind. Please consider making cuts in other areas, but
not to our teachers. This next letter is the final letter from Janet Wheeler to the school committee and superintendent. We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the proposed budget cuts to our teaching and educational staff. These positions are the backbone of our
schools and losing them will directly impact the quality of education and the well-being of our students. Teachers and support staff do more than just deliver lessons. They provide stability, mentorship, and the individual detention our children need to succeed. Reducing our workforce will lead to larger class
sizes and fewer resources for students who are already facing significant challenges. I urge you to reconsider these reductions and explore all other financial avenues, including the use of reserve funds or advocating for increased state aid to keep our educators in the classroom. Our
children's future should be the priority, and that starts with protecting the people who teach them every day. Every elementary classroom teacher faces challenges with students that did not exist 5 years ago. We all need to support this remarkable team of teachers. Sincerely, concerned parents.
So again, thank you to everyone who chose to spoke and to everyone who took the time um to write in to us. Um it we sincerely appreciate hearing from our public whether we agree with them or disagree with them. you know, everyone brings something to the table in terms
of understanding how our communities come together as bloods. All right. Um, so the next item on the budget is a budget vote, but before we get into budget vote, um, I did want to
run through some of the questions that came up and make sure that folks have answers to the best of our ability. Um, so let's start with um the I'm going to assume it was a federal grant that
Mr. To was speaking about. Um, and um, my first response is going to be that the person who wrote um, nearly the vast majority of our grants was our assistant superintendent.
And when our assistant superintendent leaves us, that leaves an entire missing position and will naturally um her responsibilities do not go away. The
high school principal's responsibilities do not go away. they get redivided over the ad remaining administrators and each one of those administrators has less time to do the things that they try to fit into a day and I'm going to guess
they don't fit it into a day that they work a lot of extra hours. Um, and so I will start there. However, I will also state that this district applies for many, many, many, many
grants. Um, and so could you speak to some of the grants that we apply for but don't receive because we don't always talk about the ones that we apply for and don't receive in addition to some of the ones we have received.
>> Sure. Um so some of the grants that we receive currently we receive uh for federal grants we receive our title one grant, our title 2A grant, title 4 grant, um our 240 grant which covers mostly special education related costs.
Um we receive um get funding code 311 I believe but we received the SEAL grant currently. Um we have in the past received our early grades literacy grant. Um we uh received
um we the year we implemented the MVP program. We received the implementation grant which funded our class the teacher that supports the academic site here for one year. Um, and then we build that into the budget to support the program.
Following that, because we are looking to expand to add plumbing, we become eligible next year to apply for the implementation grant again for a one-year period. So, that would fund a I should say it funded a portion of our
teaching position, not the full position. We'd be looking to have that do the same thing um for next school year, but we're not eligible to apply for that until we receive the designation, which we have gone through the process to apply for this school year. So, the implementation grant is
anticipated to be released by Desi the end of May, early June. So, I I do plan to write that before um before my contract ends up. Um we have not applied for any grants. We have not received that I'm aware of this year. we've received all the grants we've applied
for. Um, but in the past we have applied for a few grants that we've got received because they've been very competitive. Um, and we just, you know, haven't received them, unfortunately. I I'm trying to think off the top of my head what some of those were. Um, we applied
for a grant to support our EL department last year with additional ongoing professional development training, curriculum writing, um, and service delivery support through DESIE. We did not receive that grant even though we had spent a year in the in a cohort model with DESIE working towards um
getting our EL department back into compliance for services and and um sort of uh looking at indicators for DESIE for uh EL support. So we're back in compliance now but we did not receive that ongoing grant to continue that
support outside of district hours with the team. That's an example of one we did not receive and Marie could probably speak for it. >> I can chime in on a couple of them. Um we've applied several times for grants that Desi offers for updating new
equipment in the cafeteria. We received it the very first year we applied, but they give priority to those who have never gotten it. So the last two times I've applied, they have not given it to us. um we follow um facilities through our
insurance company. They offer some small grants um for safety or equipment and we've applied to those and they successfully been I should add when we applied when we brought the MDP program on we did explore um private funding
grants to help us with those operating costs. So we reached out to a financial company that was looking to support education. We applied and did we didn't even hear back. We didn't even get a no thank you. We just got no response. But we did um work with Monty Tech actually. They they had recommended a couple of
private investment companies that had supported them in the past that we had looked at um and applied for some private grants as well, but we unfortunately um a lot of energy to write those and gather the information um and those didn't but we we're always
looking for those opportunities to continue and we're also looking for things like Mr. token mentioned like designations like the purple star that will then help us be able to apply for grants down the road as well. So, you know, those processes to write those um applications are pretty lengthy and
require a lot of input from a variety of stakeholders. Um so, the purple star designation took a team of folks working um you know, a handful of months to write and make sure that we have things in place to demonstrate that that we met all the criteria for as well. So you know sometimes it's not necessarily in
grants but it's designations that help us apply for grants such as the plumbing designation which then make us eligible for different grants as well >> and I know in the technology side we also are do a number of grants as well. >> Yeah. So every year um we apply for an
e- rate federal grant and our our percentage changes from year to year um but last year was 80%. So 0 came out of our general budget for um between for between rurally and 80% of the e- rate. We got we replaced all of our access
points in the district. It paid to 80% of our our license fees for our access points every year and 80% of our internet for both billing and about fiber. Um, as well for the last four years, we've applied for a state grant to do fishing tests with our staff,
which they love so much. >> And um, and a couple of years ago, two or three years ago, we applied for, which you probably already know, um, the cops grant. We were one of three schools in the state, one of seven in New England that received I forget the
amount that it paid for all new cameras, all all new door access systems, all new alarms, all new phones, a new website. Um, and all of that came out of the cop screen. Um, so those are a lot of those are ongoing and we're actually in talks with Templeton now and with the state
for a green energy grant about Templeton Elementary School that's ongoing. Um, there was an additional question. We're not exchanging. We're not doing back and forth. So, >> I just want to make one comment. >> I know.
>> This is not a brand. >> I am the chair. If you would like to give deliver that information later, we would be happy to receive it over email. I was very clear that we are not doing back and forth conversation. >> It was a correction. >> I We are not doing back and forth
communication. >> Thank you. >> We are going to be following the rules. Please and thank you. I appreciate that everyone. Okay. Um at the state level, um we were also asked whether or not we are advocating at the state level. The answer is yes. We've been asked this a
few times. So the way that that works is um the school committee is part of the MASC. Superintendent are part of something called MASS. And that advocacy happens through those um those groups. And so essentially um we most of us did
not attend the uh the school committee um uh what is it called conference this past uh fall. Um and uh so what usually happens at that point is that there's a lot of discussion around what are they
going to advocate for at the state. I'm going to tell you right now chapter 70 aid and rural aid are on that every single time. Every single time. Um Heather, do you want to talk a little bit about what that looks like? >> Um every year we during that conference
um we convene what's called the delegate assembly, which is representatives from every single school committee. Um this year was a fluke year that many of us had other um private matters that do not bear discussing here that prevented us
from attending this year. Um but chapter 70 among many many other um proposals and um why did I just forget the word for the sheet >> resolution >> resolutions are brought forth by school
committees across the commonwealth who are members of an MASC standards association of school committees. um we bring forth other concerns in the form of what we call a resolution um to declare to MASC what our
priorities are um you know across across all the school committees and yeah chapter 70 is on every single one of those but what they will tell you is if you look into the legislative process it's slow it's slow there's nothing
slower than it Um, and I know that when we've received our communications from MASC and you know, we we do get I I talk with folks at MASC level on a fairly regular basis because guess what? Sometimes I have questions
about school committee and how other districts have done something. And so I will call them and you know we do hear from them on a regular basis and chapter 70 in real world aid continues to be something that they are legislating to um and I know that the same is true at
the masses. So uh busing um there was a question around do you know do we bus all students or how does busing work in our district? you have to have like the law is a mile and a half.
If you live a mile and a half close to the school, you don't have to be bus. Um, as you all know, there aren't very many sidewalks in Templeton. So, we bust, but there is a big walking distance, especially for the middle high school cuz they're older, that they're
expected to walk. The bus doesn't stop there. Um, I know you've probably all seen the seen the parent pickup lines and drop off lines. And as much as we don't like the traffic, I am personally thankful for that because if all of
those kids were on buses, I would need to run along. >> Okay. >> Um, 1.3 million. There was a question around how did with the loss of two administrators, should we go from the 2.6 6 and the and the 2.3 down to 1.3
million. It is not it it is a it's a completely different budget scenario. Um what I what we were trying to communicate though I can understand gets very confusing when we're talking about multiple scenarios. So essentially what happened is um the first budget that the
school committee talked about was called a level service budget where we maintained all services. Um that is the one that you see where it look it has the it says 24% increase to the town that includes the roof and so it's actually about 22% increase to the town
just school. Um so that was the budget that was passed. The reason that we um passed that budget is because you can never once a school committee passes a budget they can never go back up. They can only go down. And so knowing that
there was a lot of conversations happening across the towns, we determined that this was, you know, the best budget to pass in that moment until we got additional information that could further inform what budget levels we need to consider. We then started to consider um a a budget that was level
service less $1.3 million. At that time, the class that were included in that level service 1.3 um included the elementary um it include a lot of elementary teachers. Um it did not include administrators and a number
of other items. I'm not going to try to cite them from memory. Um and um that is when a lot of folks rose up to say why are you cutting elementary? Why are you not cutting administrators? Part of the reason that that we started where we started is because we'd have to
start with what we know. And at that time we did not know that we were going to lose two administrators. Um and so a lot of the scenarios we were looking at at the time I mean the folks around the table repeat this um were was the cut of elementary teachers. Then we got
additional information from the towns that we they needed us to start to look at what if there was no override at which point they would do level funding. Level funding means you have the exact same budget for FY26 as you do in FY27.
And then what they confirmed um in one of their meetings at the when they discussed the $2 million override is if the $2 million override was approved then they would give us the 2.5%. Under the level funded scenario, we would have to cut um $2.6 million from
level service. And under the 2.5% increase, we would have to cut $2.3 million. And so I was what I was attempting to bring back up is that we have the 2.3 or $2.6 million level funded scenario. We have the $2.3
million $2.5% increase scenario. But we had been discussing this $1.3 million scenario. But as the information we had has changed between we originally discussed it and now, I wanted to showcase how what would be cut under that $1.3 million scenario could change.
I hope that clears things up. Um so then we also had um reps and a question around whether or not we see things happening. Do we see things happening in other districts? Like are other districts getting more money and we're
not getting >> Yeah. Um >> I can I can take a want me to. >> Is this a question about red or blue? Right in the middle. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um so uh I will tell you well it's
August. It's well known that um Rev Zuck is a Democrat. Um Rev. Whips is an independent. Um and I'm I don't know for a fact, but I think if I looked at I think if I watched the vote vote list, I
believe I I don't remember if every Democrat voted against it or not. I just I don't remember that. um and we're the Republican. So I really can't answer that question. I know that
the senator is um he's pretty adamant to keep who is Republican to keep everything on you know the safe space here. Um and that he was advocating to increase. So I don't I don't have any indication that that was that was the um that was the point of it. I would say
this though there are there I don't I think we are the last urban don't quote me cuz I I I don't know about you know southern or down below the cape or like Cape Warren or whatever
but um we there isn't there are no urban pardon me rural districts um from Lemonster guaranteed from Lemonster um loss all the to probably Boston. So they probably have no and and representative
Zotnik did talk about the fact that a lot of those representatives like why would I increase rule a it does has no I have no bearing it doesn't it doesn't affect me so I again I can't speak it was the party line
it was a tenant thing so and that I don't know I think the other question also came um pause was the um the teacher question like PE new teacher is being paid at 95. Yeah. So that all depends on, you
know, I believe that the I don't know this for a fact, but looking at that number, they have a master's plus 45. So they have a master degree plus 45 additional credits and probably well over 10 or 12 years of experience, whereas
the other folks that were mentioned do not. they fall somewhere, you know, lower in the scale. Yeah. >> Less experience. >> And that's um just to add to that, that's the that's what uh the question
that Sean asked and what I further added clarification to is that within a teacher contract, not only is there um you know a negotiated increase that goes to everyone, there's also it's it's called steps. And essentially, there's a
couple different ways to go through the steps. One is through the number of years you've been working with the districts. We're incentivizing teachers to stay. The other is by getting additional education. And so depending on getting additional education as well as years of service, you make your way
through the salary schedule. Um this is this is the same type of um increase format that I'm going to say every district that I've looked at has. Um it is it is pretty standard. Um but that is how you will find you
know a teacher that is getting paid $60,000 versus a teacher who's getting paid 70 and 80 whatever whatever comparison you want to make. There's lots of teachers in this room. I see them all nodding. Um there's husbands and wives of teachers who are nodding.
So this is this is pretty standard. [clears throat] Um did I I will open it up to the school committee. Were there any questions that you heard that I have missed? Because I do want to make sure that if I missed a question that >> holding the contract.
>> What? >> Oh, yes. Thank you. >> So, to go to the contract, you have to you have to request that, you know, to um demand a bargain is not necessarily the the term, but you you have to get agreement on both sides. In terms of timing, um we learned on Thursday that
we were going to receive so much of the override and that we were going to be level funded. So that that did in fact, you know, it was it was a tight squeeze to get everything done all at the same time. So, but the letter was written was
it was delivered on Monday. Um so I haven't heard back. I'm sure it will be at the end of the week, which is tomorrow. >> Yeah. And he did remind me there was also a question about Philipsson. Philipsson did vote to pass the 2 and a half% version of the budget last night.
I was at the meeting. Um what I do want to make clear is that at any point school committee can vote in a budget independently of the town. Um essentially what happens is if neither town passes budget then we go into
what's called 112. Um that's a very complicated process through which budgeting gets determined. Um the other scenario that happens is if you know Philipston and Templeton vote for different budget amounts then there is a what's called a district-wide meeting.
Um some of you may remember that we did have one of those back when we were all wearing masks outside. Um and in that case um it is actually a joint meeting between Philipston and Templeton uh that they come together to
make a final vote on the school budget. Okay. So I know um let me first just acknowledge that school budgets are really really complicated and really really difficult to follow and understand. So the fact that so many of you showed up tonight and stayed for as long as you did to try to understand
this I I appreciate you. Um, okay. Yes. >> We're not going to have any back and forth because it would go against our policy. >> This is my statement. It's not back. >> Oh, if you have a pol if you have a
statement. Yes, please. >> Thanks. Um, I I also want to thank everybody who came up and spoke. Um, it is also important to understand as Dr. gas just mentioned and so did Madam Chair that uh even if the override passes right that is not that that does
not imply that we are that that sum of money has been declared what that is going to be. So I would also encourage you to raise your concerns with both the town of Templeton and and the town of Philipsson and let them know where you feel on that situation as they are the ones that are the driving forces of
where the override money gets spent. Um, as a lot of people know, I do support education across the board and I also support a town getting bankrupt over education as well. Um, with all that being said in the proposed cuts, just remember that someone's now going to do
someone else's job all the way from the assistant superintendent down to the first grade to be very clear uh for the same money. So with that, my wish and my hopes are uh for the town and the school committee
to work together and take the time that was brought up and to get it right for a solution. >> So thank you. >> Any other comments from school committee before we start considering
a vote on an alternative budget? >> Yes. >> Um I heard all of you. I read the letters. um received them individually um to the school committee. Thank you for anyone that has in common and we all are concerned also. I'm uh the type of
person that likes to volunteer a lot for many things. Um I heard someone say is there a solution? I think of these things. I think wow you know the teachers that are doing the extracurricular activities after school arts or anything that
they're doing could they volunteer their time I don't know um sports uh there were coaches many people that do many things I know the towns have kids that are playing sports could we reach out to
them would anyone volunteer I don't know so those are always things that I think about too and um the user fees. I heard someone say, "I'm willing to pay the user fees." There are ways if we can all work together, I hope we can get things done,
too, because kids are very important and we all do care and we hear you. So, thank you for being here tonight. >> Madam Chair, I would just comment and state um as it relates to representation politics. We are not the only district
that is currently facing this crisis. This is a statewide issue. Um it is especially exacerbated for districts outside of 495 only. I have a comment. >> [laughter] >> Um,
so I have been serving on this committee for four years and it is actually supposed to be my last meeting. Um, I am not I'm not running for another term. Um, I have to share that it's been one of
the most rewarding experience experiences that I've ever had. It's also been one of the most uh difficult and has required um a tremendous amount of effort and time and patience. Um
everyone sitting at this table shows up for every meeting, for every conversation. Um we have access to the information ahead of time and so many of us are making sure that we're clear through the meetings. Um, this past holiday I bought
myself a pair of um, Pixel earbuds, splurged the Black Friday sale, don't worry. Um, because I listen back to every single school community meeting that we have and I read through all of the notes,
hoping that I caught everything, making sure that I didn't miss anything so that I can stay fully engaged while I am here and get the job done. everyone at this table does. >> One of the most difficult things about
the budgeting process is that we know we have to make cuts. We know that the town is suffering, but nobody wants those cuts to be something that impacts kids. Everything on this budget impacts kids in some
ways. Um, it is incredibly painful to hear the stories from families about how specific cuts are going to impact their children. And I want you to know that hear them.
Um, we have children in the school district as well. These decisions will impact all of them in some way. But the reality is is that cuts need to be made. they have to be made. Um, and
it's our job collectively to decide what are the priorities, what are we going to make sure we protect, and what are we going to make sure um we carry forward. We've advocated in all of the ways that
we can um for change at the state level in terms of chapter 70 funding. Um we know that normal districts are particularly impacted by um a formula that doesn't work, a system that is
broken. Um our representatives are not helping the way that we need them to. This is not the time for the town to turn on the school system or the school system to turn on the town.
We need people to get involved. This is a thankless job, but it's important. And I encourage anyone in this room or anyone that will listen back to the meeting or anyone who's watching um from home to get involved in any way you can. It
doesn't mean you have to run for school committee. Doesn't mean you have to show up for every meeting. It doesn't mean that you have to run for any position open in the town. but writing a letter to us, um, letting us know what your thoughts
are, going to the town, going to the select board, explaining to them what how you're feeling, what your priorities are. That needs to be the way we do things. Um and in the spirit of collaboration,
I am asking that for those people participated in the online things that are happening. Um to approach
your commentary from a place of curiosity rather than fingerpointing. um rather than spreading misinformation, um take that energy and use it in a place and in a way that helps our town
and that helps our kids. >> Yeah. So, Dr. Cavan, he has the luxury of getting to leave the table when he needs to. the rest of us have to stay here in or if it's noted on a piece of paper. >> Great. >> Because that's one one benefit. Um so I usually wait till last to speak because
I'm a chair and I want to make sure that the voices of the people around me are heard before mine is heard. Um but that doesn't mean that I am walking and thinks it. Um so the first thing I wanted to say is I I saw a lot of requests for the school committee to go through this budget line by line by line
by line in public and hear it. It would be inappropriate. It would be irresponsible for us to do that because there are topics in this line item budget that the school committee cannot be privy to nor discuss. There are a lot
of teachers and administrators in this room that know about student privacy laws, that know about staffing privacy laws. They know about credentiing. They know about things that school committee will never know about. And so we cannot
and it would never be appropriate for the school committee to go line by line through the budget. Our line item budget at the school committee level are the categories. That's what school committee approves. The administration the 1000's the
administration the 2000s is >> instructional. Thank you. I'm not I'm not going to be able to name them all. The 3000s is Thank you. That is the level. That is school committee's line of budget. It doesn't mean that we never have
questions. We absolutely do. Um we absolutely have questions and we we ask them. I mean Sean is probably my chalk person's like I'mma throw out a question here. Um you know and and I love that about him and I love that about the people that surround me at this table
when they ask questions. But I am telling you right now, we could get in a world of hurt if school committee were to try to have discussions about the staff in this document at this table. It would be inappropriate,
not to mention legally a problem. So that will never happen and you won't hear other school committees doing it either. If you do hear a school committee doing it, you should ask a lot of questions because they are operating
at a level where they do not belong. The other thing I wanted to say is that I do not think a level funded nor a 2.5% increase is best what's best for this town. Not just not just for the school, not
just for the, you know, our district, but for our towns. And the reason that I do not believe that is if you cut things like athletics, I mean, I don't know who's been to Friday Night Lights, but it is a vibe. >> Mhm. >> It's a vibe.
Um, and you know, I I don't think that the mass exodus that our school system would face as kids decide to >> for our town or for our district. It is deeply concerning to me. I also have two
children in this in this district. Now, I'm >> I have a middle schooler who's a really passionate baseball player, and I have a third grader as well. And so, every time
I show up at this table, I show up as a parent and as a school committee member and as a resident of this town. And I'm really proud to sit here and to [clears throat] represent the people that voted me.
And I every single thing that impacts your kids impacts my kids, too. I My heart literally leaves my house five days a week to come to these schools.
Now, I've been a lot of people crying. And so many people across this table and it's also not true for a few people at this table and that does not mean that they care any less because if it's not their kids, they know a kid because we live in
a tight-knit community. And so I take these decisions really seriously and there are teachers in this district that I cannot express the love that I feel for them because of how they have cared for my children. And so, uh,
any of the teachers can tell you that like I nearly lost it last year when we had to, um, we had to do cuts. And every time we do it, it is like it, I feel it. I really, really feel it. And I take this job very seriously. And
I put a tremendous number of hours into it. And for those of you who don't know, not a single person at this table gets paid for their second job. and it's a second job. That's the number of hours people put in. [clears throat] So, I felt it was
important for you to hear all that from me. This budget discussion is really, really important. There is a lot of heart that goes into it. There's a lot of facts that go into it. There's a lot of energy and time and effort and sweat equity. And I cannot tell you the number
of hours that the people on this side of the room have spent coming up with different budget scenarios trying to find the best possible options in a set of
really tough budget scenarios. So I hope that you heard that from me. My apologies for getting emotional. I try not to, but every once in a while, I got to be human, my friends. I got to be
human. All right. So, I do want to talk with my fellow school committee members about, you know, we do have a budget that we voted on. And um I'm going to share my personal
opinion, but but please do not let it influence the rest of you. My personal opinion is that um I don't know how many of you have read the information that was put out on Tuckleton's website about all the cuts the town is facing for fire for police etc. if the override does not
pass. And and I'll talk about the override in a minute, but I I don't want to focus on that right now because what I want to focus on is that when our town hurts, we are two. And so, as much as I would love to stay at the level service amount that we previously passed, my
recommendation as chair to this committee is that um well, I I'm going to I'm going to be honest. I would not feel comfortable voting for either the level funded or the 2.5% um budget scenarios as a committee if if
if we are forced to if we are forced to and we will have to go there. But I would I I personally would be to be forced to it would have to be the only option left on the table. And right now I do feel like we have another viable option which is the $1.3 million
increase. I would love to say we're in a space where we could just make no cuts. I don't think we are. And I do think we have to try to be as good a partner as we can to our towns by at least considering the $1.3 million um budget
scenario. Um and so I would like to hear from my fellow school committee members before I put a motion on the table. Um but um so that we can consider it. Is that a budget scenario that we are collectively feeling um would be one to
consider? Sean, it's me. I'm sorry. Uh I I feel the same way. Uh with the caveat of um that you did we did just gain two administrative positions on that cut
list and meaning their salaries as well with the caveat that we need to go into the conversations with the town that that's also at the table. Well, you better explain that understanding. >> Right. So, you essentially replaced
different positions with those two administration with those two administrative salaries. >> Right. We use the administrative salaries to return some of the teaching positions. If you refer to the correct I think what I'm saying is I was I was I'm also believing in the 1.3. >> Yeah.
>> Um I was believing in the 1.3 before we lost those administrative positions. I'm saying with the caveat that we may need to still adjust that number. So I would rather vote for a higher number because I don't we can't go backwards but with the understanding that we replace positions with those administrative
positions and I don't necessarily think that's fair to go against that. >> You understand what I'm saying? >> I'm still a little bit lost. >> Um so >> not doing a good job. So the reason I am lost is because what we did is we re so
the the amount that we cut remains at 1.3 in the previous scenario we considered and in this scenario >> correct >> essentially what we did was say what we need to cut under the $1.3 million scenario has changed. So in the
old scenario there were more teaching positions we were losing but with the loss of two administrators we have we have regained those teaching positions while now accommodating the loss of those two administrative positions. So are you saying that you want to
>> No, I'm I'm saying I want this budget. This is fine. >> Yeah. What I'm saying though is with the caveat that we, you know, we we did just replace these people. We were willing to cut based on that previous budget. >> Yeah. >> This needs to be taken into
consideration with the town council budget. >> Got it. >> That's all I'm saying. I'm comfortable with this >> with 1.3. I I don't believe should be a 2.5 or a level funding budget either. I think we need to be supporting these districts and these teachers. That's none of those are my profits. I just
think that we shouldn't be cutting positions and then proposing different positional changes. So, >> okay. So, um anyone else who'd like to >> Jen, can you speak to the relation?
>> Yes. Okay. So, I'm going to do my best friends. So, the town of Temple the town of Templeton has the right to determine how any override monies are allocated. So, let me be entirely clear on that. So, if the override passes, it is entirely at those
that they're discriminating how those monies are allocated. The meetings that have occurred so far have been that at the $2 million level that they were willing to give the school to allocate to the school district $219,000. And at the $4 million level, um what was
indicated what was sent to uh Dr. Cassiban was that it would continue to be the same $219,000. So, that was what was indicated at either the $2 million level or the $4 million level. >> Um, now with that said,
the school budget is a distinct item that you vote on at town meeting and um then at town meeting period. Essentially what happens is if if
at town meeting the school budget is voted on at the recommended amount by the school committee, if that amount is more than what the town has recommended, then the town has to find the monies and redistribute them to the school district
based on that budget that was voted in. The $2 million and $4 million override are a separate item on the town meeting. um agenda and would be a separate and distinct vote.
I am going to refrain from recommending or not recommending those because that gets me into a whole other quagmire. But it it would be at the Temple Temple Board of Selectmen's discretion to determine whether they use some of that
$2 million or $4 million override to cover whatever budget the school committee um the school committee recommends and whatever budget is approved on the town meeting floor. So if a four2 million or $4 million
budget is passed at the town meeting that or sorry override Thank you. If the $2 million or $4 million override is passed at town meeting then there would be a ballot question that would follow because any override has to pass at both
the town meeting and at the ballot. And I know that that was really hard to follow. Um, so to try to as shortly as briefly as possible repeat that for folks, the $2 million, the $4 million
override are unique topics to the budget for the school district. The $2 million and the $4 million override are the discretion of the town to determine how those to spend those monies. Those overrides will have to pass at the
town meeting and then again at the ballot box. if the if the school's budget was passed at an amount higher than what the board of selectmen is recommending. So if they are recommending level funded or if they're recommending 2.5% the school
committee has a a separate authorization to vote on a budget to have that budget on the ballot um and then to have that voted upon. This has happened several years in the past and essentially that that that budget gets voted on at town
meeting and then it is up to the town to determine how they find the funds for that. Um it creates a very icky situation because it's how in past um fire and uh police uh have been cut back from for example
which is never what our goal is. Let's be entirely clear. those same two kids I care about. I really want police and fire remens to show up. Um, so that's never the desire. However, it does, you know, the town does have to balance a budget just like the school
district does. So, if anyone would like to add any educational clarity to that, I did I did my best. Anyone else who wants to come? So
I There they are. I have a lot of papers in front of me. Need and I'm going to need my glasses. So give me a second. Easy. Getting old is not fun.
So, what I would like to do, um, what I would like to proceed with is to, um, I'm going to start to put motions on the floor related to the 1.3 million in cuts, and then we can vote and we can go from there. And just for those of you who have not
been through this process before, um, in order to pass a budget, there are nine separate motions I have to go through. Um, and they each they each go through a specific piece of the budget. In them, you're not going to hear the 1.3 million. You're going to hear the
totals. So, I just want to make sure that everyone understands that as we go through this. So, got to get my pen. I would entertain a motion that the Naraganset Regional School District School Committee vote and certify the
amount of 26,987,139 the FY27 budget. >> Motion by Sean. >> Second. >> Second by Hank. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, and I'm going to do roll call for clarity, though that is not required. Hank, I
>> Sylvia, no. Sean, >> hi. >> Danielle, >> no. >> Heather, >> hi. >> Bill, >> hi. >> And I say yes. And now we have to do math. To figure out whether or not we proceed. The reason that we have to do
math to figure out whether or not we proceed is because there is a 2/3 rule um for the budget. And if we do not reach the 2/3, then the budget is not considered passed. Um and the 2/3 is not
based on the people seated here today. It's based on the total number in the the total eight members of the committee and we are down one committee member. Um so we had six of we no we have five of seven
math five. Thank you. That's 62. That's 2/3 right? 367. >> Okay. Then that then that motion fails.
So we have to reconsider and we have to come to an agreement on what is the budget level we're willing to consider. Um if it is a number other than the 1.3 million um then and we may have to give Amory time to do math.
Um, so let's discuss the notes. >> As I say, I think it would make it make sense to hear from the notes. >> Um, let's see. I was at the um Philip Ster town meeting last night and I'm looking at uh what
they're trying to certify here with the um 1.3 million cuts and it is item number eight for the Philips amount and what we voted in Philip last
night is um 2,123541 one and this amount is higher and I know that's what you said we can do but um I've gone to many meetings in the town of
Philipsson um or meeting and finance meeting and I know that an override is not something that um they've considered and that's why voting, no, I want to stick
to what we believe. And as much as I care about the budget, we only gave the employees and everyone a 2.5% increase and they gave the school district a 2.5%
increase. So >> my no vote is because I don't I can't in good conscience agree to making the cuts that are required to for this one thing again. So the challenge could be that
um >> you want >> you want Yeah. Can you clarify >> where you want to be? I want to save every single position off the air. I moved out. I voted for the initial budget. The level funded or level
service budget is what I truly believe that this community deserves. Okay. The >> challenge with the level service budget for our towns is that it is a 22% increase for each of them that they have
to consume. And so like trust me, I I want the level service budget as well. Um that's the one my heart wants. Um but I am also trying to find a space where we acknowledge the the collective needs
of our towns. Um I know that you know the library is at risk that they're looking at and I'm not going to get them all but um there's they're looking at cutting two police officing two police officers in Templeton from um they were
already so the I guess the average locally for comparable towns is 11 police officers um and Templeton only has 10 and they'd be cutting down to eight um and hopefully couldn't get those numbers correctly. Please forgive me if I didn't, but I think they are they're
actually inaccurate. And so we're trying I I think my where my where I am coming from is um trying to find a space where we are collectively with the towns
acknowledging the financial burdens that we're facing while also being unwilling to consider consider cuts that I would be worried would be extremely doable to recover.
So I understand um we've had several families here advocate for continuing the MDP program. >> Yeah. Um >> that is not taught under the 1.3. It's not uh we have families that are not here that
would advocate for any of the other position. Well, it's not here. Um >> Mhm. I just I I watched the crowd's reaction when um
they learned that what has been communicated thus far is that regardless of the dollar amount for the override, the school is going to receive the same amount of funding. And I think that that was sort of a shock to a lot of people in this room. It's a shock to me as
well. Um the challenge is will it pass it because what would what would need to happen is that the [clears throat] school's budget needs to independently pass at the Templeton town meeting and um right now
the temperature I'm getting on folks passing our little service budget hasn't been increased um having having been on the end of some Facebook comments has not been great. Uh
and so I my fear is that if we put that level service budget out at at Templeton County, that is what is on the warrant right now. Let me be clear. That is what is on the warrant right now. um is that that does not pass and then we're
guaranteed into 112 um at which point then the state sets our budget to >> and so that's my concern. Um, and so I'm, you know, I
I am also having that same concern of like no one ever wants to see cuts. I don't I don't want to see cuts. And yet I also want a budget that will pass and that will demonstrate an effort on our part
of balance across the different needs of the I feel like we've been doing that year in the year. We can do we're not the same every time but but it's like around next year.
Madam chair, I wanted to just I just want to make sure I'm clear of the clarity clear I should set. Um the state doesn't automatically just assign. Yeah. I just want to make sure I am over you have to go into 112. >> Yeah. >> That would be after July 1. State would
pick eight. Well, we send them all our information basically and then they pick a number um and says, "Okay, this is this is what you're going to rece this is what [clears throat] both towns are going to lot to you 112 right until you
want to be one until you until you guess comes in." So, I just want to make sure you are clear that you have to wait for at least for that to happen. So it just um >> it puts us in a in a very tough holding
space where we don't know water for >> and so I'm just saying that you probably wouldn't survive 12 is once September hits and um heads it becomes very >> the other possibility is that it becomes
a debate on the Italian and that folks on the not meeting for which will be um you know hopefully lots of folks that were here tonight um but also folks who were not here tonight
putting out budget numbers that they feel are correct or right and they could certainly put out the level of funded or 2.5% budget for voting. Um, and at that point
I'm my my ability to advocate is much less. So that's that is my further concern is that it does become an open floor matter. I mean, let me be clear. It can be that no matter what. Even if we cut
it down to 1 point, cut it by 1.3 million here today. It can always be from, as Philips say, it can always be further cut on, you know, during the uh town meeting. Um I'm I my goal is to
create a scenario that uh makes it easier to say yes to our If we have no further votes tonight, it remains the level service. Are there other scenarios we're willing
to consider? >> This isn't going to pass. We all know it. I'm going to just >> I know. >> Thank you. >> scenarios we're willing to look at. Looking at what's on here. Are there specific concerns we as a school
committee have of this particular budget being able to support our district and our beyond all of them? Are there specific ones we should talk about? the ones that are that most stand out as good stuff. >> Would you like to put another table?
Would you like to do the same? All right, we are going to reapproach the $1.3 million cuts. So, I'm going to start the same motions. I would entertain a motion that the Narroance Regional School District School Committee vote and certify the
amount of 26,987,139 for the FY27 budget. >> So, move. >> Motion by SH, second by Hank. Any questions or comments? >> Seeing none, and we'll do roll call again. Hank. >> Hi, >> Sylvia.
>> Hi, >> Sean. >> Hi, >> Daniel. >> Hi, >> Heather. >> Hi, >> Bill. >> Hi. >> And I say yes. So, that is unanimous. >> Yes.
>> My concern isn't necessarily going through these line items and deciding in a different budget. It's the message, the clear message um that's communicated by saying the school gets the same dollar amount regardless if it's a $2 million override or $4 million over. I
think that is very important that we hear that and what that means or think about what that could mean. And the Templeton Board of Select still has the power to make decisions as it relates to those overrides. And so
certainly folks can advocate for how they'd like to see that money spent with the board selectman, which is the point that Sean made earlier. We're going to move on to the second motion. I would entertain a motion that
the Naragans at Regional School District School Committee vote the estimated income of $13,137 and $137,592 the FY27 budget or repeat that number again. 13,137,592 of the FY27 budget which is based on the
chapter 78 from the governor's house one budget submission. Second >> motion by Hank, second by Sha. Any questions or comments? >> I don't. >> We're in number two. >> Two
>> in the 1.3 million code. >> Thank you. >> No problem. Any other questions or comments? Seeing none, Hank. >> Hi, >> Sylvia. >> Hi, >> Sean. >> Hi, >> Danielle. >> Hi, >> Heather. Hi, >> Bill. I
>> and I say yes. So that is unanimous. I would entertain a motion that the Narroansit Regional School District School Committee vote the estimated income of 733,82 for the FY27 budget which is based on the chapter 718 from the governor's
house one budget submission. >> Stumbled. >> Motion by Sean. >> Second. >> Second by Hank. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Hank. >> I. >> Sylvia. I >> Sean. >> Hi >> Danielle. >> Hi
>> Heather. >> I >> Bill. >> Hi. >> And I say yes. So that is unanimous. >> I would enter today in a motion that Ganset Regional School District School Committee vote the estimated income of 62,14 for the FY27 budget which is based on
the charter school reimbursement from the FY27 Cherry Sheet estimates. So motion motion by Sean. Second. >> Second by Hank. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Hank. >> Hi, >> Sylvia.
>> Sean, >> hi. >> Danielle, >> I Heather, Bill, I >> and I say yes. So that I would entertain a motion that the Naroganset Regional School District School Committee vote the estimated income of $500,000 for the FY27 budget,
which is based on the FY25 certified excess and deficiency. Motion by Sean. Second, >> second by Hay. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Hank. Hi, >> Sylvia. Hi, >> Sean. Hi, >> Daniel. Hi, >> Heather. Hi,
>> Bill. Hi. >> And I say yes. So, that is unanimous. I would entertain a motion that the Narroans at Regional School District School Committee vote the estimated income of 145,000 for the FY27 budget, which is based on FY27 Medicaid
receipts. So, move. Motion by Sean. Second. >> Second by Hay. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Hank. >> Hi, >> Sylvia. Hi, >> Sean. >> Hi, >> Danielle. Hi, >> Heather. Hi, >> Bill. >> Hi. >> And I say yes. So, that is unanimous. I
would entertain a motion that the Narroans Regional School District School Committee vote the assessment amount to Templeton in the amount of $9,96,981. >> So, move. >> Motion by Sean. Second. >> Seconded by N. Any questions or comments? Seeing none. Hang
>> I. >> Sylvia. >> Sean. >> Hi. >> Danielle. >> Hi. >> Heather. >> Hi. >> Bill. >> Hi. >> And I say yes to those. >> I would entertain a motion that the Narroans Regional School District School Committee vote the assessment amount to Phillips in the amount of 2,331,561.
>> So moved. >> Motion by Sean. >> Second. >> Second by Hank. Any questions or comments? If I say no to this, I have to change my no on the other ones that I said yes to, don't I? >> Not unless John said early,
>> not unless we end up in a two-th3 situation because it's not a two-3 situation, you can say no, but it's symbolic as opposed to um actually changing anything. >> Thank you. >> Um
any further questions or not? Seeing none, Hank. >> Hi. >> Sylvia, >> no. >> Sean, >> yes. >> Hi. >> Sorry. >> Dan, >> hi. >> Bill, >> hi. >> Um, so that is not unanimous. Um, that
was six uh six votes out of uh seven seven seated, eight, >> but passes the two3. So, >> yes. Thank you, Sean. So yeah, >> some people at this table can do math in their notes. Um I would entertain a
motion that the Hanset Regional School District School Committee vote the death service of 170,819 of which $145,179 be Templeton's assessment and $25,640 be Philipsson assessment. To be clear, this is for the roof.
>> So moved. >> Motion by Sean Hank. Seconded by Hank. Any questions or comments? Yes. So, has the debt exclusion um for the roof changed because the amount we voted in March was different.
>> Yes, it has. Thank you for asking. Can >> Yep. The borrowing is all finalized now. We actually have the funds in place. >> So, my concern is last night at the town of Philston um town meeting, I think we
voted the amount that we had voted on in March. >> No, you didn't repeat the vote for the proof. You had already voted for you had already done the book for the roof. >> It was an amount underneath the trailer section last night on the
>> the town. This is a little bit different than that. >> It's like $2,000 different. Yeah, >> that was under that section. >> Oh, thank you for >> that's what I was thinking it was. Okay, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for raising and for correcting me.
>> Hey, uh hey. >> Hi, >> Sylvia. Hi, >> Sean. >> Hi, >> Danielle. >> Hi, >> Heather. >> Hi, >> Bill. >> Hi, >> and I say yes. Um, so that only was unanimous. >> Okay, that completes our voting. Um, and
we will move into our regular business and folks are welcome to stay, but if you would like to make a mass for this at this point, we don't we don't. Well, it's exiting. We're going to do a short recess so that the rest of us can
have a fun My battery is dead. [laughter] >> My 53% last. Oh, mine's mine's going live. Live. We're back. All right. >> Okay. So, um we are returning back to
the top. As just a recap, we um spent the first part of the meeting going through budget. Um we are now back. We are going to start to go through regular business. We had moved around the agenda um in order to um best serve the public that was here this evening. Um so
running through our regular business, I would entertain a motion to approve the meeting minutes of April 16th, 2026 as written. >> So moved. >> Motion by Sean. >> Second. Second by Heather. Any questions or comments on those minutes? >> Seeing none, all in favor? >> Opposed? Abstained. And I say yes. So
that is unanimous. I would further entertain a motion to accept the bills and payroll warrants as presented. >> So moved. >> Motion by Sean. Second. Second by Heather. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? >> Opposed? Same. And I say yes. Can you
tell we're trying to get through business? >> Um, we do have a number of annual business items to get through this evening, but they should be fairly quick. Um, I would entertain a motion to appoint Susan Barney as the records access officer for FY27 for Mass General Law 666A.
So moved. >> Second by Danielle, second by Shan. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? >> Miss Barney [laughter] opposed.
>> And I say yes. So that is unanimous. I would further entertain a motion to sign the physicians contract addendum with Cornerstone Family Medicine for FY27 is below. The district agrees to pay Cornerstone Family Medicine a stipend of $6,000 for the 2026 27 academic year.
The district also agrees to pay Cornerstone Family Medicine a stipend of $150 per away game for the 2026 27 academic year. >> Motion by Sean. >> Second by
>> [laughter] >> Any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? >> I oppose. >> Abstain. And I say yes. So that is unanimous. I would entertain a motion to authorize an arrogance a regional school district treasurer acting under the pro
provisions of Massachusetts general laws chapter 716G as amended by chapter 13 section 4 of the acts of 1972 with the and with the approval of the chairman of the district committee to borrow money from time to time in anticipation of revenue for the
fiscal year beginning July 1st 2026 and to issue a note or notes therefore payable within one year and to renew any notes or notes Note or notes as may be given for a period of less than one year in accordance with general law chapter 44 section 17. >> So moved. >> Motion by Sean.
>> Second. >> Second by Heather. Um any questions or comments? I only have one quick question underneath in the public content. It probably doesn't matter because you're just making the motion. But I noticed that the date the fiscal year is July 1, 2025. That doesn't matter, does it?
>> No, the public content doesn't matter. It's the motion. But thank you for verifying. Thank you. >> Thank you for asking. Um, all in favor? I >> opposed, abstained. And I say yes. So that is unanimous. >> I would entertain a motion to continue
using Miracle Connell Law Firm for FY27. Motion by Sean. >> Second. >> Second by Bill. Um, any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? >> Opposed? Abstained. And I say yes. So
that is unanimous. I would entertain a motion to continue using Rosselli Clark and Associate CPA as the district's auditing firm for FY27. So moved. >> Motion by Sean. Second. >> Second by Heather. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor?
>> Opposed? Abstained. And I say yes. So that is unanimous. I would entertain a motion to approve Felicia Cule as district treasurer for FY27. >> So motion by Sean, second. >> Second by Heather. Any questions or comments? Seeing none. All in favor?
>> I. >> Opposed? Abstained. And I say yes. So that is unanimous. Student representative understandably is not here this evening. >> You got appointed assistant treasur. >> Oh, wait. I missed one. Which one?
>> Oh, thank you. I would entertain a motion to appoint Lori Reid as the assistant treasurer for FY27. So >> motion by Sean. Second. >> Second by Heather. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? >> Opposed? Stayain. And I say yes. So that
is unanimous. Thank you for keeping me honest. >> All right. Student representatives not here. We already did public input. We already did the budget update. Um anything in the business manager report? >> No, I'll put them in.
>> Um okay. Superintendent goals. We actually did not need that on here because we already voted for that. I just copied over last year's um last year's agenda for this particular meeting and I forgot to read that. Um but the superintendent evaluation
schedule um so three of the folks sitting at this table will no longer be on the committee um at that time. Um but I did want to remind folks that we do have the evaluation coming up in June.
Um things are going to be honestly tight this year. We're hoping to look at evidence at um the next May meeting. Uh and then we'll have to submit and vote on feedback by June. Um usually we try to spread this out a little bit more.
But with the budget having extended as far as it did. Um, so I this is your advanced notice to plan out some time to fill out that evaluation form for those of you who will still be on the committee in that time. Um, for those of
you who won't, it's a delightful process that everyone really enjoys. Um, especially Dr. Cassiban having his new public um and so but we will get that. Okay.
um curriculum instruction any anything we need to know um I have a power no >> um I don't have um I I will just briefly share we did just recently go through our five-year review of our early
college program um which of which this is our we're at our 5year mark but now we've met that program >> um so we went through our first 5-year review cycle I will share the results of that with the committee in the next meeting. Wonderful. Um but I will just share briefly it was overall very
positive and we the the one area we got some feedback in. We actually we provided the feedback to the audit team. We knew we had some work to do um in one area. >> Excellent. Um and then also we have updated our program of studies to add the language for MVP plumbing that we
omitted but we were holding off due to tonight's meeting. So I'm throwing that in the committee next week as well. >> Okay. Thank you. and next week just next meeting the next May meeting just to again show expectations also usually a little bit of a longer meeting though not this long. Um
so surplus items. Um and I should add that we really really really need everyone um to be sworn in and present because um with who we have running and who we don't, it will be really difficult to be for this next um school
committee uh situation. Um so um although I did I will say I heard a rumor that um someone Philipston put in the newsletter that they are willing to be a writer. >> Elizabeth Bond. >> Elizabeth Bond. Um so to my Philips over
here we do have someone willing to be a write in. Elizabeth Bond. >> Correct. >> So um as well as for Jungle actually because we vote as well. So spread the word that we can because we can write her in. Um so
superintendent report >> just honestly just want to shout out um thank yous uh to everyone who did gap day today. Um actually everyone and alliance it was awesome. It was a great a great day. It
actually was very sunny. It wasn't supposed to be I think at the beginning but it was um uh we staff appreciation. This is the week that every staff member gets appreciated. There's a day for like I I forget the day, but there's teacher
and there's food service people and just a lot going on. So, we want to just appreciate everybody. Um, thank you. Congrats to the National Honor Society inductees that took place um a couple nights ago. Um, just want to remind everybody that the Memorial Day
program has been well, it it's it's been split, right? So on uh let's see on Friday May 22nd it'll just be the middle high school programs the same day that which I'll talk in a minute about the commissioner but the elementary [clears throat] program is going to be on Tuesday right
the other half the other side of Memorial Day weekend on the 26th at 10:00 out back the whole everything everything's the same. We just had to we just had way too much going on for this for this kind of small area. So we we split it up and I the letter was sent
out on May 1st. So I, you know, just reminding people we do have the commissioner coming out. Um, he'll be coming out on May 22nd. Um, the itinerary, we'll post the itinerary. I'm um more to come on that, but that was
confirmed and we'll we'll be working with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools. Nothing um because they will be having a small meet and greet afterwards. More to come on school committee comments.
Did we vote that did I just >> say? So surplus items kind of stays on as a standard. There's no surplus items. That's why I skipped over. Thank you. >> I also went to gap the other day. It was wonderful. I thought he did a wonderful
job. I talked to many students. I think they were very appreciative of job. But they were very appreciative. the burger shoot, the ice cream. Um, although ran out of M&M's and I didn't I was Don't worry, Mr. K. I
took the blunt. So, apparently I'm the person well the reason why people run out of M&M's. So, the kids were coming to me. I don't know. But like, hey man, they ran out of M&M's. I'm like, I'm sorry. We just didn't think it through. And so,
but they they were they love the ice cream, man. I'm telling you, they were they were all set. It was a great day. But thankfully, >> Dr. Sears apologize. >> No, no, listen. [laughter] >> I've been charging my then we figured that out later on. So, they were they were good. So, happy.
>> Thank you. >> Um, I would just like to send my thanks to the committee uh for their work this year and um especially the narrative administration team on working on a very difficult budget this year. This is uh likely my last meeting with the committee. Um uh however opportunity
besides this offer in the future to uh assist the committee, I certainly would do so. Um and I will just reiterate uh from what was said earlier during the budget that I strongly encourage Templeton residents to attend the town meeting and let their voices be heard.
>> Thank you and chair. >> Yes. Oh, you forgot. >> Pretty important. >> Sorry. on Saturday. >> So on Saturday >> so I make sure I get the day right. Prom um it's big day. You know that's what gap is for obvious sleeve, right? So
pal. Um I saw 13 set of brand new nails and that are going to match dresses, shoes. Um I've seen them all. So >> I just want to let you know we're in full effect. >> Dr. She's getting his hair done.
>> Are strong proposals a thing? >> Oh gosh. Yes. Yes. We had one happen at the baseball game. We've had them happen all over the place. >> They're really cute. >> And they are they did a great job. >> Oh my goodness. >> The nails are on point. >> I can even imagine these proposals. All
right. Um any other comments from school committee? All right. I am going to not go through subcommittee reports this evening just due to um the length of this meeting. Um we have already gone through correspondence. Thank you for
listening to the dulles tones of my voice for a very long time and um and thank you to those who wrote. Um, our next meeting is Thursday, May 21st, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. And we do meet EC executive session this evening, although we will
not return into open session immediately following. I So, I would entertain a motion to discuss strategy with respect to litigation with the town of Templeton if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body. The chair so declares the meeting will
not return into open session immediately following um and this will be a roll call vote. Hank >> Sia oh motion by Sean >> second by Hank. Thank you >> Hank. >> Sylvia Sean
>> I Daniel. >> Heather >> I Bill >> I >> and I say yes. So that is unanimous and misleading is adjourned.