last year. [Music] I don't know. We're ready, Johnny. Um, good afternoon. Um, this is a subcommittee meeting of the Ways and Means um committee. I'd like to start by saluting the flag.
[Music] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The members of the subcommittee are
myself as chair, um Stacy Bronson, Rizzo, and Anthony Kajan. In attendance is Mr. Seller and I'm not sure and Miss Monroso is um on Zoom. Yep. Um I'm basically going to turn the
meeting over to Mr. Cruz to give us your uh analysis update, whatever word you want to use. And thank you for your work. Sure. So the goal of this conversation is that the Ways and Means Committee will have a recommendation to give to
the full committee for the upcoming school committee meeting to vote the appropriation of the net school spending required eligible carry forward funds that came out of the previous fiscal
year and are intended for use in this fiscal year. So this conversation is to get to the recommendation from the subcommittee to the committee as a whole. Uh there are some similarities even in a giant budget like ours to
personal budgeting. One of them is that you will often expect to spend a certain amount of money but spend a little bit less. And so at the end of a budget season there is a surplus of funds
available. To hit 100% exactly of your budget is impossibility. And so this conversation happens each year to say what is our surplus? Where are we required to spend it? and where are we
going to mobilize it? So during the current fiscal year, I try and give updates to our sense of how the carry forward number is tracking and then in the spring we just have to put a pin in and say here's our best
guess right now before year end of what we think will be available and we include that in our budget deliberations. And then in the fall today we actually have the fixed final firm number to see how close were we in
our projection and what do we do if there is any uh surplus. So during the budget cycle we had said we were really confident that we'll have $5.25 25 million worth of net school spending
eligible carry forwards and we'll employ that on classroom teaching staff to bring back and then we would wait till now to see how close did we come to that actual figure. So the first uh print out
that says FY25 into FY26 carry primary number to focus on is the bottom left number. This is your net school spending eligible column and this is the final carry forward from FY25.
So we were guessing 5.25 and we landed at 5.47. So that's the important number to take from the first page and is informing the second page.
The second page is uh how will we appropriate those net school spending carry forward dollars in this current year. So the summary section is the section to focus on and we can see the net school
spending required carry forward of the 5.47. We've already committed 5.25 25 of that for classroom teaching instructional staff. Uh we had committed $65,000 last fiscal
year to a project at the Lincoln because that bid had not gone out by the time the fiscal year closed. We had to protect that money and let it flow through into this year. So
65 of the 5.47 47 was kept aside because we hadn't gotten the uh equipment properly bid out yet. So that's now spoken for. Spoken for but we have to show it flowing through and committing it the
second year because of the timing and that gives us a difference of the 155 from what we were expecting or what was spoken for to what has to be appropriated in some way by this committee. And down at the bottom, I'm just getting specific accounting in
place for the auditor to take u the vote of the committee and get it actualized into this year's general budget. So, that's a summary of where we're at with the carry forward uh coming out of FY25 into FY26.
I can pause there for any questions or next steps. Mr. Um, so we had money carried over that hasn't been um put to uh and you said it's
about 156,000 correct 15599 y okay that's what we that's the money we have available right I can give two other big picture these are subjective conversation that was all objective right so um we are all prepared
to be hearing from me in the spring that it's unlikely that we'll carry forward $5.4 million again. Uh this is the tightest budget that we've done since 2008 or 2010. We were still tight and 10.
2010 easily. This is the tightest in 14 15 years. Um, and we strategically did some things last year that was using money that won't flow through this year. So, uh, in the bigger picture subjective
carry forward conversation, we'll do everything we can to manage that number as high as we can get it. Uh, but I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised if that's lot if it's that large again and it's unlikely. Um, and the second is
it's only October 8th or so. So, there's only one account that we see a structural problem with so far this year. That's our residential tuitions account, which is highly volatile. And this year, so far, the number of
placements exceed what we would have expected. So, we're keeping our eye on that account projecting toward the red. It is a part of the 9,000 series account of tuitions. So a surplus in a collaborative account or a non-public
school account can help out with the deficit in the residential account. But that's one place that we see an immediate need uh for funds one way or another to cover the deficit compared to what the committee appropriated for that line. So, those are two other moving
parts in the conversation about carry forward. And then I forgot to say, but I know when we see a $5 million number, we see it as extraordinary, but that's maybe a 3% carry forward from the p previous fiscal
year operations. The other way to say that is we did spend 97 plus% of what we budgeted last year. It's just such big numbers that we end up with these big dollar amounts. But percentagewise, this is an expected carry forward
number. Thank you. Any questions? No, I don't. Thank you. So I would recommend uh to the subcommittee and hope that you would recommend to the whole committee that we
leave this 156,000 alone um knowing that we don't know what to anticipate for the rest of this year especially as Matt has said with the special education situation. Uh but also
um we are anticipating another tight fiscal budget coming up for FY27. Um and so anything that we can preserve is just going to help us in that regard. Um I did sign on to a letter with a bunch of other organizations, MSC being
one of them, um to appeal to the legislature to start looking now at um how they can support better support public school districts in FY27. um using um the millionaires tax and knowing that we're all in these critical
financial times. Um hope maybe we'll get some good news in in January. Um and we can think then about this $156,000 differently. But it really is, even though to any one of us it's a ton of
money, it's really a minuscule amount of money for our budget. And I think um leaving it alone for now would be the most prudent thing. Um I would like to see 40,000 of this money used at the Beachmont uh early
childhood slash I want to call it kindergarten playground. Um both the the Lincoln school and the Gfield school have an early childhood playground. Currently the playground for the early childhood students slash kindergarten so
I can include them. Um is uh a fenced in area with a very very broken uh sandbox with no cover. The the box is so broken that the sand is literally coming out of the side of it and there's a small little wooden table that's crooked. So those kids literally have nothing to
play on at all. Um, I had spoken to El Baker um from the community development office and she had come up with a $40,000 plan to put some uh put some structures down there to give the kids something to play with. We talk about
equity in the district a lot and it's very inequitable when one school doesn't have literally anything to play with and the other two schools do. Um, so I realize the tight budget and all that, but um, $40,000 isn't a ton of money,
and I just don't think it's fair to those kids in the Beachmont area not to have a playground for the, um, for those students. So, that would be my recommendation that I So, I'm making a motion to spend 40,000. I'm comfortable leaving the rest. I totally understand
the budget. I'm very concerned about the enrollment for next year and what that's going to do. There was a very um large article in the Boston Globe on Sunday um highlighting basically Chelsea and their enrollment issues um their enrollment is down quite a bit in the hundreds really
and they're looking at approximately according to the globe a $3.6 $6 million um cut in the budget. Um which is pretty substantial and I'm concerned that we're with the next town over that we might have a similar problem coming for coming next year in the spring when we're doing budget. But
I do think the playground is something that the kids really need because it's not that I'm looking for an upgrade. I have pictures on my phone. I'd be happy to share. There's nothing there. There's grass. So, and I don't think that's equitable at all. So, yes, M. So, I
definitely disagree with you. Um, first of all, I mean, yes, we want to give our kids everything possible, but um, preschool is not even required, and we need to get that money to what we're supposed to be
educating our kids with. Um, yeah, would I love to see a playground in in good days? I would, but um this is not a time to take 40,000 and put to a playground. And I think um
maybe it's maybe El can look for it. I don't think it's our position to be looking at playgrounds. We to look at budgets, but that's not part of our budget. Motion to go ahead. I'm sorry. I didn't think I had a couple questions. First of
all, I wish we did this like two, three years ago when the money situation was a lot better than it came up. My question to both of you would be can we actually afford it? Number one,
how you know if we go forward with this, how would it be financially? because we have to look at the enrollment and everything like that and then using net school spending money. Yeah. So, one objective thing to keep in mind is that net school spending
eligible funds uh don't cross over to early childhood programming, instruction, investment at all. And so the the Lincoln decision wasn't actually from the last fiscal year. It was you know
the prior one. Mhm. So the decision there was to say we're sitting in such a good place that we can take that 65 and invest it in an early childhood era knowing that the net school spending eligibility on that
would get reduced from the whole that was a decision that we made two cycles ago in doing this. It would be similar here. It's not that we couldn't allocate it. it is that that's not a use that would be seen as a net school spelling
eligible investment. And the other way to translate that is the way that Stacy just said was it's using funds outside of K through 12 that could have been steered toward K2 through 12 in this specific situation. So, and we'll have
this conversation more and more in the future as we get closer to the early childhood center opening. uh the vast majority of early childhood costs are covered not from net school spending budgeting revolving account
early childhood grants grants. So this is a a a crossover that doesn't fit neatly into the column of what would be expended. Is there any other series or areas where we could possibly get some of this
funding? One of one of the things I was wondering, Sean, did did Elle mention anything about are there any opportunities out there for Kaboom grants like we've done at the other schools? She mentioned there might be some, but she wasn't sure. It might cover half,
but she wasn't sure. It's just It's just to me, I mean, it's not like I'm saying there's my problem with it is it's not like I'm saying other stuff there is not great. There's nothing there. Nothing. Yeah. No, I get it. They do have a playground on the other side that they could bring the kids. They can't bring those kids there. Those kids need
they're there all day. Not not not the not the early childhood kids. Pretty early childhood families that go there all the time. They can't use No one not the students that are there. They can't use they can't use the radio playground. It's impossible. I I I argue that till
I just don't think I just don't think it's fair. Two schools have a playground. This one doesn't. So if you go to beach one, tough luck. I I I don't I don't buy that. It's It's not a 40,000 every year expense. The thing will probably maybe last 10 years. So, it's 4,000 a year for the next 10 years. I
just I just don't agree. I don't think it's fair. I don't understand. John, who who brought this up in the scheme of things? Like, did the principal bring it up that he would light or the early childhood? I had a short conversation with the principal about it. I said I looked at
you can see it if you drive down Bennington Street. It's not hard to see. It's an empty. see a million different things that I think needs improvement, but it's not between me. Like if the principal and the early childhood teachers um and yeah, one of the early childhood
teachers did bring it to my attention to myself in charge of early childhood brought it up to put it in the budget. That would be one thing, but we would all like to see things that we might want to improve and enhance our children's lives. Mrs. Montroso has her hand raised.
Sorry, I can see that. Miss Wosa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I joined this meeting because I had asked for this to be put on the agenda alongside Mr. Kingston. So, I the last meeting that we had in September, we had referred it
here to just find out more to what an actual amount would be for the park and then to also have discussions about if there were grants available. I know I had signed up to speak with some of our state delegation partners to see if there was any funding from JetBlue or
other airlines uh that have donated to the Beachmont school already as well. So I think what the committee as a whole had asked for this subcommittee as a starting point as well was to see what would be an actual amount uh that we would need for this park just because we
all didn't meet um with Miss Baker and we wanted a a a number that the whole committee had awareness of and what would be included. So I think as you all continue to discuss, I would appreciate if the committee could also kind of find out what would be real amount that we
would need and then whatever recommend whatever re recommendations you all make, I'm happy to continue having the committee explore other ways to fund. If carry forward isn't the time and if we have to wait until the next budget, then we also have time to see what partners
in the city can help us fund uh the playground as well. So thank thank you all. So I would I would like to perhaps hear from the principal director of early childhood and even the early childhood teachers.
I can speak on behalf of all of them and say that there's nobody who wouldn't like to have an employment. No and I do I I realize it but this is like the only time we've heard from about it is John bringing it up. And although I appreciate he's at the
school, he knows people there, he hears a lot. Um, we just don't have any of the facts really. Yeah. I And I know that they would all articulate that that they would love to have who wouldn't love playground equipment for the kids. Of course, they would love to have that.
Um, but I I don't think I'd rather have the goose pool removed from the bath parking lot than a playground. I would too. I actually looked into that and it's almost impossible because responsible ethologically and stuff. No, I I agree with you. That's a tremendous
problem. I totally agree. But I just I we preach equity all the time. This isn't equal. It's a to well, equity doesn't mean the same for everybody. I want to highlight that because uh you know that equity means that each school and each group of kids and every individual student has what
they need in order to be successful academically. That is primarily why we are here. It's a it's about the academics and I will do whatever the committee says to do on this regard. I think right now in our current fiscal
state we are going to be talking again next year about letting go of um staff members and reducing programming and everything else. I don't know that the playgrounds would be a priority outside of let's make it a priority to find a
charitable organization that wants to donate those funds or a kaboom or somebody like that. Kaboom's been phenomenal to us. They've done the Garfield school. They did the Paul Rivere school. Um would love to bring them in on another partner day and and build more of a totale
playground with them. Um that would be my recommendation and I I will just to Mrs. Rizzo's point um say that the principal did not come to me and say we have a huge problem. There's no playground equipment for the early childhood. And the early childhood
director did not come to me and say we have a huge problem. There's no playground equipment for the early childhood program. Those those kids are there for a little under three hours a day each. the the AM session and then the PM session.
Um, so it's something that I can explore with them to see whether or not the larger playground, which was done not too long ago on the other side of the building, if they need to be outside playing, if that's an appropriate space that we could reserve for them at certain times of the day so the bigger
kids aren't, I don't know, in you know, running around too much and creating those closed in. Yeah. I I I realize. Yeah. Yeah. Take a three-year-old with special needs and put him in an outdoor space so he can run.
Yeah. So, I want to make a motion. Let the motion Let the I want to make a motion and bail. That's fine. So, I'll say one more thing before you make before. You can make the motion. I will second it and I will vote in
favor of it. But I'm going to want if it goes to the committee as a whole, I think we need to have more information and I'd like to have everybody's other input from the committee also, not just not just us.
And can I just say, are we supposed to be I thought we were voting on what he just presented to us and that is a separate item on the agenda. The reason it was brought up today was because we have this 100 I know it's not a lot of money.
I get it. $155,000. I wanted to I thought making the third school that has early childhood have a playground as well as the other two was a reasonable expenditure of $40,000 based on this extra money that we found.
I agree that the 110,000 or so left over would, you know, will help us into next year. I don't have a problem with that at all. But I do think the the playground to me is a priority. We talked about I mean we've had presentations about you know we're gonna try to make academics more more into a
or incorporate play into academics to try to you know keep the kids engaged and all that. Um you know physical activity is just as important as as anything else and getting my mother my mother was a huge preacher about fresh air. She would say get out of the house go get go outside and get fresh air. Go
outside and get fresh air. It'll help you. There's a million studies out there about getting fresh air and being outdoors. And um I take a I take a vitamin because unfortunately I work too much and I don't get enough sunlight. So my vitamin D is down. So that's on me. I have to spend more time outside.
Unfortunately work a lot and that's that. But to me outside space is important. I just if I I I just want to take it to a vote. I don't if it passes it pass. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But I I don't I don't think it's I don't think so. John, I'm not saying what you know
what you're asking for was not valuable and I understand where you're coming from in a lot of ways. Um I'm just looking at we were talking about closing the books and
No, this is part to me this is part pos, right? So do we finish the first conversation? No. Well, we could close the books I guess at the 155. My thought was my thought was to take Yeah, there were two things to discuss. To me, they're part and possible.
But you have three things on your list that you want to discuss. We didn't finish the first one. Uh we'll need direction from here through the committee so that we know where do you appropriate the the
5.4. So this conversation is about when I move to, you know, the actual accounting for it. I have to direct them where to put the 155 and one possibility is to house it for now in the residential account. If we
need it, we can use it there for this conversation, but I'll need direction coming out to know where do we put it. And as always with non-s salary plans, we can make a plan, move it through the committee, appropriate it
that way, but things change. That doesn't mean that you must encumber the funds. The decision here is that is our intention. So you're instructing me to get everything lined up to do that. We know we don't need to vote on the
closing of books. That's no that's unal right now just like put a motion we want to put a motion in I said I' second and agree with it but I think we need more conversation on it as far as with the committee as all
so I think that the process would be that if you all would the three of you would vote on John's um motion today and have further discussion as you want about the 155 and then you would present that to the whole committee um for a vote on October 21st, which
would tell Matt what we're going to need at that meeting is to put $1559.99 into sped residential or put 40 into a playground for the early childhood and the rest into um sped residential or put
it all into carry forward. You know what I mean? Like that's that's what the we'll be looking for on my thoughts. So the 25 would basically come off the 155 and then the 115ish would be um so whatever you know
whatever was decided if if Matt wants us to put it in the residential it's fine. Whatever Mr. Bruce thinks is fine with that money will be fine with me. It's eventually all going in the same pot at some point. So it doesn't doesn't make a lot of difference to me. Um but I wanted to I wanted to take the 40,000 that is a
set number um which I did receive from Alger. I can ask her to send an email to the superintendent um stating what the amount was. That was the estimate. That was the figure that she had given me um to uh to get some um fixtures there to
have something there. So, so I also think we need more information of what type of structures are we I'll ask her to send to the superintendent. I mean, I I think all that information should be sent to the early childhood director along with the
superintendent. Um, should there any grants, too? Also, yeah, there's always been grants. So, yeah. Okay. I mean, there's other schools that don't have early childhood taught either. No, there's only three schools that have early childhood and two of them have
lots. That's fact. There's only three schools that have early childhood. We're going to have early childhood soon at Union Street. I hope so. It's very beautiful out there. It's going to be gorgeous. But are we going to keep this early childhood classes we have now in
addition to that one? That's my hope. I hope to have more classrooms, not less. Well, because right now we have nine, right? And there's only eight there. So, we're not going Yeah. No, the hope is to keep at least some of them, but where exactly they'll be, it's Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, I hope to add
Exactly. Yeah, we want to create more early childhood playground at Lincoln or the playground of beach may still be in play in two years. So, can I ask what the exact motion is? My I'll make the motion. My motion is to
take 40,000 from the carry forward funds and use it to um fund a playground early childhood/k kindergarten playground at um at the beach school which has nothing right now.
That's my motion. Second. And the rest of the money and the rest of the money to uh to be all well I was going to do them separately but the rest of the money to be allocated um either depending on what Mr. approves tells us at the next meeting. We would recommend the special education
item. Special ed. What is it exactly called? Residential tuition. Residential to theund 115,999 to go to the special special education resation
residential accounts. That's the motion. I was going to take them separately. So if someone didn't want to do the playground, I would be understood and be very clear taking them together. I don't think anyone's going to vote vote no against putting the 115 into the other account. That's why I thought two motions might be a good idea.
I'm confused. What's the residential? We can that's the account not talked about. That's a good fun. So, uh I'm going to try to summarize um for everybody. Uh the one area that we're really worried about financially is the
line item for special education residential tuitions, which is already one month into school higher than we anticipated. Um and so our recommendation was that the 1559.99. Um that is the additional carry forward
that the committee has not already committed anywhere be moved into that line item so that when we get further into the year or to the end of the year, it is less likely to be in the red uh and more likely to stay in the black. There are other pieces that could help
with that. As Matt mentioned, um any other line item in that series, in the 9,000 series that comes in under will help offset any overage that we have for the residential tuitions. Um but our recommendation was that the $155.99
$155,999 go into that special education residential tuition line item in the budget. Um and then uh Mr. Kingston's motion, John, correct me if I get this wrong, is that
of the $155,999 uh still unallocated through carry forward, that 40,000 be allocated to an early childhood um playground at the Beachmon School and that the remainder of that money be allocated to the special education residential tuition
line item budget. I'll second that just to get out of committee, but I want to uh talk more on that uh with the uh with the teacher the grants and so on before I make a final decisions with the committee as whole. Mhm.
But I am voting sorry to with the talk more with who did you say with the uh department head. Oh okay. Yeah. The needs how much do they need? Okay. Um, we can look at the 9,000 series, the grants, and then maybe we'll have more
information on it by the time the uh committee uh read on Tuesday. So, don't you want to I still Yes. No. No. But I'd like to make a a
again can I like to make a second recommendation that it be brought up to a separate committee to discuss that fully. We don't even know what the 500,000 would include. We don't know
who in that field is supporting this. I think we need more information instead of saying let's take 5,000 out from special ed. But can we do that with the committee as a whole and then we we can if if we don't have enough information then we
can refer to the committee then would that be acceptable? The key is just to get more information to the committee by a week from Tuesday before a decision is made. I would agree with more information on both, but I'm I wouldn't
support saying let's give 40,000 for a playground a top law, but if more information, yes, I would agree to that. I Well, I'd like to Well, okay. So, it passed, I assume. Is that where we're
at? I'll make the motion again. I think there's some confusion. I feel like you made the motion. Uh, Mr. Catiano seconded and voted in the affirmative and Mrs. Rizzo voted against. So, you're making a recommendation.
Your second would make a recommendation to the whole committee about it. Yes. Anything else, ma'am? Not on the category. I don't there's a third item on the agenda
reviewing needs. I don't know. Was that part of the beach? No, I I Well, I think that was in case you wanted. I apologize. I I I think I don't think I
even put that on there quite frankly. Maybe I did. I don't think so. But anyway, I thought it was to for to for you to decide what to what we wanted to asking to spend because if we have 150 if we have the 115,000 if the 40 comes off, what did you want us to what did you want to do? What was your
suggestion? I think we need more money. Could I ask could I ask a question? It's budget related. Any idea on the number what we're looking at for how many kids are what the enrollment was the dip init enrollment it's in it's
over 200 okay I just want so not quite we're not I was talking to Elmea the superintendent and Chelsea the other day and we're not quite at the level that they are at but we're we're in tough shape yeah Chelsea's in a lot worse shape I know it's budget it wasn't on the agenda
but to me it's budget related it is y okay so motion to adjourn Let it