00:00:00,080 S1: Things to speak and for the committee to listen. So it's your opportunity to be heard. Um, it's not a back and forth, um, dialogue or debate with the committee. It's our chance to listen and your chance to speak. Um, if there are people that wish to speak, um, we will time the three minutes. Amy will make sure. And she'll let you know when there are about 30s left so that you can wrap up. Um. All right. Is there anyone in the room that would like to speak? 00:00:33,399 S1: Okay. Um, is there anyone on zoom who would like to offer a comment? 00:00:40,439 S2: He says no. Oh. He's just. I just sent him to a different link. Okay. 00:00:44,399 S1: All right. Well, sorry to all of you who are having to listen to all the rules about citizens comments, but. All right. Um. All right. At this point, we will close citizens comments. Um. All right. And. 00:01:01,659 S1: Next up. Oh, I didn't give them out. Who wants to read? 00:01:08,099 S1: I'll see. Oh. Thank you. I don't know. Maybe those two. They look like they're ready to read things. 00:01:14,700 S3: You don't have anything to do? Yeah. 00:01:17,819 S1: Um, next up is a portion of our school committee protocols. That looks like Kristen. 00:01:23,900 S3: Yep. As elected members of the Hamilton Windham Regional School Committee, we, including the superintendent, accept the high honor and trust that has been placed in us to ensure that the students of the district receive the best education possible. To that end, we hereby commit to the following. In the conduct of our business school Committee members will vote according to their convictions, will avoid bias, and will uphold and support the decisions of the majority of the committee. Once a decision has been made, positions will not be used for personal or partisan gain. 00:02:00,430 S1: Thank you. Next is a portion of the School Committee mission statement. 00:02:06,230 S4: The Hamilton Regional School District School Committee's mission is to ensure our schools create graduates with a passion for lifelong learning. Together with the critical skills needed to maximize their potential. The Hamilton Windham Regional School Committee will lead and inspire a district that is a source of civic pride and municipal engagement to serve the community for generations to come. 00:02:26,590 S1: Thank you. Um, I do not think that Megan's microphone is working. I think we could hear, but I bet they couldn't at home. Yep, yep. I don't think that makes one is on. 00:02:44,469 S2: Can you drop those? No. 00:02:49,349 S1: I think I think I'm going to leave it up. 00:02:51,469 S2: To the experts. 00:03:03,729 S2: Oh, no. This one over here, bro. 00:03:05,770 S4: Oh! 00:03:07,409 S2: Lights on, but no way. 00:03:15,770 S4: We could. 00:03:28,810 S5: Try it now. 00:03:30,689 S3: Hello? 00:03:31,610 S2: There we go. 00:03:32,650 S1: All right. 00:03:34,050 S2: Thank you. Turn it off. Turn it on. Thank you. 00:03:37,889 S1: Okay, uh, next up, we have the superintendent's report. Eric. 00:03:46,250 S2: Thank you. Mine's going to be brief, because I am going to hand it off to our student government rep in one second, but I'm going to hit, uh, one thing. The, uh. Recently, on March 7th, we had our Northeast Regional History Day contest, and the results are in, um, for Hamilton winning projects qualified for the State History Day contest, which will be April 11th at Winchester High School. Some pretty interesting projects. I figured I'd showcase some of them. Special prize. Prize for outstanding project in medical history. Eleanor Anderson. Uh, her project title is anesthesia and the Civil War How a Revolutionary Drug Contributed to Medical Advancements on the battlefield and beyond. Um, the next one. Special prize. Outstanding use of primary sources. And a project from history from Historic Beverly Cassie Sullivan, Revolution of Memory, the abuela de Plaza de Mayo, and the fight to reclaim Argentina's lost Children. And then regional contestant Tess Bergin. The real border of Ireland isn't a line on a map, It's a border in the hearts of minds and people. Uh uh. d'Orsay, uh, group exhibit state finalists Ella Lochner and Nikita Pillai. The S.S. Habana A journey through revolutionary Action and reform. State finalists again. Next team. Viola Fazio and Sam Lineker. The 1982 Tylenol murders a revolution and consumer safety. Um, some of the other contestants in that group regional contestant Emma Hughes, Lucy Cronin, Rosie Connell. They there was titled Alexander Hamilton and the National Bank. Uh, another group in that same segment. Regional contestant Abby Coe. Uh, grace and Melody Sousa. Revolution in 37 words. And then another regional group, uh, Annie Soleimani. Erica master, Cole Harrison and William Kirkman. The foundation of Yellowstone National Park regional contestant Brendan Burke, Ryan Miner, Sterling Simpson, and Zach Satchell. The establishment of the United Nations. How revolutionary. How it revolutionized and reform the world as we know it. And then in the website group website section, we had two saved finalists and a third group that was competing. The state finalists, Irene G and Lydia Wang, one, two, three. China's reaction to the revolutionary one child policy transformed the state forever. And then the second state violence finalist, um, juniper monkey Helen Lee and Caledonia Millikin, students to Soldiers the Origins and impact of Red August and then the final group contestants Lalitha Sarandon, Charlotte Munsell, uh, Marion McCarthy and Sydney Smith. Did the scandal heard round the world? Watergate and government concealment. So we had, uh, six groups in the three segments, individual exhibits and group exhibits, and websites that took home finalists awards and they'll be competing in three weeks. So really exciting. I just I saw some of these set up at the school and, and some of the things kids were doing amazing, amazing work. Um, some of the some of the topics are always fascinating, you know, like, all right, my first question is always, how did you choose this? Why did you go down this road? So, um, just an opportunity to showcase some of the work that our kids are doing. Um, thank you to Miss Borges, Mr. Burnett and Johan Kunitz. They are involved in the research and supporting the kids and getting them to the competition and helping them to bring home the gold. So. All right. And that's I'm going to pass the rest on to. 00:07:36,829 S1: Thank you so much for sharing that history, Ferris. Our our students are always just amazed at the parents and just But even just the titles are just like, oh my mind blowing. 00:07:49,449 S2: Right. 00:07:50,490 S1: Um. Um, and thank you for that. Anybody else have any questions or anything? No. Okay. Really cool. Next up, we have our student government rep. Uh, Anderson Craft. 00:08:02,889 S6: Uh. Thank you. Um, next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, English MCAS is starting for all 10th grade students on March 24th and 25th. Uh, along with this, the high school is having its second annual March Madness Spirit Week event. This event takes place between February and April break, as a way to split up the long stretch for our students. Uh, our March Madness is very similar to Spirit Weeks, where students compete in different games for points. The only major difference is that the teams are split up to mix grade levels, creating more collaboration between grades in the high school. Uh, last week, 118 members of Deca, when Boston for states were 11 members, qualified for nationals. Then finally on Monday, spring sports uh began for baseball, softball, track and field, boys and girls lacrosse, and boys and girls tennis. And then in the middle school, many clubs and meeting. Many clubs are meeting constantly like the Art club, GSA, jazz band and student government. This week was also the last week of middle school intramurals. They offered basketball, dodgeball, and pickleball across the elementary schools. Last Wednesday, Winthrop Elementary School fourth graders hosted a bake for good bake sale. And then on Friday, the Cutler fifth graders are going on a field trip to Beverly. Book Straps. Uh. Between March 30th and April 2nd, all of the fourth and fifth graders are taking the English MCAS across the three elementary schools. And then lastly, the Winthrop kindergarten is taking a field trip to the Wenham Museum on April 3rd. Thank you. 00:09:28,019 S7: Thank you, thank you, thank you. 00:09:29,659 S1: Thank you so much for doing that work. Um, it's much appreciated. And it really means a lot to hear it directly from students. Thank you, thank you. Um, does anyone have questions for Anderson? 00:09:41,580 S2: No, I do. 00:09:42,879 S7: Okay. 00:09:43,600 S2: Can you explain March Madness for people? 00:09:46,679 S6: Uh, so basically, probably wondering. It's, um, so Monday through Thursday, it's been for like, games at the end of the day. So Monday we had, um, we had basketball between like, all the grades. We had five people with members of each grade competing. And well, the whole school is split up into four teams and then it's split across all grades. So each event is incorporating like members of each grade working together. And then, uh, like today we're trivia. So members of each grade had to work together to answer questions. And then it ends off on Friday with the senior staff basketball game. Awesome. 00:10:24,000 S7: Thank you. 00:10:24,440 S1: Excellent fun. Thank you. It's great to have a little glimpse into the culture at the high school. So thank you. Great. Um, Anderson, you are welcome to head out. You're also welcome to stay, if you'd like, but thank you. 00:10:39,879 S6: Thank you for having me. 00:10:40,639 S7: Thank you. Thank you. 00:10:43,330 S1: Um. All right. Always great to have the student here. Um, next up, we have the consent agenda. Does anyone have any items that they would like to hold from the consent agenda? 00:10:57,090 S8: I'd like to hold the the minutes. 00:10:59,929 S1: Okay. Um, and actually, I want to hold the advertisement. So I guess we don't really have a consent agenda. Okay, so much for that. Um, all right, let us start with, uh, the minutes. 00:11:17,289 S8: I just want to change may to March. 00:11:21,450 S7: March? 00:11:22,929 S1: Oh. You're right. The minutes are are the minutes are actually correct. 00:11:30,049 S8: Right. The minutes are correct. That's just the header. 00:11:31,970 S1: And the header is incorrect. You're right. Um, okay. Um. That's funny. Um. 00:11:44,350 S9: Oh, in the in. 00:11:45,789 S1: The actual agenda is wrong, but the minutes themselves actually say March. 00:11:51,429 S7: Yeah. 00:11:51,990 S1: Okay. Yes. No, thank you for that attention to detail. All right. Um, you want me to make a motion? 00:11:59,350 S8: Um, I move that we change the Thursday, March 19th agenda so that the minutes say March 5th, 2026 and not May 5th, 2026. 00:12:12,990 S9: Second. Second. 00:12:15,870 S1: Um, okay. 00:12:18,389 S9: I know it's kind of weird. We're not talking about the minutes themselves, but. 00:12:22,470 S8: Yeah, I wasn't sure where to bring that up. 00:12:24,070 S1: I know I'm not right. The actual document is just march. 00:12:30,269 S8: Just the agenda that needs to be changed. 00:12:31,990 S1: Right. 00:12:32,309 S9: Okay. I think that's the place to do it. 00:12:34,350 S1: Yeah, I think that's. Yeah. That's fine. Um. All right. The motion was. 00:12:39,320 S7: I fixed. 00:12:39,759 S1: It. It's already. We haven't voted yet. It's already been. Um, motion has been made and seconded. Um, all those in favor? And that is unanimous. Of the five members present, and the motion passes. 00:12:58,679 S9: Someone's thinking spring. 00:13:00,919 S1: Um. Yes, exactly. Jen, do you feel like we need a separate motion on the minutes? Do you feel like that? We didn't really vote on the minutes there or. No. 00:13:08,480 S8: I think we're. 00:13:09,080 S1: Good. That covered it. All right, so the minutes are approved. Um. All right. Oh, I said I wanted to had a question about this, but now I have to remember what it is. Um. Oh. So. Oh, I just had a question, Eric, that on this memo about the, um, uh, advertising is this different where it says potentially placed small advertisements at the concession tables. I felt like. 00:13:37,460 S7: That. 00:13:37,940 S1: Was new. 00:13:38,539 S2: That is. 00:13:38,820 S7: New. 00:13:39,139 S1: Is that new? So I just wanted to boost. 00:13:41,299 S2: This group runs concession tables. They're just asking to put small ads. Same similar ads to what they're putting in there. So, um, paper rosters in the book. 00:13:51,460 S1: So I guess my question would be when we say similar ads, like most of the other ads are locally based. 00:13:59,820 S7: And all of the. 00:14:02,019 S2: Same rules apply. Yep. 00:14:04,259 S7: Okay. 00:14:05,620 S1: Um. Thank you. I'm glad I asked. Um. Uh, well, maybe. Jen, do you have a motion on this? 00:14:13,379 S8: And then I move that we accept the game day advertisements and program book advertisements as written. 00:14:23,620 S9: Second. 00:14:24,419 S1: Second by Amy Burger. Does anybody else have any questions or discussion? Okay. Um, all those in favor. That is unanimous. Of the five members present and the motion passes. Okay. Um. All right. Next up is the FY 27 budget book. 00:14:51,039 S2: I know you're all excited to see this and read this. Um, this is our annual budget book that we make available before a town meeting. Um, most of the most of where it is located is, um, on our website, at the town halls, at the public library, at the Koa. We generally try to spread out paper copies around town so that people can see it. This is everything about our budget and more. It includes information about some of the assessment data. Um, digs into all of the debt. You can see all the debt. You can see all of the operating budgets by school. Um. Each principal writes a descriptor before each of their sections, and each budget holder also does the same thing. There's a note from Dana in the beginning. There's a note from me kind of introducing the book and just make it available and try to make kind of one stop shopping. Everything that we do and everything that's related to the budget is in here. Some of the things that we have to have in here, like the Pep Trust Fund, where we are at this particular point in time, the Capital Stabilization fund. This is where we when the requirement is to make sure it's public and it's a publicly available document to show where you're spending occurred out of your stabilization fund. This is where that occurs. Um, then there's some staffing summaries. Uh, M-class results. Grade 2025, uh profiles. Some things are complete as of June 2025 because like the the capital stabilization. That's when we shut it off for this book, even though this is a 2026 book. It's things like capital stabilization and in June 2025, because we don't have a full year to add into it for this year. So, um, we put this out again near and wide and we put, uh, copies around around town. And we'll certainly take suggestions if we feel like there's other places to bring them. Um, we also have them available at town meeting and we'll have a few copies. Um, they don't generally. They're not they're not big a big draw. So it's, uh, it's not uh. Most people read it online because it's so much information in it. Uh, I just want to thank Vinnie and Janelle and all of our principals and supervisors, uh, everybody that's been involved in putting this together. It's it is an effort that starts back when the budget starts in November. Um, and then just continues to churn through the process as we make changes. This book gets adjusted in in sync. So it is a big undertaking. So. 00:17:36,279 S1: All right. Um. 00:17:40,599 S1: And we need to approve it. 00:17:42,119 S7: Correct. 00:17:43,400 S1: Okay. Do you want to start us off? 00:17:46,119 S8: I move that we accept the, um, budget book as written. 00:17:52,640 S4: Second. 00:17:53,359 S1: Second by Megan Benson. Any questions? 00:17:58,799 S1: Discussion. 00:18:01,640 S1: All right. Looks like we're ready to vote. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Of the five members present and the motion passes. Thank you to everyone for working on that. Yes. Um, back to you, Eric, to talk about MSBA submissions. 00:18:18,559 S2: Or the MSBA submissions are for, uh, on this agenda for three the three elementary schools and as part of the conversation that's been ongoing with the community conversations and some of the connections we've tried to make with with the results of the community conversations, really trying to keep us in the in the ball game, if you will. Um, we figured it would be wise to submit, uh, at least the elementary schools on the April deadline. And these are standard forms by DC. Uh, Curtis Whiteman went through and updated the things that need be updated and made the adjustments that needed to be adjusted for each of the elementary schools. Um, they have to be approved by the committee to be submitted to the state. The submission deadline, I think, is April 15th, if I remember correctly. If they they'll they'll get uploaded into a portal that we work with, with the state. And as we have in the past, you don't hear anything until October or November if you're accepted or not, I would gas. We may not be the first year after our failed vote, so I think it's a safety to put them in there. There's nothing to lose. Putting them in there doesn't cost us anything. It just keeps the door open in case we do get to the point in time where we have the opportunity to to take advantage of the MSBA funding and process. 00:19:46,670 S1: Um, does anyone have any questions? 00:19:49,549 S7: Jen, I. 00:19:50,630 S8: Think I found a typo on page five. 00:19:53,390 S2: Of which one? 00:19:54,150 S8: Um, of the bigger one. Um, it says school name of the district priority soi. And it says Cutler shouldn't euchre. 00:20:05,109 S7: Yep. 00:20:06,150 S1: Are we? 00:20:08,109 S8: That was the. 00:20:08,589 S7: Only thing I found. 00:20:12,390 S1: Oh, yeah. 00:20:21,670 S7: Okay. 00:20:21,990 S2: It's got the eagle eye. 00:20:22,970 S7: Yeah. 00:20:26,369 S1: All right. Um. 00:20:31,250 S1: All right. Uh, does anyone have anything else? 00:20:35,130 S2: We can make those. Does the same on Winthrop. We'll adjust. 00:20:37,650 S7: Those. Okay. 00:20:39,049 S2: We thought we swapped them all out. 00:20:42,970 S1: Right. Because the description there is the same under. Right? Each one. The description that. 00:20:50,569 S7: Correct. 00:20:51,410 S1: Right. Um. 00:20:54,650 S2: What we're asking for is technically identical. It's just really. 00:20:59,170 S7: Yeah. Yes. 00:21:00,410 S1: Well, that was kind of going to be my question is that. And we, I, I know in years past before we were admitted, we had submitted many times before. And this is kind of this broad request. It's not a narrow, specific request. It's this broad request to be considered. 00:21:21,789 S2: They want you to be wide open as possible so that you get considered. If you get voted in. Then they come in, actually. As you probably remember, they come and do walkthroughs and then determine what options can be. 00:21:32,710 S1: So I just my question was sort of just is are these written sort of the way that prior to our that those sois that we would have seen a few years ago. Similarly where they got us in in the first place? 00:21:48,430 S2: We, we basically said to Curtis, go back and update and do the same exact thing because that's that Cutler one got accepted and had things that they needed in it. So we left everything even. Well, some of the some of the other checkbox up top are slightly differently written, but those are just eligibility criteria. So you're just like, did we do this? Did we do this? So we did all those. And then um, the other things are really selecting of the uh, out of the seven eight statutory priorities, you have to pick one. So we kept it the same because we figured if we fiddle around with it, it would. It would not fare as well. 00:22:27,680 S8: The same mistakes on the Winthrop one. 00:22:29,720 S2: Yeah, we just noted that one. 00:22:30,759 S7: Yep, we said that. Yep. 00:22:32,240 S1: That's good. Um, right. And it does. I mean, I just I know the committee knows, but just so the public knows, it does indicate on here, like the process that has occurred in the community. 00:22:44,039 S7: So it's part of. 00:22:45,359 S2: The one edition we did add, just so people are aware is the Capital Finance subcommittee is one portion, but the capital um, committee that meets outside of that subcommittee is has been added into that. It's kind of a new feature of the district. We didn't have it when we originally, so we added that in just to show that we have a process. And that's kind of a thing that they're looking for to make sure you have a process reviewing annually. So that is new. 00:23:15,319 S9: Okay. 00:23:16,700 S1: Um, do these have, I think, specific? Is that what you have, the specific wording? 00:23:23,180 S2: There is a motion that. 00:23:25,420 S7: Amy Burger has. 00:23:26,740 S2: It's the usual MSBA length. 00:23:30,900 S9: Are you ready? 00:23:31,579 S1: We're ready. 00:23:32,180 S7: Ready. 00:23:32,420 S9: Okay. I move that, having convened an open meeting on March 19th, 2026, prior to the Soy submission closing date, the Hamilton Regional School District School Committee of the towns of Hamilton and Wenham, in accordance with its charter, bylaws and ordinances, has voted to authorize the superintendent to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority the Statement of Interest Form dated March 20th, 2026 for the Baker Elementary School, located at one located at one School Street in Wenham, Massachusetts. Winthrop Elementary School, located at 325 Bay Road South, Hamilton, Massachusetts. And Cutler Elementary School, located at 237 Asbury Street South, Hamilton, Massachusetts, which describes and explains the following deficiencies and the priority categories for which an application may be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the future, which is number seven. Replacement of or additions to obsolete buildings. In order to provide for a full range of programs consistent with state and approved local requirements, and hereby further specifically acknowledges that by submitting this Statement of Interest form, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in no way guarantees the acceptance or the approval of an application, the awarding of a grant, or any other funding commitment from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or commence the Hamilton Mountain Regional School District to filing an application for funding with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. 00:25:03,950 S1: We have a second. 00:25:04,910 S8: Second. 00:25:05,470 S1: Second. By Jen Carr. Thank you for reading that. Amy. Um, uh, is there a discussion or questions? discussion. 00:25:15,250 S3: So my question is when does the MSBA usually sort of review, when kind of process or approve or reject these sois. 00:25:24,210 S2: Yeah, we'll we'll know. Late October, early November of 2026. Okay. It's generally when they they'll they'll give you a heads up by email. Usually in September just to say, hey, you'll probably be on the agenda on such and such a meeting in October or November. So we'll have some idea early in the fall, but the actual document comes out after it gets voted by the board. 00:25:47,130 S7: Okay. 00:25:50,769 S1: Anybody else have questions or discussion? 00:25:55,490 S1: Okay. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Of the five members present and the motion passes. Um, and thank you to all for the work in getting that done. 00:26:10,369 S7: Yep. That's. 00:26:11,700 S1: Um. All right. Next up, we have some budget communication flyers, which, um. I think I'm going to turn it over to Amy, I think. 00:26:21,660 S9: Okay. 00:26:22,420 S1: All right. 00:26:23,579 S9: Um, so this committee, um, tasked myself and Kristen to work with Eric on some communications materials about some of the things we're asking for at town meeting. Uh, they're both linked in tonight's agenda. This will start with the one about the roof replacement project. Just if you open it in your browser, you'll see the size looks kind of weird. So this one is a half sheet of paper. The front is, um, portrait, and the back is landscape. Just so you can. 00:27:01,339 S1: When I print. 00:27:01,980 S9: In the browser, they look funny. One looks bigger than the other. So I just want to explain. Yeah. Um, so on this one, it's just meant to give some quick FAQs, some answers about costs and breakdown and location of the project itself. Um, we are planning on adding a, um. Sorry, I'm saying a lot a QR code and a unique URL so people can jump right to the FAQs for this project. Um, so if I left anything out. 00:27:37,440 S1: Um. All right. 00:27:38,440 S9: Any questions or suggestions? 00:27:39,839 S1: Yeah, that was going to be my ask. Is that are you looking for an open to sort of people's suggestions? Yeah for sure. Regarding this I um. 00:27:49,880 S9: I know it's wordy. Um, but what I tried to do was, you know, we've all been working on this FAQ document trying to pull out the most. I don't know. 00:28:01,119 S1: I yeah, I mean, I, I don't know what other people I think it's fabulous. Like, I think it's great. I did send me what you can choose to accept or not accept. I sent literally like taking out five like little words like, you know, the here and that you know that to just kind of make it a little, teeny bit shorter. Um, I, I did have a question that I, I well, I mean, I don't know whether, whether other people want to start with feedback. I did have a sort of a question that we might. 00:28:33,500 S7: Yeah. 00:28:35,779 S4: Yeah. 00:28:36,059 S10: I have a I have a question. Um, this looks great. Thank you so much, Amy. Um, really looks incredible. Love the schematic with the roof. Love it. Yeah. Um, just a question. Do we know? So I know we have the the total share across the two towns. Do we have what the impact is to like the average household? We know that was a key question last year when we went through this. So. 00:29:06,589 S2: Um, so that. 00:29:07,750 S1: That typically comes from. 00:29:08,950 S2: Oh come from the fin com. 00:29:09,990 S7: Yeah. 00:29:10,470 S2: So the each of the fin com for each town will determine they'll take this project alone and say this project would be say uh, $3.5 million for Hamilton. It would be this much on your, your taxes. So they'll do that in the warrant book. It'll actually be stated in the warrant book. The impacts. 00:29:30,069 S7: Okay. 00:29:30,509 S2: They do a full narrative of each of the projects, the budgets. So that would be in there. 00:29:36,470 S10: Yeah, I guess I'm just if this is going to every household, right? No, we're just handing it out at the meeting. 00:29:43,509 S9: We usually just hand these out and. 00:29:45,670 S2: We email them out. They'll be out the weeklies, they'll go out in the. 00:29:48,710 S7: Week. 00:29:49,109 S1: And it's just shareable. Like it could be. Just people could. 00:29:52,069 S7: Put it out. 00:29:52,829 S1: Put it on on Facebook. People could put it, you know, it'll be however people choose to share it. It would be right. You could hand it out at the grocery store or to friends. 00:30:04,109 S9: Well, if anyone wants to hand them out. 00:30:06,009 S7: You could. 00:30:06,650 S2: You could decide to mail them because they're not taking a side. Just. 00:30:12,369 S8: Just informative. 00:30:13,849 S2: Just informative. You could put this one in the tube now, but there'll be another one up in a second. You could. You could choose to do that. Yeah. Um, people may question it, I don't know, but it's, uh, one, one town males own their town meeting stuff and the other does not. 00:30:30,450 S10: So it's I know and so that's. And so I guess, um, is there a reason we couldn't include the figures that the fin coms are going to put out in this document is are we not? I'm just saying if we're going to potentially post this on social media, it's going to get legs, it's going to get out there. 00:30:46,210 S1: I don't think we know. 00:30:47,289 S7: We don't know. They're waiting for those numbers. 00:30:49,410 S2: They're waiting for us to finalize tonight. And then we'll give them the numbers and then they'll take it from there. 00:30:56,329 S10: Um, okay. 00:30:57,609 S9: And just sorry, I just want to point out one more thing. Like, if we decide this information is working. I think one of the next steps would be to make a smaller social media type post. So we could make one with that breakdown too. 00:31:11,660 S7: Okay. 00:31:12,099 S2: We also have a website that we're ready to launch in with all this info, plus the next one. We can put that information on there when we get it from the towns. Okay. Yeah. It'll come out in the final book and then we'll just steal it from there. 00:31:24,859 S10: Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I know, I know, I know, we just met. Um, yeah, I think it's Hamilton. We don't get ours in the mail anymore and. 00:31:30,819 S1: They don't mail it anyway. When them mails it, Hamilton does not. Yeah. Um, okay. Go ahead. Because I have a question too. But go ahead, Jen. 00:31:38,220 S8: Um, the roof area key plan. Can we actually put a key there? Because I know which roof we're replacing. But there's nothing on that figure that says what roof replacing? 00:31:53,019 S9: What do you mean? 00:31:54,299 S8: Well, right. We're replacing all the stuff in green and not the hatch stuff, but just looking at that. I would have no idea if I didn't know what was happening. 00:32:04,119 S9: Does the picture behind it help? Not really. No, no. 00:32:10,240 S2: I think if you put it on where it says roof area key plan, if you put a small box with that green. 00:32:14,720 S8: Yeah, that's that's all I'm asking. 00:32:16,519 S2: Then just say area to be replaced. 00:32:18,519 S1: Oh, okay. Instead of saying. 00:32:20,119 S2: Instead of. 00:32:20,480 S7: Roof area. 00:32:21,200 S1: Area to be replaced with the little green. 00:32:23,319 S7: That might. 00:32:24,160 S2: Make it. 00:32:24,440 S7: Easier I. 00:32:24,839 S9: Understand. 00:32:25,279 S1: Now. 00:32:25,519 S7: Yeah. 00:32:26,079 S8: And we're not doing the middle school roof because it's not under the MSBA. 00:32:30,599 S7: Correct? 00:32:31,039 S9: Not old. 00:32:31,359 S7: Enough. It's not. 00:32:31,960 S8: Old enough. Not old. 00:32:32,680 S7: Enough. 00:32:33,319 S2: Getting there, but not yet. 00:32:35,039 S7: Yeah, it's in. 00:32:35,480 S9: Good shape right now. 00:32:36,519 S1: Um. 00:32:38,200 S8: I just could see somebody looking at that and say, hold it, hold it, hold it. Why are we paying this much money? Are we doing part of the roof? 00:32:44,720 S7: Right. 00:32:45,440 S1: Right. Because it's not old enough. 00:32:46,680 S2: What's interesting is, uh, the area P, which I don't know if you can see around that is has not. Excuse me. The area Q was replaced this summer because water was pouring through the middle of it. 00:33:01,849 S8: Right. You did that, poor boy. 00:33:03,250 S1: Yeah. We did. 00:33:03,849 S2: Like over the entrance of the middle school. So that's been redone. We we we took a shot with the, the company that pours the one the liquified roof. That is one piece. So, so far, so good. It's been there's been no issue. But it was pouring through last year. 00:33:20,970 S1: Just finding now that I missed the opportunity to watch the liquid pour. Yeah. I'm devastated. Yeah. 00:33:28,490 S2: It's fascinating. Um, let's see if we can get a video for you. 00:33:33,130 S1: Yeah. Thank you. Um, can I just. So. Are you good, Jen? 00:33:38,650 S8: Um, do we have a guarantee on how long the roof, new roof is going to last? Like, how long is it under warranty? 00:33:48,809 S2: They're usually 25 to 30 years, depending on what they put down for materials. Okay. 00:33:55,890 S1: Um, So this is I'm not sure whether this is Eric or Amy, but the second paragraph, it says the cost of this project currently totals 10 million. And and and then the UN says a reimbursable by the state upon Massachusetts school building MSBA approval. So I guess maybe this is to Eric. Like I don't really understand. I mean, we're not really waiting for them at this point. We're in the process, right? 00:34:32,750 S9: Do you mean is that definite? 00:34:34,469 S1: Like we're waiting for us right at this point? 00:34:38,829 S2: Yeah. The, um, like, oh, you're saying the word approval, right? 00:34:42,789 S1: Okay. They're waiting for us. 00:34:44,309 S2: Yeah, we could take the word approval. 00:34:45,829 S1: They're like, I read this, and I was like, it sounds like we're waiting for them to approve it. But what's really happening is we're. They're waiting for us to vote. 00:34:58,250 S9: Yeah. 00:34:58,530 S2: And then they'll accept the vote. 00:34:59,769 S1: Right. So I guess what I'm wondering about this paragraph is like. I'm not sure what. I'm not quite, quite sure whether we need the word currently, because the answer is the cost of this project totals this of which, you know, the 4 million is reimbursable by the state. 00:35:18,929 S8: Yeah. 00:35:20,489 S2: You could take out currently and approval. Yeah. Makes sense. Take the word currently out and approval. 00:35:24,530 S1: All right. Like the approval is we're not waiting from state for approval from the MSBA. We're waiting for approval for the voters. 00:35:31,050 S2: So and this is the massive amount the project can and may come. 00:35:35,650 S1: Right. 00:35:36,090 S2: Under that number. 00:35:36,889 S1: Exactly. So no, while it's we want to be perfectly clear, like the the cost, the project totals this much. I just don't see any scenario in which a voter is angry if the project ends up costing less than that. Let's hope not like that. Seems like that's going to be okay. That, like we're saying, this is what it costs. And if we find a way to make it less, that's great, but perfect. 00:36:03,340 S9: Um, so we want to just say the cost of this project totals, number of which up to number is reimbursable by MSBA. 00:36:11,820 S1: By the right, by the Massachusetts School Building Authority MSBA. Yeah. 00:36:17,179 S2: Yeah. Period. 00:36:17,780 S9: Yeah. Yeah. Great. 00:36:21,380 S1: Thank you. 00:36:22,780 S3: A couple of questions. Um, Dana, if you're done, I'm done. 00:36:26,940 S1: Yep. 00:36:28,139 S3: Um, my question in that same paragraph which says of which up to the 4.269 million, um, is reimbursable. That just raised a question in my mind. Is there a likelihood that we're going to get less than that? 00:36:43,340 S2: 4.269 so the number will change if the cost of the project is less comes down? 00:36:48,940 S3: Okay. So it's a. 00:36:49,900 S2: Percentage of the total. 00:36:51,719 S10: Okay. 00:36:52,559 S2: All right. That's how you remember that big long motion we were had the same language says up to that amount. We we we could there incentives along the way for different things. And you could get a little bit more. But that's the number that MSBA says. That's where. 00:37:07,960 S3: That's the ceiling. 00:37:08,679 S2: Where the ceiling will be for that, for that 10 million number. Okay. If we come in at $8 million, that number would drop, uh, by the percent proportionally. 00:37:17,760 S3: Yeah. All right. Okay. Thank you. Um, and then my second question was that I saw on page two here that we're paying between 20 and 40,000 a year to repair leaks. And we're looking at hopefully energy savings and things like that from a more efficient building envelope. I'm wondering if there is a way to quantify what the debt service payment is going to be with what we're paying on leaks and the saving to kind of demonstrate like that. This is a wash or potentially a savings. I don't know because I can't do debt calculation in my head, but I'm just wondering, you know. 00:37:58,050 S2: Yeah, we. 00:37:58,650 S11: Have estimates and it's a lot more than the 40,000. Okay. To replace the leak. 00:38:05,489 S3: Got it. Okay. Yeah, I was just curious. Yeah. So. Yeah. 00:38:13,889 S1: Um. 00:38:14,929 S2: Yeah. Because the debt comes in as one number. When we go out for debt, we don't go out for 3.9 for Hamilton and 22.0 for. Right. We get it all at once. So we get we carry the full number and then we break it up when we do the assessment for the budget. 00:38:28,090 S3: Okay. That's fine. I was just curious to see if it were, if another way of communicating about this could be on sort of a sort. It's almost like a break even. I mean, I know it's not I know it's different buckets and things like that, but just if the numbers were close. So yeah. 00:38:45,289 S11: Yep. The bond would probably be more like 500,000 a year. 00:38:49,909 S10: Okay. 00:38:50,670 S11: Depending on the length of time. 00:38:52,550 S2: But okay, you can change that number by spreading it out. Yeah. You can't go beyond what the state would qualify it as for useful, usable life. So you could you can literally play with the number by how many years you spread it out. Projects like this. You want to try to go in 1015 years max, to really get the benefit of getting that off the books and still having plenty of life in the roof. Yep. 00:39:16,670 S10: Okay. 00:39:19,070 S3: Thank you. 00:39:22,389 S1: Okay. Anybody else have anything else? 00:39:27,750 S1: Amy, are you feeling? 00:39:30,030 S9: Yeah, I feel like I know what to do. Eric, I'll bug you about what the URL should be. Yep. An update that. 00:39:37,389 S2: I think I sent it to you today. Oh. You did? Okay. Yeah, I think I sent it to you. Yep. 00:39:41,469 S1: Um. 00:39:42,829 S9: All right. Do. 00:39:44,349 S1: Um, I guess I'm just thinking about what our I. I think we do need a vote. I'm going to just offer up before somebody tries to make a motion that I do think the vote likely needs to, or the wording needs to give Amy a little bit of, um, leeway to tweak things. I don't think, um, that's my opinion. Look, we don't want to lock into this, um, you know, word for word, there's some wordsmithing that might happen or, um, so. Okay. Or does anyone want to take a stab at a motion here? 00:40:22,449 S8: I got. 00:40:22,889 S1: It. 00:40:23,130 S8: Okay, I move that we accept the budget communication flyers 00:40:31,489 S8: as written, including any and all minor changes that need to be made. 00:40:38,250 S10: Second. 00:40:40,130 S3: I would say, Ann, that maybe we authorize Amy to make them on behalf of the committee. 00:40:46,539 S1: Okay, well, I heard a motion authorized. 00:40:49,059 S3: I am amending a motion without. 00:40:51,260 S1: A motion and a second. Yeah, I'm going to offer that. I think the motion. I'm not ready to approve both budget. Both budget communication flyers. I'm only ready to communicate. Other people might be ready to approve both of them. I'm not ready for that. Um, because we only. 00:41:09,219 S8: When do you want approved? 00:41:10,219 S1: In which we only discussed the roof one. We haven't discussed the budget. 00:41:16,579 S9: Um, yes. 00:41:18,300 S1: So. But other people might be. I heard a motion in a second. So. 00:41:27,420 S8: Friends. 00:41:30,139 S9: That's what I was going to say. 00:41:34,099 S1: Um, do you want to offer a friendly amendment? 00:41:36,019 S3: Maybe we should. Can a motion be withdrawn and a new motion made once it's been seconded? Or do we have to? 00:41:43,239 S1: She could withdraw it. Yeah, sure. 00:41:44,480 S8: I'll pull it back. 00:41:46,119 S1: Okay. I'll try again. 00:41:47,880 S8: Sure. Um. I move that we accept the roof. Budget communication flyers as written with any necessary changes that need to be made. 00:42:03,440 S1: Okay. Do we have a second? 00:42:04,679 S3: Second. 00:42:05,199 S1: Second by Kristin Noone. Is there discussion? 00:42:09,440 S9: No. 00:42:10,039 S1: All right. All those in favor? And that is unanimous. Of the five members present and the motion passes. Thank you so much for that work, Amy. 00:42:24,360 S1: Um. All right. Next up. Take it away, Amy. 00:42:28,559 S9: Well. Same deal. This one is more similar to what we usually make for each town meeting with just a very quick overview of the operating budget. We have some lines in here about some offsets, revenues and transfers. And then the total assessment, which is our budget request minus the debt service. Um, I like looking at it this way to kind of see what the ask is and why we're asking. Um, then the breakdown by town, and then again, we'll have a link to another FAQ site for just about the budget. And on the back. Um. 00:43:13,449 S9: I told some sentiments that we've been hearing in the last year via surveys, the community forums, parent group meetings. Um, of all the benefits of our district. That's the column on the left and, you know, sort of spelling out what this budget pays for. At the bottom, the looking toward the future section is also based on feedback that we receive from the community about routine and unplanned unplanned maintenance and safety upgrades, and wanting to put some items in the budget around that. The column on the right are some facts about the override. The cost. What happens if it doesn't pass? Um, what we've done up to this point to try to avoid an override and just why the costs are rising for the running of the district. 00:44:12,389 S1: Thank you. Um, I just wanted to add, before we open it up to discussion, that, um, some of the placeholder in red here is going to be discussed today in the budget discussion. 00:44:25,829 S9: Yeah, I should mention that anything that is placeholder is set in magenta, so I don't forget to replace it. 00:44:33,269 S1: Um all right. People have discussion questions. Go, Megan. Go ahead. 00:44:40,119 S3: My question was, I wonder if on these flyers and I know we already voted on the roof one, but I just thought of it. If it's helpful to say the kind of majority that has to approve these things. Mhm. Because we just went through, you know, needing a two thirds majority. So people might be wondering if it's a two thirds or a simple majority to approve these. Um, and my only other comment was if and I know there's a lot of text already on the back, so I don't know if it's possible, but it's. 00:45:15,360 S9: Very. 00:45:15,559 S3: Wordy to put in like a, a tiny section somewhere as to what happens if it if the override is not approved. 00:45:23,000 S1: I think that's in the little read part. 00:45:25,119 S10: That okay. 00:45:25,840 S3: What will be caught if it doesn't pass? Okay. All right. That's okay. 00:45:30,119 S9: We'll figure that out. 00:45:31,960 S10: But you mean like, what if further cuts will happen or like I'm getting a lot of questions about the process because a lot of my friends are newer to the towns and we haven't had an override here. And so we folks don't know. Yeah. Um, I don't know. 00:45:45,340 S3: Well, you know, I. 00:45:46,219 S10: Don't know if we can fit. 00:45:47,139 S3: That. 00:45:47,860 S1: Yeah. No, I wasn't yeah, I wasn't understanding that to be a process. But that's a good point too. I, you know, I don't know. Yeah. No, I, I think this the current, my understanding of the current is more about what things will be removed from the budget if it doesn't happen. 00:46:01,820 S10: And so similarly my I know we have a ton of stuff on here already, but I did jump ahead, you know, to the later our discussion that we're going to have, um, I and I know it's not meant to be um, all inclusive here. Right. The cuts were that we've already made, but I know I saw that the other late bus is potentially on the table. If if everything fails, I just wonder if we want to call that out. Right. We've already Eliminated one of two late buses because it does have an impact to families. 00:46:38,960 S9: Yeah, I think I mean, we can certainly add it. I think I was trying to gain some economy. 00:46:45,400 S10: I know, I know, I know, I know. 00:46:47,079 S9: But yeah, we can totally I. 00:46:48,760 S10: Only only because I see that it's on that we would potentially, you know like our later discussion. So that's the only reason I'm. 00:46:56,480 S9: Yeah. 00:46:57,039 S1: We could I think I mean I mean I don't know what other people I think that line is, you know, it needs to be concise. But the point of that line is to hit home to people about this many staff positions. And and then we need to sort of think about what other things we haven't discussed that list yet, but what other things are really impactful to people so that they understand what changes. I do agree with you that I don't know what it needs, which item it needs to be, but I do agree with you that it's impactful and people need to understand. 00:47:29,519 S10: I mean, like athletic user fees directly impacts families, delaying technology updates. I don't know if that directly impacts families per se. That certainly impacts like students like in classrooms, right? But late busts will definitely impact some families and especially those that probably rely on it the most. Yeah. Unfortunately. 00:47:55,650 S9: Thank you. 00:47:56,889 S1: Um, so I had a couple of things. First of all, I absolutely loved this funding schools to be proud of column I. I know we talked about it and that's what we sort of talked about doing. And I think it really I felt like that hit the nail on the head. That was what I was really looking for in that column, and I was really happy with it like that. It's had a positive tone on a document that is challenging and difficult, and I thought that was excellent. Um, I did have a couple areas of questions. I will go back to the first page. Um, on the first page. Eric, can you go back to the other page? Um, I like the way this is set up. Like, this is the. This is how I think about the budget to. And you just said, like, you start off with the total and then like, here are the offsets and revenues and I, I actually don't think it should be changed. I think this is more of maybe a question for me, just personal. I know that the if I would struggle to articulately or clearly articulate exactly what all the minus transfers in the excess and deficiencies mean. Okay. Um, which I don't think means you should take them off. What I'm really saying is, I think the school committee needs to make sure that they can articulate what those are. I mean, the part about it being returned is like a complicated thing where you have to go back years and say like, this is what's been going on. And it's um, so I think it's and I'm absolutely positive that you've worked with Vinny on this to make sure that this is correctly articulated the way that it is. Like, these things are three different things, and they are all bringing that number down from 49 million to 39 million. It's important. Um, I just want to be like, when I looked at that, I was like, okay, well, I'm going to need to be really get clear so that when somebody asks me to explain it, I'm not saying, okay, so many years ago, like, and you know. 00:50:06,960 S9: Well, maybe that would be a good thing. I don't know how to translate that into like a quick. 00:50:11,519 S1: No, no, I don't think it should be on this. I actually don't think there's no way to put that on here. 00:50:15,960 S9: I just put in the FAQs. Yeah, it'd be good to have that so that we can learn how to explain it better and so people can access it on their own. I agree. 00:50:25,400 S1: Um. 00:50:26,219 S2: And I can help explain it to you. 00:50:27,980 S1: Yeah, yeah. 00:50:28,420 S11: No, you. Not that it would help, but what if you just made a one line that just said excess and deficiency instead of having. Yeah. Returned and expenses just. Yeah. Excess and deficiency. 00:50:38,300 S1: I think that that. I actually think that helps. Helps. It would help to just be one line. I will say it probably would have caused a phone call from me to you to be like, wait a minute here. Maybe I don't understand because I think it's that 730 like, you know, but I think that's that's me. I don't think that's I think it probably would be clearer just as one line. 00:51:06,659 S9: Vinnie, would you would you word it just excess and deficiency. Yeah. That's it okay. 00:51:13,300 S8: The other thing we might have to explain is what? Interest income. 00:51:18,300 S1: What what. 00:51:19,420 S8: Interest income. I could see people like asking questions about that. Like, are we asking people, you know, I can see people saying, oh, are they asking us for money? And they're putting some in savings. 00:51:36,070 S11: So yeah, it's not put into savings. It's just. 00:51:39,710 S8: I know. 00:51:40,349 S11: That money on. 00:51:40,989 S8: It and you know. 00:51:41,550 S11: That feels. 00:51:42,349 S8: Right. But I could definitely see some people in the community asking about what that interest actually is. 00:51:49,630 S1: I think, though, that I agree that people might ask that I would I think I would be better at answering that, like than like. 00:51:59,269 S2: Um, but I think it's important for committee members to know that we do carry accounts that whole balances where we gain interest. So we do, you know, like every other, um, non-profit, there are some accounts that are perpetual and others that are annual, and those perpetual accounts are able to gain interest, I mean, minimal right now. But two years ago, they were they were gaining some fairly consistent interests. Other accounts like the stabilization funds, same thing. It's it's invested so that we can gain some interest on that while that money is sitting in the account. So there are interest bearing accounts. We also get um, I think it was in this budget. It was when we do a, a bond, there's oftentimes we'll get a bond premium back. So we would you know like that's money we try to put back into the budget. 00:52:51,170 S8: No I, I know where it's coming from. 00:52:53,329 S11: But I think everybody else does. 00:52:54,690 S2: So that. Yeah. 00:52:56,489 S9: Well we could put it in the FAQs and kind of like the and we can just. 00:53:00,170 S8: That's all. 00:53:00,530 S9: I'm saying. Yeah. 00:53:01,489 S1: Yeah I think that's the where that's where it belongs to that. Like you know if someone and I guess what I'm trying to address is someone who is a citizen who is genuinely really spending some time with this document and is really interested is and asking those kinds of questions is the kind of person that would like to go to the FAQs and get the detailed answer. Because, you know, they're already kind of in the weeds. Like they're really looking at it. 00:53:26,949 S9: So I just noticed there's a team missing in reimbursement. 00:53:30,389 S3: And and that similar vein, I maybe this is just the way that I think about it, which is not maybe the most exact, accurate way based upon how we build the budget. But it's sort of for me, it's like money that comes from the Hamilton when I'm real estate taxes and money that comes from other places, you know, because I think that's kind of the macro level that we're talking about with the offsets, the revenues, the transfers. It's like money that the school district is coming up with or getting from the state or school choice, not from your taxes. So I think that is a clearer way to explain it. But I know that when you if you tried to match these numbers to our budget, you could, you know, because that's how Vinnie builds the budget, but I don't. But it's not like plain language, you know? Um, but maybe the FAQs can help with that. Or maybe we can take a second look at this. The other thing that I didn't think was clear to the average reader was the difference between the 39.6 million as the total net assessment and the total budget request is 41.6, because some people might be like reading into that as is a typo or a mistake, and I don't think it is, but, um, maybe that needs to up underneath total budget request. Maybe it's like net assessment plus debt in another line of text or something like that to, you know, to make it clear how those numbers tie. 00:55:01,559 S9: That minus debt service. Is that what you mean? Yeah. Not enough. What's that? Is that not enough? 00:55:06,719 S1: I think I think what you're. That's a. 00:55:10,360 S9: Great. Like put the number of the the debt service. 00:55:13,000 S3: Yeah. Because I would think that the 39.6 million should be in that blue box If I were a regular person, not having learned what I've learned in the last six months. 00:55:22,980 S1: So that's a really good point. 00:55:24,980 S9: That line where. Sorry. 00:55:27,099 S1: Yeah. No no. 00:55:27,539 S9: No. But would it make sense if in that parentheses I don't mean. Yeah. So okay. 00:55:34,780 S3: As I'm just like I don't know. 00:55:35,980 S2: I think I know who you can. 00:55:36,659 S1: Do it. Too many cooks. 00:55:37,699 S3: Yeah. I mean. 00:55:38,900 S9: This is good. Um, okay. 00:55:41,179 S2: It needs a T on reimbursement, too. In transportation. 00:55:44,460 S9: Yeah, I noticed that. It's really embarrassing. I left a T off there. I see where you're talking. 00:55:49,139 S8: I am sorry for the pain, but I am afraid of the pain. I looked it up because I was curious what it. 00:55:56,139 S2: The Latin, the Latin. 00:55:58,179 S1: I was like, what? What are we talking about? 00:56:00,300 S9: Um. 00:56:02,659 S3: Oh, the. 00:56:03,460 S8: The. 00:56:04,260 S3: The placeholder text. The. Yeah. 00:56:07,980 S8: It 100% could be me and my old, old vision, but the on the second page. The override fax seems to be slightly bigger than the funding schools to be proud of. 00:56:25,869 S3: Like the font size. 00:56:27,630 S8: Yeah. 00:56:28,550 S9: Um. 00:56:30,070 S3: I can. I think you're right. 00:56:31,710 S9: It could be. 00:56:32,190 S8: Okay. 00:56:33,949 S9: I can fix that. That's easy. 00:56:36,269 S8: Yeah. Um, and my other question is we're changing the font on purpose. 00:56:43,590 S9: We're changing the font on purpose? 00:56:45,590 S3: Yeah, I think so. 00:56:47,150 S8: The headings are different than everything that comes underneath it. 00:56:51,150 S9: Yes. Uh, they're actually the same size. Interestingly enough, um. 00:56:57,949 S8: I, like I said, it totally could be my poor vision. 00:57:03,429 S2: You mean you look different? 00:57:05,309 S9: What do you mean? 00:57:05,989 S3: Yeah. 00:57:06,389 S2: It's interesting. 00:57:06,869 S8: Particularly the the O and override and the F looks a little bigger. 00:57:12,230 S9: They are the same size, same font. 00:57:15,769 S8: 100% believe you. 00:57:17,250 S9: I could tell you some reasons why they might look bigger, but, um. Yeah. Does it bother anybody that the font headers are different than the body? No. Okay. I feel like I like this typeface. I the of the headers. I feel like it's friendly and conversational and then the text itself, I because there's so much of it, I want it to be really easy to read. That's why. 00:57:43,489 S1: Um, okay. I had another couple and I don't I know we don't want to spend forever on this, but, um, I this is just I'm just going to ask whether anybody else. I tripped over unplanned maintenance when I read it. Like I kept thinking unplanned maintenance, like. 00:58:01,050 S3: Emergency maintenance, maybe. 00:58:02,889 S1: I just and I. And it's fine if nobody else had that reaction like, we just, you know, again, too many cooks. Like, I just I. 00:58:12,699 S9: We can change it. 00:58:13,619 S2: Call today to Roto-Rooter to clear out a drain at the Cutler School is on. 00:58:18,380 S1: I know, I know, I just. 00:58:20,659 S2: I see what you say. 00:58:21,300 S1: But I don't know. I just like. 00:58:23,699 S8: Patching a water main. 00:58:24,980 S1: Like. Right. It's like a emergency. Like, I get it, it's routine, and then it's unexpected or unplanned, you know, whatever, but I just I don't know why, but. So I just put that out there. And then the only other thing I had is at the very end, why costs are rising. So it says there are three areas where costs have risen for our district, the same areas where they have for business and personal budgets, personal cost. I just where wording is so precious on this page I didn't know. And again, this is really just me thinking about like there's just so many words like do we need that? Or should we? Or could we just say there are three areas where costs have risen for the district personnel, health insurance and the price of maintenance supplies and project. I. 00:59:12,880 S9: Yeah. My only thought was that I think frequently, myself included, I compare what the district is doing to what my own household is doing. So that was my stab at trying to tie those. 00:59:25,800 S1: Yeah. Together. And I, I think it's a good point. It's a point I personally have made to people about these are the same things you're seeing in your own life. I more it was more just about like there were just trying to conserve space. And if so, that might be a place that was my only thought. 00:59:46,079 S9: Take a stab at wording that. 00:59:49,039 S1: Again, I didn't think it was bad wording or anything like that. I just was thinking, if we're trying to conserve space, like if we feel like we need a little more space in the placeholder above it and we need to, you know. 01:00:02,280 S9: Yeah, that's really built in lots of space here. So sorry about that, but I think I can be more clear about it, so I will work on that. If anyone has suggestions, happy to take a suggestion. 01:00:16,300 S9: All right. 01:00:17,699 S10: Thank you Amy for all of the effort on this. A lot of work. Yeah. Appreciate it. 01:00:22,940 S1: Um. All right. Um. 01:00:25,699 S9: Well, can I ask one? Ask permission to do something? Yeah. If I need more space after our conversation about that placeholder text. Can I. Do you think it's okay to remove the please vote box from the back? Yep. Okay. Because we have it on the front. I could make I could leave the please vote, but maybe take off the dates and times just on the. Because it's repeating. 01:00:48,219 S1: Because it's on the front. Yeah. 01:00:49,659 S8: We're handing these out during town meetings. So assuming the people who are going to vote are the ones that are getting them. 01:00:56,980 S9: I think this is more to remind people that they also need to vote at the at the election. 01:01:01,780 S1: Yeah. 01:01:02,940 S9: Um, but yes, I think. Okay. 01:01:05,820 S2: Thank you. Take it. 01:01:06,550 S9: Off. 01:01:09,190 S1: Um, okay. I think we will need a motion. 01:01:17,750 S3: I don't mind making it if you want. Sure. 01:01:20,190 S1: Take a stab at it. 01:01:21,550 S3: Okay. I move to approve the Hamilton one M Regional School District budget request. Fact sheet. And to authorize Amy to make additional edits following our upcoming discussion on outcomes. Should the override not pass. 01:01:44,030 S8: Second. 01:01:45,630 S1: All right. Um, I heard a motion and a second. Does anyone have any questions? 01:01:52,909 S1: Any further discussion? Yeah. 01:01:55,309 S2: Do you want to mail them? Um, because we'll need time to get it. 01:02:00,750 S1: I think we well, I don't think that's part of this vote. It could approve it. And then we can ask that question because. 01:02:09,409 S10: Yeah. Are they even formatted for mailing? Would we have to put them in envelopes? 01:02:14,170 S9: I just can't hear you. Sorry. 01:02:16,329 S10: Are they even for like. Is this actually even formatted for mailing? We'd have to stuff them in envelopes. Right. 01:02:23,610 S9: Do we need to be an envelope? Yeah. 01:02:24,929 S2: Yeah. Figure out how to build a postcard that could hold. 01:02:29,409 S9: If we were. Yeah. If we were going to mail them, I would say make it into one document and they would have to be like a booklet and then folded. It would be a little pricey, because. 01:02:40,210 S1: I'm gonna just stop us and keep us within the four corners of the motion. So we're in a motion right now. Um, the motion was to approve the current document and, um, and task Amy with making edits as needed. Regarding the discussion today, that was the motion on the table. Um, does anybody have any questions or discussion on that? All those in favor. And that is unanimous. Of the five members present. And the motion passes. Um, and now Eric asks the question regarding mailing, and I heard you answer on. 01:03:14,500 S9: Like we could if you wanted to mail it and not have it be super expensive. I could we could distill some of the most important things and format it as a postcard. Um, I can do whatever we decide to do, I don't know. 01:03:31,099 S2: Postcards is the cheapest way to do it. So you may want to take some of the graphics and put them into a postcard, and then use that. 01:03:36,940 S9: And and push people to the website. 01:03:39,619 S2: Limited real estate on. 01:03:40,860 S11: On the postcard. 01:03:41,579 S10: Right. 01:03:42,219 S9: I think it would be expensive to mail all of these two pieces as is. 01:03:46,860 S3: Do we know if the Hamilton would have news permits like a freestanding insert? Because in the past, like the Salem News, once upon a time used to let you do that and it was very cost effective. You had to bring everything already printed. Eight and a half by 11, and then they would insert it in the paper. 01:04:06,519 S2: You can ask. 01:04:07,280 S3: So I don't know, just in my if it's cheaper and doesn't. And then if it saves you redesign time I don't know. 01:04:12,880 S9: A good idea. 01:04:15,000 S1: Okay. So the question is because any and all of those things would cost money. 01:04:22,840 S10: Right? 01:04:23,360 S9: Yes. 01:04:24,199 S1: So and we're at a in a time situation where we would need to get that done. Yeah. Um, so. 01:04:39,639 S1: I, you know. 01:04:43,000 S1: Um, thoughts? 01:04:46,840 S9: I mean, I, I can put them together. It's just about spending the money, I don't know. I know we've done them before. We could probably use the same quote to decide, but. 01:04:59,170 S2: You have a school committee account that you could use to. 01:05:03,690 S1: Do. We have a ballpark from previous mailings. How much we have done? We did do a postcard. 01:05:10,849 S2: For 1700. 01:05:15,050 S9: And. 01:05:15,170 S10: That print and mail. 01:05:17,929 S3: Is that for printing and postage? 01:05:19,730 S2: Yeah. That's not a bad printer. The printer takes care of everything and just drops it at the post office. 01:05:28,170 S3: That might be the best option. 01:05:29,570 S1: And that's Vinny. That's an amount that's in our account. So if if we were to make that kind of a motion, um, we would still want some research around, like, I don't know how that would look, but it would need to be, you know, because there still might need to be flexibility around whether it gets mailed or whether it gets puts in the news or like, Like that might be a I don't know whether that's a cheaper option. I'm not sure. Yeah. Um, or whether that is an option at all. I don't I. 01:06:07,349 S3: Don't remember seeing one ever yet in the Hamilton news. 01:06:11,230 S1: No, I don't, but, um. 01:06:14,989 S9: We can work on it tomorrow. 01:06:16,349 S2: Yeah. I'll check. I'll call them. Um, do you have one correction? 2300 with the postage. I put the post. 01:06:23,710 S1: With. 01:06:23,909 S2: The cards themselves. 17. 01:06:25,429 S9: Okay. What size were. 01:06:26,550 S1: Those? They were. They were. They were the big ones. 01:06:28,710 S9: Big ones? Yeah. You both made very different shapes with your hands. 01:06:37,429 S2: Really big ones. 01:06:38,590 S9: You can send out an eight and a half by 11 size. 01:06:41,269 S1: No, they were not. I think they were half. I think they were half. 01:06:44,949 S9: Five by eight. Yeah. Like half. 01:06:46,150 S1: Letter. Um, so what I'm concerned about is that today is March 19th. 01:06:59,210 S9: And we could get them in. Probably not in next week's paper. 01:07:04,849 S1: Right. Like, I'm just trying. I'm thinking about a bunch of things. I'm thinking about when this would actually happen in terms of getting it out in a timely manner. I'm also thinking about if when we need to vote on whether to do it, because I think it needs to be today, but somebody can back me up or check on whether, um. 01:07:25,769 S9: We would have to we would want it in the April 3rd paper, which is two weeks from tomorrow. That would be the last day before the first town meeting. 01:07:37,369 S1: Right. So and we have I mean, we have a school committee meeting on the second, which is that would be the night before that. 01:07:43,929 S2: So it's the turnaround at the printer is three days. That's what it was. 01:07:48,329 S1: I guess I'm just saying that like time wise, it appears to me that today would be neat. Yeah. It would need to be today that we made that decision. And so we need to think about. 01:08:02,539 S1: You know, if that's what we want to do and if so, how do we frame that. So that Amy and Eric and Benny have the freedom to make decisions about. 01:08:22,539 S9: I'm not going to make a motion about myself. 01:08:25,699 S1: Um. Anybody have a motion? 01:08:32,380 S8: I move that we send out the relevant information from the school budget handout 01:08:45,460 S8: in a manner that reduces the cost to the school district. 01:08:58,279 S9: I think you need to give us like we need to authorize us to do that. 01:09:02,760 S1: Eric and I, I think I actually. 01:09:06,960 S1: I think there needs to be a up to amount. 01:09:10,399 S9: Okay. Okay. 01:09:12,479 S8: Um, friendly, I guess. 01:09:14,640 S1: No, you're not done yet, I don't think. Okay. 01:09:17,560 S8: Up to. 01:09:20,039 S2: 1500. 01:09:20,920 S8: $2,500. 01:09:24,399 S1: Do we have a second? 01:09:25,479 S3: Second. 01:09:26,760 S1: So I heard a motion and a second. If I'm understanding the motion, it was to put out this budget, request information in some kind of a either mailing or newspaper distribution, giving, uh, some flexibility to the administration and to Amy to determine what's the best one and what best method. And that it was up to $2,500. Is that correct? Summary. 01:09:57,689 S8: Assuming I read Eric slips correctly. 01:10:02,729 S9: Sounds good. 01:10:03,810 S1: All right. Does anyone have any questions? Discussion. 01:10:10,649 S1: Do you. 01:10:10,850 S10: Want guys? Okay. 01:10:12,130 S1: Yeah. 01:10:13,609 S10: Go ahead. I mean, well, I just do we. Is that enough of a budget? Do we think it's gone up since we did that? 01:10:21,210 S8: Megan, I'm sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying. 01:10:23,609 S10: I'm just. I'm wondering about the the amount that we're approving. Like, do we do we think it's enough? 01:10:32,649 S2: The last round of postcards we did, which was for the project, was that costs 2300, 1700 for the printing and 500 for the postage. 01:10:44,689 S10: Okay. 01:10:46,770 S3: We buffered it a little. 01:10:47,989 S10: Okay. Okay. 01:10:48,789 S2: Okay. I'm gonna go 3000 just in case, or. 01:10:51,470 S10: That's okay. 01:10:52,789 S9: Gold foil embossing. 01:10:54,750 S1: No. That's okay. 01:10:58,470 S9: Um, I feel like if that was the cost last year, then it will probably be the same. 01:11:05,550 S1: Yeah. Right. And I, I guess I yeah, I feel like, like everything else in this budget like it, you know, if it turns out the costs have gone up, then we'll they'll just have to figure out some way to, like, bring it down. Like, that's just the. 01:11:27,229 S3: Can do a smaller size card. 01:11:28,750 S1: Write a smaller size card or a smaller. 01:11:30,630 S2: One has been very good with us. They've been very reasonable. 01:11:33,149 S1: So but I just feel like literally that's how everything else in this budget is. It's like that's that's what you have. That's what you get. Um all right. Does anyone else have any further? 01:11:47,039 S9: Okay. 01:11:47,720 S1: All those in favor? And that is unanimous. Of the five members present and the motion passes. 01:11:55,479 S9: Thank you, everybody, for the feedback. 01:11:59,439 S1: Thank you for that work. 01:12:01,319 S9: Sure. 01:12:04,640 S9: All right. 01:12:08,319 S1: Um, I can't read my own handwriting. Okay. Next up, we have some information on the school start time report. Um, which I'm looking forward to hearing. 01:12:21,880 S2: Great. Thank you. Um, as part of the goals, the district goals this year, one of the goals for the that we set back at the beginning of the year was related to school start times. Committee members asked last year, we really couldn't fit it into all the things that we were doing. This year. It was added in. Um, so we added it as a goal, a district wide goal. And this report represents the work of the committee. And I think it's important to thank the members of the committee because they met six times and went through far too many articles and websites and research papers and brought their own um, um, personal stories to the, to the table. So Gwenda Graham, who's a parent and a sidekick, who's a parent, former school committee member, uh, Mary Beth thing, uh, our middle school nurse, Melissa Seychelles, a parent, and Arnett, a parent, uh, doctor Zachary Vest, who is the middle school principal, Ian Morris, uh, high school teacher, Heather Rich, an elementary school, a special ed teacher. Jeff Becker, assistant principal at the high school, Leah Diebenkorn, high school nurse. Colleen Longo, an elementary school counselor. And Stephanie Rogel, uh, high school teacher. And this group was great to work with. I was facilitating the conversations and really, um, had an interesting time trying to figure out a good direction in part of the the bigger, uh, goal, if you will, that we set in. We reminded everybody in meeting number one was deliver a comprehensive recommendation by the 31st of March. So here we are. This is a recommendation that I am going to leave with the committee. I'm going to ask the committee to review it. Um, uh, for between now and next meeting. Next meeting, I will bring back some other recommendations, uh, to, to push this forward if do you decide to. Um, this is really an outline of some of the work that they've done, some of the research they did, uh, groups they've talked to, including the community House, the athletics department, the recreation department, Dougherty's bus company, um, really looked at other models in the at the end of the report. reporter. Some not all of the things that the articles that they use, and we included them purposely here so that people could see what we were digging through to try to find the rationale. And there are a lot of, of, uh, medical and mental health realities out there related to, uh, changing the start time for secondary kids, uh, to a later time. And some of them include an increase in student grades, measurable rise in GPA, improved attendance, um, improved graduation rates, which are pretty high right now. Anyway, talks a little bit about the chronotype of, of, uh, teenagers and, uh, secondary school children and then looked at some of the data. There were two surveys done. There was one done several years back, and then another 1 in 2025. Uh, looked at some of that data, looked at some of the, uh, conversations were around what it looks like with the swap, and what it looks like for people who are supporting the swap, and what it looks like for people who don't support the swap. There were many more people that supported the swap, but didn't know enough about it to say much, so I think the committee really did a great job digging in. We invited different people from the different community groups to come in, talk to the group, ask questions and answer questions, and we use that information to build this report. And we dropped in the the impacts and then also made the recommendation. The committee was really 01:16:21,430 S2: centered around making a change that made that counted. So some of the schools that we checked into that changed their start time, changed them by 30 minutes, which is really not a big change. The committee really came to consensus on the last night. Last, uh, last Monday. Two months ago, uh, Tuesday to two Tuesdays ago. To really come down to. Let's make a change that counts. Um, so they really honed in on 830. Uh, we had a lot of conversation about 830 to 310 on the secondary side, because the number 310 is, um, it's like the conversation we just had between 49 and 50 million. Well, 310 and 3:00 would be different. So there we went back and forth about do we do 820 to 3:00 or 830 to 310. And the committee was really adamant about saying, let's make a change that counts. Um, and that would flip somewhat with the with the elementary school starting them at 745. They would get out at 217. People are like, okay, what are kids going to do after school? We have talked to the rec department. We have talked to the community house. Uh, they are very willing and able to continue to build and grow their The program's community house has expanded so far into the Winthrop School. They use several rooms at the Winthrop School after school now, so it would just really be, uh, maybe some additional opportunities there. And, um, we've had a great relationship with them. They've they've been able to get their licensing and do the things they need to do while also managing, uh, an interesting influx of kids. They come in, some kids come for one day, some kids come for three days, some kids come for all five. So managing that is something that the business we didn't want to get into in the school department. Um, so we really put the priority of sleep science at the front of the conversation. And people were committed to that and stayed with that during the whole process. We had some good back and forth. Um, we had some really good information that we learned through the process. I have sent this report to the bus company just to make sure everything works. They, uh, they believe it works. They they'll they're going to double check it for me. Um, so what I'd like to do if the committee is okay with that is to leave this with you. Um, between now and next meeting. Next meeting, I'll bring back, uh, some recommendations, because I think, as it says in the last sentence, this is probably a one to 1 to 2 year rollout plan. There is a lot that needs to be prepared, including the people in the community. It's a big change. There are more parents now heading from home, back to work in the office so that those hours are are different for people. Um, so just digest it for now. We'll come back next meeting. Have the conversation, decide if you want to move forward with it. And during that conversation, I will add in some suggestions. I think we still need to talk to several groups again. Circle back and say, here's the final report. Give us your thoughts. Um, because before it was if anybody remembers a survey, it was a whole bunch of questions. About what? About this? What about that? What about now? Here's where the committee is coming to the work. Now, how do you feel about this? So I think that's still work to be done. Uh, the unions all have contracts with negotiated times already in there, so we have to make some adjustments there. Uh, which would be negotiations. Thus, the longer timeline for implementation, this would not be something you could start in the fall, realistically. Um, but at least we have the conversation on the table. 01:19:59,050 S1: Um, thank you for that. Um, so, as Eric said, we're going to take time to digest this, but I think, I mean, does anyone have not to debate or discuss, but does anyone have just like, any clarifying questions about the document or any more? Um, Jen. 01:20:15,609 S8: On page six under Transportation Impacts and Strategic covers the it says in one the district manages blah blah blah secondary routes and blah blah blah elementary routes We're not planning on doing a non tiered simultaneous start. Are we. So that's irrelevant. 01:20:35,109 S2: No. Yeah it was it was just part of the conversation when we talked to my calendar to say okay what would happen. The number of buses would expand dramatically and that would change the amount of our contract, which would make Vinny very angry. So it was just it was put in there as part of the the challenges. It was just something that came up in conversation. We felt we should include it. Okay. But it is really irrelevant given what we're recommending. 01:21:01,430 S11: Okay. 01:21:01,789 S2: Well, just it's just part of the conversation, right? 01:21:04,029 S1: Just why you couldn't start everyone at 830? 01:21:08,510 S2: You could if you want to. 01:21:09,789 S1: But it would. 01:21:10,270 S11: Double. 01:21:10,510 S2: Nine more buses. 01:21:11,149 S11: On the road. 01:21:12,109 S1: Yeah. Um. Anybody else? I had a I do have a question. 01:21:18,149 S8: My only question. 01:21:19,229 S1: What is I, I and if I missed it, I but I looked for it and I read it twice to figure it out. And at the end it says the district. In the middle of that last paragraph, it says the district must lead by emphasizing the research back benefits, proactively launching the credit based life skills program. And I was like, what is the credit based life skills program? 01:21:42,680 S8: That's a good question. 01:21:44,000 S1: I was like, I. 01:21:47,720 S1: I don't know what that is. 01:21:49,399 S2: I don't. 01:21:49,920 S11: Either. 01:21:51,000 S1: It's it's up. Yeah, it sounded great. I was like, is that. 01:21:57,520 S11: Oh no. 01:21:58,880 S2: Sorry. That is that is part of it. We were talking about ways to get kids credit to help out with some of the shifts in time, either morning or afternoon. So. 01:22:09,439 S1: So as near as I can tell, that's not explained in the rest of the document. So I'm sure that this group did like some work on that. Yep. Um. 01:22:20,760 S2: We just we were trying to figure out how to get older kids opportunities during the, during the day to get credit and build life schools. So for example, kids that are considering teaching as a career, they may go down last block to the elementary schools after school to help out after school with the, um, the uh TK program at the community house to help out. So yeah, that is I can tweak that a little bit. 01:22:48,939 S1: Yeah. No, I, I was like, that sounds great. I want to know more about that. Yeah. 01:22:54,300 S2: We were trying to figure out ways to, to help kids get credit. Yeah. Um, for some of the things we have internship opportunities. So we could take advantage of that because there are kids that in April will choose internships in the district to be in the classrooms. So something similar but shorter time periods. 01:23:17,260 S1: Right. Thank you. We'll look forward to hearing more about that. And anybody else have anything? 01:23:24,470 S9: No. That's really. 01:23:25,710 S1: Um. And thank you all for that work. That's great. 01:23:31,069 S9: Um. 01:23:32,989 S1: All right. Back to you, Eric. School trips. 01:23:36,229 S2: I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but I just wanted to make sure the committee was aware, as we. When we approved field trips months ago, I always kind of promised to bring it back and just let you know where we're at. Um, two trips going out in April, both during vacation, one to Spain. Uh, 47 kids are going to Spain this year. And, um, we do that kind of every other year. And, uh, Spain is a level two. Uh, when you look at the the federal ratings for safety, they were level two. They've been on level two for eight years straight. Um, for various reasons, and we've been there several times, so there's not a lot of concern. Um, the second trip is Taiwan. Taiwan has, I think, 23 students going out. Uh, one student, uh, family did pull their student with concern over everything that's going on in the world. Um, there was a meeting held Monday night to see where people stand. So far, everybody that's involved and everybody else involved in the trip is staying, and, uh, is is willing to go on that trip. Uh, I just wanted people to be aware. Taiwan is a level one. They've been a level one for many years as well. We've been we went, uh, two years ago and very successful trip. Just a very long flight. Um, so I just wanted the committee to know, in case there were any issues that we have talked with both World Strides and explore the other groups that run the trips. They have full, um, safety processes in place so that anything that occurs on the trip, anything that, uh, is unusual, unusual. They have people that will respond immediately in country. Um, so whenever there's groups of kids in different countries, uh, there are safety teams on the ground for those companies. So World Standards Explorer F is another one that does it. They all have, uh, specific processes. Even if they had to evacuate a group of kids quickly, they could they have the ability to do that. So, um, I just want to give you an update. So far, people, everybody except for one family just withdrew, which is fine. They had the option. They took the insurance, they were covered. Um, the rest are committed to going this April. 01:25:58,340 S1: Okay. Anybody have questions? 01:26:00,739 S9: Thank you. Yeah. 01:26:03,579 S1: Thank you for the update. 01:26:07,300 S1: All right. Do you have any. 01:26:12,899 S1: And the FY 27 budget discussion Continues. 01:27:35,979 S11: Okay. Thank you guys for joining us tonight. We are here to review our FY 27 budget request as it relates to our annual town meetings coming up, and review some scenarios that might happen as a result of those town meetings. 01:27:53,979 S11: So just a friendly reminder. Hamilton's town meeting is April 11th. It's at 9 a.m. at their normal location at the regional high school. And I got confused. This is a picture of town hall. It does look like our central office, but it is Hamilton's town hall. 01:28:12,500 S11: Uh, so for a moment we're going to review both town warrants just so you can get a brief idea of what they look like. They both are in draft form. Uh, excuse me for a second. 01:28:27,829 S11: So, Hamilton's town warrant? Uh, there is multiple articles. Uh, the first one isn't this one, but this is the first article that relates to the school involved. Budget. Um, the first one is the general town and department appropriations. Here you can see they are requesting, uh, in a budget for the town of 15.9 million. And for the Hamilton Windham Regional School District, combined with the tech, uh, they are requesting an appropriation of 26.6 million. Uh, after that brief thing, they have a brief summary here, and you can see that they are detailing out that the regional school district is increasing their expenses year over year by 2.6 million, of which 1.58 8 million represents Hamilton share. This 1.5 million represents the school district's increase to Hamilton for both our operating budget and our debt service budget, and for our debt that includes both our included and excluded debt within the within the prop two and a half levy limit. They are funding US $509,063. 01:29:35,930 S11: This amount represents the increase that the town is providing to the schools without a proposition. Two and a half override the delta between the 1.5 million that we have assessed them and the $509,000 that is below the levy limit. We have a delta of $1,079,000. This leads us to our question number two, which we call the override amount. Uh, here is a draft of their override question. It is a supplemental town department and school appropriation. Here. You can see they are requesting a total of just over 1.3 million. Of that 1.3 million $260,000 is for town expenditures, and $1,079,000 is for school expenditures. Now for a moment just to review Wednesday's town meeting, and they warrant they have moved up their town meeting in case anyone hasn't been notified, it is now April 9th at 6 p.m. at the Bennett Center at Gordon College. Their warrants are set up in a similar way to Hamilton. They are just worded a little different. Their first one is our annual appropriation, again combining both the school and town expenditures. Again, their wording is a little different. They have stated here their total expenses for FY 27 to be raised under the levy limit totals 23 million. That is an increase of $925,000. Of this, 925,641 01:31:09,399 S11: is an appropriation for the school district and the remaining is for the town. This $641,000 is what is below the levy limit. Based on what we assess them, that leaves a variance of 438,000, which leads them to their question number two, their override amount, which you can see here is the exact difference in the school budget. So for the town of Wenham, their override amount only includes school expenditures. And this again is the amount that would require a favorable vote of a prop two and a half override until to fully fund the school district. But as everyone here is aware, we have two communities. There are two separate entities. We have the town of Hamilton and the town of Wenham. 70 years ago, they came together to form the Hamilton Wenham Regional School District, where we are in this point of the budget process. For every dollar that school district spends, it's made up of $0.66 for Hamilton and $0.34 for Wenham. 01:32:16,970 S12: Excuse me. 01:32:21,449 S11: So if we were to try to reduce $1 in one of our communities, I'm going to use Wenham as our example. If we would try to eliminate $1 from Wenham, we would have to turn around and eliminate $1 dollar from Hamilton along with an additional $0.90. 01:32:39,970 S11: So in total, saying in a different way, if we try to reduce Hamilton by a dollar, the Hamilton Wenham Regional School District actually has to reduce $2.90 from our budget in total in order to reduce Wenham by that dollar. Looking at it from the other community's point of view, if we were going to reduce the town of Hamilton one by $1, we would have to turn around and reduce the town of Wenham by an additional $0.53. Looking at it from the school district's point of view. If we had to reduce Hamilton by $1, the Hamilton one Regional School district would have to reduce a total of $1.53. So how does this have an effect? What is the override effect have on the school district? Looking at Hamilton's perspective, they're asking for a $1,079,000 override. Hamilton represents 65.51% of the regional school district. That means in order to meet Hamilton's, uh, levy only budget, the regional school district would have to reduce its budget by $1,647,000. Because, remember, every dollar we reduce in Hamilton, we have to turn around and reduce $0.53 for Wenham. Looking at it from the other point of view, from Wenham, with their override amount of $438,000 and them representing 34.49% of our budget, the school district would have to reduce a total of Hundred and $71,000 in order to meet Venom's override amount. Because again, every dollar we reduce in venom, we have to turn around and reduce $1.90 for Hamilton. So what would it look like if we implemented these reductions to meet Hamilton's levy budget? The regional school district would reduce the 1.6 million. This would turn around and reduce Hamilton's budget by their $1,079,000. It would then translate into a $568,000 reduction to Wenham, completely wiping out their need for their override. So if we met Hamilton's levy only budget, Wenham would not need that override. Looking at it from Venom's point of view, if we were to meet Wenham levy budget, it would mean a reduction to the school district of $1,271,000. 01:34:55,609 S11: This translates into an $833,000 reduction to Hamilton, but still requires an override. Their ultimate override was the $1,079,000 number, meaning Venom's need for meeting Venom's levy only budget would only reduce them by $833,000, leaving them with a need for an override of roughly $246,000. And again, it would reduce Venom's by their $438,000. So now I'm going to go through four scenarios. There are multiple scenarios that obviously could happen after town meeting. I'm really just hitting on the four before I go through them. I just want to make sure when I say the override passes, I mean it passes both town meeting and the ballot. I'm not. When I say it passes, I don't mean it just passes. Town meeting, uh, it passes in its entirety. So under our scenario one, we're going to assume Hamilton passes its levy only budget as well as it's over, as well as the override passing same situation in venom we're going to assume in scenario one that the levy only budget passes as well as the override. So what does that mean for the school district? It means we have our approved budget as the school committee had requested, and we can move on for FY 27. Under scenario two, we're going to continue to assume that Hamilton's levy only budget passed as well as their override. But for this scenario, we're going to say that when EMS levy budget only passed but their override failed. So what does that mean for the school district? It means we have been funded at a Hamilton level, levy only budget. It's a little bit of a tongue tie, so I'm probably going to trip over it a couple times, but it means we don't have a school committee approved budget. Your budget that you requested has not been fully funded by the community. So in fact, we have a failed budget as you have approved it. So what options do you have at this point? The school committee has 30 days to reconvene. Reconsider, possibly amend and resubmit their budget assessment to the towns. What could this budget look like? You really have three options. You could submit the same exact budget. Don't change it at all. Resubmit the same exact number to the town and try to go after the same amount again. There are reasons you could do this. Maybe you thought we weren't as active before town meeting and you want to have a second chance. And we really want that level of funding. So you could submit the same budget at the town within 45 days. Has to call a special town meeting to appropriate the funds. Your second option is to resubmit a different budget somewhere lower than the levy budget, but somewhere high, I'm sorry, somewhere lower than the override amount, but higher than your levy budget. This would still require a special town meeting in Wenham only. As in this example, Hamilton has already approved their budget. Um, the last thing you could approve. A reduced budget that lowers the regional school district's budget down to the Wenham levy only budget. This would negate the point. This would negate a second town meeting for the town of Wenham. Um, so what would that look like if we were to try to meet him? Wenham Levy only budget. As we stated before, it would be a reduction of $438,000 to Wenham, which translates into a $1.2 million reduction to the school district. This would completely wipe out Wenham need for an override, and it would reduce Hamilton by that $833,000, and they would still have needed the override, but it would have passed. They would have appropriated the funds, they would only be assessed at our new reduced number, and that additional levy capacity would be available for future town meeting appropriation under scenario three. I'm really just flipping the scenario. We're going to assume that Hamilton's levy levy budget passes, but their override fails. And in Wenham there are levy budget passes as well as their override passes. So what does that mean? It's the same thing. We do not have a school committee approved budget. We only have a budget that is funded at the Hamilton levy amount. Only our options are pretty much exactly the same. You're going to have 30 days to resubmit a the assessments to the towns. And again it's the same situation. It could be the same exact amount. Hamilton would still have to call a new town meeting within 45 days. It could be something in the middle which would still require them to have a town meeting. Or we could accept the levy only budget and lower our overall budget request. And that would, uh, negate the need for a town second town meeting in Hamilton. 01:39:50,119 S11: What does that mean? It would mean we'd have to reduce Hamilton's overall assessment by that $1,079,000, which for the school district would mean an overall reduction of the $1.6 million. Again, this reduces Hamilton's budget by their override amount, and then would reduce Venom's overall assessment by that $568,000, they would have already passed the override. They would have already increased their levy limit. Their assessment would just be reduced. And again, that future capacity would be available for future use. Future appropriation. At a different town meeting. The last scenario, scenario number four, we're going to assume that the levy budget passes in Hamilton. But the override fails in the same situation in Wenham. Their levy budget passes, but their override fails. What does this mean for the school district? Same situation. We have 30 days to reconvene and resubmit a new budget. Same situation. It could be the exact same budget. This is going to require a town meeting in both communities. It could be something in the middle. It's still going to require a special town meeting in both communities. Or we could lower our overall budget to meet one of the community's levy only budgets. So which community does that end up being? Since both overrides failed, the school district is really forced into meeting the levy only budget of the community with the lower available capacity, which is currently Hamilton. So the same thing occurs. We would have to meet Hamilton's levy only budget, which means a reduction of 1.6 million to the regional school district, which again translates into a $568,000 reduction to Wenham, eliminating obviously their need for an override. So what time limits do we have when all these things kick in? So if the budget fails at town meeting or after the ballot, the school committee is going to have that 30 days to reconsider and resubmit a budget after the school committee votes on the budget, the the time starts. Starts clicking for the towns. They have 45 days to hold a town meeting. This period could be shortened by either party if we do so, there's certain time limits on when they have to post their town meeting when we have to post our school committees, but we both could work to shorten this time frame. If, however, July 1st comes, we have to notify DST that we do not have an approved budget, and we enter into what they call a one twelfths budget scenario, which is a roll forward budget. So whatever we received in FY 26, we're going to receive in the first months of the new fiscal year until our budget is approved. If after the second town meeting it fails. There is law that states we have to call a district wide meeting. So that would be the third go around. We have to call a district wide meeting which combines both towns, and the only thing on that agenda is the regional school district budget. If the budget passes at that district wide meeting, it is not contingent on a prop two and a half override, and they're not contingent on a prop two and a half override ballot vote in either of the communities, even if that threshold is exceeded at the time at the district wide meeting. If the school committee's budget is approved at this district wide meetings, the town must fund it to the level approved at that meeting. If neither of these these items occur in December, first comes D.C. takes complete fiscal control of the school district. They will be signing all warrants. They will be approving all collective bargaining agreements that are up for adoption after this time frame. They will be approving all of our purchase orders. They will be coming down every quarter to review all of our quarterly updates that I give. They will probably have somebody permanently placed in our office overseeing all of our finances for the rest of the fiscal year, or until a budget is approved. We do have the ability to call another district wide meeting. You are not limited to one, but you are held to do it on the third time. So one thing I would like to go over in a moment. We are going to pull up a list of potential items that may be included if the overrides fail. But some things that might change these numbers as we work through it is has to do with the personnel. Obviously, personnel is our biggest expenditure within our budget. When we go to estimate what a reduction would look like, we always use an average teacher salary for the FY 27. Um, reductions that you will see in a moment. We used a not average non-professional status teacher, which right now is currently just under $84,000. They would be eligible for unemployment, so we are factoring in full unemployment benefits for those individuals. So that would be the full 30 week eligibility at $808 per week for our ESPs. We did the same approach, except we did not take the average salary of the non-professional status ESPs. We just took ESPs in its entirety and came up with an average and then factored in again, 30 weeks of unemployment. But what does this happen? How does this affect what's going to happen when we if we have to implement this? If you looked at our teachers in their entirety and you took the average teacher salary from not just professional status teachers, it's more like $99,000. We use the $84,000 number because when it comes to reduction in force with teachers, there's multiple things that come into play. You have your seniority and you have what license each teacher provides. So we could have a bumping scenario where we might be eliminating one position, but that teacher is able to bump out somebody else in a different position, or somebody else in an open position if they do not have professional status, or do they? Or if they do not hold the certain license that we need. So at the moment, we are estimating that average salary of $84,000. When we go to actually implement this, it could be something a little bit different. Even if you just look at what the actual average teacher salary is. So currently, like I said, I'm using an $84,000 number and I'm backing out payments for unemployment. If we were to eliminate one of these positions and it came in more around our actual average teacher salary of $99,000, and then that teacher, luckily was able to be able to find a job relatively quickly and was not on unemployment for the full 30 weeks. We could be looking at additional savings almost up to $30,000. In this one example, you have nearly a $15,000 additional savings from their salary and another $15,000 from unemployment. If this happens three times, you're already at your $90,000. That's one less position we may have to eliminate, depending on what actually happens if this reduction in force has to come into play, what also could happen if we do if this has to be implemented and we do implement it when the year when FY 27 comes, we could be seeing savings or year end surpluses in FY 27 if items like this happen. I wanted to make sure I warned you about that because this list to me is always changing. It will not be a permanent list until pretty much we go to implement it, and even after we implement it, it could still change. If this happens, if we are realizing higher savings than what we originally planned. We're obviously going to come to you and explain to you how much savings we're realizing, and ask to bring those positions back. When you approve a budget, you're approving the FTE max. So any additional FTEs we have to come to you for approval anyways. So we would come to you and explain that we are realizing additional surpluses because of something like this. So I wanted to help try to explain that this list is never permanent to me. So I hope it's not permanent to you guys. But that is this part and I can pull up the list if you need me to, or I will pull it up. 01:48:17,590 S12: Okay, cool. Do you have a question? 01:48:18,750 S3: I do, if that's okay. 01:48:19,949 S12: Of course. Yes. 01:48:20,829 S10: Yep. 01:48:21,550 S3: Um, my. I have actually have two questions. Is the district set up with a DOA on a reimbursable basis? Is that why we're budgeting for unemployment? Because some employees. Okay. All right. And then are we also, in theory, anticipating there would be savings on health insurance benefits. 01:48:39,119 S11: So in the complete list, I am factoring. 01:48:41,399 S12: The savings in health insurance. 01:48:42,680 S11: So I ran an analysis under health insurance. About 48% of all of our active employees are enrolled in some sort of health insurance plan. So I did not factor in savings for every single position. I did something a little bit less than half. Okay, I am very conservative on that reduction list. 01:49:02,920 S10: Thank you. 01:49:07,079 S1: Anybody else have questions? 01:49:11,840 S1: Thank you. 01:49:18,439 S1: I will save any of those slides. I don't know, but those are the slides regarding the outcomes of the potential outcomes might be a great resource. I mean, they're on our agenda. I don't know, but that's a great resource for them. Like to Megan's point that to members of the community about it's complicated and those were helpful. So I don't know. I don't know how they get that out there in the world, but at least we have it as a, you know, it's linked to our agenda. So. 01:49:49,140 S11: Okay, give me one second. I'll pull up the other one. 01:50:51,430 S11: So I tried to lay out here. Sorry, it's not showing on my screen. Um, I tried to lay out here both the reduction for Hamilton and for Wenham. So you can see again that we're using Hamilton's, uh, level of their override of roughly 1.6 million to. 01:51:06,550 S1: No, no, no, that's not. I understand. I actually understand that. What? No, I yes, what I was saying is that when we're saying of one FTE. 01:51:20,069 S1: Might actually represent or I guess we should use a higher number but five FTEs, for example, because some of those people might work a 0.6 position or 0.7 position. You might actually be talking about seven people. 01:51:37,090 S12: Correct. 01:51:37,850 S1: In fact, I just want people to understand that like that, like 12.5 teacher or like just that from a point of view of like a student in the school, there are potentially even more people than there are FTEs that might be missing from the school. I just want people to understand that, like. 01:52:07,770 S11: Yes, 12.5, um, might not represent 13 bodies. It could represent 15 bodies. 01:52:14,930 S12: Some are part. 01:52:15,970 S1: Time human beings that are in our schools serving our students. I just I understand that you're conservative in the way that you create these numbers and that the numbers, but I just want to make that so people understand that that's like someone in our schools who works a point eight position could be incredibly impactful for a student. 01:52:46,949 S1: Like that. So. 01:52:54,949 S3: Um, I'm not sure if this is for for Vinny or for Eric or for other people that have had these conversations before. Do we have an understanding as to where these reductions might be occurring? Which approximate buildings grade levels, the impact that it could have on, um, special ed on class sizes? Do we have a sense because I know this is really difficult because I'm I'm sure there are, you know, faculty and staff watching at home. You know, I know this is a really, like, hard conversation, but I also think the public needs to know what the impact for their children could be in the district. 01:53:38,319 S12: Sure. 01:53:38,960 S2: And the impacts are across the board. You will see reductions in classes, class sizes. So what do you mean in reduction in class is like what's offered. You don't have enough teachers to offer what you want to offer. So generally high school middle school electives get tackled during those times when those things start to go away and kids have fewer options. Um, reductions in staffing can cause class size changes. Uh, can cause, uh, class size supports to go away. Class supports. Class size supports. Just class supports. Uh, when you're looking at the second one with the 14 that support staff, that could be cleanliness of your building. That could be Stuff that needs to get repaired. That could be things. Kids that need interventions, kids that need services, kids that need, um, specialists in the room. So there's lots of impact points when you're taking out, um, more than 10% of your staffing like that, you're just really ripping the rug out in a lot of areas. And we try to look at it from the perspective of what's outside the classroom first and work our way in. Um, we are trying to protect class sizes at the elementary level because we're stacked there. And, um, if we got forced into the window, it would also make a mess if we had to change some of the classes. In elementary, for example, there are generally seven sections of classes, like, say, I'll use first grade as an example. There are seven sections. They're not all in the same building. Um, so you would end up saying, okay, I'm going to go to six teachers and take the same amount of kids and divide those up. Now all of a sudden your class size goes from 20 to 20 3 or 4. Um, it's a tough situation when you're looking at some of the classroom class rooms. The physical rooms themselves don't fit that many kids in there. Um. Never mind all the things they need to function on a day to day basis. So there are a lot of impact points across the budget. And they will hurt. They will they will definitely make it more difficult for us to even deliver some of the services that quote would be required. Um, we're looking still at. We went through an exercise Tuesday morning with the leadership team to look at things like efficiencies, like what types of efficiencies out of the box can we come up with that might help us to get to this number if the override doesn't pass. And that's a that's a you know, that's a whole separate conversation because some of those efficiencies cost money. When you start to say, okay, I want to be I want to shut down Central Office and move all those people into school buildings. Well, I don't have a place to put everybody. So some people may be working from home, but Central Office saves us maybe a quarter million dollars because it's utilities and, you know, things like that that are related. But it's not something. There's no way to put everybody. Mhm. Um, if you're looking at it from the perspective of programs, it generally reduces the number of options available for kids to choose. When it comes time to select your schedule, which impacts future future of kids because of the things that they will, you know, not experience as they're going through the schools. The idea is to give kids as many experiences as possible as they grow into their college or their, you know, whatever they choose outside of, uh, high school. So. 01:57:10,770 S3: Um, I have two follow up questions. At the elementary level, is there a chance that if your child is presently attending one elementary school that they would need to be moved to another one. Due to cuts or changes in service. 01:57:26,060 S2: It was a solution of reducing the number of sections of use. First grade again 7 to 6. Yes, those kids have to be moved somewhere. And right now first grade is two. It went through up to a buck or three at at Cutler when when you look at that you probably take the Cutler third one and try to disperse some of those kids at Cutler, but they wouldn't all fit in the room. You know, there are lots of different options and scenarios. There are scenarios that can be as drastic as saying, I'm going to put all, uh, kids in similar grades in one building. So all third and fourth graders will be in one building. All fifth and sixth, fourth and fifth graders could be somewhere second and third could be somewhere that holds, uh, gives you a better opportunity to move the kids around without having to shift everything. But now everybody could be in a different place come fall. 01:58:18,239 S3: It's messy at the high school level. Are we looking at losing languages, honors classes? Advanced classes? I mean, where's when? Because I don't have high school aged children yet, so I don't have really a level of understanding of the kinds of offerings that are at jeopardy through with this kind of change. 01:58:41,119 S2: Yeah, it's it's hard to say. It's going to be right here, right now. But the the idea is it will impact some of the areas that have the lowest class sizes currently. I mean, go back all the way to November when I gave out the enrollment reports with the class sizes. That's purposeful, purposefully done at the beginning of the budget so that we can look at those and say, okay, there are some efficiencies, there are definitely some efficiencies that we can build into this that that don't hurt. But when you go 26 plus the seven, that's going to hurt that support services, that's from every avenue of of what we have for personnel. 01:59:18,380 S2: It's administrators. It's admin assistants. It's. 01:59:20,380 S10: It's 01:59:23,020 S10: okay. Thank you. 01:59:30,460 S2: I want to stress, Vinny said at once. I want to stress. This is a dynamic list. Yeah. Um, that number could go down to to 20 down by an FTE, by something as simple as having a position cut with someone with a high salary that has nowhere to go, there's nowhere to bump or no one to replace. They don't hold a cert to go into another open slot or bump somebody. That's a possibility in some cases. So then you would save the whole cost of whatever that top salary is, which is, you know, say 100, 110. 02:00:08,979 S2: So those changes could occur as we go through the process. And just like and he was talking about. The people generally in the first, second and third years are impacted first. Mhm. Um, they make the least amount of money as well. So when you start playing that juggling game the numbers start to move around. We could also find some other efficiencies within things like you know literally nickel and diming ourselves to death, taking out no supplies, no library books, no professional development. Start chipping away at all of that. Then you really lose your school district. You really lose the the connectivity and the things that are required to be a quality school district. 02:00:54,189 S3: Our early retirements or anything like that, ever a possibility for cost savings in this kind of situation? 02:01:01,149 S2: Yeah. So the retirement systems are both run by private agencies and teacher retirements run by the state. And the, um Essex County retirements are run by a board. And we don't get to say who can retire early? There is a bill in the state House to give people who did not have sign up for retirement, plus teachers in the math teachers retirement who did not sign up for mass for Retirement Plus, which was back in the 90s. So when I say 94 or 5, I am one of those people. So I should know. Um, which allows people to retire earlier. So if you signed up for retirement plus 35 years ago, you're you're eligible to retire right around 58. If you've been in the system since you were since you came out of college. Uh, those who don't have to stay till between 62 and 65, depending on years of service. Um, so there's a bill in the state House right now that has legs that may kick in, that will allow people to buy back service under retirement plus or pay the extra 2%. Times however many number of years to let them go early. But that's not anything we control. 02:02:11,619 S12: Okay. 02:02:17,300 S1: Um, I guess this is a really difficult list, and I. I think it's appropriate that we spend most of our time focusing on the people on this list and the staff, and that impacts to our children. I think we all. I mean, it's been said a thousand times in this district, like our teachers are the key, obviously, and I don't want to not address that. All the other things on this list are really, to me personally, devastating to remove. In addition, like they're really important items. You know, I mean, in other words, their safety, their security, their athletic fees, which are families many of whom, like are going to have to pay. And that impacts the real lives of kids. And, you know, and the late buzz that Megan was talking about, like, who's most impacted by eliminating the late bus? It's more than likely disproportionately the students that are unable to to find other ways of getting home. It's just it's the it. I just think it's really important, like the ventilating the nurse's office. Like that's insane that these are like, these are all I just I while I think we definitely need to focus in mostly on the importance of how many staff members there are, and it's I just don't want us to like these are all really important things that. Which is why we included them in the budget. So I just I don't know. 02:04:27,489 S8: This list makes me want to cry. I can't imagine getting rid. Of that many teachers. 02:04:32,250 S11: How do you think it was making it? 02:04:34,130 S10: Yeah. What? 02:04:34,770 S11: How do you think it was making it? 02:04:36,130 S8: Yeah. Even worse. 02:04:39,770 S2: Yeah. And they're really like. This is not a light conversation leadership team. It makes them all sick to their stomachs. When you're sitting here saying good people are going to lose their jobs. Really? We are hugely benefited by the quality of our staff. And it's you know, you can't say, well, it's not a loss. It's a loss. Every person, every employee is a loss for us and I think in a lot of different ways, when you look at it like there are certain mandates that we need to meet and those are, you know, really non-negotiable. So that holds some things in play for you. For us, we looked at it from the core value perspective to say, what are the things that are important to us? And we dug into stuff like even the survey that was just done for strategic planning, where where parents outline like class sizes are important. That was very clear in that most recent survey. And then the student first lens. So a lot of districts would choose to cut a program. Um, let's cut music. Let's cut foreign language. Let's cut let's cut all the JV athletics. You know what I mean? So I don't I just don't think that's the way to go. And when you're looking at it from the perspective of still trying to give kids as many options, now, there are ways out we do, you know, dual enrollment. We do online courses. But that's just not everybody's vibe either. When you're looking at it from a kid perspective. So I think the, you know, there may be some opportunity for us in here to look differently at the way we do school, which is like the one silver lining. I can say, okay, let's have that difficult conversation about what if we restructured? I'm just going to I'm not saying we're doing this the middle and high school to be different. What if we match their schedule so that we could share teachers? What if, you know, you did put like grades in in elementary school buildings? It would be messy, but it might be a cleaner and more efficient way to do things. So we're looking at it from two perspectives. It hurts really badly. And it it's you know, what opportunities can we can we get out of this. 02:06:48,489 S8: But well, and we're really losing the next generation of teachers because it's going to be the ones that were just hired, tend to be on the younger side, who are going to be the ones that are let go. 02:07:03,340 S2: A lot of them came in from reductions in communities last year. Yeah. North Andover laid off 45 and over. Laid off 36. Woburn, I think. Laid off 22. So some of those teachers that we hired came from those communities, which was a huge boon for us. It was great. We got quality teachers. And you know, that's a it's a it's tough. It's tough for me to walk around the building every day. Right now when you're like, you can't give anybody any answers. You're trying to you know, you're trying to balance that human perception. 02:07:33,100 S1: And I guess that part about not giving answers. I mean, in other words, there is an opportunity here for the citizens to vote and, and support the override budget and to to speak, to tell us what it is that they want. So there is an opportunity, like it's really important that we have this conversation, that we have this up here. But this is not inevitable. This is that there's an opportunity. 02:08:07,560 S1: We just spent a large part a time explaining the budget and showing that, you know, that this doesn't have to happen, that that this can pass, the override could pass and and that and to Eric's point that you have to explore all the different possibilities. And that was why Vinny did that great chart about all the different possibilities of what could happen. 02:08:32,199 S2: And we're still exploring. We did an exercise the other day with the leadership team I made. I took their computers, made them close their computers, put them away, took out the paper budget books, took out, uh, paired up people from the elementary with secondary and said, look, in every other place about your own budget and try to find efficiencies. Try to ask deep questions about things that are outside the classroom that might be in the maintenance budget, that might be in Vinnie's budget. My budget, your budget, all the other places, just to try to get some different perspectives. So we'll still continue to go through that process for the next few weeks. 02:09:10,170 S9: So. 02:09:14,449 S1: This is not this is an evolving process. Are you looking to us for. I mean, I don't I feel like we've had enough discussions that I don't feel like anybody on the committee is surprised about what this looks. Looks like at least you know. Um, so I don't know if you're looking for us to. 02:09:42,729 S2: No, I just think it's it's this is public. It's time. It's time to get it out there and put it in front of as many people as we can and say, this is what goes away from our schools, you know, and love to be even more explicit, but I'm still dealing with people on my side that, you know, are working every day, come to work every day, work hard and do the right things. And, you know, I don't want to put something out there that's not real, like creating a furor. If all of a sudden it passes, it's like, are we worried for nothing? But we really. 02:10:14,270 S11: Did. 02:10:14,989 S2: It really didn't. So we're preparing for the worst, which would be this, but hoping for the best. 02:10:27,390 S2: But we also just want to make sure everybody was clear on the 1.6 million. That's that's a bone of contention sometimes when you're looking at saying, oh, it's 1 million in Hamilton and 438,000, that doesn't add up to 1.6. So hopefully Vinny's presentation clarified that. But it is a $1.6 million hit if it doesn't pass. 02:10:47,710 S3: I just have a question about that. I think that was really helpful and just from my own Knowledge and understanding about this, that it's the regional agreement that is driving that formulation and the way that this needs to be adjusted, because it's not from what I understand from what Bonnie was saying, if the override only fails in one community, you don't really get necessarily the benefit of the passing override in the other community, you don't get that money like so. It's not as though in theory, if it fails in Hamilton and passes in one arm, we don't get that for 38. We have to make that adjustment because of the regional agreement and the way that that is structured. 02:11:31,319 S2: Correct? 02:11:32,119 S3: Okay. 02:11:38,640 S2: No one in the middle of it, the towns might accept a lower number. If that didn't pass, they might. It's a it's a risk. It's a chance you take. 02:11:46,239 S13: Yeah. 02:11:51,000 S1: Okay. Are we all good? 02:11:58,819 S1: Anybody have anything else? Thank you. I think we all knew this was going to be a really difficult conversation, so thank you for that. 02:12:14,460 S9: Okay. 02:12:17,619 S1: Um. All right. Um, moving on to committee reports. Um. Capital finance. 02:12:27,779 S8: Um, we met on Monday, and we went through everything you guys just saw. 02:12:33,779 S1: Thank you for that work. Do you have anything else about that? I think we did it. 02:12:44,500 S1: Uh, policy. 02:12:47,779 S9: Uh, we met this past Monday, and we discussed this um linked policy g CFB bullying prevention and bringing it to you all for the first reading tonight. 02:13:05,239 S2: Let me take. 02:13:05,720 S9: It. 02:13:06,079 S2: Yes, please. So the this policy is required policy. Not a lot of changes. There were a few tweaks by the attorney. You'd have to go to the third page bottom where there was a slight language change. Uh, again, really attorney preference versus anything else. But the policy remains, uh, the same as the previous version. Outside of the few red line changes on here, there's nothing major. 02:13:37,000 S9: And just within our discussion, I had asked if this covers, um, AI usage and altering fellow student likeness. And Eric said it does. 02:13:51,689 S2: Yep. Cyberbullying covers all of that. 02:13:57,970 S1: Does anyone have any questions? Feedback? 02:14:02,729 S8: Um, under the Prohibition of Bullying section at the top of page two. 02:14:09,369 S10: Um. 02:14:10,210 S8: At functions or programs, whether on or off school grounds. Is that on at school sponsored functions or programs or any. Can we clarify that? 02:14:21,529 S2: We could. 02:14:21,850 S10: Yep. Thank you. 02:14:24,050 S2: Yeah. School functions like tournament games at the garden. You know, those types of things? Yep. We can put school functions. 02:14:33,689 S1: Um. Anybody else? I just want to say, I think I said it several years ago when this policy came up, and Eric has had to have me. I understand this is a Policy that is required. I just, from a educational point of view, like I just do not like the way that this policy is written. I think it's very, um, like good educators tell students what to do, not what not to do. And it's just listed over and over and over like this. I just don't like the way that the intent of the policy is. I believe there's lots of good intent behind it. I, I it to me, it's a very punitive and not just I'm not happy with this policy and I know there's nothing I can do about it. So I'm just going to put it out there. 02:15:37,430 S9: And I feel like paired with all of our really beautiful inclusion programs and language, like, I think this is the like. Paired with that, I think it works. I know what you're saying, but. 02:15:50,800 S1: Yeah, I, I guess it's just right. I like to me that, you know, students, all people have lots to learn throughout their normal developmental life. And this is just this. I just. 02:16:11,079 S9: Anyway, you're not reading this. 02:16:13,199 S1: No, I know, I just don't I just. 02:16:15,680 S2: Taken straight from the law. 02:16:16,840 S1: Anyway, I get it, I get it, and it's outside the scope of my. But I just I do think that a lot of our internal language and internal ways of approaching challenging behaviors and social emotional skills are handled better than I or hated better than I see this in this policy. All right, off my soapbox. There's not much I could do. 02:16:49,739 S9: Do you want us to look at anything to edit? 02:16:52,579 S1: No. I mean, my understanding is that this is. 02:16:55,299 S2: One from Jen. 02:16:56,659 S1: Yeah. 02:16:57,979 S9: Yeah. I just mean, to Dana's point about what she feels is missing. That's all. 02:17:02,219 S1: Yeah. No. It's done. I've got it out there. Okay. All right. Um. 02:17:10,139 S9: Uh oh. And then our next meeting is April 27th at 230 on zoom. Okay. 02:17:17,180 S1: April 27th. Um, negotiations. 02:17:22,620 S1: Help me out. Kristen, our next meeting is. I'm sorry I didn't pull it up. 02:17:31,620 S14: I have it on. 02:17:33,620 S3: The Tuesday the 24th at 330. 02:17:38,379 S1: Um, yes. Tuesday. Tuesday. Tuesday. Excuse me. I was looking good. 02:17:42,629 S3: We have it, right? 02:17:43,469 S1: Yes. No, that is correct. 02:17:44,790 S15: You'll be there. I'll be there. 02:17:46,870 S1: Yes. 02:17:47,149 S15: I don't know if you all will, but I'll be there. 02:17:49,069 S1: Um, continuing to negotiate with, um, the SP union, having productive conversations. We did have to. Not this meeting, but we did realize we had a meeting set. So for the date of town meeting. So we had to rearrange some things. But yes, we are meeting on Tuesday. So, um, our secretary is not here, so we don't have a report. Um, Amy, did you have anything in our inboxes? 02:18:21,389 S9: No, I do not. 02:18:24,469 S1: Boxes have been quiet. Um, I do not have anything further to report unless anyone has. Oh, that's not true. I, um, I did want to report, and maybe anybody else wants to report that. Um. I'm going.