the recordings will be available on our YouTube channel uh please R rise and join us for ofgi to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God invisible liberty and justice for all at this time I would like to introduce our school committee members and our Administration and attendance on my left is Mr J Marino Mrs Mango Mrs Davenport and Mrs martal um Mr Po the superintendent and on my right is De Charles um Mrs King Mr D Mr pens and myself on the chair um also in the audberry Miss is here I couldn't find her Mr Shantz Miss Judy McDougall rorting secretary and other members of the administration team um at this time we'll move into public continent um uh the school committee welcomes information concerns and opinions by those attending the meeting in order to give those wishing the opportunity to speak and Sh compliance to the open meeting law and other legal obligations and avoid disruption in the meeting the committee will not engage with the speaker or with one another in deliberations on comments as they are presented during comment periods it is a discretion the committee May schedule issues raised by Speaker for further deliberation deliberations at a future meeting if you would like a personal response please email the committee or Mr power directly following the meeting the chair will now open up public comment for a period of 12 minutes per policy bedh and would ask anyone who wishes to speak to please approach the podium provide your name and address and I respectfully ask that you please limit your comments to 3 minutes when your 3 minutes are up and you still have not finished I will ask you submit your thoughts or script to our recording secretary Miss moule and she will distribute it to the committee for our review is there anyone here for public comment going on anyone all right we will move into the consent agenda um at this time I'll entertain a motion to approve the cons agenda as presented um motion made by Mr Dolan and second by Mr Fitz given um any discussion no discussion uh all in favor any opposed I'm abstaining I have some I had some unanswered questions okay one abstention motion passes and at this time we'll move into correspondence and um recognition um for my uh overview of community emails summary I received one email um regarding the shortfall in the school committee budget and Staffing an email regarding the abuse charges against a teacher in the district and at this point I'll ask recognition Mr pow thank you madam chair uh I did want to just uh recognize two individuals this evening uh first is Miss Sandy Fanning uh Miss Fanning is a school psychologist at the work in school uh last week uh she happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to actually perform the highth maneuver on a student that was choking in the cafeteria um thankfully the student was okay uh but miss Fanning recognized something was not right and approached the student and realized that he was choking quickly performed the highl maneuver and was able to dislodge the obstructions and the student was checked out by the nurse and parents were contacted and happy to say he was actually back in class uh later that day so we did have a chance to go over and Rec Miss fny and say thank you to her last week but I wanted to publicly acknowledge her this evening and and just you know again we've had this happen a couple times now over the years where staff uh don't they don't hesitate to jump in and uh you know it it really I don't think sometimes they understand they saved the life and how important that is so I just wanted to publicly congratulate and thank her uh for her quick actions um and second I wanted to recognize our very own uh Rachel Corey who uh has qualified for the national Deca competition I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit I know if you want to give us a little little details about it but she's actually heading out to California um and competing against others from not just across the country but across the world I believe Rachel right yeah so tell us a little bit more about her if you don't mind okay um I'm going to the DECA International competition in anahem California um I was the one who placed from the school and I'm super excited I'm going to compete in the personal finance category um and so I'm going to meet with a bunch of other people from around the country and possibly in obviously and um so I'm going to stay overnight with kids from other schools and then go to at the conferences and see them there and be able to talk to them um and I'll get I'll be able to learn about different career jobs that correspond with um personal finances and a bunch of other business opportunities um I'm just really excited I don't know exced that recognition okay great thank you um next on the agenda is the student advisory Council King thank you madam chair um again I just want to recognize Rachel I I'm proud like she's my own daughter when I heard about that we got the email that she's traveling out of state I'm like oh my goodness I didn't know about that so very proud of them uh of the DECA club and Rachel specifically um also um the first meeting of the month I did meet with the student advisory Council um right before the public hearing so I did give them kind of a preview of the budget presentation um and what that was looking like for next year just cuz we've tried to bring them along this budget process so they could know um and then last week I did pop in for a couple of minutes to their second meeting of the month um with a potential field trip um option um as you know may or may not know masc hosts a day on the hill every year um in the beginning of May so um school committee members are invited to attend that they do some sort of presentation this year because budget is such a big thing um they're going to do a budget presentation they do a lunch on um and then we walk up to the hill and we get to meet with all of the people there all the legislators their AIDS um kind of let them know where we're from and what challenges or issues we're facing so because it's an they also um did invite any student members that would like to come there's no charge so we kind of discussed that if that would be interesting for them to kind of bring that all the way through and kind of get to go up there so we're trying to work on that and see if they could attend with me as well um regarding that um but it is also open to other school committee members if anyone else is interested um so I'm working with Mrs McDougall and Mrs Curley to try and put that together for the student advisory Council um and then I would like to invite up uh Danny shes yeah my throat is so dry today good evening before my I would just like to thank King Mr Powers and everyone involved um being so open about the budget this year coming from a student it's so great to be a part of a conversation that typically we're not allowed to see at a table it was very interesting to hear how the structure works actions that we're trying to take things that we can improve things that might have to wait a few years but I really do thank you for someone who's interested in business and and how behind the scenes works thank you for involving the school committee on behalf of all of us in that process this month the friends of BR athletic held their annual Mr BR Pageant this year 14 boys and over 30 girls participated in a night full of dancing music and most importantly friendly competition each boy got to show there comedic costumes talent and dancing skills in front of pable judges and over 600 audience members Cota bmar won Mr Congeniality ratino won best talent aen ker won best swimsuit Chase Noel best aware thear Le one runner up and Ki Adano one Mr V I'd like to welcome Quinn thank you good evening everyone um I would like to remind everyone again of the upcoming rainow musical to see the light an original show written by V my time also the winter CED art program has recently performed in three competitions of art this season in Dartmouth newer in Massachusetts their 2024 show it's called Boogie wiie bu boy of v and it illustrates a young man being drafted into the military during the 1940s and it brings positivity and good energy to all of the vi the team will be attending finals on April 6th in Salem Massachusetts which will wrap up another amazing season thank you so much I would like to welcome um good evening everyone from the school committee um like Mr power said there's great news for many clubs of V this month one being the DECA Business Club um I recently attended our State Career Development conference at the prenal center in Boston with other state qualifiers for my team and on a very last day when there Awards being given out I qualified for the International Career Development conference this will take place the weekend after April break in Anaheim California making it to ICBC is an amazing accomplishment for our DEA Business Club at BR and we can't wait for next year's season to start up again additionally V has organized an artist contest for our students called the cover design contest for the academic award night of 2024 students who participate have a design program cover for the night and the winner will be chosen by the academic honors committee the winner will be given a $50 pass prize and an appearance in the book this is an amazing opportunity for the artist of the to show off um to the V I hope you all have a wonderful week um and so so because King was able to speak here to my every image on her work um she also wants to say good evening to The Madam school committee and superintendent Powers um she wants to mention how TJ square has off has officially started for the season and has had a few events um the first event was at BSU on March 8th and through the 10 um they attended they ended sixth place overall and went all the way up to semi-finalist this match um in match 9 they were also presented with an award at this event called the autonomous award this means that the judges believed that they had the most consistent reliable performance During the period when the robots bran themselves um the weekend after the BSU event they had an amazing event in Reading New Hampshire from the 15th to the 17th at this event they ended second place and they made it to the final matches um they were also awarded the Innovation and control award and one of their team members was selected for the Deans List semi finalist which is an incredible honor um this is another thing that I mentioned how the years clubs are having an amazing month um and at their next event the New England District championships is going to happen in Springfield that are going to attend um and she says thank you and we can thank you I just want to thank Miss Curley and the student advisory Council and that concludes my report Madam chair great thank you Mrs King and thank you to the student Advisory Group um next on the agenda is the student opportunities act update and uh Mrs [Music] Richards Madam chair while miss Richards gets up there I just want to kind of set the stage for everybody in regards to the student Opportunity Act and Miss Rich will do a great job of explaining it to you uh if you remember a number of years ago uh the school committee actually approved moved our first uh version of the student Opportunity Act it was something that the departmentment and secondary education required of all School committees this really is a continuation of our original student Opportunity Act with some with some updates obviously as time goes by we want to make some tweaks and changes and and make sure the reflective of our current practices but in terms of identifying students to work with uh the students that we identified the first time the students with disabilities our English Learners uh we're going to continue to work with those because the data shows that that's where you know our Gap still exist um obviously you know Mr rich is going to you know share some information with you this evening uh hopefully for your approval just to clarify and I know this has been a question in the past you know there's some um um I don't want to say misunderstanding I think maybe some miscommunication that there are specific dollars tied to the student Opportunity Act you know when you hear the governor talk about fully funding this you know the fourth year of the student Opportunity Act and you know where do those dollars actually go when we submit the plan it's not for a um you know we submit a a an anticipated cost but we're not actually getting a dollar for dollar so when we say you know we made um budget for $100,000 worth of goods and services of personnel we're not necessarily getting $100 specific for that uh any money that we receive just comes through Chapter 70 so it's not an additional um uh allocation from the state I know sometimes there was original talk when um the student opportunity first came out that some districts especially some of the urban districts were going to get millions and millions of of extra dollars uh because of the student Opportunity Act again that those dollars didn't come specific from that act they really were all tied into Chapter 70 um and obviously you know we benefited not just from the student Opportunity Act but this Chapter 70 funding the last couple years uh but as you hear the governor say uh you know that she's fully funding the student Opportunity Act we've obviously seen that that isn't necessarily correlating for us um because of our Chapter 70 being um reduced so I just wanted to clarify that but I know specific to the plan this Richard is would do a great job of answering any of the questions thank you superintendent and mad chair of the school committee I'm glad that superintendent spoke after the kids but I didn't have to follow that to tell you I was that um so just to continue with what uh superintendent PO is saying the student Opportunity Act I think a lot of come from the fact that the legislation that passed in 2019 was two PR Reg istion one was around Educational Funding and as superintendent power said increasing Educational Funding particularly for um the most underperforming or under representing student groups the go closing achievement G and so um the plan that I'm presenting today is not connected at all to the funding the plan was another part of that legislation so the legislation dictated that all districts are required to create an evidence-based plan for um reducing disparities in academic achievement and plans have to be submitted to the commissioner of Education they get posted on des's website and we have to update them anually so um the plan has to identify a student group Based on data and set a target for improvement for three years um has to select an evidence-based practice from a very specific list that Dei provides to address those disparities and it has a requirement around um engaging families and caregivers in the educational process so just to remind hopes about 2020 plan um we wrote this plan right before Co and that's actually a year off because uh Co things up in the air the first one year update not actually take place until um so our identified subgroup was students with disabilities and English language Learners because those were the student groups that had the biggest um disparity in achievement and our evidence-based program that we selected was research based early literacy programs in 3K through Early Elementary grades uh it was actually right after I got HED and one of the first things that I had seen going on tour of the district was that the uh area that out so we open plan around that uh the outcomes what we've achieved in the past three plus years this Opportunity Act plan was the adoption high quality for materials for foundational skills so phological awareness prod Concepts we've adopted foundations for karten first and second grade and heer for kindergarten in first grade to address Bel awareness skills we had the training in pedology we've been participating at Marl Mitchell and Mar Liberty in the mpss for Academy from Desi which is providing extensive professional development on science of breing as well uh Administration and for literacy Specialists and for classroom teachers uh we've had in-depth training and ongoing coaching on the current constructional materials that we are using and we've adopted a valid and reliable scener assessment uh accompanied with ongoing training and support on in already already and all other liy tasks as you may or may not know we're now required by the state to assess three times a year of for students in thir grade only skills all of these initiatives kind of DTA really nicely the those two plan um the new plan the plan that we're proposing this evening for your approval is uh as Mr power said continuation of that original plan um the evidence-based Focus area that we going to choose again they they changed the name of it a comprehensive approach to early literacy instead of calling it obv bacy programs but it's the same essential evidence-based Focus area and the student groups that we are going to focus on again are students with disabilities and Engish Learners um the state provided a really helpful tool for the first time this year but which was called the student outcomes comparison tool and it was um the map of the district like student populations and they called the heat map where they had all student populations and then just each of our different St some specialized population income student disabilities L's different racial categor gender categories and the two that that stood out for being you know the red hey M were the students with disabilities of the English Learners that's Based on data to tr that I also looked at our data and people were finding that our disabilities and our who not performing as so we decided to go with those two students from um as the Target that adopting desie has highly recommended adopting their new tget that they are going to be producing for what they call Performance this is a new thing that been doing their accountability where they identify each building theud demog and they have not yet released these Improvement tets but basically recommendation to check the box we do have the target for next year which is ultimately a difference in the average scale four for so that's going to be our Target that we use over the next 3 years to see what sort of progress we're making on our um on our plan in addition to just the constant analysis that we doing after the administer I ready and after we use some of our offline literacy tasks at each building we have a um consultancy meeting with the folks from IAT myself Miss Barry and Mr Powers and and we look at all the data and talk about it and then our title literacy down and teachers look where the kids are at getting down to aular level with the teachers about or may not be um those Target for that's not part of the official Target plan that's just our best practice um our rationale for why this is what we're going to continue to do is that we want there are two things that we need to do still on the path to having a really solvy program the first is that we've been focusing heavily onal not focus on aspect ofac Tex and writing so the ACT comprehension what and writing um and so for the first few years Focus just on instruction material that addresses those um those aspects of literacy the other thing we need to do is start looking at our spirit instruction and looking at the gaps in Achi students so you know when Implement our program we focused heavily on tier one implementation which me General classroom instru that the teacher is providing for all students all the teachers have to be trained and in practice utilizing these new programs and just you know a small reminder is that our kindergarten teachers implemented this new program for the very first time during the hyrid year they only half of their students in front of them and the other half at home so you know uh it's been a slow implementation this is only the second year our second grade teachers are using foundations so I'm I'm glad that the plan is going to continue to have this Will C ear literacy because our next our next step with our foundational skills is to really look at students who are not achieving based on that tier one instruction that everyone is getting and to look at what that next level of support needs to be with small groups with pull out intervention um work through the English Le Department um so so it's a true problem one being complex text and writing through wisdom for everyone and the rest is like that multi system of support for students who are still struggle with Foundation skills so this plan also connects to our Student Success plan um which which makes a lot of sense this is not meant to be this wholly separate initiative pillar two of our Student Success plan especially the initiatives around a multi- system of instruction support engaging Educators in continuously strengthening strengthening our Collective responsibility for inclusive and specialized instruction for a vulnerable students and having systematic processes to ensure that we're use of data um we have to name anticipated student opportunity active plans and obviously these are all budget contention uh purchasing written wisdom for K to2 I unfortunately say I with a grant and we will be able to that uze grant money that we got um replenishing our CC materials annually there are consumable cost that Comm foundations for example their integrity um maintaining our I ready subscription for early literacy screening and for personalized instruction uh continue as possible to employ literacy Specialists interventionists and additional English M education teachers to address that growing population and to continue to provide P around the multier system of support implementing wi wisdom utilizing I ready and trying to adopt wi blocks which are um blocks where students can rece support that they need um you know uh in the area of literacy finally uh the engagement so just some of the ongoing efforts that we um have been utilizing to engage with families in this process and another District initiatives uh Title One family information nights family literacy nights at a lot of the elementary schools the district Dei Comm committee to engage families uh our school councils I know there's been large Improvement and increas in school council meetings being H happening this year being well attended CPAC meetings uh I know Miss har since joining us has started cing conversations with the special education family so that they can be more involved in a less formal way during the IP meeting and I'm most proud of the new uh we did not have an which just imp English Lear families um we never had one before and so far very well attended with about 15 20 famend each time and um so these are just opportunities for us to communicate with our stakeholders about the things that we're doing hear what they think and what their children's experiences have think so I'm happy to entertain any questions about the student opportunity does have to be submitted approval by April 1 questions for Mrs Richardson Richards Mr D I just want to make sure I understand the the ACT uh appropriately the state is mandating that we do this right the state I'm sorry is mandate yes okay yes the state is mandating of the plan pass the plan for the commissioner to approve every 3 years and no additional funds are being provided for us to have this cor so this is another example of the state saying we're going to tell you to do something good luck godp speed that's one way put so I just want to put that out there that's all yes questions um Miss yes Mrs M uh the Target that you're going to adopt from from desie is that a requirement that you must adopt their target it's their recommendation and all of the sample plans that they provideed districts in um like creating their plan every single plan they had have them adopting that Target um to be completely honest I feel like the specifically Mar Target to me isn't really the most important thing and it's so hard because when you're working with you work in a human industry right we and children are are not you know data points they're they're people and I think to me the biggest indication of the success that we have can be seen when we sit in a meeting looking at actual student data for actual individual children and see the growth that they're making whereas when desie sets a Target they're saying okay you know if your if your average scill go is 478 next year we want it to be children you know that's like this year's third graders who struggled that's what they for so next year's third graders a holy different group of children who number and while clearly you know ouros are improving that is an indication that we are improving as well I think it's just not to be theic of our success so I think going with the Desy Target for this purpose is fine but I think the real trof is in the different kinds of things we're doing that you can't really aside of too that makes sense so with that and if T des's Target is just a recommendation why don't we use what you just described as a more accurate because Jesse their target requires numbers like it has to say you will grow x% by whatever and I you know I just don't think that that's the realistic thing to do when looking at individual children we have to go child on child right to say like you know Sally is going to G more points and S he's going to gain seven points and that's just I think that's a less valuable conversation than what can actually do and what their next instructural steps are that will bring them forward using evidence-based practices to get there so if I'm understanding you correctly you don't believe in the Target that desie sets but we're going to adopt it because they're requiring a number I don't believe in the Target that said that to me methodology scores are not the only way that we measures to be achievement but it is a tangible numeric way is there any concern that us blindly adopting whatever they dictate won't align with the realities here and maybe we should set our own Target I mean I don't I don't think so to be honest they have a a whole department of statisticians and and data experts that they use that crunch numbers and that you know I I don't know that that's a good use of our time to pick a different number when like what we need to do is just get to the hardw of teaching you know I mean I think again their numbers I'm sure their numbers are based on evidence-based practices around data analysis and that is definitely not my strength at all and so I think you know I'll Trust the department to come the targets for district there's a followup to that can I so but next year that's based off of this so they only give us the initial metric right like the T that's what's interesting because that's where Jesse so they said oh we were recommending the threeyear targets and they said that the threeyear targets would be posted at some point um they did the next year Targets in January they threeyear targets are coming soon uh you're still waiting for those okay so you have next year's Target numers but you don't have this year exactly okay other questions um Mrs Richards the the you have on there purchase of wit and wisdom um when will that be if you will implemented or teachers trained on that kind of so we are we currently have approximately 12 class rooms across the district P to for an extended Pilot We piloted the program last year but because we were adopting the vision Miss we thought it wasn't reasonable to expect teachers to completely shift their instruction in two different subject areas at the same time so the teachers who had piloted written wisdom I was able to purchase because the Brant I got with a three-year branch and so I was able to purchase those materials last year and so those teachers continued to Pilot and some of our extremely motivated teachers volunteered to also participate this year even though they were also learning a new math program and so I was able to purchase those uh the remaining materials actually just putting it in order now to spend down this year's Grant fund to get about half of the rest of the materials and then July 1 I'll be able to order the remainder the first training is going to take place on May 1st for all of our kindergarten through second grade teachers during the P day and then we'll have professional development in the fall and teachers will start implementing in the beginning of the next school year thank you other questions just one more yep sry I wanted to know what that Target was you said they set the target for next year uh it's it's all different for different grade levels I can get you that information about D it's like so um it gives a Target scale score for each for each School in each grade level for their um over performing student GRS and so it will look something like it'll say you know the 2023 number your most performing students having aage scales for 4 63 for next year we want your you know at B liberty3 for next year we want that number to be up over than 65.7 or something like that I can get those numbers but I have them off the top of my head Mr Dam a question I'm glad to see that one of these is taken care of with the grant that's excellent um bullet points 2 through five I do see that it says budget contingent with this current budget as proposed what aren't we going to be able to do or is there plans to kind of roll it out over the 3 years so I would say that replenishing our curricular materials there is hopefully there's remaining money in that grant that can cover that as well if they do not make it into the operational budget um and I you know for the rest of it I'm going to have to deare to you know to to superintendent Powers about the uh literacy Specialists and interventionist an additional staff because that's definitely attention so a lot of those positions right now as we've we've spoken the interventionists are all funded through the SR Grant um some of the literacy Specialists are funded through title one so again obviously we know Sr 3 is going away depending on what our allocation is for title one uh we really kind of determine uh what those positions are uh available to us and what we can actually uh provide in terms of the plan um I hope even just you know above and beyond the plan is to be able to have those positions but as we know I I think it's that's not going to be a reality for us however if additional grant funding becomes available um through the student Opportunity Act Grant or even if our Title One title two three and four grants are expanded um there may be opportunities to add back some of the Acquisitions if possible problem with the the timing of those grants they actually don't release them until after uh July one where we typically get them Late July beginning of August so you really it's hard to plan and say well we'll have this much money entitled to and can do um you know this much professional development when we actually don't get that money um really or get the allocation until late summer um so it's very difficult for us to plan so any any of those positions that if we were able to bring back wouldn't probably be until and also just as a reminder this is meant to be a three plan so we're supposed to be able to all kind of look out into 3 years and talk about things that we're going to be doing course in the 3 years and thank you that answered the second part of the question is whether or not it's like a gradual step out so yeah yeah I mean there's no again there's no money tied to the plan but the plan is that the state wants to know how we plan to use whatever funding may or may not exist over years to program other [Music] questions at this point I will entertain a motion to approve the student Opportunity Act plan as presented so second um motion made by Mr D and second by Miss Martell all those in favor any opposed any OBS motion passes thank you thank you m Richards um next on theend is the superintendent report thank you madam chair yes I just wanted to uh provide a a brief report this evening and really focus on the um latest Safety and Security districtwide meeting that we held on March 8th with our administrative team as well as our safety officials um as you know that is a a districtwide meeting as well as meetings with um lucini transportation Chartwells uh any of our vendors as well as our uh police Chiefs and um police officers from both sides but water and rham as well as the fire department so the fire chiefs Deputy Chiefs and various firefighters as well um some of the agenda items at that meeting we talked about our camera and facility upgrades as I've spoken before we're in the process of upgrading our camera systems thank you to to Mr Shan and to Mr Kilgore uh those um upgrades are fairly complete or will be complete soon at the schools that we're working on we'll still have two additional schools that we'll begin working on next year which will be Williams and uh bridgew Middle School but at the end of this year we should have updates completed at the high school um Merill Li Liberty mham Middle School um and obviously the the Mitchell school is is new so we didn't have to do any upgrades there and then we'll focus on the Williams and Bridge middle school next year I think one of the uh the biggest uh benefits that we've been able to do not only with upgrading the camera system um just I know and talking to building Administration they've had to utilize these cameras uh the the clear picture that they've been able to produce uh is is you know second to none but we've also been able to tie in to our uh safety officials uh right into the station so they they will have access to our camera system uh Mr Shan has been working with uh the it departments for both towns um obviously we wanted to be able to do this this is a request uh not just from the district but also from our safety officials for a number of years now we wanted to be able to provide the opportunity um you know God forbid there is uh some type of event at school uh they would be able to have real time footage as they're responding to uh the uh to the scene so that is that is definitely a benefit for so that project is uh again nearing completion as well uh we're working with the town of Bridgewater uh as well as tmlp in the town of rham to complete that project uh we also shared uh Miss Clare grenon our nurse leader Miss Hart uh working on um a list of EMS considerations for uh both police and fire uh those obviously EMS considerations and and situations uh for um our student so that way if police or fire responding to a particular School uh for a particular student they're well aware uh prior to their arrival that what the medical needs um or safety needs of those students might be so it's an overview of what programs are in each of our schools and then also uh you know kind of an overview again of our medically fragile or students that are requiring um additional assistance so it's important that they know that uh you know on this floor we may have one student a wheelchair should we ever need to evacuate that they will know uh automatically when they're responding okay we know that there's a student in a wheelchair on the second floor or there are this many students that are uh diabetic or this many students with seizure disorders um or you know there could be even more severe uh you know allergies uh and such so those are all things that um we shared with police and fire we'll be sharing that information again coming up on esy our extended school year program just so that they're aware of that um as well and then we did have a discussion about obviously always looking to make sure our buildings are as secure as possible and so Mr Kilgore um has started to reach out to uh various companies just to look at different uh locking and security systems throughout the district that we can put uh not just on our exterior doors which he he and his Department have been working on but on our interior doors as well um obviously if we ever have to go into a a lockdown situation where we want to be able to lock down a barricade we want to make sure that uh that is food prooof as possible and so we started to look at uh various various components that we may be able to explore that's always tricky uh because we have to get several departments uh to all be on board and support this so it's not just an internal um uh approval certainly that's part of it but we really need police to be on board we also then need fire to be on board and we also need the building departments to be on board and sometimes depending on what the mechanism is um you know it's it's not approved I use an example this is going back a number of years go um I think our reference point is always Co so before co uh we had actually had a company come in to talk about a shadowproof film that we could put over our doors and windows instead of having to replace them all with um um you know new glass we could actually put shadowproof film over the problem was that was great from a police standpoint uh because the you know the glass wouldn't shatter but from uh the demonstration the individual actually showed was someone with an axe trying to get through the the shat approved film the fire department is watching it being like well that's exactly how we get in with an A so they're like no we can't support that um so there just there's always you know those competing um priorities and and um I shouldn't say competing priorities but competing uh you know operational standards and then obviously the building department to making sure those are up to code as well so we'll start to explore that obviously those come with the cost so how far we get um you know even if we get approval of all those different departments we'll see what funding is available as you know we um did have some security grant funding uh that we were able to secure so if there's money left there we can do some of those upgrades or certainly bring that forward um in the future and that really uh was the Safety and Security report the items that we talked about uh again that meeting was on March 8th we do have another meeting coming up on June 7th um unfortunately our uh uh school committee L is on to the Safety and Security meeting won't be able to be there um Mr Dolan has served in that role uh this past uh year and I want to thank him for his support and obviously his is presence there I know it it means a lot to the safety officials to have school committee's uh support and buy in especially when it comes around to safety so thank you Mr Dolan for that and I I know Mrs King is going to be uh speaking as well as the school committee about the budget um I'm obviously happy to you know share any updates then uh or answer any questions that you may have uh obviously the numbers uh from the public hearing uh you'll see tonight um again I I hope I'm not stealing your thunder U Miss King the only uh slight changes and you'll see these numbers are to the capital items uh the town of Rainham was actually able to allocate um some additional Capital uh dollars to us so those have been updated for tonight's presentation and that was an addition that just happened this week uh so that's why you'll see some updated numbers uh but in terms of the operating uh operating budget those numbers haven't changed so we continue to work internally uh to making sure that uh you know the bu we're working within those budget numbers for next year um you know we've already started to work again looking at any the open position how we can possibly um without work you know with working within those numbers and not having to um go over those numbers how can we try to address some of our concerns around class size special education support English learner support those are all areas that we want to make sure that um you know we're addressing and so you know we we are doing everything we can to avoid uh leaving any position unfilled although that probably will be a reality and then second to that we're also looking to make sure that we um don't have to reduce any of our positions which we're working on right now and so obviously continue to provide that update uh that to may be a reality but we're doing everything we can internally to make sure that at the very least we're able to maintain um you know current programming current class sizes if possible um and that may mean some uh you know moving around of Staff but all of that is being worked out uh and obviously La uh you know last resort is to if we have to uh to reduce staff positions but we're really doing everything we can at this point to avoid that uh but we should have you know additional information over the next few weeks about really what that will look like in terms of um final numbers all within working in the number that you approved tonight Madam chair uh Mr Po is the the camera project yes it's happening this year and will continue next year that's coming out of capital funding correct uh correct we were actually um some of those uh expenses were we were able to charge this Safety and Security Grant uh that we received that Mrs Barry worked on this past year uh but yes uh those were uh put forward as as capital projects thank you other questions none um next on the agenda is the budget Mrs ke thank you madam chair um on Monday March 25th 2024 the budget subcommittee met at 4:30 in the superintendent's conference room in attendance were Mrs com leento Mr Fitz Gibbons Mrs Martelli superintendent Powers assistant superintendent Barry Director of Business Services Miss babalola Treasurer Miss robish show our recording secretary Mrs McDougall and myself um as Mr Fitz gibbons's advice he would be delayed we took several items out of order via motion so we could have him in attendance for the fiscal year 2025 budget discussion and he arrived at 50:1 just before or just after we began that budget discussion um we first um approved the budget subcommittee meeting minutes of March 11th 2024 um second we did discuss the track and Tennis Court update um due to the weather kind of breaking a little bit I know many community members have asked about that um I know some of the students have asked me when that would be available so Mr Po did give an update on the track and Tennis Court project um surfacing of the track and Tennis Court still needs to be done and the weather is being monitored by the contractor um we do need several consecutive days of dry weather that is 50° and above so that can cure um also being monitored and needs to be completed is drainage in both areas um I don't know if you want to speak to any thank you I'm sorry I didn't mention that um Mrs King I I knew we talked about a budget sub yes so uh you know our our we're kind of in a hurry up and weight pattern now uh Mr Kilgore has been in constant contact with them uh they have been on site uh this week uh in in the last few weeks and you know periodically during the winter months uh doing what they can delivering equipment uh the storage sheds are just recently delivered but really we're waiting for the weather to turn um the the tennis courts and the track themselves are are pretty much ready to go we just need to start uh having that warm weather show off and again 15 above it uh throughout the day and then some dry weather even if it is 50 or above they need to be dry and so uh and actually believe it or not there was another qualify there that I mentioned the other day we we need it not to be uh windy uh because the spray material that they'll put down actually could be blowing all over uh our fences and structures and so forth and we want to try to avoid that so we're we're somewhat at the mercy of Mother Nature much like we were at the end of the year we're hoping to be able to work as long as possible um and we're hoping to be able to start as soon as possible I know for the contractor there are spring uh season when they kind of said they'd be back out doing a lot of the work was the beginning of April um and so we're really right on time again but we just need that consistent warm dry weather to be able to actually apply the the surfaces and then we want to make sure that you know the site work is complete uh we have had some um uh pooling and puddling of water after our heavy rainstorms and you know we we've um been sharing those concerns with the contractor sharing pictures they sure is that um you know once the site work is complete because it is still a construction site considered not everything is is finished um that there shouldn't be a concern once the project is complete but obviously Mr kilber and I are going to continue to monitor that because we yes we want to believe them but we've seen those puddles in in pooling we want to make sure that is certainly not going to happen so we will make sure that that is addressed and we definitely want to see progress throughout that um completion of the project but Continue to update you much like we did in the fall uh with more periodic updates now that they're scheduled to be back out and and completing some of that work I I I don't really have a definitive timeline in terms of when it will be complete it really is weather dependent Our Hope and wish is that we are able to have a home uh meet track meet uh in a home tennis match uh but really uh we'll have to really wait and see how the the weather goes uh so our our track team will be on the road um uh for the foreseeable future and obviously our tennis team is using the court behind brid Middle School Mr Kilgore um and his Department did some uh TLC too and and also had had a seal coding company come in uh that donated their time and efforts uh to get those uh up and running so we do appreciate that uh as well City seal Cod uh performed that work so we're we're cautiously optimistic uh but I will certainly continue to give the committee and Community an update on on the track and Tennis Court thank you Mr P so finished cross maybe end of season I just wanted to know that seal coding that was done was done for free yes yes good um regarding other um Mr sha we had an IT Surplus request Mr Shan the IT director has requested that 110 Wi-Fi access points be declared Surplus um during Co due to a delayed technology delivery Mr shance was able to obtain used Wi-Fi access points to use until the backordered items could be delivered um he is now asking that those items that cannot be repurposed um and are not useful be declared Surplus and recycled through a local vendor um accordingly Madam chair I would make a motion to declare 110 Wi-Fi access point switches as Surplus second uh motion been made by Mrs King and second by Mrs Martelli questions what's an access point Wi-Fi access point um you oh so right up there that's a Wi-Fi access point so the the various Wi-Fi systems throughout the building um again and you you understand technology that blink of that eye becomes updated and Obsolete and so because uh we were delayed getting new ones in we did purchase uh used ones so they were already um you know uh their updates were already on their way out and now that uh we have the new ones in Mr Shan he and I spoke doesn't really make sense to repurposes within the district because there the technolog is really already out to date and so it wouldn't uh really continue to up update and upgrade uh with the ones that we currently have and so that's why we're want to declare them Surplus and and it's a one to one replacement at this point uh well not throughout the district so the the new ones have already in uh that was at the Mitchell School Mr Shan uh yes and so during uh Co and construction um obviously we were not able to get the new access points so at that point uh we were able to secure used access points initially installed as soon as the new ones came in Mr sh and his team swap those out so the materal has new access points it's all those access points that were used coming down in that school any other questions all those in favor any opposed any exensions speci thank you uh the second other item that we had um was an update on the RMS gymnasium floor um as mentioned before um there is water damage at the RMS gymnasium floor um water had been entering the gym and damaging the floor during heavy rainstorms Mr Kilgore reported that insurance will cover the damage and this project should go to bid next week and we complete it over the summer uh we do not have any programming in that gymnasium at RMS that should be interrupted during that time um cost-wise this deductible would be $50,000 and would be coming out of the facili budget um the rest of the costs which I believe you had said total 200,000 uh that's what our our initial uh numbers came back as that it should be a approximately a 200,000 $150 to $200,000 project uh so we're just kind of waiting on those final bids but that's that's what we're looking at so we're we're anticipating um insurance to cover about 150 we have to cover as you said Mrs King the $50,000 deductible and then we're hoping uh from there that uh it'll be anywhere from uh you know the insurance will cover the 150 uh plus okay um and then also Mr Kore um indicated that facilities is looking into upgrading the drainage in that area and grading the outside of the building to prevent further water damage um so no action was taken at that time regarding that um so we can update on the project as that's um goes out to bid and we get that started um last on the agenda we did have a fiscal 2025 budget discussion um the budget subcommittee discussed if there had been any changes in the budget since the presentation of the public hearing on March 13th uh Mr Po indicated that there have been no changes and the towns were still committed to the figures presented at that time um he held meetings with staff and put the presentation on the district website and in the BR Buzz to gain any potential Community or town feedback as well um also the Taunton Gazette contacted Mr Powers and is doing a story on the effects of low State funding and its impact in the school districts across the street the state as well as specifically to V District um we discussed how the budget may impact students such as class sizes loss of electives at the high school and or refig reconfiguring teams at the middle school level uh Mr poers indicated how he may mitigate such as involuntary transfers um members had questions regarding um when the money for migrant students would be received from the state and approximately how much would be expected um at this time approximately 100 50,000 is expected but that is and that formula is based on the number of students which I believe we have 29 currently um we're potentially available to receive two different grants um that we had applied for is that correct Mr yes so yes we there there two sources of of funding um the first one is uh which many of the districts it's out in the public uh we receive uh funding per student per day uh for the number of days that they are enrolled in our district district and so obviously as you know our our new students joined us after uh the winter break so starting in January there'll be two data submissions so we're submitting now and there'll be another data collection um at the end of the year uh so that that first um um data collection uh is for uh initially 29 students uh we're now down to 28 when student uh did relocate to the NorthShore uh but majority of the days in District were the 29 so we are scheduled for 104 uh per those 29 students from January um and again school days from January until the beginning of March and then they'll do another uh reimbursement they just haven't necessarily given us a exact timeline when we should expect the money uh but typically what happens is once that money is uh available we will be able to draw down and and spend it the second is um a grant uh through the department uh for uh what they refer to I I guess any initial cost with setup uh initial support that District uh districts need um and that is the the allocation for the district is up to 75,000 uh we originally told it would be um approximately $1,000 per student uh which would only really be 29 but they said that we were eligible for up to 75 so miss Richards and Mrs Barry um and um a number of other administrators have have worked on that Grant it's been resubmitted we just haven't necessarily received our final approval we're hoping that we approve for the full 75,000 and again once that money becomes available we'll be able to draw down um Miss babalola um has set up um just because again the timing of when this money may come in we're not 100% sure uh a revolving account to be able to take that money in um and then obviously we'll be able to spend it for um you know good Services uh for not just um you know for our our new students but really any student that would fall under um you know the English learner umbrella and so you know any uh new services that we've have to be able to put in place we can certainly use this funding for uh but it may be a case where um you know and again because of our El case loads are going up if we have to add additional um e staff uh we may be able to do that with some of this some of this funding or reallocate uh how we fund our El department now by using some of this fund so once we actually have the money I'll there l better about what our plan can be um and how we can use it um so hopefully that uh we you know we get that money sooner rather than later but that money thankfully is something because it'll be set up in a revolving account that we can carry over um from from year to year so if you know we're able to cover internally some of our expenses next year but um sorry this year but we know next year is is not going to be the same uh we will be able to carry this money over and and use this for next year thank you Mr Powers um other questions members had um if the money could be used to recall any staff member that would receive a notice and yes this money would be allocated to evolving fund I think this conversation um that we were having was specifically if we do not fill certain positions would we keep those line items in the budget um for yeah so we would have to use this money specific to our El staff um because obviously they're providing the majority of services and obvious you know there are some other goods and services that we could use this money for um but if this money is available again if we're not adding additional e staff we can always try to reallocate our current operating budget dollars that go to our e staff to this grant which then would possibly free up other dollars uh in the operating budget that if we did have to lay off staff or if we do need to add additional staff uh after the fact because we're not able to do that we could then possibly uh move that money around thank you um other things mentioned were kindergarten enrollment um looking ahead to September what that kindergarten class size might look like um at this time enrollment is about the same we didn't get exact numbers from um Miss Miss Cohen yet but approximately I believe it's about the same as last year um this one is still the same Grant um also we asked Mr Powers if there has been any change in retirement status um the number of retirees remains at 10 with five leaves as absence for next year um also discussion um was about ensuring any reduction in force would be Equitable across the board from central office through all Staffing um I know this you know we've discussed this at length um we really want to M mitigate how is going to affect students um with the the budget as it's going to look next year so we did have a detailed discussion we want to make sure that any reduction in Staffing whether it's through attrition whether it is through layoffs it's going to be across the board we're not just targeting um classroom teachers we're looking at every area that we can make sure that we're still running the district as we need to but also you know we're making sure we're looking at everything um we also looked at any other cost savings help um transportation costs in District programming I know Miss Hart you know the word of the day is Grants um also miss Hart has been looking at Grants and also trying to look at contractors that we have and see if we can cut any um have any cost savings there um we also do have a discussion um once we get through this budget season at the end of May and this budget is approved to start really looking at next year um as early as we can to make sure we're looking you know proactively what next year's budget is going to look like and how we can get ahead of that for next year as well um um following the meeting on Tuesday as Mr parlers um did discuss um Mr lelet Ram's Finance director Town accountant did contact Mr Powers and indicated that rham would increase the capital expense up to $814,000 um that increase in rham capital um was a little bit of an increase to the LI Liberty hbac system as well as adding back in the narrow replacing exterior doors and RMS LED lighting upgrades um which I believe had been items that were on the capital and then were taken off when we decreased it Mr par yes that is correct okay um and just to clarify capital is separate for both o and the town so that doesn't come out of their operational budgets that's a separate line item for them as well it doesn't it comes out of their Capital to us um so with that being said I will go into the Motions Judy has Mrs McDougall has written these out because they're complicated and they all need to be in separate motions I'm going to do them one at a time um before I go into those does anyone have any other questions or comments I have a quick question yes um it was just in regards to the transportation like the migrant piece um Mr you were talking about and please correct me if I'm wrong because this was months ago but there were students who did decided not to come here right but we still needed to transport them to their that District that they wanted to stay at right we were responsible for that um so uh no you're you're you're on the right track so yes if if some of those students if they elected to stay in their sending districts uh they could be transported from rehin to their ascending districts um in many cases that sending District absorb absorbs the cost in some cases it's a cost share um I I don't have those exact numbers I can get them from Sarah Moore who coordinates all that for us just to see how many of those students were actually cost sharing and how much uh um you know the sending districts are so that's not part of like the 28 29 that you were talking about like the students correct run to school yes the the 29 now or 28 now um those are just the students that came here so there are other school-aged children living at the hotel that either um stayed in their sending district and then we would get reimbursed for whether it's a share or not or no um no so some of that does qualify uh they would fall uh fall under the vento and so there was some homelessness Transportation reimbursement um again I get you this number from s and um so that's are including like the 150 ,000 that you're corre no that would be that would be different that would be an addition yes other questions yes from me Mr Powers um so as U Mr Maro mentioned earlier the state has willfully underfunded us this year um as they have many other districts um what are the ramifications if the school committee were tonight to take a vote to Hal incast testing next year because the state refused or missed the Mark I would say funding us why should we administer a state test so I I I can't answer that question fully because I I I'm not sure um never been posed that question to the department um the Department's never really raised uh that particular scenario so I can't say uh for sure what would happen um my I to guess um you know there there may be some withholding of funding if we were uh not to administer the state mandate which I I know I I'm I'm with you on that um you know there's so much tied to right wrong or different you and I have had this conversation I know in many cases we're on the same page right we're on and different uh there are so many measures um about the district about individual students graduation requirements that if we didn't administer mcast my fear is that that in some cases although the underfunding by desie is going to impact students uh uh any type of move by the District of the school committee not to administer mcast could also have a negative impact and I only say that because I think of the graduation requirement um in order to pass incast and if some of our students are relying on that for a number of different reasons where it comes the avigail Adam scholarship until there's sometimes money atted uh attached to it um I I just without without fully knowing uh what would happen to us I I I certainly uh understand and respect your concerns it's not something that I would advocate for at this time uh this evening uh just because I I don't have a good answer for you about what would happen and and I I wouldn't want to put the committee in an awkward situation where um you know they they they take a vote tonight and then again there could be some Fallout uh just because it could have a negative impact on students um I I certainly happy to research your question um if you would like for a future consideration um and again you're um well than your right to take whatever put forward whatever motion and action tonight um and I understand and respect that I just don't have a good answer for you in terms of what could happen but I'm happy to look into that if that's the charge of the committee U just to piggyback off Mr Dolan I mean looking at what is proposed and [Music] [Music] [Music] happy to look into that and get back to go up if you're cutting Staffing I will follow up on that thank you of course Mrs um King before we take a vote I I would just like to Echo um you know the budget is it's a difficult budget for all of us to stomach that's up here none of us are happy with the impact on this budget and the potential impact on what can happen um you know and in as prior years we could possibly sit here and kind of talk about the town's funding but this year we cannot sit here and talk about the town's funding that is having the Major Impact it is the state funding um and and I would just like to say is you know if you look around what is happening you know I've looked around I've been watching it in the Southeastern Mass brain Tre is getting ready to lay off 28 teachers um Silver Lake georgetown's already laid off teachers or has given notices Kingston plumton hlx Marshfield or all or I say staff PA SES teachers they are all in this position um and it's a lot of it relating back to their fixed costs have gone up and the state budget allocation has not gone up to meet that inflation of all their fixed cost um so it we are all very frustrated as we all sit up here and what the impact could be to our kids almost all of us have kids almost many of us have kids that are in the district will this will have an impact on us um so it is incredibly frustrating um and I don't think any of us are happy with that I will turn back to what is the you know has any thought or any Outlook been done on what fiscal year 26 is going to look like or is it going to be kind of similar to like last year when we said oh yeah fy2 is going to be a horror show Happ to answer that I mean just just to put it out there the the the cost that is Conrad labruno was talking about our huge cost drivers Transportation utilities Insurance all of those things went up between 5 and 10% but yet the rate of inflation that the state gave us was 1.35% and that's based on what the town and municipality spending was for the year prior and I don't see any towns or municipalities having a high rate of inflation this coming year for next year so it's going to be the same if not worse next year that's why I really think once we get through this budget we need to also think creatively for next year what are we going to do different for next budget how are we going to Advocate to the state for sure of they can't fund us at a 1% increase and expect us to you know the student Opportunity Act the plan that we just approved to do all those things to get mcast scores up to serve all of these children that have high needs now so you know we we as a as two communities have a moral obligation to educate our kids but the state holds that moral obligation as well and they're falling willfully short of that obligation Mr fitzg oh yeah willfully and willfully yes sure um but to to Mr deo's point we we' also uh had a very unfortunate Confluence of events in that many of our contracts when we had fixed kind of costs built in utilities Etc have all come up for Renewal now in an in an environment where inflation has taken over and as Miss K pointed out the state is not giving you that inflationary increase that really everyone has felt in this room we're watching it home everyone's felt it and uh to 1.35 is is laughable uh really to think about it um but but at the same point in time then it's also going to depend next year on our two towns fiscal health and what the state aid to those two towns are and where the towns are so there are very many moving pieces that we as Miss King says have to keep an eye on and start as early as possible to get going on for next year Mr D just just before we get going I mean I've looked at it I've listened to I last year we said the same thing well you know we need to do more with less we're telling our teachers that you know how you know it's difficult to look my kids teachers in the eye and say hey too bad I I refuse to do that anymore you know sometimes someone has to stand up I can't support this budget I can't look at the 12 kids on my baseball team in the eye saying I condone this I am this is not to condemn what the have done this is not to condemn what the budget subcommittee has done miss babalola Mr poish you've all done your best this is I'm taking a stand I know that there's no State reps here that's unfortunate hopefully they're watching I hope they are I hope the candidates that are running to fill those seats are watching this is unacceptable what the state is doing to us it's unfair to our teachers it's unfair to our students and I will not stand for it so I I can't support this tonight I I would encourage people is uh last week the masc did a presentation uh around the budget and the state impact on inflation and they picked many districts where they walked through um that impact and what is happening if people have not seen they posted on their website the recording and the slides I would encourage you to look at it um because it is it is really goes into detail around the state impact um and gives a layout of many districts AC not just the southeast but across the state that are really um that that are struggling and that will have a massive impact on them and again as Miss King talked about earlier Hill Day is coming up um and I would encourage folks if again many us were whatever if you can make it make it um Miss um also to go back to something Mr fitzg said in addition to the state it's also we need to look at our towns not necessarily you know they're not giving us the funding but how can they look at their funding for the next year specifically Rainham which had Deb exclusions fail so maybe we need to also talk to our towns and say how are you going to think outside the box for next year to fund us because we don't fund ourselves we create a budget but then we look to the towns and we look to the state so we need to look at all avenues we need to talk to the state and try and have them refigure out how they're only giving us a 1% but also look at each town and say how are you going to fund yourself next how are you going to fund us next year um so that's something too not to say that they're not funding us but they need to look ahead financially and say we had Deb exclusions fail what else are we going to do how are we going to turn this around next year question a clarifying question in our process um I listened to the recording last week and I wanted to just restate what I heard and get confirmation here um it was my understanding that despite what is approved in the budget today it is a superintendent's discretion to spend the awarded funds based on the best his best judgment in other words the school committee is not part of the prior prioritizing process therefore our vote is simply to approve the budget amount and not the budget line items that is correct so as I was trying to confirm that is that um something that our district is just our Norm because I did not see that approach written down in what our guidance are any rules or regulations around that so I didn't know if that's just a process that our district has adopted or it's dictated somewhere else just to clarify so we approve a budget which is an amount and it is line items right now but as an HR perspective we don't have Mr Powers has HR privilege with his with the within the district but that doesn't mean that he goes and hires and makes those decisions in a vacuum we need you know he talks to the chair constantly and we meet monthly as a budget he also cannot transfer from Line to Line we always have to transfer with the budget vote so he is constrained by that he doesn't have authorization to make transfers and there's always discussion so it there is a little give and take there but he does have HR privilege if that's what you are getting at but I I what does HR privilege mean I was just so we only have authority over Mr Powers so we hire him we evaluate him we we meet with him we don't have authority over you know a principal so Staffing that's that's his but that doesn't mean that that exists in a vacuum where we would not have discussions or updates or you know discussions about that Mr f m m I'm going to do my best to translate Mr Dolan and if I get anything wrong he'll correct me um we the budget we adopt tonight is the budget that's set by the Thousand line item if you will so the 1,000 series the 2,000 series that's that's where our um policy and uh budget setting level ends within those thousand series then it's the principals uh the principles and the and the superintendents and the assistant superintendent executive uh authority to spend that money within that now sometimes what will happen is and this is why we have a a cleanup vote at the end of the year because at the end of the day we have to line up what was spent in the 1,000 series and the 2000 series and the 3000 Series so for example if a boiler goes out in the middle of the year and we need $250,000 to do it and Mr poers knows there 250 M babola obviously would be in part conversation knows there's $250,000 in a different thousand series he might move that temporarily but we have to validate it at some point that that was the appropriate thing to do that's right so as Miss Ken said we cannot the superintendent Miss Bola no one in District but the school committee can vote to move from one series line to the next um that is strictly school committee privilege um and a lot of this is spelled out in chapter 71 um there's a lot of sections that cover it um but it is sort of spelled out in in that in that um Mass General law um so I I I I think I I see where you're coming from Miss mville and I appreciate the question I think there are um overall um um guidance that we can suggest and recommend to the superintendent but we cannot dictate um Thou shalt spend um or Thou shalt cut here um we can only go based on the expert and he along with his the team at central office and the and the staff as a whole are the educational professionals so we have to rely on them to um Advocate to us what they feel they need to run the district so I and I hope I wasn't I didn't um presented that way I wanted to get clarification on what we're voting on tonight if we're voting on the budget line items or we just voting on The the full budget which will be out so that pieces of your um answers from each of you did help me to understand that so thank you so it is the full number but you'll hear within the Motions that it's broken down by town so it it may seem like it's by line but it's not it's based on what the portion from Bridgewater is what the portion from Rainham is with debt without debt uh with capital without Capital so it it's not line item but it is sort of separated out by town if that if that helps further questions Mrs K thank you Mrs Conor Leo um the first motion that I have is for the end trans that we had discussed um I would make a motion to approve the transfer of $2 million from The District's end fund to support the fiscal year 25 budget motions been made by Mrs King second second by Mr uh forgot about you already uh any discussion um Madam chair if I may um what does that leave within just going to Mrs B can you tell us what we'll have in andd after we take that 2 million out um all those any other discussion uh all those in favor I I any opposed no uh any extensions motion passes thank you um motion number two um I make a motion to recommend that subject to review and verification by the district Treasurer the school committee vote to approve the final budget for fiscal year 2425 excluding debt and capital costs in the amount of 9,756 1859 the final budget figure of 9,756 18859 to be be reduced by anticipated Revenue totaling 34,653 68336 and an end appropriation of $2 million leaving the amount of $54 m734 N5 to be paid by the member towns as follows Ram's apportionment of said costs is to be the state's required minimum contribution of 20 million $2,911 plus the non-discretionary charges of $964 for a total due from Rainham in the amount of $2,989 N24 Bridge Bridgewater's apportionment of said costs is to be the state's required minimum contribution of 31 million $149,600 plus the non-discretionary charges of 1,933 1883 for a total due from Bridgewater and the amount of 33 m835 something1 the apportionment and non-discretionary charges are based on the enrollments in the Bridgewater rham Regional School District as of October 1st 2023 motions been made by Mrs King is second second second by Mrs Martelli any discussion I would just reiterate my points from earlier and M Mrs King took what I was going to say about Mrs Richard's plan it's a great plan but hearing that the next year may be the same or Worse how are we supposed to put into action without more money while it's a hollow no someone has to finally step up and like I said hopefully the the state reps take notice that it there's going to be some squeaky Wheels any other discussion all those in favor I any opposed no any extenstions motion [Music] passes [Music] uh sorry I was sorry okay uh third motion um I would make a motion based on October 1st 2023 enrollment figures Capital costs will be assessed to each town as follows Ram's portion of the capital costs of the bridge Rainham Regional School District is $84,500 Bridgewater's portion of the capital cost of the Bridgewater rham Regional School District is $1,744 for a total Capital cost of $1,832 second motion made by Mrs King and second by Mr Dolan discussion all those uh in favor any opposed no uh any extensions there is no exensions motion passes thank you um motion number four I would make a motion to recommend that subject to the review and verification by the district Treasurer the school committee vote the final budget for fiscal year 2025 debt costs as follows Rainham cost with bond interest and principle of 66100 $975 39 to be reduced by state reimbursement and Grant distributions in the amount of $0 for a total due from Rainham of $661,000 39 Bridge wers cost with bond interest and principle of 3,745 52553 to be reduced by state reimbursement and Grant distribution and the amount of $0 for a total due from Bridgewater with bond interest and principal of 3,745 2553 for a total debt cost of $4,475 192 a motion been made by Mrs King is there a second second by Mr Dolan any discussion I do have a one question is it typical to have zero uh State reimbursement for yes okay sorry I couldn't remember from last year so uh unfortunately all those in favor I any opposed motion [Music] passes um thank you madam chair um that concludes my report and again I just want to thank the budget subcommittee Mr Powers miss babala Mr oash show Mrs mcdal um the full committee and the towns and everyone that has been working with us and all of the community members that have given us feedback um it is definitely to Mr D Marino's point it is definitely not a budget that we want um and I really thank our admin for looking into grants getting creative um we do not want it to impact our students but we also want to make sure that our teachers are supported so hopefully we will get through this budget and we will get creative especially for next year so thank you thank you Mrs king um next Personnel report Mrs hey March 25 verication of one absence new hes one rehire two resignations one retirement ofation one termination and two volunt questions for Mrs Healey question yep um the date entered and the date what are the signific of those so the date that we notifi we actually action so person action um so we entered into our spreadsheet on that date the date effective is the date that that will so um of absence is in August of 2024 so that SCH that person not um so in the future is it possible for those who resigned that we could at least know how long we've been in the district um I add somewhere so that [Music] just just like a column it I I would just be curious to see what is or turnover rate right if we see um folks um resigning you know less than a year so forth if that would be a Trend that I would be curious to see um so you you is that too much of a administrative burden to add that the process take some to get any other questions for Miss yeah data High yeah any other questions for Miss see no thank you m uh next on the agenda is unfinished business and it's a The Proposal of the 2425 uh school calendar yes thank you madam chair uh I did want to just um provide a quick update obviously based on feedback from uh sorry head so Dr based on our last meeting when Mrs Barry presented the first read uh to you uh we had taken the committee's uh recommendation or suggestions that we do not hold um the first day of school on on September 3rd which is the state primary uh originally we had planned that day as a uh school day for our students in grades 1 through 12 as we typically start the Tuesday after Labor Day um the state primary was not shaping up to be a um a heavily contested race and then we had several um members of the House and Senate uh notify their communities that they were not seeking re-election as now we actually do anticipate to have a greater turnout uh for September 3rd so based on that feedback uh we have um actually how that impacts is we're obviously delaying the start of school so the first day of school now would be Wednesday September 4th for students in grades 1 through 12 and Thursday September 5th for students in uh kindergarten preit obviously that does change our end of the year um and so now our new last day for students in um grades 1 through would actually be 11: because our 12th graders will already beone uh will be Wednesday June 18th um and we uh have remained with preschool and kindergarten ending on the 6 as you know we do our screenings at the end of the year uh so this only significant really change is delaying the start of school by day uh the only one uh other piece of information I'll share and this unfortunately has happened in the past uh we've had to come back to amend the calendar prior to the end of the school year uh for the following year only because mcast schedules uh come out and so when we produce this calendar uh the Statewide testing schedule for the following year isn't always released um and I have not seen that for next year it could be in there as I as I say that but when we checked uh it had not been released for next year so sometimes that does impact a potential early release day um especially at the high school level where those days are prescribed that they have to test on certain days so I know you're going to take your your final um or you're going to potentially take a a vote tonight but that would be the only thing I would just share with you that could be coming back next month to say mcast schedules are now released and uh we do have to change the calendar but at least you'll know the start of the school year the end of the school year and any of the other uh nons school days those should not change questions for Mr Powers see none I will entertain a motion to approve the school calendar year for 2425 so moved second uh motion been made by Mr Dam Reno and second by Mr Dolan any discussion any other discussion all those in favor any post exensions motion passes um next item is oh sorry next item is the uh the last day of school yes thank you madam chair um I'm hesitant to uh talk about any foul weather and potential speed cancellations from here on out but as you know we did have uh we did have one closure day and so I knew um end of the year last day of school for students in grades 1 through 11 will be Monday June 17th baring any um other closures um as you know we we do have to make up days that we close I know there's sometimes confusion about what you build during the 5 days um that is State requirement that we go 180 school days but we build the calendar in with 5 days but that just doesn't mean that you know we don't have to make up those days so we did have one closure so we will be coming back to school on a Monday uh our last day of school is always an early release day so we'll be an early release date on the 17th and then again we're keeping preschool and kindergarten on the 7th uh as originally uh scheduled just for screening purposes um and if anything changes between now and then I know think back to my days in Stonehill in the April uh first snowstorm it will be the 17th yes right now um at this point to approve the last day of school is June 17th for 1st through 11th and June 7th is kindergarten second motion made by Mr dlan second by Mrs King all in favor any opposed any extensions MO passes um next I will entertain a motion to approve the pay re warrants St uh March 7th March 21st 2024 so moved second motion made by Mr Fitz Gibbons and second by Mrs King uh any discussion nope see none all those in favor I any extensions any opposition motion passes uh our business none no uh public comment anybody public comment umber Mr Barber y Mr Barber Barber presid of just a question during the town meetings uh when both towns are going their budgets presenting will there be someone representing to at least speak towards the someone ask questions I'm ask so that they Tom both times understand that what you're asking for can you just say something minimum for us to continue providing education students Mrs Le so not have to address you Mr Barber I will just say that but Mrs King as budget has a I I would move to suspend our policy so that Mrs King can uh answer the questions I I did have that under announcements where I can say it here if you want Mrs Conor Leo well why don't we just do it under announcements so it's clean IW my motion draw the second draw the second um oh there's no announcements there announcements never mind it's here no it's here announcements other business other business yeah okay um as I was going to announce Mrs kindo um May 7th is the Bridgewater Town council meeting to vote on our budget um I will be there but I was also going to ask if Mr Fitz Gibbons was going to be there Mr Powers generally also attends those meetings um and then May 20th 2024 is the town of rham town meeting as a rham resident I always attend town meeting and I'm always there to address any concerns and have anything and Mr Powers always attends that as well so there will be representative from school committee and Mr Powers at those meetings to address any questions or [Music] concerns um any of I at this point I'll entertain a motion motion to adour second uh all in favor I me