00:00:00,067 S1: Thank you very much. Um, it's 647. The Wyndham Select Board has returned from its recess to resume its meeting. And we're very pleased and honored to be meeting jointly this evening with the Hamilton Windham Regional School Committee. And I know that Chair Dana Lara will need to open her meeting. 00:00:19,000 S2: Thank you. Ben. Uh, at this point, I call to order the meeting of the Hamilton Windham Regional School Committee at 6:47 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 and remind everyone that this meeting is being recorded and live streamed. 00:00:34,701 S1: Thank you very much. Um, at this time, we'd like to invite each of the candidates up to the table, and, um, you can't see them. But if you look in front of the table, you'll see where your name tag is. Are. 00:00:48,167 S2: Um. 00:00:49,267 S1: And. Yep. You got it. 00:00:51,000 S2: Then. Perfect. If I may, I may I just. 00:00:54,067 S1: Yes, please. 00:00:56,868 S2: Welcome. Thank you all for joining us. I did just want to say to the board and to the committee and to the other candidates that I don't anticipate that Miss Lambert is going to be joining us this evening. Um, so she had contacted me and let me know that that was a possibility, that she wouldn't be able to be here this evening. 00:01:18,167 S3: So what happened to the fourth? 00:01:20,567 S1: That's that's. 00:01:21,801 S2: What. 00:01:21,968 S1: I was saying. 00:01:22,567 S2: She's unable to be here. 00:01:24,367 S1: Absent from the in-person interviews. Um. All right. Well, welcome. And, um, let me just say at the outset, before we start, um, how much I've enjoyed working with, uh, Dana as the chair of the select board and we, you know, have, uh, coordinated this joint meeting, and we're very glad to have you here and to get as much participation, um, from everyone as possible and to have dialogue with you on some important issues. So, um, the way we, um, have agreed to begin is that each candidate will be given the opportunity to make an opening statement. We'd like you to please try to keep it to 1 to 2 minutes. We won't be too strict on time, but if you could keep it to under two minutes, that would be great. And we're just going to go in alphabetical order. Which means that. Mr. Hansen, you can begin. Sure. 00:02:22,667 S4: Hello, everyone. My name is Wil Hansen. For those of you who I don't know, it's very nice to meet you. And it's very nice to see so many people in town who are willing to take on this role. I humbly ask for your support to become a member of the School Committee. I'm not an educator, but a corporate attorney. I don't spend my time trying to win cases. Instead, I focus on trying to find solutions and negotiating balanced solutions. I built a career out of working with difficult situations and people that I don't often agree with, and I think my background is well suited to this role. I'm a hard worker and a quick study. I'm passionate about what I do, but also thoughtful and generally pretty calm. It's been clear over the past few years that our community has been divided, and I think I have the skill, experience and mindset to help move forward. Service has also always been a large part of my life. I was an Eagle Scout and as attorney I've done a I've done pro bono work for many clients over the years, including doing some finance work for a charter school in Boston. This is a chance to give back to a community that has welcomed us, and particularly my kids, and to the district, and that's the main reason that I volunteered. I'm a proud father of three kids, two at Buca right now, one soon to be at Buca. We were blessed to be able to live in a town with such amazing schools, and I'd like to do everything I can to help maintain that excellence and give all students in the district the best education possible. Thank you all very much for your time. 00:03:38,567 S1: Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Miss Holbrook, you're next. 00:03:43,901 S5: Hi, everyone. My name is Julie Holbrook. Thank you so much for for entertaining us this evening. As I noted in my letter of interest, when I applied for this position, we moved to Hamilton Wenham from a neighboring North Shore town in 2012 because of the school district. We we focused our search on Hamilton when and when we were looking for a home, and we happened to find a house that allowed us to put a basketball court in the backyard, which was the only way I was going to convince my son to move with us. Our oldest started at Booker two weeks after we moved, after a wonderful meet and greet with Kathy O'Shea, who was her first grade teacher. She that daughter of mine is now living her best life on my dime at Syracuse University. Thanks in no small part to Hamilton Wenham, and she and her friends and her classmates feel so incredibly well prepared for college. She said that to me at the end of last year, and that is just that's just kudos to the schools for preparing these kids so well to go out into the big wide world. My family has been active in supporting the school since we moved here. My husband was a member of the Air Fund for many years. My daughter at Syracuse was a salesperson at the Christmas Tree Fund and she may be up sold some of you on the larger Christmas trees over the years. My son, who is a couple of years younger, um, worked on the Flynn's, um, Edgar Fund haunted house Haunted Woods for many, many years, both as an actor and as someone who who built the materials. Um, I'm interested in taking this role now because I want to give back to the community as well mentioned, and I now I have the capacity to do it. My kids have their driver's licenses. They're a little bit more independent, and it frees up a lot of your time. Um, it turns out in the evenings, um, as Will mentioned, you know, the town, it seems, has been, you know, divided on a number of issues surrounding the schools. And I think that this is a great opportunity to try to bring the town together as we pursue the next path forward for our elementary schools. Um, I worked in education administration for 20 plus years, and I know really probably all too well the issues that schools face. And while I'm focused on higher education, we are dealing with the same issues across the board resource constraints, capital improvements and planning for infrastructure negotiating contracts. But of course, the most important thing is to figure out how to educate our children and our students so that they are happy and healthy and productive and engaged members of the community. One final confession that may end my candidacy right here and now, but I root for the Buffalo Bills. 00:06:16,100 S2: Thank you. Yeah. 00:06:17,868 S5: Um, and so while the Pats are a nice sort of secondary team for me, um, I am I am a bills fan through and through. Thank you. 00:06:27,601 S1: Bold confession. 00:06:28,601 S6: Their public confession. 00:06:31,267 S1: Miss Noonan. 00:06:34,400 S7: Thank you. My name is Kristin Noone. And thank you to the select Board and to the school committee for inviting me and my fellow candidates here this evening to meet you all. I have lived in Wenham for most of my life. I'm the parent of two boys who attend Booker. They are in fourth grade and kindergarten respectively, and I am interested in serving on the school committee at this time, because I think the various experiences and values that I have could be really useful in this role at this moment. Um, through my, you know, personal and professional life, I've been very committed to education and to community. Most recently by serving as the executive director of the Wenham Museum for the last 12 years, which was a function that had to meld both of those two needs together, and educating and engaging the public, but also fostering and and building community. I also have a very long commitment to public service. I was actually educated through Catholic schools, and I think a big benefit to that was always on the emphasis on giving back and helping and serving those who were less fortunate than you and have brought that, you know, forward into my professional life. Um, I did, you know, attend the College of the Holy Cross, and that's one of its core values. There was to be a man or a woman for others, and have really tried to bring that forth into my life. And I attended law school, um, like Will, I am also an attorney, and I attended Suffolk Law School, which has a tremendous commitment to public service in the third sector, both through government and nonprofit work. Presently, I am back practicing law, and I work for a law firm that only serves the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. So I do spend a lot of time in the same sort of messy trenches that I think our community has found itself in, and trying to build consensus across disparate groups and interests. Um, and bringing those sort of experiences that I have to life through service on the school committee. I think, you know, my temperament and my personal style. There were the relationships and I have been able to foster in the community over many years will be an asset. I tend to approach situations with curiosity, with kindness. You know, I'm a seasoned leader. I've always tried to be fair, levelheaded, willing to listen to everybody. Um, I am an optimist, which I think you can't, you know, be in this business if you are not. And I will also, you know, make a decision when the time comes. Um, knowing that sometimes that's not easy, but necessary. I know that the conversation around building the new consolidated school has been a main focus, and I think the facility needs will continue to be really important. But I also want to offer, you know, that I think I could be a candidate for all of the district's goals. You know, at the school committee's meeting last week, I think four really critical goals were discussed. Um, one of them being the need for continued facilities improvements and upgrades, but also needed policy around AI. You know, supporting all of our learners through a multi-tiered approach and addressing school start times, which I think will have tremendous impact on families and community organizations that are served by our district. So while I do want to continue to help support the community and moving the facilities questions forward, I want to help with those other issues as well. Um, so I care a lot about the town of Wenham. I'm happy to help and I hope it is as a member of the school committee, but if it is not, I look forward to helping in another way. So, for your consideration. 00:10:24,667 S1: Thank you. All right. So now we're going to begin a series of questions, the first three of which will be asked by members of the school committee. And the way it will work is that each of you will be asked to answer question one. And then each of you will be asked to answer question two and so on. So, Dana, would you like to? 00:10:44,367 S2: Sure. So we did not decide who was going to ask which question, but the school committee is going to ask the first three questions here, and we'll just see who's anxious to ask one. 00:10:59,467 S2: All right. Megan looks like she's jumping in. 00:11:02,000 S6: How do we do the order? 00:11:03,901 S1: Um, why don't we stick with alphabetical? So it'll be. Is that fine? 00:11:08,767 S2: Yeah. And then after. And the next question. And we'll want to mix it up. 00:11:11,467 S6: You need to switch it around. 00:11:12,901 S1: We can do kind of a we'll do a loop. So we'll do Hanson. Holbrook. Noone. Noone. Holbrook. Hanson. 00:11:22,167 S2: I'm going to write it down. We got it. 00:11:24,968 S6: Keep us honest, Dana. Okay. 00:11:27,067 S8: Well, for you, what are your your three top priorities for the school district? And how would you work on the committee to focus on these priorities? 00:11:35,701 S4: That's a great question. Um, I think start off, the district is, I think, doing a lot of things very well. It's consistently ranked at the top of the state, which I think speaks for itself. And I think I would do everything I can to help maintain that. I think there are a couple of challenges. I think the schools, Cutler and Winthrop are both in dire need of upgrades, with Buford not far behind. I think finding a solution to that challenge needs to continue to be prioritized. I think it's clear that the district, as I mentioned before, has been divided on this point. I think this is a real challenge and there's not many easy answers. I would prioritize community outreach, um, finding solutions that will be supported by the community, including, I think, immediately trying to restart process to seek, you know, additional state funding for capital improvement projects. Uh, another challenge, I think the district is only as good as its contracts with the superintendent, with teachers, with support staff. Um, making sure that we maintain, you know, be a top school district, offering good contracts on top of the market. Incentives to draw in and retain talent should also continue to be prioritized. And I think this is the third part. I think this extends to the regional agreement itself. Um, in its current form, the original agreement is fairly out of date. Um, often lacking in substance and in places a little sloppy. Um, amending, amending and restating a strong regional agreement. Um, will be a challenge as by its nature, it's a tri party agreement. So you have to get both towns and the district to agree. That's not going to be easy to implement, but working towards, you know, a strong, clear and updated agreement will benefit all parties. I think by removing uncertainty, building trust in the school committee, or rebuilding some trust in the school committee and clearly delineating roles. And I think this should also be prioritized. 00:13:17,467 S1: Great. So same question for um, yes, Miss Holbrook. 00:13:23,000 S6: So. 00:13:24,000 S5: As Will said, I think maintaining the excellence of the school district is is the thing that we that we absolutely must do. And um, in my current role, I have sort of. I have begun to take on strategic planning initiatives on behalf of the dean. And what I have learned from that is that you have to be a you have to be really clear in your mission. And I, I spent about ten minutes today trying to find the mission on the Hamilton Williams School District web page. And it's buried in like an about section and then strategic planning section and all of these things. It wasn't it didn't pop up. And what I have found through my years of working at mission driven institutions and being involved with mission institutions, is that every decision that you make really needs to lead you back to the mission, and everybody needs to be on board with the mission, and they needed to know what the mission is. So many years ago, I started to work for a dean who opened every single meeting that he ever had the mission. And at the beginning I would think, oh, like, we're going to hear this again. And then I realized he was just engraving it in, in the staff and in the faculty and in the students. And when it came time to make difficult decisions. And this group of people have a lot of difficult decisions to make in the coming years, it was, okay, how does that get us back to this? What facilities do we need? What policies do we need? What activities do we need? What sort of buy in from the teachers and the students and the staff that that work so closely and wonderfully with their students? Do we need and how do we get them to buy into that mission? So I found the mission statement, and then I found the vision and action, and I found all of these things. And I see it, you know, it's posted all over the walls. And I think that that is great. Um, but in all of the conversations about that were about the, um, you know, consolidated school and the and the pros and cons of that, I didn't hear a ton of references to the mission, and I and I wonder if that is a way to sort of unify the community so that we can all agree. I think we all have all agreed on what the mission and the vision and action is, and we worked hard on those things and but maybe we make them front and center again and get past the sort of, you know, bad will and bad feelings that so many people have right now. 00:15:47,467 S7: Thank you for the three things that I think that the district should be focusing on. I think, you know, firstly, I think it has to really be education, and I do really like the work that was done through a lot of stakeholder engagement. Um, you know, under the superintendent's leadership to kind of craft that portrait of a learner. And I think that could be a really helpful and useful guiding star. And it was a process where there was a lot of consensus and a lot of community input. And I think that is a bright spot that we could focus around, um, and center around. I do also think ensuring that, you know, consistency, consistency and equity, and the educational experience across all of the schools is still a concern for everyone. Um, you know, I think it's ensuring that teachers and specials and special ed have the space and the resources that they need. Um, I think if we're able to support our teachers and our faculty and staff with giving them the resources that they need, um, whatever they may be, it's not always necessarily money, but to support them, that they will support our students and give them the best education that they can. Um, lastly, I think, you know, in general, I think money follows a plan. So I think for the facilities and aligning the needs of the facilities with the need of our programmatic program. Um, you know, I do think we do need a plan for that. And I think what would be probably helpful in a year, one type of situation is really thinking of a process by which that plan could be developed so that all stakeholders feel as though they've been involved, and that we go into future requests for change, for money, for doing things a different way, are done with as much pre-existing consensus as possible to try to bring the community together to the best we can. So. 00:17:51,367 S2: Thank you. Thank you. Um. All right. Next question. You're so anxious, Amy. Thank you. Um, so I think we're going to be starting with, uh, Julie, is that correct? Yes. Okay. Um, my question is. 00:18:07,267 S6: What do you see as the role of the school committee? 00:18:11,167 S5: That was actually when I was looking over the list of questions. That was the hardest question. Um, you know, I think that the role of the school committee is to be the experts on so many things about our schools and make difficult decisions in parallel. They should be representing the the views of the community and the concerns of the community, whether or not they agree with those views or those concerns. But I am a big believer that there are a lot of people who know a lot more about a lot of things than I am. And I, you know, I want to learn from those people, and I want to take their advice. I don't pretend to be an expert in everything. And I think that, you know, I hear a lot of, well, just this I just know this in my in my gut. And I'm a lot more data driven. And it's probably because I work with engineers and applied scientists and hard core people who do not let you out of a room unless you have produced a lot of data to back up your perspective. And so I think the role of the school committee is to be the ones to look at that data and to analyze that data and to make informed decisions and recommendations Based on that data again, whether or not they like what the data is telling them or not. Um, and, you know, I also think that, um, well, this is it. I, I have a lot of respect for, for everybody who sits on these kinds of boards in small towns because especially in recent years, it's been, you know, I think there's been a lot of, um, conversation and feedback, negative and positive. Um, and so, you know, I do think that it is important for the town to have faith and trust in the people that they choose to sit on the select board and in the school committee. Um, but primarily I look to you all to, to be the ones to make informed recommendations because you have a lot more data than just the average person, um, you know, sitting in their house having opinions about things. 00:20:13,000 S6: Okay. 00:20:15,367 S7: My next. 00:20:15,901 S1: I think. 00:20:16,200 S6: So. Yes. Okay. 00:20:16,901 S7: Kristen, I just wanted to make sure. 00:20:18,467 S6: Thank you. 00:20:19,400 S7: Um, I think you know the role of the school committee has a few different purposes. I think you have to start with what it's authorized to do. You know, by statute where we have to, you know, oversee the district, support the budgeting process, um, manage the contract for the superintendent or superintendent, search, you know, set policy for the district, handle all the collective bargaining issues. I mean, I think that is the starting point. I think sometimes things get hard. I think when the community expects the school committee to weigh in on things that are actually staff prerogative to weigh in. Um, so I think continuing to understand where the lines are between the school committee's oversight function and the operational function of the superintendent and the sort of org chart under him, um, is is a guiding role that the school committee needs to play, you know, to really clarify when it is appropriate for the committee to weigh in and when it's not. And then obviously, you know, when the committee is discharging its duties, I'm sure there are moments where it's grey. It can be a little mushy, especially in the area of policy questions. And I think, you know, that's where understanding the needs of the students, you know, the community feedback, the feedback of the faculty and staff, you know, is really important and shaping those policies and decisions. 00:21:45,767 S6: Thank you. 00:21:48,667 S4: So I think looking at five arms of the school committee, I think developing policy, developing the budget, overseeing the superintendent, advocating for public education and community engagement. Um, I had a great conversation recently where it was explained to me that the school committee is more like a board of directors, and the superintendent is more like a CEO. This is an analogy that works really well for me. I know how boards operate and I can implement this. Um, community engagement comes easy. Right now I'm an active father of three girls, so I am very outnumbered but also very engaged in the community right now and in the challenges that they're facing in schools and also in town. Um, I think the budget is a very, very important part right now. I think it obviously takes up a lot of time of what the school committee is doing. I think setting the budget and making sure it meets, uh, what the what the district needs and, um, is obviously a large priority. And it's something that I have quite a bit of experience working with clients budgets and financial statements. Um, I think public education advocacy is also very important. Um, I've been a long supporter of public schools. I attended public schools. Um, my grandfather and my mother in law are both middle school teachers their whole career. Um, I've been around public education my whole life, and I think continuing to advocate and push for that, especially in a town where we see a lot of people, you know, leaving the public school system and going to private schools. Um, I think getting out there and being the face of this is good and why it's good, and continuing to be in, you know, an excellent district is very important. 00:23:16,300 S6: Thank you, thank you. 00:23:18,300 S2: Um, and then I think the next question we will start with Kristen. Julia, were you interested in reading question. 00:23:27,167 S9: I think the three of you have answered this, but feel free to repeat yourself. What do you see as your qualifications and experience that make you a good fit for a position on the school committee? 00:23:38,667 S7: Yes. So, um, maybe just to build out a little bit more on some of the things in my introductory statement. Um, I really do think I have a lot of experience in trying to build and foster consensus, um, through just all of my time, I think running a nonprofit and also working day to day really intensely with nonprofits. Um, nonprofits are can be a little notoriously messy. And I think the sector has been through a lot of turmoil over the last, you know, 12 or so months, with major changes in the federal funding landscape and a lot of hard decisions that a lot of my clients have had to make and I have and those kinds of situations, I think, you know, people who serve on a nonprofit board, it's so near and dear and close to their heart that they bring a lot of passion to those conversations. And I think that's really similar with the kind of feelings and moments we've experienced in our town of people advocating really passionately for their children or for what they believe is the best for the budget or the tax rate. I think a lot of those kinds of feelings and emotions can come through. And I think there is a way through that. I think sometimes it takes time. It requires letting people be heard, often hearing the same person multiple times, you know, as they kind of get their message across. But I would say I do deal with that every single day and are able to, I think, get to the other side of that. And I think, you know, the operative word is consensus because it's not unanimity. You know, it's sort of a general agreement that everybody can live with. And I think understanding that sometimes when you approach these things, you do have to listen to everybody. You do have to take their concerns seriously. They are real and also understanding that there is not a solution that makes everybody happy. Um, so it really, truly is a consensus based process. 00:25:44,100 S6: So thank. 00:25:45,501 S2: You. I think we'll. 00:25:47,100 S3: Thank you. 00:25:48,300 S4: Um, I will, you know, repeat a little bit of what I said a moment ago, but I think looking at the five arms of the school committee, I think there are several that I'm well suited to participate in, particularly developing the budget, overseeing the superintendent, advocating for public education and community engagement. I think the budget was an easy for me. Um, my legal practice focuses on private equity and corporate finance, so I very often work with budgets and financial statements, and so there's a very solid foundation there, and it would only need to get up to speed on specifics. I'm a hard and diligent worker, and I don't have any concerns on that front. Um, I'm also not a courtroom attorney, so I negotiate for a living. My whole job is really finding acceptable consensus for people on different sides of an issue. Um, I had a client once comment that I have a particular skill in evaluating an issue and finding getting to the core of what is and what isn't important, because in looking at a lot of these issues, there are often things that are not important, and they're often more things, especially for two different towns that are coming together that are more important. And I think I think I would fill that role very well in the school committee. 00:26:52,400 S6: Do you want me to repeat the question? 00:26:55,167 S5: No, I I'm well suited. Okay. Any of us are. 00:26:57,367 S6: Well suited to. 00:26:57,868 S5: This. So, um, I work at a university downtown, and I spend my days, um, interfacing and negotiating with faculty and students. And when I tell you that negotiating with faculty at a major university downtown is, um, that is a that is a challenging role. Um, and as Kristin said, everybody wants to be heard and everybody has incredibly strong opinions, and everybody in that room thinks that they are the smartest person in that room. Um, and, and we don't do anything without building a lot of consensus, but we also make decisions that people are unhappy with. Um, and so I, I that is just how I spend my days much of the time. Um, and, and we are talking about the same kinds of things that people in education are talking about. We are talking about how to plan for capital projects. We are talking about how to deliver education in a world where our kids are better users of technology than we are, right? We are trying to plan to figure out a way to engage students and teach them and demonstrate and show them that you can have disagreements and you can have dialogue, and it doesn't need to become confrontational and it doesn't need to be hostile. I mean, we are you know, I am talking about that with students who are in their 20s, and I am talking about that with my kids who are in their teens, and I am talking about that with younger kids who I see. And so I am I am very much sort of in the trenches of thinking about these, the kinds of issues that that I think school committees across the country are facing. 00:28:38,200 S2: Thank you. Um, periodically, everyone just needs to wave their arms and that will get the lights to stay on. Um. 00:28:48,200 S2: I chose not to. I chose not to do that while you all were speaking. Distracting or nothing. Um. All right. To select board. 00:28:59,667 S1: Yes. Thank you. So, um, the select board is now going to ask three questions, and we'll follow the same process. I'm not sure exactly what looping will do, but we'll get to that. Um, so, uh, uh, Deirdre, I think that you have the first question. 00:29:15,667 S2: Thank you. All right. How would you. 00:29:19,167 S5: Get up to. 00:29:19,701 S10: Speed on the governmental aspects of the school committee and also municipal budgeting? 00:29:27,100 S3: Do you want to direct them? Like who? The order. 00:29:31,100 S4: Is it back to me? 00:29:33,000 S2: Yeah, I think it's back to. Well, yeah, doctor. Well. 00:29:36,267 S4: Um, for fear of repeating myself from what I said a moment ago, I think for the municipal budget part, I think that comes. That's an easy one for me. Um, I do a lot of corporate finance work. I work with financial statements and budgets all the time. Um, so I think that's a very solid foundation. It would be very. The only thing I would need to do is get up to speed on the specifics here and learn this particular budget, and I don't have any concerns with doing that. On the municipal side, I'm not a municipal attorney, but I think, you know, Reading the. I mean, being extremely familiar with the regional agreement, especially as it's in the process of being renegotiated. Understanding the role of the school committee and how that fits and, um, what is required of it under, you know, mass and mass laws, town bylaws, everything. Um, I don't have any concern with that. It's very well with with what I do. 00:30:26,267 S5: Um, so I have spent a lot more time than I would like to in the last year and a half thinking about budgets and and the impacts of government decisions, federal government decisions that have dramatically impacted our budgets, and coming up with contingency planning for funding based on, you know, a lot of unknowns. I'll be really honest, like the budget is not the thing that that I love. I'm a lot more interested in policy and sort of strategic planning and those kinds of things. Um, but I have I have I'm, you know, confident in my ability to look at it, understand it, ask the people who know all of the questions. And I have gotten, you know, a lot more familiar and a lot more comfortable with budgets and thinking about, you know, the way federal guidelines impact budgets and things. And then maybe then I would have liked to in the last year. And so I just, you know, I think a lot of it will be just sitting down and absorbing it and reading it and then just asking a ton of questions. Um. 00:31:33,000 S7: Thank you. Um, I also feel comfortable that that's something that I could get up to speed on. I also think it could be appropriate to, you know, be the oversight body that's asking the questions of the superintendent and the finance director who has prepared the budget. You know, oftentimes I know, like in a nonprofit setting, like staff is working really hard on the budget. You know, brings it to an oversight or an overseeing body to really like probe the budget, ask questions. Why is this amount going up? Why has this changed? Um, and to really kind of learn about the budget process that way. There's also, I know a lot of resources available online through, you know, the Association of School Committees and other materials that kind of talk about like, best practices and developing the budget and reviewing the budget. And I think that would also be something that I would be reviewing in the lead up to, to budget season. So. 00:32:30,467 S3: All right, Cameron, next. 00:32:31,667 S1: Question is yours. 00:32:33,501 S11: Yes. Reflecting on the recent votes from the Cutler School expansion, where there were different or there was a differential in voter support between the two towns. Do you have ideas on how to promote a greater unity between the two towns for any future major district projects? 00:32:54,400 S2: I think we're starting with Julie. 00:32:55,667 S5: Is that me? 00:32:56,100 S2: Yeah. 00:32:56,801 S11: I was looking right here. 00:32:57,767 S7: I know I was looking. 00:32:58,868 S2: But I wasn't. 00:32:59,367 S7: Sure. Okay. 00:33:01,167 S11: I can read it over. If you want me to. 00:33:05,100 S10: That's a doozy. 00:33:07,467 S2: Yeah, it did it right. And, I mean, it's fine. 00:33:13,467 S10: So I think. 00:33:14,567 S5: For me, it goes back to something I said earlier, which is, I mean, I think the two towns. There is a lot of common ground. Right. I think we can all agree that we want to maintain excellence in our schools. We disagree on maybe the best path to get there, but we we need to continually reiterate to one another and to town town leadership in both towns that we are all looking to do the same thing ultimately. And there will be one path forward, and some people will like that path more than others. But there will be only one path forward, and we can't cut off our nose to spite our faces here. Right. We need the perfect. Cannot be the enemy of the good. We we have to. As Kristin alluded to earlier, come up with a process that has buy in that people feel is fair, that people feel as transparent, where they feel like they have an opportunity to be heard. And then we need to rely on the various experts in the field to tell us how we do the thing it is that we're ultimately decide to do after we've done all of this due diligence. Um, you know, the town is divided, the country is divided. It is just like an incredibly difficult period in our time right now. And, you know, I think all we can do is take very small steps collectively as a small town and, you know, try to, um, convince people that the group that makes these decisions, the Selectboard, the school committee, the Finn Comm committee, all of these things are really are operating with the best of intentions. Right. And that maybe you don't like a decision that they make, but it doesn't mean that it was, um, nefarious. And we just have to continually remind ourselves of that. And we really do have to demonstrate it to our kids. Um, because that is my fear, is that these kids are hearing all of these things and seeing all of these things on social media and on TV, and then they are taking them to school, and I don't. That's a really hard thing to combat. And I give the teachers and the principals and the superintendent a lot of credit for trying to think creatively, how to deal with that. But we it starts with the adults in the room. Um, and so we just have to just continually beat the drum and, and hope that it starts to resonate and that people have had enough of, of what this has been for the last couple of months. 00:35:33,367 S11: Thank you. 00:35:35,400 S2: Christian. Okay. 00:35:36,667 S7: Thank you. Thank you for the direction. Um, I think in terms of bringing the two towns together, I think we have to look at the places, I think, where there are bright spots. Um, and build upon them. I mean, I think the opening of the high school fields recently is a great example of a time when both towns have come together in a real positive kind of community event. So I think to the extent there are opportunities to have those sort of joyful moments, we should expand upon them and capitalize on them. Um, in terms of, you know, the more tactical issues of trying to figure out which school and when and how much and who's first and will when them pay for Hamilton and Will Hamlin. Some pay for one of them. I mean, I think those are difficult questions. I do think there is going to need to be another round of community feedback. Um, and I think other kinds of solutions are going to have to be floated out there. You know, my my nephews attend school in Newburyport. There's multiple elementary schools in Newburyport, but they're divvied up by grade. So all of K and one is in one building, two and three is in another building four and five is in another building. That would undoubtedly not be a popular possibility for some people here, and for others it would probably be embraced. So I think some of those kinds of other ideas that we haven't explored yet are going to have to be brought to the fore and trying to talk about a plan B, you know, for the facilities. 00:37:11,901 S12: Thank you. Yeah. 00:37:14,868 S4: I agree and echo a lot of, a lot of what you just said. This is a great question. I think one of my strengths is being able to reach consensus when not everyone agrees. And I think that is something that will come into play here. I think the key to this, from my perspective, is enhanced community outreach to both advocate for district policies and priorities, but also to understand prevailing opinions, prevailing preferences of the constituents in town to find common ground that everyone can get behind. Um, usually in evaluating a problem, I do not assume that I'm right. Sometimes I assume that I'm wrong Run and try to understand all points of view. Reevaluate and find ways to work with people who have opposing viewpoints. These are skills that I think would be very helpful and put to good use as a member of the school committee at this time. I think this is also a, you know, a tough question. It was clear in speaking to residents over the past year. Um, it was clear to me that under the current regional agreement, when citizens are hesitant to approve funding for schools in Hamilton without any promise of reciprocity. And I think we need to find some solution that addresses that concern, and that there is no easy answer to that question. No solution can favor just one, or just Hamilton, or just the district needs to be a solution that, you know, broadly, the towns can get behind. And most important, not just the committees and, you know, the select boards, but also the constituents in town. I think this is a real challenge. Um, and the school committee obviously has has real work ahead to implement these solutions to find and implement these solutions. And I think I would like to be part of that process. Um, community outreach and trust building, I think is going to be a big part of how we move forward. 00:38:49,267 S1: All right. Thank you very much. The next question is from Gary, and I believe the order will be Miss Noon, Mr. Hanson and Miss Holbrook. 00:38:57,467 S13: What is your understanding of the current status of the regional agreement? And what are 2 or 3 issues that you believe are important that are, are or should be covered in the original agreement? 00:39:10,868 S7: Thank you. So as we were moving towards the vote to approve the new school, um, I did take a look at the regional agreement at that time and again today in preparation for today. And I do think that it probably is a document that is ripe for revisiting. I think that it's difficult sometimes, in my experience, to make large policy changes when people are upset because the concern could be you're changing a policy to generate a certain outcome. Um, so I think that changes to the regional agreement will need to proceed thoughtfully. Um, and in a way that balances the interests between the two towns. I think one of the main points of contention will be the percentage of vote required to incur debt or to incur expenditure. I think there was a lot of confusion around that. A lot of lack of trust. All kinds of issues that were created by, you know, the town meeting vote followed by the ballot vote. And I think clarifying the process through which expenditures are going to be approved going forward in light of the community interest, state law should be a significant part of that agreement. Um, I also know that the balance of enrollment is changing between the two towns. 00:40:43,000 S9: Is. 00:40:44,100 S7: The rolling average of three years of enrollment the right number? Should it be more? Should it be less? I don't know. I think some of those apportionment questions are probably something to take a second look at as well. Um, I think also maybe just the basics of the agreement of how often is it reviewed, how how is it amended, trying to revisit some of those things to maybe make some of these things less fraught as as we move forward? 00:41:13,267 S12: So is that you? Yeah. 00:41:16,968 S4: I mean, it's hard to disagree with any of that. Um, I think in reading the regional agreement, it is a bit sloppy. It's it's out of date and it's not very fulsome. So in going through the recent, um, votes, someone asked me to take a look at the agreement. And, you know, what happens if the vote fails? What's the next steps? The agreement is completely silent on that. And any strong agreement between two towns that is going to govern going forward should have answers to all of those problems. You should never look at a contract and have there be gaps there where you do not understand what the next steps are or what the what the available options are. So whether or not it's out of date with state law, it needs to be updated. Or I mean, it can be out of date with state law as long as it's a conscious choice. And I very much agree that changing it in the middle of a vote is a very difficult thing to do. And so again, with what I said before, community outreach on this point is going to be extremely important. Um, so finding, um, not just in the vote vote percentages, but I do 100% agree that that will be a big part of it. But just in general, how the agreement is structured, how budgeting is structured, all of that needs to be reevaluated and a much more fulsome agreement put in place. 00:42:25,000 S10: I don't know that I. 00:42:25,701 S5: Can improve much on what Christine and Will. 00:42:27,601 S10: Said, but I will. 00:42:28,601 S5: Say that I do think that the recent sort of conversation around, um, the school agreement and how it impacted the various votes and kinds of things. I think people in town don't totally understand the regional school agreement or the regional agreement. And I think it's, you know, it's kind of boring and dry. So people don't want to take the time to understand it because it's boring and dry. But it turns out it actually really means something. Right. And so if there is, you know, if there is a way to. 00:43:00,701 S10: Elucidate. 00:43:01,367 S5: The important points of it and explain to people how it does actually impact them and their families and the way the towns operate. I don't I don't know how you do that. Um, but, you know, I think people feel slightly suspicious right now. I think people are like, oh, well, we didn't. People didn't get what they wanted the first time. So we tried for a second time, and then we tried for a third time. And you know the truth of it, it was all aboveboard, but as well said, there wasn't a lot of guidance about what was allowed or not allowed. And so people are just, I think, confused and maybe slightly, um, suspicious is a strong word. So I think what what? As Christine Will said, we need, you know, better ways to communicate to the community about what it is, what it means, what it includes, what is possible going forward. Um, and then explain to them how it really does matter to them, even though it's, you know, it might not be the most exciting reading on a on a Wednesday night. 00:44:00,100 S1: All right. Thank you. I think back to the school committee for some additional questions. 00:44:03,901 S2: So yeah, our at our meeting we had approved some additional questions. If and I will leave it fully to the committee. You have them in front of you. If if anyone feels like they want to ask any of those questions. 00:44:18,200 S14: I'd like to ask the first one. Good. 00:44:21,000 S9: Um. In April interim points, you will have the option to run for election to continue on the committee. Do you intend to run. 00:44:31,000 S2: Back to Will? 00:44:32,000 S3: Sure. 00:44:33,067 S4: Um, yes, I would intend to run if I was appointed to the position. I'm very aware of the time commitment that this entails. Life is busy. I have a very demanding job in three very demanding children, and I thought long and hard about applying because I understand what is required and the sacrifice that it entails. I don't do anything half heartedly, and I want to help and be of service, and I think I have what it takes to succeed here. So if if appointed, I am all in. I'll happily give the time and energy and I would intend to run in April. 00:45:03,200 S5: My intention, if selected, would be to run unless things went catastrophically sideways. And it turns out that I was like a terrible fit for. 00:45:12,667 S10: This or. 00:45:13,868 S5: Or something. So I do want to make sure that if I'm selected that that I am helpful to the board and that I am the right fit and that I'm helping move things forward. Um, but barring again, you know, some kind of disaster, I would I would plan to continue to engage. 00:45:32,868 S7: I would say the same. Yes. 00:45:35,167 S12: Yeah. Okay. 00:45:37,367 S8: I would actually also like to ask the second question, even though I think will kind of address it. But I'd also like to ask that one if we can. 00:45:44,868 S12: Sure. 00:45:45,667 S2: Um, I've lost track of who's first, but I think it's. I think it's Julie. Yeah. It's fine. 00:45:52,267 S8: All right. Julie. For you. So, um, there's a substantial time commitment to serving on the school committee. We meet as a whole in person, twice monthly, generally on Thursday evenings. Members serve on at least one subcommittee as well. There's a significant time investment in preparing for meetings. Please speak to your ability to commit to this level of participation. 00:46:11,767 S10: So actually. 00:46:12,801 S5: I think I maybe slightly addressed this in my opening remarks, but my kids are now at the age where they are a lot more independent than they used to be. My daughter is away in college, my son is in high school and driving, and so I am finding myself with a lot more free time in the evenings and on the weekends that I than that I used to have um, short of basketball season potentially approaching. And so that's one of the reasons why I sort of submitted a letter of interest now, is because I feel like I am at a place where I do have the capacity to spend the time needed to prepare and review and pore over materials and things. 00:46:53,267 S12: Thank you. 00:46:56,000 S12: So next. 00:46:57,601 S7: Um, yes. I also feel that I have the time to do this. Um, I am busy, you know, with my family and kids and their obligations and everything. I, I do not work full time. I work slightly less than full time. Um, so I do feel as though, you know, after kind of starting with my current role, you know, last year that I'm at a place where I have some time where I can invest that, you know, back into community or volunteer, you know, commitments that I'm interested in. 00:47:27,167 S4: Uh, yes. I would have saved some of what I said in the last response. But yes, I understand the time commitment. Life is very busy right now, and I certainly don't have as much free time as I think Julie is implying. But I understand what what is required and I'll be there. 00:47:43,100 S12: Great. Thank you so much. 00:47:45,567 S1: All right. Great. So that brings us to follow up questions where we want to give any member of either board the opportunity to ask any follow up question if they wish. No one has to. But these would not be new questions, but follow ups to answers that the candidates have already given. And if you do a follow up question and it's directed just to 1 or 2 of the candidates as opposed to everybody, please. So indicate in your question. Does anybody have any follow up questions I'd like to ask? 00:48:20,400 S3: All right. 00:48:21,200 S2: No. Did you want to ask the final. Did you have a question? 00:48:25,000 S15: I can ask the final question. 00:48:26,267 S2: Yeah, We did have another question on there. Okay. 00:48:29,267 S11: So do you guys have. 00:48:30,167 S15: Any questions for us? 00:48:35,667 S4: Back to me. I don't I don't think so. Dana was super nice to offer, you know, to discuss before today what it means to be on the school committee. And it was a very helpful conversation, and I don't think I have any other questions at this time. 00:48:47,467 S12: Thanks. 00:48:51,667 S12: Okay. All right. 00:48:52,901 S7: I would just, you know, ask if anyone on the committee has a thought of something you wish you knew before you started the school committee that you know now. 00:49:02,868 S2: Having thrown my hat into the ring in February of 2020, 00:49:09,667 S2: there are quite a few things I wish I knew. 00:49:14,667 S2: Yeah, sorry. That was. 00:49:18,901 S12: Um. 00:49:20,267 S14: Do you want to go? I can, I want to answer that too. Do you want to go? 00:49:22,901 S12: Yeah. 00:49:23,767 S15: Um. How much a good superintendent and administrative staff. 00:49:27,767 S14: That was my answer. 00:49:28,868 S15: Is can can either make or break a district. And we've had both. We've had ones that have out and out lied to us, and we've had really great ones. And the experience working with the really great ones versus the really bad one is night and day. 00:49:47,667 S14: I would say literally exact same thing. I didn't know the importance of a reliable, um, superintendent that is willing to stand up for what they believe in and willing to answer questions and willing to, you know, dedicate the time. I guess I just didn't really understand that. Um, I mean, I think there's a lot of things I've learned. 00:50:07,901 S9: The budgeting. 00:50:08,701 S14: Process. 00:50:09,167 S9: Is not. 00:50:09,767 S14: I mean, it's difficult in the beginning, but it's not as intimidating. I think I lost some sleep over it when I first started because I was worried to ask the wrong question. Um, but really, there's no stupid questions. And if you have a question, then a member of the public is thinking it, or one of us is probably thinking it. So that's really important too. It's just just come with good intentions and you'll be fine. 00:50:37,801 S1: I think. Julie, you. 00:50:38,868 S10: Oh. Um, so this is specifically for the. 00:50:42,267 S5: School committee members. What's the what. 00:50:45,467 S10: Is. 00:50:45,667 S5: The most rewarding part of being on the school committee? I know. I can only imagine what the most challenging pieces of this are. But just to end on a positive note. 00:50:55,267 S15: Um, so I was involved with the Athletic Fields project from the beginning of that, and seeing that come to fruition and seeing all the community members and the school committee members and the parents and the athletes. That was pretty darn amazing. To be honest. Like that was just like I walked away from that day on cloud nine. 00:51:19,901 S12: That's cool. 00:51:20,767 S2: It would have been my answer to that feel. The feeling of being there, not the actual project itself, but the feeling of being there on that night. I would admit my answer. 00:51:33,067 S16: I love when we have students, like, we'll have students come here and talk about the different clubs and the different things that they have achieved. I go to graduation every year, and it's just a really nice reminder of why we're setting policy, reviewing the budget, all that stuff. Like it's it's all about the students, really. So I think we do a good job of making sure we get to see the students and their work. I have children in the system, but it's also nice to meet kids I don't know and get their input. 00:52:08,767 S14: I would say learning new things that I would never have probably taken the time to go as deep into the weeds and then really feeling like I can have educated conversations with people about very specific things. I think for me that's helpful because I do come from the place of passion very often, um, where my emotions kind of take over. But to be able to be have data to back it or experience to back it, or things that have happened or documentation I think is really helpful for me to be able to make decisions. But just getting in the weeds has really been rewarding and learning about things, even if I wasn't necessarily interested in them and then sort of became interested in them. 00:52:50,167 S16: I learned a lot about soil testing this past year. 00:52:52,767 S12: Soil testing. 00:52:58,267 S1: All right. Um, thank you all very much. We're going to ask you to return to the gallery behind you. 00:53:06,367 S12: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. 00:53:17,367 S1: All right. So now, um, we're going to enter a deliberative session as a joint body. And there's certainly no requirement that anyone comment publicly on their impressions, uh, before we vote. But we did want to have the opportunity for, um, public comment amongst the members of the board, um, in a deliberative session, if anybody wishes to to do that. And if no one does, we'll move to the vote. But, um, why don't we leave it open for anyone who wishes to to speak before a vote? 00:53:54,200 S8: I mean, I'll just say, as someone who sat there three months ago, four months ago, I mean, this is incredibly difficult. We had three amazing candidates tonight. Very well prepared, very, very well prepared. And so this is going to be a very, very difficult decision. But I very much thank everyone for putting in the time and showing up today. Thank you so much. 00:54:17,767 S2: I just want to I mean, the level of preparation of all three candidates was really remarkable. Like that was an impressive, impressive work on all three parts. 00:54:31,667 S3: Okay. 00:54:32,167 S13: Yeah, I would echo that and say that certainly the school committee is going to be the beneficiary of a very excellent member, no matter who ends up being picked here. I hope the public has a chance to see the superlative resumes presented. And it's nice to see a although it's a competition, it's nice to see more than one person come out for a particular committee slot. And I'd like to see that spread to the other world as well. 00:55:03,100 S3: I would just echo that. 00:55:07,100 S10: Yes, I would like to thank all three candidates for coming forward. I think it has not been easy to be on the school committee, particularly over the past year, and the fact that you are all willing and brave enough to put yourselves forward is demonstrates the commitment, the interest and the passion that you have for this. So I am extremely grateful. I am very proud of Wenham this evening, because I think all three of you are exceptionally qualified and have been exceptionally articulate and well prepared, as the others have said. I'm just so proud to be from Wenham tonight, so I thank you for that also. And I'm going to make a pitch because unfortunately we can only take one of you and there are three. But I would love to have all of you involved in town. And I'm just going to say we have other vacancies, notably on the fin com. And if the two of you unfortunately cannot be selected tonight, pick something else because we'd love to have all of you. So thank you. Thank you very much. 00:56:13,467 S3: Anyone else. 00:56:15,801 S1: I'll just echo the same thing. I was really impressed with all three of you, and appreciate the preparation that you put in, the thought that you put into your decision even to apply understanding the time commitment and, um, and the research that a lot of you clearly did on some of the specific issues that are, um, front and center right now and similar to what Deirdre said, you know, for the two of you who don't get the, um, appointment, I hope you'll stay involved, including in school matters. And, um, you know, there may be other opportunities on the school committee down, down the line, depending on what, you know, people do for re-election and so on. So, um, I hope that the two of you. 00:57:00,667 S3: Who. 00:57:01,100 S1: Don't make it won't be discouraged because any one of you would be an excellent, um, appointment to this vacancy. So I think that will bring us to the vote and the way that that is going to proceed. And again, Dana and I worked very cooperatively on this, and I had the benefit of learning from Dana as to how this was done. Just, you know, a few short months ago when Megan, you were selected. So, um, each member of the school committee and select board will be asked to publicly state his or her top two candidates of the three. And Dana has the unenviable job of tallying, um. 00:57:47,200 S3: Those votes. 00:57:48,367 S1: And so based on, um, that round, obviously there'll be two candidates or maybe not so obvious because I don't know if there could end up being a tie. We'll find out. 00:57:58,501 S2: And we'll deliberate more, I guess. 00:58:00,667 S1: Um, but there will, at the end of that, presumably be two finalists, and then there'll be a second round of voting, where each member of the two boards are asked to select the top choice from amongst the two, and that will determine the winner. So. 00:58:21,367 S2: Um, anybody have any questions on that? Everyone understands. 00:58:24,667 S12: Or makes. 00:58:25,067 S2: Sense. Yeah. I'm going to go around and say your top two in no particular order. Great. 00:58:31,367 S1: All right. And I think just in terms of custom, um, uh, each of the chairs probably should vote last, um, you know, after each of their members, if that's fine with you, it's that. Why don't we start with David, and then we'll skip over Dana and we'll go around. We'll skip over me, and then Dana and I will give our votes, um, at the end. All right. So, um, David, if you could tell us your top two candidates, please. 00:58:59,400 S12: Sure. 00:59:00,267 S13: Um. 00:59:01,601 S17: I think it's up to, uh, Will Hanson and Kristen. 00:59:12,000 S2: Yep. 00:59:14,601 S2: I'm going to skip. 00:59:17,868 S12: Okay. 00:59:20,968 S17: And I would just echo the remarks of, of all of you that that we are very blessed to have that quality of candidate across all of them. 00:59:32,000 S13: Kristen and Julie. 00:59:34,200 S12: All right. 00:59:37,767 S10: Kristen and Will. 00:59:42,601 S11: Will and Kristen. 00:59:45,767 S17: I couldn't hear. 00:59:46,567 S11: You. Will and Kristen. 00:59:49,067 S16: Uh, Kristen and Will. 00:59:52,167 S15: Um, Kristen and Julie. 00:59:56,567 S12: Kristen and Will. 00:59:58,400 S14: Kristen and Julie. 01:00:00,868 S2: Chris. I'm sorry. Julie. Kristen and Julie. Okay. Um. 01:00:07,501 S2: Okay. 01:00:09,167 S1: Um, Kristen and Will. 01:00:13,767 S2: All right. And Dana is, uh, Will and Kristen. Um, so. 01:00:26,901 S2: So the top two are, um, Will with eight and Kristen with 11. Um, so those are our top two. Um, sure. That top two are Will with eight and Kristen with 11. Correct. Which is I mean, I'm going to move on the next is to vote. But I will note that does actually mean that everyone selected Kristen. Correct. There are 11 of us. 01:01:02,467 S1: I think that's right. Yes. 01:01:04,267 S2: Um. 01:01:05,167 S17: So do it again. 01:01:06,300 S1: Would you guys going last? Um, well. 01:01:09,300 S12: Go ahead. 01:01:09,667 S1: I think I might as well, just for the process. We'll go ahead and, um. All right, so the two finalists are Kristin Noon and Will Hansen, and now we'll have a vote to, um, uh, to select the top choice. And then, by the way, uh, just so everyone knows, once that vote is complete, um, uh, Dana and I will entertain a motion from somebody on the board to, uh, move to appoint that individual. Uh, but that will come after this round of voting. 01:01:40,767 S2: No. And I guess obviously it could come out either way, I guess. That doesn't mean anything. I guess they were all so. Okay. Um, do you want to use the same order? 01:01:48,701 S1: Sure. Why don't we do that. 01:01:50,501 S2: David? 01:01:52,100 S17: Um. 01:01:58,267 S17: I think. Kristen. 01:02:01,767 S17: Kristen. 01:02:02,567 S13: Kristen. 01:02:04,667 S10: Kristen. 01:02:10,467 S12: Well. 01:02:12,467 S16: Kristen. 01:02:14,767 S15: Kristen. 01:02:18,367 S12: Well. 01:02:19,567 S14: Kristen. 01:02:23,100 S1: Kristen. 01:02:24,667 S2: I mean, I'm sorry. Sorry. Um. Um. Kristen. Um. And a motion 9 to 2. Um, with Kristen. Um, coming out on the top. 01:02:45,467 S17: I moved to a point 15 to Hamilton, one of the regional school committee, for the term ending to the day of the next town election in April 2026. 01:02:55,467 S13: Jerry seconds. 01:02:57,767 S1: All right, so we'll take a vote of the. I think we can, since we're meeting in joint session, we can get everyone's vote on that same motion. 01:03:07,000 S2: I think so. 01:03:07,501 S1: Yeah. So I'll just do a roll call of the select board, Dana. And then if you want to do a roll call of the school committee. So we have a motion and a second to appoint Kristen Noon to the school committee for the chair amending through the date of the next town election in April 2026. And, um, Peter, what's your vote? Yes, Gary. Yes. Deirdre. 01:03:26,501 S12: Yes. 01:03:27,567 S1: Karen. 01:03:28,100 S12: Yes. 01:03:28,501 S1: And Ben is. Yes. 01:03:30,501 S2: Um. And we will do a roll call vote as well, just to be consistent. David. 01:03:36,667 S17: Yes. 01:03:37,868 S2: Amy. Yes, Jen. Yes. Megan. 01:03:40,467 S12: Yes. 01:03:41,067 S2: Julia. 01:03:41,601 S12: Yes. 01:03:42,167 S2: Dan is a yes. And that is unanimous. Of the six members present. The motion passes. 01:03:47,300 S1: Excellent. Uh. Congratulations, Kristen. Um, and thank you very much, Julie and Will, for your excellent presentations. Uh, I think at this point, uh, Dana, it'll be your. 01:04:00,200 S2: Um. 01:04:00,601 S1: To adjourn your meeting. 01:04:01,667 S2: I think, before I. I just want to just say, I know we said it already, but truly, it's, I think rare that you get a choice where you really feel like it's not going to be a bad outcome, no matter what. That's very rare in the world today. So that was really lovely. And, um, thank you. And I will ask Kristen if you could stay so I could, um, and now I will take a motion. 01:04:33,000 S14: Oh, do we need to to adjourn first or do you need to adjourn? 01:04:36,067 S2: No, they're going to stay. 01:04:36,601 S12: We're going to stay going. 01:04:37,567 S14: Oh, okay. I move that the Hamilton one and Regional School District. Um, the committee adjourn at 755. No. 850, I can't tell time. 01:04:47,200 S2: 777 50. 01:04:48,767 S14: I can't I. 01:04:49,200 S2: Can't see that I'm. 01:04:50,200 S14: Sorry. 750. 01:04:53,167 S2: Did I get a second? All those in favor? We are adjourned. Thank you very much. 01:04:58,801 S12: Thank you. 01:05:00,200 S1: All right. And as for the select board, we have no old business. To my understanding, other matters that may have not been anticipated by the chair. Does anybody know of any. 01:05:10,567 S18: Questions from the court? 01:05:12,667 S1: Seeing none. Entertain a motion to adjourn the Select Board meeting. 01:05:16,968 S13: The upcoming schedule, for sure. 01:05:19,567 S11: I was just thinking that. Gary. 01:05:21,067 S17: Yeah. 01:05:21,968 S1: Okay. 01:05:22,868 S11: Can we do it from now until the end of the Or until January, if possible. 01:05:26,400 S12: Sure. 01:05:26,667 S1: We'll probably want Steve to come to the back to the table. We're talking. Dates. Meeting dates. 01:05:49,567 S17: What are we. 01:05:50,000 S1: Doing? Going over the rest of the year's select board meeting dates. So we've already got. We have the fourth scheduled or. 01:06:03,667 S19: I think we talked about the fourth and 18th of November. We didn't talk about November. 01:06:08,567 S11: The fourth is Election day. 01:06:11,501 S1: Is there any election, though? 01:06:12,667 S15: Well, we have. 01:06:13,167 S11: The Dewey primaries. 01:06:15,000 S1: I don't think there's any election. 01:06:17,968 S12: Do we have state? 01:06:19,100 S19: Someone said that in email, but then Diane looked into it. She said, we have no election. 01:06:22,767 S11: Oh, well, Diane's the guru, so I'd go with whatever she says. 01:06:26,000 S1: All right. So the fourth and. 01:06:28,300 S12: And. 01:06:28,601 S11: Where is it? 01:06:29,200 S1: Is it 18th. 01:06:30,367 S17: That. 01:06:30,567 S13: Flows into two and 16 because otherwise you don't. 01:06:32,767 S17: Want. 01:06:33,367 S12: To write. 01:06:34,701 S1: Two and six. Yeah. Two and 16. 01:06:39,100 S11: Four and 18. Is that November? 01:06:41,501 S1: Uh, November 4th, November 18th, December 2nd and December 16th. As long as those dates are I'm for everybody. 01:06:52,767 S11: I was 16, doesn't work for me. 01:06:54,167 S13: But otherwise you can't push to the 23rd. Yeah. For Christmas with 82 days. Yeah. Yeah. 01:07:03,501 S12: Okay. 01:07:03,767 S1: So I think we are going to stick with this. 01:07:05,701 S12: I just can't go. 01:07:06,567 S1: All right. Good. So I think you've done that. So a motion to adjourn. 01:07:09,701 S12: So moved. 01:07:11,667 S13: Second. 01:07:12,300 S11: And then we don't have another meeting until the 6th of January. So we have three and a half weeks go by. 01:07:19,767 S1: Uh, that looks to be the case. Yeah. Yep. Right. With the holidays. So. 01:07:23,968 S13: And we got the budget on 6th December. Right. 01:07:27,567 S19: Saturday with that budget is December 6th. 01:07:31,000 S13: Okay. 01:07:31,501 S1: All right. I think we have a motion and a second to adjourn. Um, all those in favor? 01:07:35,100 S12: Yes. 01:07:35,868 S1: Hi. We're adjourned. Thank you. 01:07:38,167 S11: Steve. Can we? Do we have to do.